Books by Douglas Preston

Portrait of Douglas Preston

Douglas Preston is an acclaimed American author and journalist renowned for his gripping thrillers and meticulously researched adventure novels. Often collaborating with Lincoln Child, Preston has created the celebrated Special Agent Pendergast series, blending science, mystery, and the macabre. His solo works, including both fiction and non-fiction, showcase a fascination with history, archaeology, and the darker corners of human ambition.

Drawing on real-world expeditions and investigative reporting, Preston's writing combines factual depth with page-turning suspense. Whether uncovering lost civilisations or confronting modern-day enigmas, his stories captivate readers who crave intelligent, atmospheric storytelling grounded in authentic detail and bold imagination.

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137 products


  • Brimstone

    Little, Brown & Company Brimstone

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis When FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers a murder in the attic of a Long Island estate, a scorched claw print leads him down a dark trail of unspeakable terror. A body is found in the attic of a fabulous Long Island estate.There is a claw print scorched into the wall, and the stench of sulfur chokes the air.When FBI Special Agent Pendergast investigates the gruesome crime, he discovers that thirty years ago four men conjured something unspeakable.Has the devil come to claim his due?Some things can''t be undone.

    Out of stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company Dance of Death 6 Agent Pendergast

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company The Book of the Dead 7 Agent Pendergast

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company Fever Dream

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company The Wheel of Darkness 8 Agent Pendergast Series 8

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company Two Graves 12 Agent Pendergast Series 12

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company Cemetery Dance 9 Agent Pendergast

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £9.50

  • Little, Brown & Company Gideons Sword

    4 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    4 in stock

    £10.32

  • Beyond the Ice Limit

    Grand Central Publishing Beyond the Ice Limit

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £16.00

  • Old Bones

    Grand Central Publishing Old Bones

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe #1 NYT bestselling authors Preston & Child bring the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party to new life in this thrilling novel of archaeology, history, murder, and suspense.Nora Kelly, a young curator at the Santa Fe Institute of Archaeology, is approached by historian Clive Benton with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal: to lead a team in search of the so-called "Lost Camp" of the tragic Donner Party. This was a group of pioneers who earned a terrible place in American history when they became snow-bound in the California mountains in 1847, their fate unknown until the first skeletonized survivors stumbled out of the wilderness, raving about starvation, murder-and cannibalism. Benton tells Kelly he has stumbled upon an amazing find: the long-sought diary of one of the victims, which has an enigmatic description of the Lost Camp. Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate it-to reveal its long-buried secrets. Once in the mountains, however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case...only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.

    10 in stock

    £15.29

  • Crooked River

    Grand Central Publishing Crooked River

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling authors: Racing to uncover the mystery of several severed feet found floating in the Gulf of Mexico, Agent Pendergast is faced with the most inexplicable challenge of his career.A startling crime with dozens of victims. Appearing out of nowhere to horrify the quiet resort town of Sanibel Island, Florida, dozens of identical, ordinary-looking shoes float in on the tide and are washed up on the tropical beach—each one with a crudely severed human foot inside.A ghastly enigma with no apparent solution. Called away from vacation elsewhere in the state, Agent Pendergast reluctantly agrees to visit the crime scene—and, despite himself, is quickly drawn in by the incomprehensible puzzle. An early pathology report only adds to the mystery. With an ocean of possibilities confronting the investigation, no one is sure what happened, why, or from where the feet originated. And they desperately need to know: are the victims still alive?A worthy challenge for a brilliant mind. In short order, Pendergast finds himself facing the most complex and inexplicable challenge of his career: a tangled thread of evidence that spans seas and traverses continents, connected to one of the most baffling mysteries in modern medical science. Through shocking twists and turns, all trails lead back to a powerful adversary with a sadistic agenda and who—in a cruel irony—ultimately sees in Pendergast the ideal subject for their malevolent research.

    10 in stock

    £14.44

  • Bloodless

    Grand Central Publishing Bloodless

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA.A fabulous heist:On the evening of November 24, 1971, D. B. Cooper hijacked Flight 305—Portland to Seattle—with a fake bomb, collected a ransom of $200,000, and then parachuted from the rear of the plane, disappearing into the night…and into history.A brutal crime steeped in legend and malevolence:Fifty years later, Agent Pendergast takes on a bizarre and gruesome case: in the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.A case like no other:As the mystery rises along with the body count, Pendergast and his partner, Agent Coldmoon, race to understand how—or if—these murders are connected to the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. Together, they uncover not just the answer…but an unearthly evil beyond all imagining.

