Book overview Cash & Colcord, Book 1 Douglas Preston

Extinction by Douglas Preston: A Complete Guide

Spoiler Warning: This guide reveals major plot points, including the identity of the killers, the secret breeding program, and the novel’s ending.

Quick Facts

Element Detail
Publication year 2023
Genre Science fiction thriller
Setting Colorado Rockies; Erebus Resort, a de-extinction theme park; surrounding wilderness and mine tunnels
Narrator Third-person, multiple perspectives
Main characters Frances Cash, James Colcord, Bart Romanski, Marius Karman, Karla Raimundo, Maitland Barrow

Short Summary

Extinction follows CBI agent Frances Cash as she investigates the brutal disappearance of two honeymooners at the exclusive Erebus Resort, a luxury wilderness park where extinct Pleistocene megafauna have been resurrected through gene editing. As the body count rises, Cash and Sheriff James Colcord uncover a secret breeding program that created intelligent Neanderthals—who have now escaped and are waging a savage campaign of revenge against Homo sapiens. The novel explores the ethical consequences of de-extinction, the role of empathy in human survival, and the threat of technological hubris.

Full Summary

The novel opens with epigraphs from E. O. Wilson and Carl Sagan, framing the danger of ancient emotions combined with godlike technology and the reality that extinction is the norm. The story begins on the Barbican Trek at Erebus Resort, where newlyweds Olivia and Mark Gunnerson are attacked and killed in their tent by unseen assailants. Their bodies vanish.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances “Frankie” Cash arrives on scene. She works with Eagle County Sheriff James Colcord, a laconic local with a military background. Initial searches fail, and forensic detective Bart Romanski finds evidence of decapitation and massive blood loss, suggesting multiple killers. Cash suspects an insider at the resort.

The resort’s CEO, Karla Raimundo, and security chief Andrew Maximilian deflect blame toward radical environmentalists. Billionaire father Frank Gunnerson pressures Cash, but she resists shutting down the resort. During interviews, Cash learns about the Jackman Mine—an abandoned tunnel system that may connect to the resort’s labs.

A drone search is sabotaged, and Cash and drone pilot Lisa Stein are ambushed by camouflaged figures in the forest. Meanwhile, Colcord discovers that Jackman Mine maps have been stolen from the historical society. He finds a prospector, Augustus Yearwood, who provides hand‑drawn maps of the mine complex.

The killers escalate: they butcher a baby woolly mammoth named Tom Thumb. Romanski finds woven grass ornaments containing Monopoly game tokens and later human eyeballs—trophies from the cult. The cult broadcasts a prerecorded drone video of a ritual ceremony, taunting the authorities.

Cash, Colcord, and Romanski obtain a no‑knock warrant and cut through a steel door in the Jackman Mine, entering a hidden Erebus facility. There they discover a playground and a group of children with strange facial features. Romanski identifies them as Neanderthals—de‑extincted from ancient DNA. Maximilian and Raimundo capture the team and force them into a gas chamber disguised as a mining accident. The team narrowly escapes when a power failure triggered by the Neanderthals releases the facility’s locks and stops the gas.

The Neanderthals, led by a charismatic figure named Joey, revolt. They kill Raimundo, Maximilian, and other executives, then set fire to the lodge and movie set. Scientist Marius Karman explains the true purpose of the resort: wealthy clients pay twelve million dollars to have Neanderthal genes inserted into their embryos, creating designer babies under the guise of a honeymoon. The Neanderthals, given access to education and technology, deduced their origins and now seek to wipe out Homo sapiens in revenge for the prehistoric war that drove them to extinction.

Karman reveals that empathy is the key difference between humans and Neanderthals. Humans won the ancient conflict because empathy enabled larger, more cooperative groups. The Neanderthals, lacking empathy, are now organized and ruthless.

The final chase leads Cash’s group into the mountains. Karman negotiates with Joey, offering to guide the Neanderthals to a hidden pass leading to a wilderness free of humans. Joey agrees and releases the team. Rescue helicopters arrive, and the Neanderthals disappear northward.

