I just finished reading Still Life With Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Usually I don't like mystery or romance genres because the formulas are just not my cup of tea. I'd gotten this book, though, because the title sounded so intriguing. I liked the eccentric Sherlock Holmes type FBI agent Pendergast but that was about it. I found the other characters to be too stereotypical and the plot pretty unbelievable at times. I mean, come on, what FBI agent would hire a punk teenager as an assistant?
I also found the mystery surrounding the murders and the serial killer to be pretty contrived. I had to suspend belief totally and tell myself, okay, so just think of this as a silly horror movie and just try to laugh at it. It was the worst book I've ever finished reading in recent memory.
I figured out that there must be other books in the Pendergast series fairly early on. Still, it would have been better to have left some irrelevant (to this story) scenes out of this book ... like Wren and the museum. I thought, who the heck is this person and why is he in the book and who cares who seems to be following him? If it was supposed to be a red herring it was way too obvious.
So ... I would not recommend this book to anyone except for mystery fans.
Entertaining Best & Worst...
1. Best and Worst Book Read:
Best: To Kill A Mockingbird
Worst: Still Life With Crows
2. Best and Worst Movie Seen:
Best: Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman
Worst: Men at Work with Emilio Estevez & Charlie Sheen
3. Best and Worst TV Show watched:
Best Comedy: All in the Family
Best Drama: ER
Worst Comedy: Green Acres
Worst Drama: Bay Watch