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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.
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Summary: Chilling suspense seasoned with dry wit!
Review: After a wobbly venture with "Cabinet of Curiosities," Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs have returned to the high standards set with such early works as "Relic," "Mount Dragon," and "Riptide." Special Agent Pendergast, the idiosyncratic, obsessively high-minded, and erudite loose cannon of the FBI--and ultimate outsider--directs the search for a serial killer from his rented rooms in a shabby Victorian farmhouse on the edge of the town of Medicine Creek, Nebraska. His unlikely assistant in this endeavor is a pierced and purple-haired teenaged misfit named Corrie. Her encyclopedic knowledge of town gossip and his encyclopedic knowledge of everything else help them find the patterns in a bizarre assortment of clues and solve the mystery. While the identity of the murderer is not entirely astonishing, P&C provide a fascinating coda to the story that shines a horrifying if bright light on the forensic details of the crimes. Ancient conflicts with Native Americans, the social stranglehold of small-town American life, the two-edged sword of technological progress, and ruminations on the nature of values and profits make this book more than simple entertainmen (although it certainly is that). As is usual with books from this dynamic duo, there is a cast of complex supporting characters, most of whom have the mix of quirks that make them--well, believable. In addition to the residents of Medicine Creek both past and present, a couple of individuals first encountered in earlier books play cameo roles. (P&C fans will be tickled by other passing references to past books.) For this reader, the particular pleasure of the P&C production is intricate pattern of science, history, arts and humanties, and futuristic technology woven into the stories. And a hero like Pendergast--and many of the ancillary characters as well--repeatedly prove that there is no fact or discipline, no fragment of knowledge or philosophical outlook that can be disregarded as trivial.
If I have a particular criticism with their style, it is with the sometimes florid prose and weighty and mixed metaphors that snarl the pace of the narrative, expecially in the opening pages. The first chapter is sluggish although the story accelerates soon enough to a breathless pace.
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Summary: Great Summer Reading
Review: Like the other Child/Preston collaborations, this story is great as long as you can suspend your disbelief!The entire book is far-fetched, but it is guaranteed to keep you reading to the end. The description of the hot midwest summer and the cornfields is fantastic, as is the atmosphere of fear and doom. Great summer beach reading.
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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
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Summary: Excellently Executed
Review: Pendergast is a strange, cool guy and a brilliant sleuth. Out of his usual urban element in this one, the story shows a little more about our mysterious Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast, FBI. Interesting murders and interesting characters litter the literary landscape. Preston and Child are great at making the ordinary into the forboding, the mundane into the maddening. Big score on the story's atmosphere, and excellent storytelling, as usual. The only thing I'd say caught me off-guard is I caught myself noticing Preston and Child's story pattern. That was momentarily distracting, and I hope they come up with a few new plot tricks for the next adventure. There is, I think, a hint of what's coming in the next novel or two.
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Summary: Entertaining but Predictable
Review: I liked this book - it was a quick, intriguing read that draws you in. My only objection was that it was too predictable. It seemed as though the authors went out of their way to make obvious aspects of this book different than some of their other ones - a teenaged girl rather than an academic, a small town in Kansas rather than New York City, etc. Unfortunately, the plot itself, particularly the ending, was pretty much the same old thing. These guys love the "scary" chase scenes.
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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.
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Summary: There're Back
Review: I really enjoy books by Child and Preston; however, the last 2-3 have been rather ordinary. Still Life With Crows is a comeback book. If you love the mix of historical fact mixed with fiction, this is interesting read (less historical than most of their books).
Rating:
Summary: good, but not the best
Review: This particular book is good, but not the best by this talented duo, IMHO (I like the C of C the best). There is an absence of the high-tech aspect that is present in their other works, which I missed. However, Special Agent Pendergast is brought to light and I must admit that this character is entrancing. We even learn the first two letters of his first name!
Readers who enjoy who-done-its, suspense and brutal murders will like this book. You won't know who the perp is until the very end, trust me. This is because the authors are masters at misleading the reader into making wrong guesses.
I give this book 4 of 5 stars because I think the ending is a bit too odd to be convincing.
Rating: 
Summary: Still Born With Crows
Review: They had me. They really had me. Killer on the loose. Pendergast on the investigation. Killings with strange, inexplicable clues. Then...we reach the end of the book and...BAM...Preston/Child have now officially succumbed to Crichton Syndrome (meaning it's impossible to end a book on a high note) Without revealing the ending for those of you who will want to read it, let me just say that it's the most ridiculous, ludicrous ending that I've read in a long while. I expect so much more from these guys and they have let me down in their last 2 books. C'mon guys. I dare you to top "Relic." I dare you to surpass "Riptide." I dare you.
Please.
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