Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Anyone else ever strolled alongside a cornfield at night? If so I don’t have to explain to you how eerie such a situation can be, especially when the crop is at the peek of its development and ready to be harvested. Two things always seem to stand out in my mind when faced with such a situation. First, the human sized pockets of pure darkness that hover between the stalks, pockets that could be hiding anything or anyone; second, the synchronized movements of the stalks themselves whenever a gust of wind passes overhead, movements that give the illusion that the stalks are all part of a single entity, one that could easily swallow you whole if you ventured into one of its dark corridors. Adding to the creepiness is the sense that one can’t really get a full understanding of what could be lurking within by simply peering in because the shadows stay solid no matter how close one gets. In fact, pressing ones face up to the edge of a cornfield at night is like trying to look beyond a pane of one way glass, the only difference being that the one way glass would create a barrier that prevents whatever may be watching from reaching out and grabbing hold. This isn’t the case when looking into the cornfield. Stand toe to toe with that kind of darkness and one has to contend with the possibility that they could be standing toe to toe with someone else, someone who probably doesn’t have a very pleasant reason for hiding within the crop.

In Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child the cornfield plays a prominent role as the small Kansas town of Medicine Creek is suddenly plagued by a series of gruesome murders that don’t seem to fit the established molds of the typical serial killer. Making these savage killings even more frightening is the realization that the acts could only have been committed by a local townsperson since no strangers are present within the small community at the time of the first murder, and the sea of corn that surrounds it makes it unlikely that anyone could come and go without being noticed. Two strangers do arrive once the murders begin to unfold, however, followed by many reporters as the body count grows and reaches the attention of the national news organizations. One of these strangers is an overly arrogant scientist from a Kansas college named Stanton Chauncy who is studying the area to see if it will be the ultimate location for a project dealing with genetically engineered corn -- something that would bring the town back from the brink of financial ruin; the other is FBI special agent Pendergast who enjoys putting himself into the middle of such bizarre situations (previous novels that have situations that snag his interest include The Relic, Reliquary, and The Cabinet of Curiosities). From the start neither one is really a viable suspect for the murders; though Pendergast does do a good job of putting himself on the wrong side of the police. The seemingly supernatural strength that is involved in the killings and the varied ‘displays’ that are created with the bodies also makes it difficult to point to a suspect within the local population. It also starts to make many wonder if the towns regrettable history with the local natives in the 1860’s is to blame, one that led to a curse being put upon the land. Even Agent Pendergast’s brilliance and unorthodox investigation methods doesn’t seem to be able to shed light upon anything. Eventually one person does put all the pieces together, but rather than going to Pendergast or the local police she tries to verify her theory herself which puts her right into the killer’s hands. Will Agent Pendergast and the local police be able to follow her tracks and rescue her in time, or will she just become the latest mutilated body to be displayed in a circle of trampled corn?

Contrary to what many of the customer reviewers said on Amazon.com I felt Still Life with Crows was a brilliant book -- a real ‘easy to read’ entertaining page turner. I also really liked that it emphasized a situation that isn’t often portrayed correctly in popular culture, but which is very relevant in our society and can have a devastating effect on the people who suffer it (I can’t say what this situation was for it would spoil the ending -- rest be assure readers will understand what I’m talking about once the final page is turned). Now, I can identify with some of the criticism projected onto this novel, most notably Agent Pendergast’s mental visualizations of past events, and the sudden transitions into a situation that connects with the previous book in the Pendergast saga, but which is a completely unrelated to this story and a bit of a distraction. Thankfully these moments didn’t take up much space and are easily gotten through and forgotten. I don’t agree, however, that the last third of the book was completely unrealistic, or that the revelation of the killer’s identity and their motive was a let down. In fact, I thought just the opposite, which is why I read the last third of the book without interruption, my eyes relentlessly going from sentence to sentence, my mind craving to know the fates of everyone involved. Furthermore I actually felt chills race through my body as I finally came to understand the WHY behind the murders. This revelation was so powerful that I nearly called my Mom so I could encourage her to start reading the book herself (we share similar tastes) but then caught myself when I realized what time it was. What else can I say? With such an experience while reading how can I not recommend this book to everyone?