Rating: 
Summary: Mayhem in the Corn Fields
Review: If you believe, as I do, that the Preston/Child team crank out simply the best fiction of the thriller/mystery genre, then "Still Life with Crows" will certainly not tarnish your belief. As with all Preston/Child fare, "Still Life" is meticulously researched and carefully crafted, painting a vivid word picture of scenes, settings, characters, and moods. But most notable in this novel is the continued development of FBI Special Agent Pentergast. In the mysterious and impossibly erudite Pentergast, Preston/Child have created a character unlike any in popular fiction. There seems to be no bounds to his knowledge and skills - and eccentricity - yet despite the implausibility, Pentergast makes one compelling - even addictive - protagonist. Part of this is due, I believe, to the authors' skillful - if frustrating - and frugal dissemination of information about Pentergast and his background. Introduced in "Relic", where he played an important but essentially secondary role, Agent Pentergast is seen again in "Reliquary", and more recently in "The Cabinet of Curiosities", with each installment revealing slightly more about this complex character.In "Still Life", Pentergast for the first time shares center stage with no one. Set in rural Kansas, the story has the dark mood and oppressive atmosphere of the best of Stephen King, with a eerie similarity to Thomas Tryon's classic "Harvest Home." After the mutilated corpse of a stranger is found in a bizarre display in a corn filed, Pentergast arrives on the scene uninvited and take up residence in the local boarding house. From there, town residents begin to disappear, and it is clear that a serial killer is on the prowel in the normally sleepy village. The storyline is interfused with legends of a haunted Indian burial ground nearby, and the factual massacre of a group of white mercenaries - the "Forty-fives" - more than a century in the past. Through the caves and cornfields of Kansas, Pentergast tracks down the mystery and the killer with the unlikely assistance of a local teenage loner. "Still Lives with Crows" is vintage Preston/Child, with intelligent storylines carefully crafted, engaging characters, and page-turning intensity. Definitely the top of the genre, and not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A Don't Miss Thriller!
Review: FBI Special Agent Pendergast returns for another can't-put-it-down adventure. Along with his "assistant" a goth teenager, he once again uses his unconventional skills to find out just who is leaving a string of horribly mutilated bodies in a small, dying Kansas town. The small town life is well drawn. The crime scenes are both sickening and mystifying. The local police, "staties" and neighboring police are running a counter-investigation that culminates in a terrifying climax. The final scene will stick with you long after you've put the book down. The inclusion of Wren (from The Cabinet of Curiousities) leads one to hope there will be yet more bizarre crimes to which Special Agent Pendergast can apply his unusual skills.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read for late night with a book light and storm
Review: Yes, the mind crossing is a bit far fetched. How would he know he got it right? Yes, the climactic scene is a bit long and formulaic. It is not the best from Child and Douglas. It is not "To Kill a Mockingbird". But any book that keeps me up till sunrise to finish ranks 4 stars in my book. And reading it over night, with only a booklight, and a heavy storm in the background, does add to the enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Whodunit and a Captivating Page-Turner
Review: STILL LIFE WITH CROWS transports readers to the cornfields of Medicine Creek, Kansas as it bakes in the fiery heat of the dusty month of August. In a mysteriously cleared section of a field "...the broken stalks carefully stacked to one side, leaving an area of dirt clods and stubble perhaps forty feet in diameter ... [the sheriff] found himself marveling at the geometric precision" of the site. Surrounded by what looked like a ritualistic array of bizarre artifacts laid a mutilated body that had been so grossly and sadistically defiled that the sheriff merely guessed the corpse was that of a woman. This savage act is the first homicide in this backwater, dying little town since 1931. Not only is it a horrendous killing, it is stylized to resemble rituals ascribed to local myths and old legends attributed to the Native Americans who inhabited that land long ago. And the self-important, bombastic, thoroughly narrow-minded sheriff is too ornery to admit he is in over his head. While blustering his way through a news conference the morning after the hideous remains were found, " ... [his] voice faltered as the figure [of a man] in black [approached the group and spoke], his voice wasn't loud, [but it had the 'mellifluous accent of the deepest South' and] somehow it seemed to dominate the crowd." He is a stranger and immediately falls under suspicion. An opening like this is a real hooker. How can a reader resist? Shades of the gothic novel, shadows of horror fiction, and double doses of suspense are the elements that hold this story together. The crimes committed in this book are far from ordinary. The town and its people are depicted in raw detail with all of their flaws and endearing qualities, if they have any. Kansas, like many states, has its share of Native American legends, stories of bootleg whiskey and battles lost or won, but how could any of these have a link to "the inexplicable movements of a serial killer" in the twenty-first century? Of course, many books that take place in small rural towns populated with inbred residents sometimes take on a seamy quality, but STILL LIFE WITH CROWS escapes this flaw because it rises above the ordinary even as it closes in on the killer. As it happens, the man in the black worsted suit is an FBI agent named Pendergast, who has appeared in other Preston-Child collaborations. He is a modern day Holmesian-like sleuth with an astounding memory and the amazing ability to rattle off arcane facts just as easily as he takes care of ordinary common sense business. We don't learn much about him ... and readers may find themselves asking at the end of the book, "Who was that man dressed in black?" Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child each have successful writing careers as solo artists, but when they put their heads together to create a novel, the result is usually a four-star event. These writers know their stuff and don't hold back when it comes to limning the depravity of those who would kill or the qualities that make people good. They let readers wander the landscape of the plot and examine a clue here or a bit of "inside" information there ... and this makes reading their books fun. STILL LIFE WITH CROWS is a terrific whodunit and a page-turner that takes readers on a strange trip through a part of America that is slowly dying out. Fans of the suspense/horror/thriller genre(s) will find themselves thoroughly captivated. Enjoy! --- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Rating:
Summary: Top rate entertainment
Review: See book summary above. Preston and Child. These are two names I love seeing on a book cover. What they deliver is pure entertainment. Fast-paced action with an original theme.