    Out of stock

    £23.25

  • Diablo Mesa

    Grand Central Publishing Diablo Mesa

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £24.80

  • The Scorpion's Tail

    Little, Brown & Company The Scorpion's Tail

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £27.75

  • City of Endless Night

    Grand Central Publishing City of Endless Night

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £15.99

  • Old Bones

    Grand Central Publishing Old Bones

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £24.00

  • Bloodless

    Grand Central Publishing Bloodless

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA.A fabulous heist:On the evening of November 24, 1971, D. B. Cooper hijacked Flight 305—Portland to Seattle—with a fake bomb, collected a ransom of $200,000, and then parachuted from the rear of the plane, disappearing into the night…and into history.A brutal crime steeped in legend and malevolence:Fifty years later, Agent Pendergast takes on a bizarre and gruesome case: in the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.A case like no other:As the mystery rises along with the body count, Pendergast and his partner, Agent Coldmoon, race to understand how—or if—these murders are connected to the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. Together, they uncover not just the answer…but an unearthly evil beyond all imagining.

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • Bloodless

    Grand Central Publishing Bloodless

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £29.00

  • Bloodless

    Grand Central Publishing Bloodless

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £15.29

  • Diablo Mesa

    Grand Central Publishing Diablo Mesa

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £10.44

  • Diablo Mesa

    Grand Central Publishing Diablo Mesa

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestsellers Preston and Child, archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson are tasked with the mysterious deaths of two people found at a site where a UFO allegedly crashed decades before. Lucas Tappan, a wealthy and eccentric billionaire and founder of Icarus Space Systems, approaches the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute with an outlandish proposal—to finance a careful, scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site, where a UFO is alleged to have crashed in 1947. A skeptical Nora Kelly, to her great annoyance, is tasked with the job.  Nora's excavation immediately uncovers two murder victims buried at the site, faces and hands obliterated with acid to erase their identities. Special Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned to the case. As Nora’s excavation proceeds, uncovering things both bizarre and seemingly inexplicable, Corrie’s homicide investigation throws open a Pandora's box of espionage and violence, uncovering bloody traces of a powerful force that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets—and that threatens to engulf them all in an unimaginable fate.

    Out of stock

    £26.10

  • Diablo Mesa

    Grand Central Publishing Diablo Mesa

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestsellers Preston and Child, archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson are tasked with the mysterious deaths of two people found at a site where a UFO allegedly crashed decades before. Lucas Tappan, a wealthy and eccentric billionaire and founder of Icarus Space Systems, approaches the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute with an outlandish proposal—to finance a careful, scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site, where a UFO is alleged to have crashed in 1947. A skeptical Nora Kelly, to her great annoyance, is tasked with the job.  Nora's excavation immediately uncovers two murder victims buried at the site, faces and hands obliterated with acid to erase their identities. Special Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned to the case. As Nora’s excavation proceeds, uncovering things both bizarre and seemingly inexplicable, Corrie’s homicide investigation throws open a Pandora's box of espionage and violence, uncovering bloody traces of a powerful force that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets—and that threatens to engulf them all in an unimaginable fate.

    10 in stock

    £15.19

  • The Cabinet of Dr. Leng

    Grand Central Publishing The Cabinet of Dr. Leng

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £24.00

  • The Cabinet of Dr. Leng

    Grand Central Publishing The Cabinet of Dr. Leng

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £15.19

  • Dead Mountain

    Grand Central Publishing Dead Mountain

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling duo, renowned archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson investigate a mystery so enigmatic it may have no solution.  In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers found a bizarre scene: something had appeared at the door of their tent so terrifying that it impelled them to slash their way out and flee barefoot to certain death in a blizzard. Despite a diligent search, only six bodies were found, two violently crushed and inexplicably missing their eyes. The case, given the code name “Dead Mountain” by the FBI, was never solved.  Now, two more bodies from the lost expedition are unexpectedly discovered in a cave, one a grisly suicide. Young FBI Agent Corrie Swanson teams up with archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate what really happened on that fateful trip fifteen years ago—and to find the ninth victim. But their search awakens a long-slumbering evil, which pursues Corrie and Nora with a vengeance, determined to prevent the final missing corpse from ever coming to light.

