Rating: 
Summary: SOMEWHAT OF A DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: If you've read the Preston/Child books previous to this, you will probably be a little let down. Known for their expertise in characterization, unusual plot, and climactic action, Preston and Child take us on a journey into a little town in Kansas. The murders are grotesquely described, and an atmosphere of menace and terror permeate the book; their writing style is both interesting and imaginative. Pendergast is as always an intriguing if somewhat frustrating hero. Corrie Simpson is the latest in teen-age misfits who aid our heroes. Most of the locals are typical rednecks, but still have their own little traits that make them unique: Tad, the deputy, is one of them; and Winifred, the innkeeper and cave lady, are others. The references to Wren and the cabinet of curiosities, while interesting in that we know another novel must be coming, are distracting to this plot and serve no real purpose. The climax in the cave is way too long, and repetitious. But the real letdown is that Preston and Childs have taken a plot device that has been in countless novels, and therefore, you know who the villain is, if you've ever read a certain Koontz novel, or several others that have used this. While it has a unique twist at the end, I would have thought these talented writers would have come up with a better solution.
Not a bad read by any means; it entertains; it's just not up to par with their earlier works.
RECOMMENDED. WITH RESERVATIONS.
Rating:
Summary: Good book to take to the beach
Review: Without official sanctioning, FBI Special Agent Pendergast arrives in Medicine Creek, Kansas to investigate a serial killer leaving behind eerie signatures to include a mutilated corpse inside a circle of crows "nailed" to stakes. The elegant Pendergast seems like a polished apple among cornstalks as his urbane lifestyle clearly sticks out in this rural community.He hires as his chauffeur and overall local guide rebel without a cause teenage girl Corrie Swanson, who also sticks out in the middle of the cornfields. Additional murders occur and Pendergast, using the Bhutanese meditation technique Chongg Ran, links them to a nineteenth century Indian massacre of outlaws. As the local law enforcement resent Pendergast's interference on the case, the killer abducts Corrie forcing Pendergast to follow into the cat's cave to try to rescue his local escort before she becomes the latest victim. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's tale is fun though STILL LIFE WITH CROWS seems like a weaker than usual entry. Pendergast is like a debonair modernized cross between Holmes and Flint with Corrie being his "Watsonette". The story line is crisp, but the killer seems unacceptable once Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs reveal the identity of the culprit. Fans of the series will appreciate the latest tale, but newcomers will be better suited to try previous works like THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES to obtain the full rich flavor of the tea. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Pendergast in Creepy Corn Country
Review: Responding to the gruesome and peculiar character of a small town's first murder since Prohibition, the spooky, Holmesian FBI Agent Pendergast comes to Medicine Creek, Kansas, a place rapidly shriveling away in a sea of corporation corn. Readers of previous books ("The Cabinet of Curiosities," "Reliquary") will know more about the enigmatic agent than the clueless folks of Medicine Creek, but he's still mostly mystery. Dressed in his signature black, remote and dapper, Pendergast outrages the town and its cranky sheriff by insisting the killer - soon a serial killer - comes from among them. The town fathers are particularly eager to avoid taint as their dying town may be rescued by agribusiness research seeking a home for gene-altered experimental corn fields. But Pendergast too is baffled. This killer doesn't fit any of the patterns he has constructed over the years. Compulsive and unpredictable, yet arranging the grisly remains with care, he seems to kill whoever he happens upon, effortlessly. One survivor dies of fright while attempting to describe his attacker. And what's the connection with the Indian mounds and the ghostly Indian massacre of predatory outlaws 100 years before? Pendergast acquires an assistant; a disaffected teenage girl whose outcast status can provide him with the unfiltered insider information he needs, but whose intelligence and rashness leads her into jeopardy. The plot proceeds in typical thriller fashion, with the horror overtones the authors are so chillingly good at, and a menacing backdrop of corn, corn and more corn. The climax is a sprawling, literally labyrinthine chase involving multiple victims lost in a pitch-dark maze during a mammoth storm that cuts off the town. The conclusion is a hideous shocker and a final hair-raising twist ties the ends in a grisly (if not wholly believable)knot. This is fine page-turning summer fare, but it's not "Relic."
