Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

In Still Life With Crows, we follow Pendergast’s investigation of several strange murders, all involving a cornfield in Kansas. The sheriff is none too happy to have Pendergast in town. However, the local newspaperman is thrilled, and hopes that by following Pendergast, he can get a scoop that just may save his job and the newspaper. Pendergast hires Corrie, a sixteen-year-old girl who drives a Gremlin, to be his assistant. Together they face danger.

I introduced my husband to Preston and Child earlier this year, and we are both fans of Pendergast, one of our favorite characters. When my copy of Still Life With Crows, one of their earlier books, arrived, I put it back for a special occasion, so that we could listen to it together. Preston and Child introduced fans to Pendergast in 1992. Throughout the series, Pendergast has changed; perhaps matured is a better word. In Still Life With Crows he plays a much larger part; as the series continues, so does the development of Pendergast. The authors are beginning to fill in the history of their main character. They are giving him great dimension and depth.

Having said all of that, I found the ending to be a bit disappointing. I loved meeting Corrie, who shows up in a later book. I love Pendergast and his brilliant, elegant, and almost superhuman, instinct. I even liked the sheriff. But I felt the ending was not up to the author’s usual high standard. I very much enjoyed this book and many times sat longer in the car just to hear what would happen next. Still Life With Crows is well worth listening to; it just isn’t Preston and Child’s best novel. They have set their bar so high that even they may have trouble reaching it.