Still Life with Crows : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Special Agent Pendergast takes a vacation to Kansas...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother with This One, Just Re-Read Relic
Review: I have to call Still Life With Crows a second rate effort by a first rate team. I have read all of the available books written by Mr. Preston and Mr. Child and found this one to be their poorest, most unbelievable, and least intelligent work yet. In the past, I have read and re-read their books - especially Relic, Ice Limit, and Reliquary. It was a struggle to finish this one. I hope that this "effort" is not a sign that their collaboration has run it's course.

In a nutshell, this story follows Special Agent Pendergast and local law enforecment personnel on a hunt for a "super human" serial murderer in rural Kansas. I won't give the story away, but after I read it, I realized that this story is slightly reminiscent of an X-files episode.

Just as an aside, the authors seemed to get a bit too self-centered in this book (at least for me) -often referencing a past book (Ice Limit), foreshadowing a likely upcoming collaboration that must be in the works (sequel to Cabinet), and straying too far from the formula that has lead to their sucess and that is demanded by their fans - technothriller.

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Summary: EVERYTHING, BUT STILL!
Review: Just to start off, I have been with Preston and Child since the beginning. I was one who read The Relic before the
Film came out and before Mount Dragon was released. Since then I have been the biggest fan of their work, and have read all eight collaborative novels thus far. I always look forward to the month of July every year because that is when thier new book is released and this year was no different. I loved Riptide and The Ice Limit and will tell anyone interested that those books will never let them down.
Still Life with Crows, albeit a good novel in comparison to other writers in the same league as Preston and child, is not thier best effort I'm sad to admit. Now don't get me wrong. I thought Crows, was well thought out and the antagonists were much better developed than those of Cabinet of Curiosities. They introduced a lot of creepy characters that you thought most likely to be the ones behind it all; only to see the trail lead to a dead end.

In this novel we are again dealing with Agent Prendergrast, the slick, well dressed, quietly rich, (doesn't work for the money) FBI agent, obsessed with the occult, who always seems to find is way to the most juicy and controversial cases around. This is a great character and Preston and Child should have no lack of stories to use him more in the future. I find him reminiscent of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack character, but with much more class and savy. To quickly describe Agent P, he is the type of guy who could work on a car's engine but never get is hands dirty. Need I say more; But back to the story line there is a killer on the loose killing various town folk in Medicine Creek, Kansas. He leaves the bodies in various stages of mutilation and the clues are limited, but what you think is not what it appears. The killings might not be that organized or are they? I can't say any more because it would spoil it, but I assure you it was well written and suspenseful. My only problem was that the book's villain and local town folk started to upstage Agent P ¾ of the way through the novel and I wasn't too happy about that. I also thought that Preston and Child didn't put as much time into the Mysteries of the 45s, the 100 year old tail that was supposed to shed light on the modern killings. To me it was quick and not very relevant. I also thought the Killer and why he killed was a bit campy, something out of a B horror movie, and again for that I was disappointed.
Despite those flaws, there is one thing the these two guys do that no other authors can match, and that is the mood and the atmosphere established in there novels.
I love to visit old flea markets or explore old buildings and while doing so I tend notice those old musty smells, the creaky wood flooring and the gray washed out look of poor lighting, I develop thoughts of how the halls of these old buildings were once bustling with employees in a time long since pasted. Preston and Child are able to create those feeling inside of my mind, the old smells of buildings, the dark musty feeling of a cave or house, they are great at doing that, they can write about rust better than anyone I know, and I mean that sincerely. The final 100 pages of this novel incorporated those attributes into a great adventure through the labyrinths of a cave system that lies under the town of Medicine Creek. Oh, just an aside, that was another flaw I found in the novel. :-( During the final scenes, while in the tunnels many of the characters discovered rare artifacts and new passage ways that the town folk in Medicine Creek never discovered or mentioned in over 100 years. But they just happened upon them with in just a few short hours and in the dark no less; but hey this is fiction and you have to suspend disbelief sometimes.
Remember these guys have written some of the best action/techno thrillers around, and with that body of work under their belts, I can certainly overlook a few flaws in this novel. It was a great adventure, not as complex as The Cabinet of Curiosities or Thunderhead, but definitely up there, read this book for the fun of it. Michael Critchen lookout!
Another great job Gentleman. See you next July! .