    Out of stock

    £24.00

  • The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of

    Grand Central Publishing The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £22.50

  • Dead Mountain

    Grand Central Publishing Dead Mountain

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £25.60

  • Verses for the Dead

    Grand Central Publishing Verses for the Dead

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis In this #1 New York Times bestseller, FBI Agent Pendergast reluctantly teams up with a new partner to investigate a rash of Miami Beach murders . . . only to uncover a deadly conspiracy that spans decades. After an overhaul of leadership at the FBI''s New York field office, A. X. L. Pendergast is abruptly forced to accept an unthinkable condition of continued employment: the famously rogue agent must now work with a partner. Pendergast and his new colleague, junior agent Coldmoon, are assigned to investigate a rash of killings in Miami Beach, where a bloodthirsty psychopath is cutting out the hearts of his victims and leaving them with cryptic handwritten letters at local gravestones. The graves are unconnected save in one bizarre way: all belong to women who committed suicide. But the seeming lack of connection between the old suicides and the new murders is soon the least of Pendergast''s worries. Because as he digs deeper, he realizes the brutal new crimes may be just the tip of the iceberg: a conspiracy of death that reaches back decades.

    Out of stock

    £8.99

  • Verses for the Dead

    Grand Central Publishing Verses for the Dead

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis In this #1 New York Times bestseller, FBI Agent Pendergast reluctantly teams up with a new partner to investigate a rash of Miami Beach murders . . . only to uncover a deadly conspiracy that spans decades. After an overhaul of leadership at the FBI''s New York field office, A. X. L. Pendergast is abruptly forced to accept an unthinkable condition of continued employment: the famously rogue agent must now work with a partner. Pendergast and his new colleague, junior agent Coldmoon, are assigned to investigate a rash of killings in Miami Beach, where a bloodthirsty psychopath is cutting out the hearts of his victims and leaving them with cryptic handwritten letters at local gravestones. The graves are unconnected save in one bizarre way: all belong to women who committed suicide. But the seeming lack of connection between the old suicides and the new murders is soon the least of Pendergast''s worries. Because as he digs deeper, he realizes the brutal new crimes may be just the tip of the iceberg: a conspiracy of death that reaches back decades.

    Out of stock

    £21.00

  • Old Bones

    Grand Central Publishing Old Bones

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £22.40

  • Old Bones

    Grand Central Publishing Old Bones

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe #1 New York Times bestselling authors Preston & Child bring the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party to new life in this thrilling novel of archaeology, history, murder, and suspense.Nora Kelly, a young curator at the Santa Fe Institute of Archaeology, is approached by historian Clive Benton with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal: to lead a team in search of the so-called "Lost Camp" of the tragic Donner Party. This was a group of pioneers who earned a terrible place in American history when they became snow-bound in the California mountains in 1847, their fate unknown until the first skeletonized survivors stumbled out of the wilderness, raving about starvation, murder-and cannibalism. Benton tells Kelly he has stumbled upon an amazing find: the long-sought diary of one of the victims, which has an enigmatic description of the Lost Camp. Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate it-to reveal its long-buried secrets. Once in the mountains, however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case...only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • Crooked River

    Grand Central Publishing Crooked River

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors: Racing to uncover the mystery of several severed feet found floating in the Gulf of Mexico, Agent Pendergast is faced with the most inexplicable challenge of his career.A startling crime with dozens of victims. Appearing out of nowhere to horrify the quiet resort town of Sanibel Island, Florida, dozens of identical, ordinary-looking shoes float in on the tide and are washed up on the tropical beach—each one with a crudely severed human foot inside.A ghastly enigma with no apparent solution. Called away from vacation elsewhere in the state, Agent Pendergast reluctantly agrees to visit the crime scene—and, despite himself, is quickly drawn in by the incomprehensible puzzle. An early pathology report only adds to the mystery. With an ocean of possibilities confronting the investigation, no one is sure what happened, why, or from where the feet originated. And they desperately need to know: are the victims still alive?A worthy challenge for a brilliant mind. In short order, Pendergast finds himself facing the most complex and inexplicable challenge of his career: a tangled thread of evidence that spans seas and traverses continents, connected to one of the most baffling mysteries in modern medical science. Through shocking twists and turns, all trails lead back to a powerful adversary with a sadistic agenda and who—in a cruel irony—ultimately sees in Pendergast the ideal subject for their malevolent research.

