Still Life with Crows

It was scary and Pendergast of course is the talented Sherlock hero. It’s not as great as the previous books in the series though. (Sloth-Goonies)

This book has made my top ten novels of all time list. The last 100 pages are so intense I defy anyone to put it down. Suspence, Horror, what a ride. The characters were great but the setting was a character unto itself. A great fun book to read.

Beginning writers can learn a lot from STILL LIFE WITH CROWS. Preston and Child take a farfetched plot and make it believable by working overtime on research. They show us an imaginary town in Kansas beset by a "serial killer," but they also spend extra time teaching us about tornadoes, turkey processing and spelunking. I was also impressed by how seamlessly Preston and Child work this information into the plot line and it's hard to tell where Preston leaves off and Child begins, their styles are so compatible. Add two great characters to the mix and you have a page turner on your hands. FBI agent Pendergast shows up in town to investigate the murder of a relic hunter whose body is found in a small clearing in a corn field surrounded by crows skewered on ancient Indian arrows. Blond-haired Pendergast wears expensive black suits and imported shoes; his deductive abilities will remind you of Sherlock Holmes, but his idea of a Watson is young Corrie Swanson, an eighteen-year-old misfit with purple hair and metal dangling from every orifice. He hires her and her ancient soot-belching Gremlin to drive him wherever he needs to go. There were a couple of things about the book that didn't measure up. One was the serial killer with the super human strength. Preston and Child's explanation doesn't adequately explain where it came from. Also, the relationship between Corrie and Pendergast is a bit iffy. We never do find out what Penergast's motivation is. That said, I have to give this one five points for entertainment value, if nothing else. I couldn't wait to get back to it.

But this is no ordinary vacation. He's here unofficially (of course), recovering from his previous adventure in New York. But what has drawn Pendergast to Medicine Creek?A body found in the forest. Mutilated, surrounded by Indian artifacts and dead crows. The local sheriff, Dent Hazen, believes it to be a one-time incident, maybe a drifter. But Pendergast believes it to be the work of a serial killer, one that lives within the town...The Agent enlists the help of eighteen-year-old misfit Corrie Swanson. As Pendergast's driver and assistant, Corrie is shown things that she had never believed possible...things that just might put her next on the killer's list.Medicine Creek is about to get famous. A university has decidecd to put an experimental cornfield somewhere in the county, and most people in Creek hope it goes there. With pressure from the town's few wealthy citizens, Sheriff Hazen is forced to make changes in his investigation, like getting rid of Pendergast, and honing in on a "suspect"...changes that may cost him, and the rest of the townspeople, their lives.Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child score again. In a novel better than any since RELIC, Preston/Child bring Special Agent Pendergast--with only a hint at his first name--to the forefront once more in this harrowing mystery-thriller.Don't be put off by claims that the identity of the villain is a letdown. True, it is kind of surprising--and not as climatic as these guys' other novels--but it makes sense when you think about it, and you'll never suspect a thing until the very end.STILL LIFE WITH CROWS is a must-read for mystery/suspense fans. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have a knack of bringing you into the novel with the first word, and never--not once in the four-hundred-odd pages--let you go.

Still Life With Crows was a very captivating read and kept me on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book! I have not read all books by Preston and Child, but this reminded me most of Relic because of the creepy atmosphere and excellent chase scene finale. The authors are very skilled writers and bring alive the town of Medicine Creek, Kansas with the summer heat, rural town life and claustrophobic cornfields. Agent Pendergast is an excellent character and the writers obviously have fun with him (also in Relic, Reliquary and Cabinet of Curiosities). Avid fans of these authors will also find a few references to previous works! All together I would recommend this book to any readers that enjoy suspense/thriller books. If you are squeamish it is a little gory at times with the descriptions of the murder scenes. But I really enjoyed the novel and the time I got to spend with these characters!

Still Life with Crows is one of those books you just find very hard to put down. This time Special Agent Pendergast of the FBI spends his "vacation" in Kansas investigating a series of strange events. He is assisted by the interesting character of Corrie Swanson.Still Life with Crows delivers the twists and turns that you expect from Preston/Child, and if you are a fan you will enjoy the references to past characters from other Preston/Child works.The setting of Kansas, in the middle of the corn fields, adds to the mystery of the story. There are some creepy scenes in this book, and I bet you will not want to venture to far out of your house at night after reading this one. You might not want to eat turkey on Thanksgiving either.All in all Preston/Child have delivered and created a wonderful story that will keep you turning the pages. A great summer read!