Rating:
Summary: A creepy page-turner.
Review: Medicine Creek, Kansas. Nothing exciting happens here, nothing changes, and there is never any crime...until now.

A body has been found, mutilated beyond recognition, and positioned elaborately in a corn field. The local police rules this as a single murder, until Special Agent Pendergast arrives and declares this the work of a serial killer.

Within hours the small town is swarming with reporters, and the local residents are in fear for their lives.

Pendergast begins investigating the crimes with only the clues of crows(a twisted secret you need to read the book to understand) to help, but when he teams with Corrie Swanson he will come face to face with an evil he is not prepared for.

'Still Life With Crows' is a creepy thriller that starts off fast and keeps the twists coming. The surprises start as the plot develops, and as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place you are held captive. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child pack their story with thrills and chills while maintaining a cinematic flair reminiscent to that of 80's horror films. I couldn't stop reading once the book was started, and the ending blew me away.

An entertaining summer read that will be surely land on the bestseller list's, 'Still Life With Crows' further proves Preston and Child masters of original horror tales.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: A Good Attempt, But...
Review: Ok I was thrilled when after 4 months of searching for the latest in the series by Preston and Child. I have read all the other books by them that feature the protagonist Pendergast and was looking forward to what they were going to do with him this time.

Quite honestly, I was disappointed. The book started out so well, with such a creepy and surreal setting. And despite what many other readers said, the plot moved along very well, and was not boring in the least bit.

The problem lies in that the authors seemed to have run out of ideas for good antagonists. They go through such pains to show how he is of superhuman strength, but never explain why he kills. The books leaves too many things unexplained.

While still a decent book, I would recomend Cabinet of Curiosities as an introduction to these authors.

Rating:
Summary: Another Rip-Snortin' Fun ride with Agent Pendergast
Review: While not as all-out entertaining as 'The Cabinet of Curiosities' I found 'Still Life With Crows' to be another page turner that kept me entertained throughout. I was beginning to believe that 'Relic' couldn't be topped, and no matter how many fun & thrilling novels Preston & Child wrote, their first seemed destined to be also their best--but then came 'Cabinet' and although they may not have exceeded 'Relic' they sure tied it for sheer thrills and all-out entertainment. So when I found that Special Agent Pendergast would make another appearance, I was absolutely SOLD.

No sooner has a body been found in rural Medicine Creek, Kansas than our Special Agent makes a timely arrival. Everything about this murder screams 'Serial Killer' but the locals of this tiny community are quick to reject this as NOBODY in this town would do something THIS horrific. Pendergast isn't so sure. He uses his influence as an FBI Agent to muscle his way into the investigation and soon he has acquired the help of a teenage girl who has a less than perfect reputation in the town she hates. Another mysterious event occurs when a local's dog is found killed--but the method is what creates such confusion. Normally Serial Killers stick with their methods of murder, and this one breaks all previously known 'standards' set forth by FBI investigators over the course of thousands of murders. Another interesting side-line is an ancient massacre that happened in the mid 19th Century involving a calculated and devious attack on some particularly nasty cowboys by some Indians who (so the story goes) appeared like ghosts on a plain that supposedly nobody could sneak up on, and slaughtered the guilty group of 45 men who had been wreaking havoc amongst all the Indian tribes nearby...killing them all. Thus began the famous 'Curse of the Forty-Fives' in Medicine Creek. What does this ancient event have in connection with the murders of the present? Finding out is half the fun. A few unexpected characters end up falling victim to the mysterious killer, which surprised me because generally speaking, only the non-essential people get axed in stories such as this. Although surprising, it added to the overall unpredictable nature of this great story.

The last 50 pages are a blur as you can't turn the pages fast enough, however--the events leading up to the major climax are somewhat slow in comparison with most of Preston & Child's previous novels. This does NOT mean 'Still Life With Crows' is NOT a great book...but when compared side-by-side with the other novels this talented duo have written, it comes up slightly short. For fans of these novels, it is a definite MUST READ, and who knows? YOU may enjoy this tale more than some of their other works--but what I believe most of us will agree on is that they write absolutely WONDERFUL Suspenseful novels--and Special Agent Pendergast is easily one of the best protagonists in modern fiction. I VERY much look forward to their next thriller.