In the aftermath, the CBI debriefing reveals massive casualties: dozens dead, two dozen Neanderthals escaped. The government scrambles to contain the truth about the designer‑baby program. Cash and Colcord meet at a coffee shop, haunted by the phrase “Extinction”—they realize the threat is not over.

The afterword by Douglas Preston details real‑world de‑extinction science, including George Church’s Colossal company and the possibility of cloning Neanderthals. Preston warns that the novel’s science is real and underway.

Main Characters

  • Frances Cash – Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent in Charge. Determined, physically fit, and distrustful of the resort. She leads the investigation and ultimately uncovers the Neanderthal breeding program.
  • James Colcord – Eagle County sheriff. Provides local knowledge and military experience. He partners with Cash, supplying mine maps and tactical support.
  • Bart Romanski – CBI forensic detective. Identifies cannibalism signs and Monopoly tokens as evidence. He compares crime reconstruction to his hobby of welding junk sculptures.
  • Marius Karman – Chief scientist of the Erebus de‑extinction project. Reveals the Neanderthal resurrection and the designer‑baby scheme. He defends his work but later helps Cash escape.
  • Karla Raimundo – CEO of Erebus. Orchestrates the cover‑up and orders the agents’ deaths. She is executed by the Neanderthals.
  • Maitland Barrow – Billionaire founder of Erebus. Funds the de‑extinction project and recruits wealthy clients for illegal genetic enhancement. Killed in the revolt.

Themes

  • De‑extinction and its consequences – The resurrection of Neanderthals leads to rebellion and violence, questioning whether we should revive extinct species.
  • The limits of human empathy – Empathy is shown as the trait that allowed Homo sapiens to survive prehistoric conflicts; the Neanderthals lack it and now seek to destroy humanity.
  • Technological hubris and playing God – Scientists and billionaires manipulate genetics without moral boundaries, resulting in catastrophic violence.
  • Institutional corruption and cover‑up – Corporate secrecy, government complicity, and media manipulation allow Erebus’s nefarious activities to continue until the investigation forces exposure.
  • Survival and extinction as natural forces – The novel’s epigraphs and afterword frame extinction as the norm and survival as rare, mirroring humanity’s own precarious existence.

Symbols

  • Monopoly game tokens – Found in woven ornaments at cult ritual sites, they symbolize anti‑capitalist ideology and serve as a mocking signature of the Neanderthal killers.
  • Woven grass ornaments – Containing human eyeballs or Monopoly tokens, these ornaments are left as trophies and a form of surveillance or mockery.
  • The Jackman Mine – Hidden mine that connects to the secret Erebus laboratory, representing the concealed unethical operations beneath the luxury resort.
  • The football – Found in the hidden corridor leading to the Neanderthal children’s playground, it symbolizes the mundane yet disturbing domestication of the cloned beings.

Ending Explained

The Neanderthals escape into the Rocky Mountain wilderness under the guidance of Dr. Karman. The government covers up the designer‑baby program, and Cash and Colcord are left with the uneasy knowledge that the Neanderthals are still out there, determined to bring about human extinction. The afterword reinforces that the science is real and the ethical questions remain open.

