Still Life with Crows

I loved this one. Pendergast is unique, but like he said, why is it so important to fit in? His interactions with Corrie were my favorite. The suspense kept building and the final showdown was action packed. I did find one part where I felt it was a bit too easy and then Pendergast commented on what a coincidence it was, so Preston & Child recognized it too and gave a nod to the readers to just go with it. I try not read more than one book in a series in row, but this one left me wanting more.

You can smell the farmland and hear the Kansas winds rustling through fields of corn as the erudite FBI agent with a touch of the supernatural about him, Pendergast, brings to the heartland his dark suit, 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, and seemingly endless knowledge of the strange and otherworldly.

Squeezed between The Cabinet of Curiosities and Brimstone, two of the best in the series, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child created another terrific novel that is part mystery, part thriller, and part horror story. Other than Relic/Reliquary and Dance of Death/Book of the Dead, which are best read in conjunction with each other, the series can basically be read as stand-alone novels. Readers who had, however, been following this intriguing show more series since the first one, had very high expectations because of the prior efforts. Fortunately those expectations are met in Still Life With Crows.

Pendergast is solo this time out, with only allusions to Wren, an ill-gotten inheritance, and his urgent need to return to New York connecting in any way to the incredible amount of history readers of the series know so well. Though I recommend reading from the beginning, Still Life With Crows makes an adequate introduction to the series because the focus here is mainly on Pendergast himself, who you need to know the most about to "get" the series.

Pendergast shows up in Kansas shortly after a ritual killing in a cornfield, and immediately we are immersed in a story as gripping as it is enjoyable. Though on vacation, Pendergast unofficially looks into a case with supernatural aspects dating back to a Cheyenne massacre by "ghost warriors" in the late nineteenth century. Immediately at odds with Sheriff Hazen, Pendergast investigates in his own unorthodox style -- which includes something akin to remote viewing -- as things become evermore gruesome on the Plains.

A new type of corn for which the town is competing in an effort to remain alive, and a serial killer unlike any Pendergast has encountered create urgency and tension. Humor abounds as well; albeit dark at times, but hilarious nonetheless. Pendergast enlists a blue-haired outcast named Corrie as his secretary. Scenes of her driving Pendergast around in her beat up Gremlin bring a smile to the reader's face. A deadly chase through caverns goes terribly wrong and gruesomely bloody, leading to an exciting and horrific conclusion. Like all the entries in this incredibly entertaining series, it is obvious some of the relationships will linger and spill over into other books.

Atmospheric, exciting, horrific, and with more character-driven humor than readers of a novel about dark and horrific crimes in America's heartland have any right to expect, this is a great read, and can be enjoyed even if you have not read any prior entries. However, this recommendation comes with a caveat. Still Life With Crows is a very unusual entry in the series (up to this point) in that all the characters readers had come to love, from Margo to D'Agosta, are nowhere to be found. Usually, at least a couple of the main planets orbiting the world of Pendergast are involved in the enthralling stories, if not all.

While I enjoyed this one a great deal, this eventually became the norm for the series and I stopped reading it. Unlike many, who complained about keeping track of so many characters and divergent things going on, this was one of the aspects I liked best about the series. As the cast was trimmed, possibly to accommodate those readers -- and probably make the books less involved to write -- some characters seemed to disappear into the woodwork, others only occasionally making a cameo appearance. The series eventually lost some of that which I loved about it. There are several books before this happens, however, and I highly recommend this one. The final scene will remind readers with a knowledge of such things, of a pulp story of weird menace. A great read! show less

Gruesome murders are occurring in a small Kansas town. The first victim is found scalped, mutilated and displayed in a cornfield surrounded by authentic Indian arrows. Each subsequent killing gets more bloody and bizarre. A strangely pale, soft spoken FBI agent appears to investigate the case. Local authorities don't like Agent Pendergast. He asks too many questions and points out their inadequacies. But, Pendergast, with his slow southern drawl and finicky eating habits, is an almost supernatural sleuth. If anyone can figure out what's happening in southern Kansas, it's Pendergast and his local goth teenager side-kick.

