Still Life with Crows (Agent Pendergast series)

plot was kind of predictable, still fun, but finale was a surprise. learned a bit of history about indians and corn, well written as the co-authors usually accomplish with their tales. Enjoyable read.

Excellent Agent Pendergast novel! Actually takes a step out of the museum backdrop and places the agent in the Midwest. Readers get to meet a new heroine and imagine how it feels to be in deep dark caves! Great reading choice if you enjoy the dark, and some mystery sleuthing!

While not necessarily their best work with Special Agent Pendergast, this one is a good read. As to be expected the writing is sharp, detailed, and really puts you in the action. There are some instances though where one has to say that Preston and Child are reaching just a bit, a little too much technique shows. That being said, the novel is a really good one. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Pendergast books are terrific, but this one has a lot bodies and blood. Still, Pendergast is a fascinating character with unique ways of figuring things out. I guessed the perp and the contemporary history, but not the cool deep background of the mystery.

This book had such an unexpected outcome! A real nail biter and got my heart rate up quite a few times! This is one of those books that you want to call in sick and just stay home and read, read, read! Love it!!!

This book had such an unexpected outcome! A real nail biter and got my heart rate up quite a few times! This is one of those books that you want to call in sick and just stay home and read, read, read! Love it!!!

I just recently started reading Preston and Child books. In the last 2 weeks I have read the Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiosities, and Still Life with Crows. These really are great books and during down times at work and when relaxing at home really keep your mind going. I highly suggest reading these.

My fourth 'Agent Pendergast' novel and without a doubt one of the most thrilling books I've ever read! Absolutely brilliant!

I loved the setting and I really liked Corrie Swanson (Pendergast's sidekick for this case), and even if the body count is very high and the killings were described a tad too detailed for my liking, this book is absolutely captivating from the beginning to the very, very sad and tragic end.

It's very rare that I feel sympathy for such a vicious and brutal killer, but in this case I really, really do, and I'm extremely glad that the book ended like it did. Because in the end it all makes sense. Twisted sense, but it's absolutely comprehensible. Or at least it was for me.

Another fun to read Pendergast book. As with all the Preston & Child books you learn interesting stuff while you're being entertained.

This was a good mystery story with a very good "I didn't see that coming" twist to the end of the story. However, like all well written stories all the clues were woven subtly in throughout the book. Giving you the feeling that had you been as smart as Pendergast you would have (should have) figured it out as well.

It was a fast pace read that is hard to put down as you neared the end.

Preston and Child deliver another thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Agent Pendergast once again places himself in the center of an investigation that hints at the supernatural and bizarre. A grand adventure!

I really enjoyed this book. It has some twists and turns that are unexpected (some expected) Fun, easy, read. I recommended this book to a friend and they after had read it, they had to read all of the Preston & Child books.

...I actually liked this book better than Relic and Reliquary. Even though I liked them, I thought there were aspects of both that were just a little too hokey, and many of the secondary characters were very stereotypical. This book is different in that it takes the ongoing character, Agent Pendergast, out of the New York City milieu and drops him right in the middle of the Kansas cornfields. Pendergast is such a unique character that it was just fun imagining the towns-folk's reaction to his presence among them. By this point in the series (this is the fourth book, I believe, in which he is the primary character) we've gotten bits and pieces of his past, and each new bit adds weirdness upon weirdness, to the point where one has to wonder how he has managed to overcome all of that and still function at all, much less at a Holmesian level.

I thought that the authors did a very good job of setting the landscape in the reader's mind. In my mind, I have a very clear image of Medicine Creek and its environs, and what it's like to live in a slowly-dying farming community. The main secondary characters were believable, and I was glad to see that the sheriff had some facets to his character, instead of just being automatically confrontational with Pendergast. While there were the usual familiar small-town characters, there were nice little twists - like the fact that almost no one in the town ate turkey, and the reason why. The introduction of Corrie Swanson as the town's contrasting odd note to Pendergast's version of odd served to give the reader a bit of a voice in the story - she got to ask, or at least wonder about, some of the things the reader wonders about regarding him. Hopefully she'll show up again in subsequent books.

The murders were suitably horrible, the mystery perplexing for most of the book, and once I figured out who the murderer was, I still didn't understand until the last pages why the murder scenes were staged the way they were. All in all, this was an enjoyable read and I definitely got my money's worth.

Onto the next book in the series!

This was my first Douglas Preston novel. He introduced me to a new exotic character, FBI Agent Penderfgast. A most unusual, southern character. I could hardly put the book down and I am reading a second Preston book now.

Most people who love Agent Pendergast, this book is in their top 5, including myself. Corrie Swanson is such a fun character as well. She's funny, and a complete contrast to Agent Pendergast that makes them a great team. It was nice to get out of the city and into the country for this delicious book. I don't want to give too much away, just read it! You'll enjoy it.

I've read all of their books (including solo efforts) and this is the best. The characters, setting, pacing and story fit together perfectly. It starts fast - no waiting 100 pages to be involved. Tricky ending (although somewhat anticipated). Murder and intrigue in farm country. Highly recommended.

Any fan of mystery, horror, crime procedurals will enjoy this book. Pendergast is an character who provides amazement at his brilliant coups. There is a great deal of gore but that is a necessary part of the Preston/ Childs .