Chapter‑by‑Chapter Overview

Chapter Title / Key Event Summary
1 Epigraphs Two quotes from E. O. Wilson and Carl Sagan set the themes of technology, extinction, and survival.
2 Chapter 1 Olivia and Mark Gunnerson begin their honeymoon at Erebus, seeing mammoths and glyptodons. Olivia is pregnant.
3 Chapter 2 The couple is attacked in their tent; Mark is killed, Olivia is struck down.
4 Chapter 3 CBI agent Frances Cash is called to investigate the abduction of the Gunnersons.
5 Chapter 4 Cash arrives at the crime scene; bloody evidence suggests murder, not kidnapping.
6 Chapter 5 Bloodhounds lose the scent in mammoth dung; the killers used it to mask their trail.
7 Chapter 6 Romanski collects forensic evidence and realizes the crime is part of a larger plan.
8 Chapter 7 Cash tours the resort and meets the billionaire father of one victim.
9 Chapter 8 Frank Gunnerson attacks Cash; she suspects enemies of Erebus as motives.
10 Chapter 9 Cash reflects on her father’s death and her own exhaustion.
11 Chapter 10 Dr. Karman explains de‑extinction; Cash learns about the mine complex.
12 Chapter 11 Cash interviews CEO Karla Raimundo and the victim’s father; they suspect Maitland Barrow.
13 Chapter 12 Romanski reveals decapitation; a media leak forces a press conference.
14 Chapter 13 Media swarm the resort; Cash suspects a ritual motive.
15 Chapter 14 Cash and Colcord interview a film crew at a ghost town.
16 Chapter 15 Personal backstories deepen; they watch the mammoth family.
17 Chapter 16 Drone search begins; Gunnerson grows impatient.
18 Chapter 17 Gunnerson crashes a drone during the search.
19 Chapter 18 Colcord discovers Jackman Mine maps have been stolen.
20 Chapter 19 Cash retrieves the downed drone and is ambushed in the forest.
21 Chapter 20 Cash and Stein are surrounded and rescued by helicopter.
22 Chapter 21 Colcord interviews prospector Yearwood and gets new mine maps.
23 Chapter 22 Cash and Stein are rescued; eight camouflaged attackers confirmed.
24 Chapter 23 Cash learns Barrow has arrived; she fails to get a subpoena.
25 Chapter 24 Cash and Colcord interview Barrow; Gunnerson accuses him.
26 Chapter 25 Colcord confronts Maximilian about the missing mine.
27 Chapter 26 A prerecorded drone feed shows a cult ceremony.
28 Chapter 27 Film crew has a peaceful encounter with mammoths.
29 Chapter 28 Romanski finds Monopoly tokens in woven ornaments.
30 Chapter 29 Cash demands resort closure; Barrow refuses.
31 Chapter 30 Romanski deduces the killers used mammoth dung and bile as scent disguise.
32 Chapter 31 Baby mammoth Tom Thumb is killed and butchered.
33 Chapter 32 Forensics show the killers took the gall bladder.
34 Chapter 33 Cash views the video of the mammoth attack.
35 Chapter 34 Dogs find a cannibalism site with human skulls.
36 Chapter 35 Cash discovers a rock shelter with ritual cannibalism evidence.
37 Chapter 36 Team enters the hidden Jackman Mine entrance.
38 Chapter 37 Film director Doyle prepares a massive movie explosion.
39 Chapter 38 Spear attack in the mine kills one guard; team retreats.
40 Chapter 39 SWAT team enters the mine; they find a steel door to Erebus labs.
41 Chapter 40 Colcord searches the mine and finds more ornaments.
42 Chapter 41 Cash decides to obtain a no‑knock warrant for the labs.
43 Chapter 42 McFaul demotes Cash and takes over the case.
44 Chapter 43 Romanski identifies all six signs of cannibalism in the remains.
45 Chapter 44 Cash confronts Maximilian about the concealed mine.
46 Chapter 45 Doyle negotiates extra time for his film explosion.
47 Chapter 46 Cash and Colcord plan to breach the steel door from the mine.
48 Chapter 47 McFaul holds a press conference, revealing cult theory.
49 Chapter 48 Romanski cuts through the steel door with an acetylene torch.
50 Chapter 49 Cash leads the team into the mine despite risks.
51 Chapter 50 Doyle’s film explosion fails; dynamite is stolen.
52 Chapter 51 The team enters a clean institutional corridor and finds a football.
53 Chapter 52 Pyrotechnician discovers one hundred pounds of dynamite missing.
54 Chapter 53 McFaul learns of the stolen dynamite and pulls search teams.
55 Chapter 54 The team discovers a hidden dome with playground and strange children.
56 Chapter 55 Press refuses to leave; Marshall receives urgent call from labs.
57 Chapter 56 Romanski identifies the children as Neanderthals; the team is captured.
58 Chapter 57 Doyle struggles with budget fallout from the sabotaged explosion.
59 Chapter 58 Raimundo orders the agents killed in a gas chamber cover‑up.
60 Chapter 59 Karman gives a violin lesson to a Neanderthal girl.
61 Chapter 60 The team is locked in a carbon‑monoxide chamber; gas begins flowing.
62 Chapter 61 Explosion at the lodge knocks out power; chaos ensues.
63 Chapter 62 Power failure stops the gas; the team escapes as Neanderthals rise up.
64 Chapter 63 Karman realizes the Neanderthals sabotaged the power grid.
65 Chapter 64 Raimundo and Barrow barricade themselves; Neanderthals break through.
66 Chapter 65 The team sees Neanderthals mounting heads of Raimundo and Maximilian on poles.
67 Chapter 66 Doyle and Ballou are chased by masked attackers; Ballou is killed.
68 Chapter 67 McFaul hides in woods; Gunnerson attacks him and is shot dead.
69 Chapter 68 The team escapes the mine, but the helicopter is destroyed.
70 Chapter 69 Doyle crashes the van and escapes into the forest.
71 Chapter 70 McFaul shoots Gunnerson; the killers close in.
72 Chapter 71 Cash forces Karman to explain the Neanderthal resurrection and the designer‑baby scheme.
73 Chapter 72 A rescue helicopter is shot down; McFaul is killed by a spear.
74 Chapter 73 Doyle sees an indricothere and feels religious awe.
75 Chapter 74 The Neanderthal mob chases Cash’s group; the lab complex explodes.
76 Chapter 75 Karman negotiates with Neanderthal leader Joey; the team is freed.
77 Chapter 76 CBI debriefing reveals the full extent of the disaster and designer‑baby program.
78 Chapter 77 Cash and Colcord discuss the ongoing threat of extinction.
79 Afterword Preston discusses real de‑extinction science and its dangers.
80 By Douglas Preston A bibliography of Preston’s books.

