Douglas Preston

Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley.

His first job was as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. His stint at the museum resulted in his first nonfiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, as well as his first novel, Relic, co-authored with Lincoln Child, which was made into a movie by Paramount Pictures. Relic was followed by a string of other thrillers co-written with Child, many featuring eccentric FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast.

Preston spends his free time riding horses in New Mexico and gunkholing around the Maine coast in an old lobster boat. He counts in his ancestry the poet Emily Dickinson, the newspaperman Horace Greeley, and the infamous murderer and opium addict Amasa Greenough.

What genres does Douglas Preston write in?

Preston writes suspenseful thrillers and adventure fiction, often with elements of science, archaeology, and crime. He also publishes non-fiction about natural history and true crime.

Does he write series and which ones should I know about?

Yes. He is best known for the Agent Pendergast thrillers coauthored with Lincoln Child. He has also written the Wyman Ford series and novels featuring Nora Kelly, alongside standalone fiction and non-fiction works.

Do I need to read the Pendergast books in order?

Reading the Pendergast novels in publication order is recommended because the character and some plotlines develop across books, but many entries work as exciting standalone reads.

Where is a good place to start with his work?

For fiction, start with Relic, his first novel coauthored with Lincoln Child. For non-fiction, Dinosaurs in the Attic showcases his museum background. Other accessible titles include The Codex and The Monster of Florence.

Does Preston base his fiction on real science or research?

Yes. His early career at the American Museum of Natural History and his interest in archaeology and field research inform much of his fiction, though the stories are fictionalized.