Rating: 
Summary: Another Preston and Child bestseller!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, as I have with all of Preston and Child's other novels, but I must say that if you haven't read "Cabinet of Curiosities", a couple of the chapters will seem rather ambiguous........ Of course the novel leaves you hanging for more about Pendergast (will we see Corrie again, too?), and so now I wait anxiously for their next great novel........
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad read......
Review: This book is not as bad as the major book reviews might portray it. Preston & Child know how to build a suspenseful story to its climax. The problem is that there are early indications as to who the killer might be. Relationships are the key to this book, and I had a good indication 1/2 way through who might be involved. That doesn't take anything away from two very fine suspense writers at the top of their games.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: There's no need to go into details. Fans of Lincoln and Child will enjoy this one as much as they did Cabinets of Curiosity. Those fans that haven't read Still Life with Crows, and if you do, and you should, you should pick up on a hint at a sequel to Cabinets. Mime also makes a brief appearance. Those that haven't gotten on the Lincoln-n-Child bandwagon. WHAT ARE WAITING FOR? :) You won't find a better thriller than this. Stephen King has nothing on the "Dynamic Duo". Kathy Reichs is the only other author that comes close.
Rating:
Summary: Not their best, but still pretty good
Review: I've been a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child since "Relic", and during that time I have come to expect quality writing, great characters, tons of plot twists and bizarre, unexpected endings from them. Generally speaking, "Still Life With Crows" lives up to those expectations, but the ending unfortunately falls short, and the resolution leaves some troubling holes. That's not to say this is a bad novel, but fans of the authors may find that it doesn't quite live up to their expectations. Set in a small town in Kansas, "Still Life With Crows" has a creepy vibe from the very beginning that the authors superbly develop over the first two hundred pages. All too often, novels set in small towns are replete with stereotypes that detract from the story. Preston and Child, however, have written their best characters yet as they capture the full spectrum of small town Americana. From the sheriff is a wonderfully complex character who brilliantly plays the part of a typical rural sheriff even as he masks a deeper, more thoughtful man, to the aging local newspaperman, who is no less sophisticated than his big city counterparts, the authors weave a tapestry that draws the reader in. At the same time, Preston and Child exercise their considerable gifts for descriptive writing. Their ability to capture the still, oppressive heat of the plains and to imbue sprawling cornfields with a latent menace is admirable. Moreover, as the town of Medicine Creek falls prey to a murderous rampage, the authors create their most genuinely scary settings since "Relic". The murders are performed in an oddly ritualistic fashion that haunts the town even as they defy explanation by traditional means. Thus, it is no surprise that the authors call upon their familiar protagonist, Special Agent Pendergast to save the day. The difference this time is that he plays a larger role in this book than in any of his prior appearances. Thus, it is up to the authors to develop him to a much greater extent, and they do so quite successfully. It would be regrettable, but not surprising, if Pendergast took on an almost superhuman aura, considering the huge variety of his considerable faculties. Fortunately, Preston and Child have made him a true Renaissance man, but a man nonetheless; he is not superhuman, and has human flaws and frailties just like anyone else. At the same time, the authors have filled his background with mystery and regret that add to his personal legend even as they reveal other information. Thus, after four books, Pendergast is both better developed and more mysterious than he was when he first appeared in "Relic" which is no mean accomplishment. The other difference with Pendergast this time around is that he takes on an assistant in the form of a local misfit teenager, Corrie. While this may sound horribly hackneyed, it was actually quite effective, and her development and the relationship with Pendergast were both well executed. In fact, I would go so far to as to say that Corrie is one their best character's to date, and the rare well written teenager (authors all too often get stuck in stereotypes when writing adolescents). Unfortunately, all of this excellent stage setting and character development falls somewhat flat in the end. As the murders become more bizarre, and Medicine Creek teeters on the brink of oblivion, it is obvious that there is something unprecedented happening, possibly something that is tied to an Indian massacre in the 1870's. As the characters run down blind allies, fracture and then come together in the caves honeycombing the county, the reader is