Still Life with Crows

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Medicine Creek, Kansas. In a town where nothing changes, where Main Street is a two-block stretch of old and dusty businesses, a ghastly murder has taken place. The unknown victim has been placed in a small clearing in a sea of corn, mutilated and arranged in an elaborate tableau. Within twenty-four hours the sheriff is assuring a flood of reporters and tense residents that this is an isolated death - until Special Agent Pendergast arrives in the stifling August heat to declare it the work of a serial killer.

Soon neighbors begin to disappear - only to reappear as the lifeless centerpieces of unspeakable displays. Convulsed with terror, the townsfolk whisper of the legendary Curse of the Forty-fives. No one is safe from a killer who stalks his prey in the blackness of night...and whose grotesque crimes are revealed by circling buzzards under the cruel summer sun.

With the help of Corrie Swanson, an eighteen-year-old misfit, Pendergast unearths the secrets of this isolated town - from the dark histories of its inhabitants to the darker mysteries hidden in the endless cornfields. And ultimately, as he unravels the local curse and the truth of Medicine Creek's greatest enigma, the Ghost Warrior Massacre of 1865, Pendergast comes face-to-face with the unimaginable evil that lies at the heart of this small town.

©2003 Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks. A division of AOL Time Warner Book Group.

Critic reviews

"The Preston-Child team scores another big winner, perfect for the summer; highly recommended¿" (Library Journal)
"Yummy beach reading." (Kirkus Reviews)

An excellent addition to the Pendergast series

The overall story is excellent, however the addition of music at odd points in the story are distracting.

Something to crow about!

This is a wonderful suspense filled thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Characters were interesting and well developed. Plot was fascinating. Can't wait to read more of his work.

The Perils of Abridged

I only downloaded the abridged version because the unabridged does not exist. It was "enjoyable," but you could just feel that the 'depth' (that normally makes you really care about a story) was missing. It was like reading Cliff Notes instead of the full novel -- but that, of course, is a problem with most abridged books and not just this one. However, I had skipped this one previously (because it was abridged) and, after reading Fever Pitch, decided to go back and listen so that I could get more details about the detective's mystery ward (who keeps showing up in later books). Well, guess what part was totally edited out of the abridged version? Not even a mention. (GIving it three stars because the story itself, as Preston/Child's stories usually are, was fun and imaginative.)

Fantastic!

This book grabs you right from the start and never lets go! And the ending will not only send chills up your spine, it will leave you absolutely stunned! If you like mystery, thrills and chills, you just can't pass this book up!

A must have

Preston and Child never disappoint! If they write a book it's always great! Can't wait for the Nora Kelly book to come out!

Crows review

Very good. The story kept me interested. it was hard to stop listening. Looking forward to next one.

don't ruin a good thing with music...

please stop overlaying music atop the narration. it is distracting and makes it difficult to focus on the story...

love these books

This book has great characters and a very engaging story! Reader did a good job of different voices without being distracting.

LOVED IT!

Great story, great narration! I actually couldn't stop listening! If you are a Pendergast fan, then get it!

Awesome

Pendergast is one of the coolest characters I've run across. He would make a great old world vampire- the ones with class and manners but are spooky as you know what...and he's the good guy! I was drawn into the story from the very start. Nothing was given away or ultra predictable. Great detail and character building. I immediately bought "Cabinet of Curiousities" because I had to hear more from these authors. That book was good, but not as good as this one.