Line #7 Literature/CemeteryDance


1	[[quoteright:279:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/CemeteryDance_6683.jpg]]
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3	''Cemetery Dance'' is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child first published in 2009. It is part of their informal ''Literature/AgentPendergast'' series.
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5	When a dear friend is murdered, Pendergast must put together the pieces to bring the perpetrator to justice. But while it first appears to be an OpenAndShutCase, things become complicated when the accused murderer turns out to have been ''dead'' for ten days before committing the crime. Strange fetishes, voodoo spells, and rumors of animal sacrifices leads Pendergast and D'Agosta on a journey into dark magic, zombiis and cults as they search for the truth behind their friend's death.
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9	!!This novel provides examples of:
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11	* AgentMulder: Pendergast, unusually, acts as if the voodoo is real. He explains that it's just like Pascal's Wager; if the voodoo isn't real, acting like it does will do him no harm. It's implied that Pendergast's more likely to accept the supernatural after the events in ''Literature/TheWheelOfDarkness''.
12	* AnimalWrongsGroup: Humans for Other Animals
13	* BigBad: [[spoiler:Alexander Esteban turns out to be behind the whole murder scheme.]]
14	* BoomerangBigot: Esteban lambasts Pendergast for his ecologically unfriendly vehicle and touts the moral high ground of vegetarianism. Pendergast finds the wrappings for a rack of lamb in his garbage. [[spoiler: Turns out Esteban was just using the animal rights group to further his agenda, and it's implied the lamb was used for zombie makeup.]]
15	* CallBack:
16	** Pendergast honors [[spoiler:Smithback's]] memory as he recounts his experiences with him from the previous books ''Literature/BookOfTheDead2006'', ''Literature/DanceOfDeath'', ''Literature/TheCabinetOfCuriosities'', and ''{{Literature/Reliquary}}''.
17	** Likewise, the novel ends with Nora visiting the place she first met [[spoiler: Smithback]] back in the events of ''{{Literature/Thunderhead}}''.
18	* [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Covers Always Spoil]]: The synopsis on the back cover outright stated that [[spoiler:Smithback is killed and his death is being investigated]].
19	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Smithback puts up one hell of a fight even after being stabbed several times. D'agosta and the police find his bloody handprints on a cutlery drawer, trying to get a knife of his own]]
20	* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: After Esteban's death, it's revealed that despite being protected by a bullet-proof vest Pendergast was still shot, and he's seen collapsing from blood loss. The next chapter picks up some time later with the characters acting seriously grim and D'Agosta notably commenting on if only he'd been able to keep him from getting shot, suggesting that Pendergast has died. After about two pages it's then revealed that D'Agosta's sitting right next to Pendergast's hospital bed, revealing he's alive and on his way to recovery.]]
21	* DueToTheDead: Pendergast says goodbye to [[spoiler: the murdered Bill Smithback]] by way of a quiet tea ceremony [[BiggerOnTheInside in an indoor zen garden]] in his apartment building.
22	* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Nora winds up ripping out one of Esteban's eyes right out of its socket.]]
23	* GenreBlind: [[spoiler: Colin Fearing really should have realized that if Esteban had been willing to betray Caitlyn then he'd probably be willing to do so to him as well.]] [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Pendergast at the end.
24	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: While attempting to escape Pendergast and Nora, Esteban accidentally activates one of his own traps: a guillotine.]]
25	* HollywoodVoodoo: The voodoo in the novel is very well researched [[spoiler:but much of it turns out to be Hollywood-style tricks]].
26	* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Despite primarily using [[spoiler: Smithback's]] death as an excuse to get a hot scoop, Caitlyn Kidd seems to genuinely want to help Nora catch his murderer. [[spoiler: Turns out she's also a former criminal and right now she's just following Esteban's orders and is using the Ville as a scapegoat for Nora to focus. Unfortunately for Caitlyn, Esteban had no intention of paying her...]]
27	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The housing department. Their idea of an "quick" eviction of The Ville would take several years.
28	* PoliceAreUseless: The police in charge of controlling the protestors are woefully unprepared and unable to do anything to stop them from becoming a mob. Chislett received ''several'' warnings he chose to ignore.
29	* PowderkegCrowd: The protests against The Ville.
30	* PutOnABus:
31	** Margo Green has exited the story again. Nora recalls she's on a hiatus and won't be back for several more months.
32	** Nora herself looks to be making an exit by the end of the novel.
33	* ScoobyDooHoax: [[spoiler:Esteban orchestrates all the zombii attacks with special effects makeup after faking deaths. Subverted at the end, The Ville actually ''has'' a zombii, but they never sent it out after people.]]
34	* SequelHook: At the very end Pendergast is visited by a lawyer named Ogilby who has a very important message for him, thus setting up the beginning of ''Literature/FeverDream''.
35	* StrawVegetarian: Esteban is of the "better than you" variety.
36	* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Smithback dies less than ten pages into the book]].
37	* UnreliableNarrator: The story is told from a third-person perspective that usually follows the viewpoint of one person in each section. [[spoiler: One of these sections was from the point of view of the BigBad, before he's actually revealed as such. Another is from the perspective of an accomplice. Neither scene gives any indication of their ''real'' plan.]]
38	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Esteban disposes of both Caitlyn Kidd and Colin Fearing after they serve there respective purposes.]]

Context Literature / CemeteryDance