it's been awhile since i've read a preston/child offering, but my recollection of Relic and Thunderhead is that both were far more literate and left no loose ends...wish i could say the same for Brimstone, which began to annoy me from the first few chapters. Another reviewer has allready noted the problem with Constance (from Cabinet of Curiosities) but the omission of detail regarding her presence in wren's and pendergast's lives is nowhere near as aggravating as the HORRENDOUS dialogue.what is meant to pass as coarse repartee among the various men in blue falls terribly flat as do the authors' repetitive word choices; if i had a nickel for every time the word "cadaverousness" appeared, i'd be a wealthy woman, although i suppose points could be given for using it as a descriptor of people AND places.overall, this book disappointed me. word to the wise...ignore the blurb on the dust jacket; wait for the paperback, if you bother at all!