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • The Scorpion's Tail

    Grand Central Publishing The Scorpion's Tail

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom #1 bestselling authors Preston & Child comes a thrilling novel following archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson as they work together to solve a twisted crime that reaches far beyond any of their worst fears. Following the acclaimed debut of Old Bones, this second "happily anticipated" new thriller in Preston & Child''s series features Nora Kelly, archaeologist at the Santa Fe Archeological Institute, and rookie FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, as they team up to solve a mystery that quickly escalates into nightmare (Booklist).A mummified corpse, over half a century old, is found in the cellar of an abandoned building in a remote New Mexico ghost town. Corrie is assigned what seems to her a throwaway case: to ID the body and determine cause of death. She brings archaeologist Nora Kelly to excavate the body and lend her expertise to the investigation, and together they uncover something unexpected and shocking: the deceased apparently died in agony, in a fetal position, skin coming off in sheets, with a rictus of horror frozen on his face.Hidden on the corpse lies a 16th century Spanish gold cross of immense value.When they at last identify the body -- and the bizarre cause of death -- Corrie and Nora open a door into a terrifying, secret world of ancient treasure and modern obsession: a world centered on arguably the most defining, frightening, and transformative moment in American history.

    Out of stock

    £23.20

  • The Scorpion's Tail

    Grand Central Publishing The Scorpion's Tail

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £15.29

  • Verses for the Dead

    Little, Brown & Company Verses for the Dead

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £13.59

  • Dead Mountain

    Grand Central Publishing Dead Mountain

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling duo, renowned archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson investigate a mystery so enigmatic it may have no solution.  In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers found a bizarre scene: something had appeared at the door of their tent so terrifying that it impelled them to slash their way out and flee barefoot to certain death in a blizzard. Despite a diligent search, only six bodies were found, two violently crushed and inexplicably missing their eyes. The case, given the code name “Dead Mountain” by the FBI, was never solved.  Now, two more bodies from the lost expedition are unexpectedly discovered in a cave, one a grisly suicide. Young FBI Agent Corrie Swanson teams up with archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate what really happened on that fateful trip fifteen years ago—

    Out of stock

    £12.79

  • Crooked River

    Grand Central Publishing Crooked River

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £82.49

  • Bloodless

    Grand Central Publishing Bloodless

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA.A fabulous heist:On the evening of November 24, 1971, D. B. Cooper hijacked Flight 305—Portland to Seattle—with a fake bomb, collected a ransom of $200,000, and then parachuted from the rear of the plane, disappearing into the night…and into history.A brutal crime steeped in legend and malevolence:Fifty years later, Agent Pendergast takes on a bizarre and gruesome case: in the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.A case like no other:As the mystery rises along with the body count, Pendergast and his partner, Agent Coldmoon, race to understand how—or if—these murders are connected to the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. Together, they uncover not just the answer…but an unearthly evil beyond all imagining.

    Out of stock

    £30.00

  • Diablo Mesa

    Grand Central Publishing Diablo Mesa

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £30.00

  • Crooked River

    Grand Central Publishing Crooked River

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £16.00

  • The Scorpion's Tail

    Grand Central Publishing The Scorpion's Tail

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £30.00

  • Verses for the Dead

    Grand Central Publishing Verses for the Dead

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £16.00

  • Grand Central Publishing Dead Mountain

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £37.50

  • The Scorpion's Tail Lib/E

    Grand Central Publishing The Scorpion's Tail Lib/E

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £79.49

  • The Scorpion's Tail

    Grand Central Publishing The Scorpion's Tail

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £33.74

  • The Pharaoh Key

    Grand Central Publishing The Pharaoh Key

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £16.00

  • City of Endless Night

    Grand Central Publishing City of Endless Night

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £16.00

  • Penzler Publishers The Best True Crime Stories of the Year 2025

    10 in stock

    10 in stock

    £21.85

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