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Detective Virgil Jones #1
Voodoo Daddy
As lead investigator of the Indiana State Police Major Crimes Unit, Detective Virgil Jones tackles only the toughest cases in the state, and the one he faces this time has the city of Indianapolis on edge, near the brink of panic. A team of serial snipers are on the loose. Their killing ground is the city. Their victims chosen at random. Or are they?
With no witnesses and very little evidence, it's up to Virgil Jones and his team to find out who is behind the on-going massacre and stop them once and for all...if they can. But Virgil has his own problems, both personal and professional. Among them, a backlog of cases that require his attention, the sudden reappearance of his long lost friend who is a convicted felon, a downtown bar he co-owns with his father, and he is in love with Sandy Small, one of the investigators in his unit.
With the entire population of the city of Indianapolis at risk, it's up to Virgil and Sandy to explore the dark places of a past where nothing is quite as it seems. As the clues begin to fall in place they paint a portrait of betrayal, deceit, blood-lust, and greed, and in the midst of it all, Virgil and Sandy make a personal discovery so profound it will change their lives forever.
Voodoo Daddy is a story of life, love, murder and mystery; one that examines the depths of human emotions and the dark places they often lead us all.
With no witnesses and very little evidence, it's up to Virgil Jones and his team to find out who is behind the on-going massacre and stop them once and for all...if they can. But Virgil has his own problems, both personal and professional. Among them, a backlog of cases that require his attention, the sudden reappearance of his long lost friend who is a convicted felon, a downtown bar he co-owns with his father, and he is in love with Sandy Small, one of the investigators in his unit.
With the entire population of the city of Indianapolis at risk, it's up to Virgil and Sandy to explore the dark places of a past where nothing is quite as it seems. As the clues begin to fall in place they paint a portrait of betrayal, deceit, blood-lust, and greed, and in the midst of it all, Virgil and Sandy make a personal discovery so profound it will change their lives forever.
Voodoo Daddy is a story of life, love, murder and mystery; one that examines the depths of human emotions and the dark places they often lead us all.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2012
2398 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Thomas L. Scott
29 books28 followersThomas Scott is the bestselling author of the award winning Virgil Jones Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Series, set in the heartland of the Midwest.
Thomas lives in northern Indiana with his lovely wife, Debra, his children, and his trusty sidekick and writing buddies, Lucy, the cat, and Buster the dog, where he is hard at work on the next Virgil Jones novel.
Thomas lives in northern Indiana with his lovely wife, Debra, his children, and his trusty sidekick and writing buddies, Lucy, the cat, and Buster the dog, where he is hard at work on the next Virgil Jones novel.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 124 reviews
May 18, 2023
This was a great story. Lots of bad people and some good ones. The way things were slowly revealed made it a fascinating read. I liked the characters but it was tough to take some of the bad stuff that happened in this book. Things were explained and that gave closure. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.
May 5, 2020
Not really a "Who Done It", more of a "Why". The bad guys are known from the very beginning. Good basic story line but the author got carried away in telling the story. I'm thinking he didn't write from an outline, but just added things as he went along. A lot of "skip over" pages.
Probably will read the second book at some point.
Probably will read the second book at some point.
June 22, 2012
Meh. Main character was ok, but the plot was poorly done. Main character sleeps with the love interest and they then declare their undying love and how they were meant to be together. He's later kidnapped for no clear reason and doesn't even really solve the case. Character deaths that made no sense, along with strange shift between first and third person, made this uneven at best.
July 12, 2018
The prologue here reads more like Scott calling reader’s attention to what he’s written by using phrases such as ‘Watch now as…’ and ‘See the jet now…’ and ending it with ‘Watch the news stories as the days turn to weeks, then watch as the story, sensational as it may have been in the moment, is all but forgotten. It is off the radar you, might say. But you would be mistaken.’
This is the writer’s equivalent of an actor breaking the fourth wall. Scott feels the need to tell the reader to pay attention instead of trusting his prose to stand on its own.
Those last lines of the prologue imply that the event in it will play a big part in the story. It does, but its role is minimized by being explained in a paragraph 70% of the way through the book.
The book is pretty much over at about the 75% point. The remaining 55% is too long of a wrap-up, diluting the impact of the climax.
The dialog in general rings true, with the characters exchanging the kind of verbal shorthand real people do, especially those who work close together.
All the usual conventions of the genre are here:
1/ The hero beds then falls in love with the female main character in the span of about 6 pages. At least Scott gives us a plausible reason for it happening.
2/ The hero gets kidnapped by the bad guys but escapes – in this case with the help of a friend.
