Flying Crows

by Jim Lehrer

With Flying Crows, veteran newsman and bestselling author Jim Lehrer has written his most powerful novel, a work that moves masterfully from past to present and back again to solve the mystery that is American mayhem.

In 1997, police discover an old homeless man in the Kansas City train station. “Birdie Carlucci” claims he has lived there since 1933, hiding out in the storeroom of a Harvey House restaurant. Kansas City cop Lieutenant Randy Benton decides to discover the truth behind Birdie’s tale—and finds himself on a ride that leads ever backward into our country’s bloodstained past.

Benton’s investigation reveals the story of young Birdie, incarcerated in a brutal insane asylum where the preferred method of treatment is beating with a baseball bat. In that hopeless environment, though, he’s befriended by another patient, Josh Lancaster, once dismissed as a lost cause but snatched back from the brink by a compassionate doctor. But what is the secret of Lancaster’s involvement in an infamous Civil War encounter between Confederate bushwhackers and Union soldiers? And what truly happened after Birdie escaped from the asylum on the famous Flying Crow train?

As Benton returns to the present day, he wonders: How much, if any of it, really took place? What were the true public and private traumas of these two troubled men who can’t forget what they’ve seen or merely imagined?

Inspired by real events, Flying Crows is a novel that moves as inexorably as a train in the night to a shattering conclusion—one that reveals the many meanings of imprisonment and escape, and all the eccentricities and tragedies of the American soul.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Book Club, World War II

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

James Charles Lehrer was an American journalist and the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections. Lehrer was an author of non-fiction and fiction, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.

Reviews

[Lisa Kingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting portrait of homelessness and mental illness. It helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of homeless people.

[Michael D Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find much interesting in this book. I finished it only because I hate to start a book and not finish it.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted to this novel because it takes place in Kansas City, with Union Station central to the story. It opens with a cop doing a sweep of the derelict station just before the developers start their restoration work. He finds an old guy in a back room who claims to have lived in the station since 1933 after escaping from a mental institution. The officer is intrigued and starts hunting down the people the old man talks about, including a Harvey Girl who befriended him and the fellow patient who helped Birdie escape. The ending didn't seem to quite resolve things for me, but I did like the characters.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wonderful!! Enhanced by Lehrers knowledge and love of trains. I loved all the characters and the way the fiction is woven into real life events. Googled Harvey and his "girls" and learned their part in train history. A good look at the early insane asylums and the way mental health issues were handled in those years. A tremendous conclusion. I totally LOVED this book!

[Ann Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky story somewhat reminiscent of Fannie Flagg's small town characters.

[Cherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It's a bit quirky but that makes it interesting. I'd recommend it to people who want something a little different.

[Eliece · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seemed pointless.

[Marilaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and engrossing tale. You'll probably remember these characters for a long time and their story of a lunatic asylum in the early 1930's.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner! The characters were well developed, and I was interested in reading about the events in their lives.

[Robin Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline was interesting enough but the ending of the book, especially the conclusion was depressing instead of satisfying.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into it but thoroughly enjoyed the last half

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first foray into boks by Jim Lehrer, and I had no real expectations. As a newsman, I respected him. This book was good and worth reading, and could even be in the category of "really liked it", but fell slightly short in my opinion. An interesting concept of what certain insane asylums were like at one time, and the story of an escapee's decades of living in fear in the bowels of a train station.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, engaging read. It is a mystery in the sense that there is a police detective and he is, for reasons of his own, trying solve a mystery. But he's off the clock. The story of two "escaped lunatics" that emerges is the story of Kansas City, or America, or the 20th Century. It's the story of how fear keeps two men stuck in one place their whole lives. For such a short novel, it makes you think about some pretty big questions, what makes a person "insane"?

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this novel two stars because it's fun to read, but even as I'm thinking about it, the story is leaving my memory. Jim Lehrer is a good writer with a compelling story. Police discover a homeless man in the Kansas City train station as it is ready to be demolished. His story is the insane asylum he escaped decades before, the people he knew, and what he saw is compelling. If you're looking for a book to take to the beach, enjoy for the day, simply amuse yourself...this would be it.

[Slyv · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fanciful story, that COULD be true, maybe......... Since it's a novel written by a news anchor, who knows? Anyway, an enjoyable story with just enough mystery to keep it interesting. It's about two male inmates of an insane asylum, back when we still had them, and it leaves you wondering about the story, the situation, and history of how we treat mentally problematic persons.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting enough to want to finish the book, but Mr. Lehrer's writing style does not entice me to want to read another of his novels.
As the saying goes "stick to your day job", Mr. Lehrer is far more effective in his position as executive editor and anchor of The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was about an insane asylum and about 2 unlikely friends from the Sanitarium and also the Train station that linked them. Grim historical details about soldiers from the Civil War and World War I and II and how mental health issues were dealt with at the time. Not sure we have made great strides since then. Surprise ending. 3-

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an engaging story, quite moving and fascinating! The characters are so real and so are the various locations. Lehrer has a way of taking right where they are until you can almost see and smell the surroundings! Truly enjoyed this from beginning to the very end~

[Becky H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy people, homeless, unsolved mystery, 1930-present day all wrapped together in a train station.

[Chamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Pbwritr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it.

[Janette]

If you like history and mystery, this is highly entertaining.

[kate]

Missouri "history"

[Leah Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most thought through books I've ever read. Makes you question at the end everything you think you know.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get interested in this book.