The protagonist, Pendergast, is also a mystery in himself, but still one of my favorite characters.
The action, along with a surprise ending, makes this an exciting and thrilling story. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Nicely done
Review: While I understand the reservations voiced by other reviewers about some of the mak-up of this book, particularly the ending, I nonetheless found this to measure up with the Relic. The pacing is nearly flawless. I though much the same about Cabinet, but when Nora vanished for nearly 100 pages without reason, it threw a rod in the spokes. Even if someone you know might have read this and said its not their best, or if you really take these Amazon ratings to heart, please keep in mind that (even though, as I said, I think this book ranks with their best), Preston and Child at their most mediocre (if that's what you've heard) are still better than any other thriller writer around. The mythos being built around Pendergast is full of intrigue and I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get that prescious family history of him for some time because of it. So give this try. PS. DO NOT READ THE LONG REVIEW THAT FOLLOWS THIS ONE. THE GUY GIVES AWAY THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE BOOK, ENDING INCLUDED.
Rating:
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: First Bond, then Pitt, then Ryan and now Pendergast!
Review: I am a big fan of Preston & Child (P&C) and have read all their joint novels. Similar to Crichton P&C are able to mold fictional stories around current and possible technologies and write a believeable tale. They are also able to use history to add great depth to their story and boost the plot. In STILL LIFE WITH CROWS (SLWC) P&C do a splendid job of using history to bridge the current murders with a century old crime. They have also used technology to support a sub plot that dealt with the genetic enhancement of corn to produce fuel. P&C have also created new likeable characters that the reader can identify with. The setting was perfect and as I read the book I found it difficult to put down, that is until the final 30 pages. Like many of the other reviewers at this site I was a little let down with the ending. It was okay but I felt it could have been much better. After I finished the book I reflected on what I had just read and I began to notice a formula that is being repeated in P&C novels.In THE RELIC (TR) and RELIQUARY (R) the reader is treated to two original stories and in the case of R a sequel that just didn't repeat what had been done in TR but developed it's own unique story and ending. In MOUNT DRAGON (MD), RIPTIDE (RT) and THE ICE LIMIT (IL) P&C's basic plot in all 3 novels delt with an antagonist that was consumed with pursuing a goal that would lead to great wealth while the would be hero of each novel was able to ignore his greed and tried to convince others that pursing a goal at the expense of human life was wrong. Don't get me wrong, each novel had a completely different set of surroundings even though they shared similar plots. I have to say IL had a great ending that I'm sure will turn into a sequel. THUNDERHEAD (TH), CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (COC) and SLWC also follow a similar plot. Brutal murders are taking place in each novel and the murder(s) may have supernatural aspects to them. In each case the murders are tied to events that took place around a century or more ago. In my opinion all 3 novels build a great story but the endings don't quite live up to the build up. However they are all good reads. It is clear to me know that P&C have created their own little universe. Characters from just about every novel have crossed over into other novels. The only exception might be RT. I can't remember any characters in that novel appearing in other novels. In SLWC Agent Pendergast makes a return vist. He has appeared in TR, R, and COC. It appears he is becoming a fan favorite. In SLWC there are a couple of hints that he may return in a future novel picking up where COC leaves off. Mime from MD has a very brief cameo in SLWC and the IL is referred to in an around about way. Lastly, Pendergast is a favorite character of mine and many others. However, I am looking for more information on him and his families past. COC eluded to his families dark past and I was hopeful for more insight with SLWC but didn't get any. In fact Pendergast is becoming almost superhuman in nature. He is a lean man that can carry heavy loads, out fight most anyone, a great shot and is a know it all in just about every topic of conversation. I find his black suit to be similar to Batman's utility belt. Whenever Pendergast needs something he reaches into his suit and out comes the necessary item needed to complete his task. Pendergast is quickly becoming a legend in his own time not unlike James Bond, Dirk Pitt and James Ryan. It will be interesting to see how his character develops over time.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced thriller
Review: If you have read "The Cabinet of Curiosities" then you will already be familiar with Special Agent Pendergast. He's an odd fellow who claims to work for the FBI. He arrives by Greyhound bus one day in Medicine Creek just as the town's sheriff is giving a press conference due to the recent murder.
Pendergast tells the sheriff that he has seen this type of thing before and convinces him to allow him to assist with the case. As more murders take place, the sheriff now wants to go it alone and have Pendergast removed from the scene. Both men have their own ideas as to how and why these murders are taking place. But will they be too late to save one of their own?
This is only my second Child & Preston book, I'm hooked. I did not want to put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: Ahhhh....how can you not love Agent Pendergast?
Review: This time around, we find Special Agent Pendergast in Medicine Creek, Kansas. A dusty, dry, dying town in the middle of nowhere. Pendergast chooses to visit this locale on his vacation. Why? To solve the grisly, ritualistic murders taking place in this small community where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is suspect. With his Goth Girl Friday, Corrie (a reluctant resident of Medicine Creek) Pendergast unravels the knot of clues left by our unknown killer. Preston/Child weave a fantastic, gory tale of suspense that will keep you turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. I can't wait to read more adventures of Agent Pendergast, if only to unravel the mysteries of the man himself. We know almost nothing of this suave Southern FBI agent, and that in itself is worth the read. He is full of surprises, with his archaic speech and gentlemanly manners. If you liked this book, I highly suggest reading "Relic", "Reliquary" and "Cabinet of Curiosities".
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