I love this series! Preston and Child's books are beautifully creepy! I grew up in Kansas. In the late summer, we used show more to wait til dark, wander out into the corn and have a blast trying to find our way out again, scaring the crap out of each other as we ran through the rows. The whole time I was reading this macabre story about something lurking out in the fields, I kept thinking about how freaking creepy it is to be lost out in the middle of row after row of corn. Definitely creepy as hell.

Pendergast reminds me of The Shadow, a character from old radio and movie serial fame. His almost supernatural appearance and detective skills make him almost as creepy a character as the monsters he investigates. There are 16 Agent Pendergast novels. Still Life With Crows is the fourth. Readers who enjoy creepy, supernatural thrillers will love this series!

It isn't completely necessary to read the series in order, but the story does refer back to some prior occurrences from the first 3 novels. I really recommend starting at the beginning and reading forward, but the references aren't major plot points. It would be possible to start with this book without reading the prior books.

For more information on the authors and their books, check out their website here. show less

"Because truth is the safest lie."

I'm in love - this book has now pushed itself to the top of the line of the first four novels from the talented team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Pendergast actually leaves New York and travels to a small, dying town that's covered in cornfields and old Indian Legend. When the dust settles, it's clear they have a demented killer at hand. At first the sheriff blames an outsider, but it soon become apparent it's someone nearer to them than that...the only question that seems to remain for Pendergast to solve, is the monster even human?

While New York and its impressive museum provided a playground of fascinating riddles and exploration options, I was ready for a breather and break from the big show more city. This small town with it's backward appeal was the perfect solution. Hopefully it's not just me who thinks of the creepiness from Children of the Corn whenever cornfields are involved. They're used effectively in a lot of horror movies and scenes for good reason. I loved the mystery of this story,but the setting makes it impressive with the fragile and uptight innkeeper Pendergast stays with, the greasy spoon Pendergast shocks by making a steak tartar (ew, but probably wise decision considering the food options.) There's also the town's side story of trying to become the choice of genetically engineered corn. This brings up research to ponder later when the book is closed.

Pendergast is kind of the James Bond of the FBI. Although I could do without the weird laying down and solving crimes scene where he almost supernaturally travels in the past (what is that?), the quiet mannered and effective detective is still addictive. Corrie as his assistant was a nice touch since the purple haired sidekick proved to be intriguing and fun (loved the ending with her). The crime is not solved merely by chance, but by visiting town residents and settling deep into the history of the place, from an aged Indian massacre, town politics and hidden mine systems. The killings are definitely brutal, and like Pendergast I couldn't find rhyme or reason on the solution. The ending was a delight because it shows something hidden under all our noses the entire time, a twisted twist for sure that made the book even closer to achieving perfection.

Even the sheriff's office proves more interesting than you'd first thing. At first I was ready to hate the overbearing sheriff with his brutish ways and sympathize with the simple Tad, but it grew even more complex than this one-dimensional plot trope, coming okay at the end.

Definitely my favorite of the first four, Still Life with Crows is creative with its story-line, keeps you guessing, has plenty of tense moments, dishes out a perfect ending, and features plenty of Pendergast. Throw in the creepy small town setting and some well-done side characters, and call me a serious fan of this book. Unlike The Cabinet of Curiosities, the generous page count is warranted with this one. show less

Six-word review: Gruesome monster chase in Kansas cornfields.

Extended review:

The Agent Pendergast series is turning into a guilty pleasure for me. I know what I'm getting (I'll have fries with that), and I couldn't handle it as a steady diet (need balance, need nutrition, need fresh green vegetables), but sometimes it's fun to take a little vacation (catsup, plenty of napkins, no dishes to clean up afterwards).

The mealtime analogy ends there, though, because you definitely don't want to be reading this one at the dinnertable.

In fact, there are some meals that may never again look quite so appealing.

Each of the Pendergast books so far, I've noticed, weaves some sort of social theme into the plot. Maybe this is for relevance and depth, show more maybe it's because the authors really want to get a message out and are using entertainment as a platform, or maybe it's just because exposed social ills get our revulsion reflexes warmed up for the gut-twisting details of the main story.

(Honestly, I don't know why I'm enjoying these things. Usually too much grue puts me right off and I abandon the book. I can't say that it's because it's done here with such taste and refinement. Perhaps it's more that I just can't take these yarns too seriously--subterranean homeless populations and urban drug addiction and poultry processing plants notwithstanding.)