drawn into a nightmare scenario that is impossible to put down. However, when the climax is finally reached, it is too convenient at best, and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. For example the source of the killer's preternatural strength and speed is hinted at, but never answered effectively, and the bizarre tableaus are addressed, but in a manner that seems contradictory to other information about the killer. My final complaint is that there are two or three chapters that reference events from "The Cabinet of Curiosities", and hint at an upcoming sequel, that are nothing but marketing. They add nothing to the story, in fact they distract from it, and they serve only to allude to future plotlines. I'm honestly surprised that an editor would let them through, and I hope this isn't a trend for authors whom I've come to respect. "Still Life With Crows" isn't a bad book, in fact most of it is quite good. As I alluded to above, the authors' writing, and particularly their characterizations, continue to improve with each novel. Moreover, with this novel they have proven themselves masters of ambiance, as they deftly ratchet up the pressure and sense of ominous foreboding. Nonetheless, a book must be judged as a whole, and the conclusion of this one just isn't up to what I've come to expect from these authors. Is it awful? No, not by a mile. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, and it's much better than most popular fiction you're likely to find. Did it live up to the high expectations I have for Preston and Child? Unfortunately no; one of the reasons why Preston and Child are among my favorite authors is because their plot twists inevitably lead in completely unexpected directions. And while their twists are better than ever in "Still Life With Crows", their denouement leaves something to be desired. This one is worth reading, but not their best. Jake Mohlman
Rating:
Summary: time well spent
Review: As always, any book by these two is worth your time. It
starts with a bang, then slowly builds to an unusual chase
(in the dark) finale. The characters are easy to care about;
especially Pendergast's "assistant." As I was reading, I
realized that Pendergast is one of my two favorite characters--
the other being Repairman Jack. I was a little bit let down
by the ending as it seemed a rather standard plot device for
these great authors. I have already started to reread Cabinet
of Curiosities which, in my opinion, is a nearly "perfect" read.
Make that 4 and one half stars. This book is money well spent.
Rating:
Summary: good but not as good as past books
Review: This book in which a killer is terrorizing a small town. While this is a good book these two have done better work. Such as there last book together and there first book. Read it but do not make it you first book of the two.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder in small town Kansas...
Review: Special Agent Pendergast returns, this time on foot, to the scene of the crime in this latest outing by the mystery/suspense team Preston/Childs. Striking a Gothic note with his pale skin, white-blonde hair, solid black suit and esoteric witticisms, Pendergast is up to his Gucci's in horrific serial murders of Gothic proportions. In ghoulish tableau, the dead bodies are displayed for public viewing, terrifying a small town in Kansas, one already faced with economic demise. As the body count rises, so does the paranoia, especially when Pendergast indicates that the murderer is a citizen of Medicine Creek. Set in his ways, Sheriff Dent Hazen, does not appreciate any interference, especially from Pendergast, who uses his deductive reasoning and thorough research of every occupant of Medicine Creek, while Sheriff Hazen covers his political backside. Not that Sheriff Hazen bothers the esoteric FBI agent, who never worries about the opinions of others while puzzling over the grisly murders. After some careful sleuthing, he suspects that the homicides may be tied to an infamous historical event, the Medicine Creek Massacre of 1865. Under a blue August sky, dense with heat, the rows of corn loom claustrophobic and menacing. The citizens consider the possibility of true evil among them as there is no logical explanation to ameliorate the wanton violence of the kill scenes. Floundering in a diminished farm economy, all that is left of Medicine Creek are a few dusty stores lining Main Street. The murders threaten the loss of important revenue, as Medicine Creek is one of two towns competing for use by Kansas State University as a site for genetic engineering of their corn. The infusion of capital is desperately needed if the town is to survive. This summer read is packed with disparate clues and questions: the murderer, the motive and bloody crime scenes of an almost inhuman mien. Still Life with Crows is a cornucopia of esoteric trivia, thanks to Pendergast's erudition and the fascinating historical details of a small town awash in the detritus of history, both mythological and factual, while the perpetrator hovers nearby, a member of the terrified town. This isn't Dorothy's Kansas. Luan Gaines/2003.
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