Common Questions and Answers

  1. Who are the killers in Extinction? The killers are de‑extinct Neanderthals that escaped from a secret breeding laboratory at Erebus Resort. They are led by a charismatic Neanderthal named Joey.

  2. What is the secret at Erebus Resort? Beyond resurrecting Pleistocene animals, Erebus also cloned Neanderthals. They used the resort to recruit wealthy couples who thought they were getting standard gene editing for their babies but were actually receiving Neanderthal genes to create “designer” children.

  3. Why do the Neanderthals hate humans? The Neanderthals learned through technology that modern humans (Homo sapiens) drove their species to extinction thousands of years ago. They now seek revenge by trying to wipe out all of humanity.

  4. What is the significance of the Monopoly tokens? The tokens are left as a signature by the Neanderthal cult. They symbolize an anti‑capitalist ideology and mock the consumerist world the Neanderthals have rejected.

  5. Is the science in Extinction real? Yes. The afterword explains that de‑extinction technology using CRISPR is currently being pursued by companies like Colossal, and cloning Neanderthals is theoretically possible. Preston based his novel on real scientific research.

  6. What happens to the Neanderthals at the end? Under a deal brokered by Dr. Karman, the Neanderthals are allowed to flee into the Rocky Mountain wilderness through a hidden pass. They survive and remain a potential future threat.

  7. Does Frances Cash survive? Yes. Cash escapes the gas chamber and the subsequent attacks. She attends the CBI debriefing and later meets Sheriff Colcord, acknowledging that the Neanderthal threat continues.

  8. What is the “empathy” theme about? Karman explains that empathy—the ability to understand others’ thoughts and feelings—allowed Homo sapiens to form large, cooperative groups and win the prehistoric war against Neanderthals. The Neanderthals lack empathy, which makes them tactically cunning but also brutal.

Further Resources