At any rate, here we have Agent Pendergast sleuthing amid the alien corn in sun-baked Kansas while something awful is carrying off small-town citizens and leaving their horribly mutilated bodies in dramatically ritualized arrangements. His preternatural mental powers come into play once again as he divines the connection between present events and the blood-drenched site of a nineteenth-century massacre.

Typically, most of the secondary characters are paper cutouts; to call them cardboard would be to overrate their substance. But there are always a few of an interesting complexity, notably the conflicted young woman who becomes his temporary aide and one member of the local constabulary.

I've done some fairly heavy reading lately, and one or two of my slow-moving current titles involve focused brainwork. I raced through this paperback page-turner like the fast-food alternative it is, licking my lips and for a little while forgetting about my diet. show less

I followed Hazen through the twists and turns of the cavern. He was moving fast, pausing only briefly to reconnoiter at intersections, never bothering to conceal the noisy sounds of his passage. I relied on his protection as he was the only one with a twelve-gauge. His knuckles were white, fingers resting against the dual triggers.

I dreaded following him.

We passed by another arrangement of tiny crystals and dead cave animals set near a rock ledge. Hazen assumed it was the work of a psychopath, the cave being the setting to practice his craziness before going topside to do it to real people. I had my suspicions, but kept them to myself. My heart raced as I knew Hazen's reckless actions would lead to his inevitable death. He was out to show more kill whoever it was responsible for the recent murders.

I knew he was lost. There was such a confusing welter of footprints that Hazen wasn’t sure what trail he was following anymore, or even if it was fresh. He's anger was rising. it would get him into trouble. Rash decisions never ended well. I cringed as he charged his way up the debris slope, head down, shotgun pointed ahead. He came out into a soaring vertical space. Overhead, feathery crystals hung on long ropes of limestone, swaying slightly in an underground current of air. Passageways wandered off in all directions. He scanned the ground, fighting to get his breathing and his emotions under control; found what looked like a fresh track; and began following it again, threading his way through a maze of tunnels.

Slow down, Hazen! I kept thinking.

After a few minutes we both realized something was wrong. The tunnel had curved back on itself somehow. He ended up right back where he’d started. He tried another tunnel, only to find that the same thing happened.

After returning to the chamber yet a third time, he stopped, raised his shotgun, and fired. The blast rocked the room, and feathery crystals tinkled gently down on all sides like giant broken snowflakes.

Idiot! Was he trying to get himself killed?

He screamed. “I’m here, come show your face, freak!”

He fired a second time, and a third, screaming obscenities into the darkness.

The only answers that came back were the echoes of the blasts, rolling insanely through the honeycomb of chambers, again and again.

The magazine was empty. Breathing raggedly, Hazen reloaded. This wasn’t helping, hollering and shooting like this. Just find him. Find him. Find him.

He plunged down yet another passageway. This one looked different: a long, glossy tunnel of limestone, little pools of water dotted with cave pearls. At least he had escaped the merry-go-round of endless returning passageways. He could no longer remember where he had been or where he was going. He simply plunged on.

And then, off to one side, he saw a dark, hulking figure.

Eeck! Shoot, shoot, SHOOT!

It was the merest glimpse, just a shadow flitting across his goggles; but it was enough. He spun, dropped to one knee, and fired—long practice at the range paying off—and the figure dropped, tumbling to the ground with a crash.

Hazen followed immediately with a second shot. Then he scuttled forward, ready to pump out the final round.

He stared down, the red glow of the night-vision goggles revealing not a dead body but a lumpy stalagmite, cut in half by his gun, lying shattered on the cave floor. He resisted the impulse to curse, to kick the shattered pieces away. Slowly and calmly, he raised the shotgun and continued down the echoing tunnel. He came to a fork, another fork, and then he paused.

Bad idea, Hazen. You're leaving your back open to attack. Run man, get out of there!

He saw movement ahead, heard a faint sound.

