of curiosities, a vast collection of toxic plants and insects as well as weaponry and artifacts from around the world. Pendergast surmises that Leng's true goal was to perfect a method of global genocide, but that he gave up on his research in 1954 after the Castle Bravo thermonuclear bomb was successfully test-detonated, believing humanity to already be doomed. Fairhaven attempts to execute Pendergast using the ancient weaponry, but inadvertently poisons himself from handling poisoned objects, dying gruesomely. Pendergast, Dr. Kelly, and Smithback cover up the existence of the secret basement when they report to the police. At the gravesites of the original 36 victims, Pendergast burns the last evidence of Leng's discoveries of the formula to prolong human life, to Smithback's dismay and Dr. Kelly's approval. The Leng house is eventually turned over to Pendergast's ownership, where he enlists the help of a friend and researcher, Wren, to begin cataloguing the contents of the secret cabinet of curiosity, hinting at something else hidden in it. Background The character of Nora Kelly first appeared in Child and Preston's thriller novel Thunderhead (1998). Kelly was modeled on Lincoln Child's grandmother Nora Benjamin Kubie, an amateur archaeologist and writer. References External links A review by Lisa DuMond Bookreporter.com review of The Cabinet of Curiosities 2002 American novels Techno-thriller novels Novels by Douglas Preston Novels by Lincoln Child Collaborative novels American thriller novels American science fiction novels