He moved forward more carefully now, gun at the ready. He swung around a rocky corner, dropped to his knee, and covered the empty tunnel ahead; and in doing so he never did see the dark shape that approached swiftly out of the shadows behind him until he felt the sudden blow to the side of his head, the brutal wrenching twist, but by then it was too late and black night was already rushing forward to embrace him and he didn’t have enough air left in his lungs to make any sound at all.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

I screamed, fell off the couch. The book went flying into the air until it landed face down, pages bent from the fall. On the floor, I blinked. It took me a moment, several moments, to get my bearings. I'm...home? I'm not in the cave. I smiled sheepishly to the empty room. I'm safe. It's just a story. I'm fine.

[DOORBELL RINGS AGAIN]

Flashes of the shadowy figure come forefront to my mind. My heart skips a beat. Scrambling to my feet, I peer through the window and let out the breath I had been holding. It's only UPS.

As I take one step at a time to the door, I glance back at my discarded copy of Still Life With Crows.

"Stupid book," I grumble, though secretly it was a blast. show less

Contains Spoilers!!!

What a fascinating, well-researched study of the human psyche this novel is! Being extremely interested in what makes people who/what they are, I was held literally spell-bound by this novel. (I listened to the audio book, which was read by Rene Auberjonois, the actor. )

Being I have a quite vivid imagination, this storyline was not difficult to follow at all. In fact, after finishing the audiobook this afternoon, while walking my dog, I had an imagining of what the two novelists who wrote this novel might have said to each other, maybe over coffee one day. I wondered if maybe one of them had picked up an old children's book of nursery rhymes, and read one of two of them out loud.... And then exclaimed at the violence show more that is what we think now-a-days, to be found therein these old, well-known rhymes. And maybe, one of them wondered, what if someone, while a child, thought these nursery rhymes were more of an.... instruction manual, on how to act...? Maybe, in some way to please the loving mother, from whom he/she gets little attention from? But then the other author might have exclaimed that this would only be possible, if the child in question had no moral compass what-so-ever; no idea of the difference between right from wrong- and no teachings. And since we, as children, are shown by example what is right, and what is wrong, maybe this poor child had no one to show him, and only the bare minimum of support at all..... The other author would exclaim, with a snort of some kind, that this child would have had to have been brought up in a hole in the ground.... Maybe this is how the basic storyline of this novel started out. Yeah, I have a weird mind, I admit it. (And I don't care.)

Even though I have had issues with listening to audiobooks before this one, I had no problem at all, with 'Still life With Crows'. Auberjonois is utterly perfect for the reading of this audiobook. There are many, many characters in this novel, but Auberjonois had no problems giving each and every character a different voice, with their own affectations, And cadence. I started this audiobook last evening, and didn't want to stop listening when it was time for bed. As soon as I was able to, I went back to it, greedy for more...It was as satisfying as being read to by your parents. Auberjonois warms to the subject matter at hand quick easily and quickly, and proceeds to take you down a twisted and scary rabbit hole.

At the beginning of this novel, I did wonder for a very short while, how it was that Agent Pedergast seems to find himself in just the right place, at just the right time. He literally got off a greyhound bus, while the sheriff of this back-water town of just over 300 , was giving a sound byte to the press about the very first killing. But soon this tiny issue, and any others I might have had about the plausibility of this happening, no one knowing it had happened, or was happening, and the end scene just drift away in a cloud of folksy charm and mounting suspense. I knew who the killer was by around half-way, to two-thirds through the book, I knew who the killer was related to at the same time, and yet somehow, I could not wait to figure out, and hear how it was all wrapped up in the end. The penultimate scene in the caverns was quite the feat of timing and surprise, and the ending, -My God, what an ending!! The ending, with the old and well-known nursery rhymes being read out loud was chilling. My mouth was literally hanging open, and all I could think of was, 'Oh my God.....'.

The story itself is nearly impossible to put down. The murders are quite frightening, the plotting ingenious...and when I discovered the reasoning behind it all, I was very creeped out. There are many amazing scenes, including one at a turkey plant that will change the way you see the food that arrives at your table. This duo really knows how to tell a story, adding in many elements to take it from a simple detective tale to a full blown experience.

Well done, Preston and Child's!!! It's not often that happens. And Rene Auberjonois' voice rendition of Special Agent Pendergast is quickly becoming my favorite. Well done, and highly recommended. show less