3/ A character leaves the hero enigmatic clues.
Scott subscribes to John Sandford’s theory of writing: Throw scene breaks in wherever you feel like it. However, he’s not quite as bad as Sandford.
I’ll come back for more Virgil Jones stories.
GoodReads: this title (Voodoo Daddy) doesn't line up with the title of the book I downloaded (State of Anger) although the ASIN number is right.
This is the writer’s equivalent of an actor breaking the fourth wall. Scott feels the need to tell the reader to pay attention instead of trusting his prose to stand on its own.
Those last lines of the prologue imply that the event in it will play a big part in the story. It does, but its role is minimized by being explained in a paragraph 70% of the way through the book.
The book is pretty much over at about the 75% point. The remaining 55% is too long of a wrap-up, diluting the impact of the climax.
The dialog in general rings true, with the characters exchanging the kind of verbal shorthand real people do, especially those who work close together.
All the usual conventions of the genre are here:
1/ The hero beds then falls in love with the female main character in the span of about 6 pages. At least Scott gives us a plausible reason for it happening.
2/ The hero gets kidnapped by the bad guys but escapes – in this case with the help of a friend.
3/ A character leaves the hero enigmatic clues.
Scott subscribes to John Sandford’s theory of writing: Throw scene breaks in wherever you feel like it. However, he’s not quite as bad as Sandford.
I’ll come back for more Virgil Jones stories.
GoodReads: this title (Voodoo Daddy) doesn't line up with the title of the book I downloaded (State of Anger) although the ASIN number is right.
May 6, 2013
Thomas Scott seems to be a promising writer. Parts of this story were quite well-written. However, he really needs to cultivate a relationship with a good editor. Many times Scott's story elements do not flow together well, and some seem quite superfluous to the story he is telling. (He may not have to leave them out, but should provide more of a bridge to the story arc.) Other parts of his book seem to get much too little attention once the mystery is finally revealed. On top of that, there are many irritating grammar and punctuation errors and misused words ("taught" where he means taut, "alter" for altar, and "try and" instead of try to). I did not catalogue them all...but a competent editor/proofreader could have prevented the unpolished impression that these kind of flaws leave with the reader.
February 26, 2013
An engaging police procedural, Voodoo Daddy is a decent read for those who like a good mystery and a very likeable lead character. Virgil Jones and his team are faced with a pair of killers whose motivation and choice of targets seem completely unrelated. Meanwhile, Jones is faced with ghosts from his past, and somehow it’s all related. My major complaint is the need for another round of editing or proofreading, but despite the editorial goof ups, it’s a good read - 3.5 stars
January 22, 2016
Very good mystery.
Awesome story, fall in love with characters. Will be reading more about them and all the books Thomas Scott writes. Form the pictures I saw on Google, Indianapolis is beautiful city, this story takes place in that city. Detectives Virgil and Sandy, their parents will be with you. Make sure read this book.
Awesome story, fall in love with characters. Will be reading more about them and all the books Thomas Scott writes. Form the pictures I saw on Google, Indianapolis is beautiful city, this story takes place in that city. Detectives Virgil and Sandy, their parents will be with you. Make sure read this book.
December 5, 2018
Only 3 stars, still recommended unless missing commas and ragged plotting bug you
Let's argue that this book starts with 5 stars because the dialogue is very cogent, and quite often funny. Funny is hard to pull off, so five stars, like I said.
Docked one star because the proofreading's below par - lots of missing commas, which any proofreader worth his or her salt should have caught. A few other proofreading glitches as well.
Docked a second star because I am not entirely certain that the plot holds together as well as it should.
I really wish the author would get a good proofreader. I'm not talking about a developmental editor or anything that expensive, just a line editor.
Perhaps Amazon's publishing arm would be interested in taking this series on. I have read books published by them that were, quite frankly, not as good as this one.
So even though I only give it three stars, I am quite aware that other people aren't as bothered by missing commas as I am. So if you are thinking about either reading or borrowing this book, my recommendation would be to go for it.
Let's argue that this book starts with 5 stars because the dialogue is very cogent, and quite often funny. Funny is hard to pull off, so five stars, like I said.
Docked one star because the proofreading's below par - lots of missing commas, which any proofreader worth his or her salt should have caught. A few other proofreading glitches as well.
Docked a second star because I am not entirely certain that the plot holds together as well as it should.
I really wish the author would get a good proofreader. I'm not talking about a developmental editor or anything that expensive, just a line editor.
Perhaps Amazon's publishing arm would be interested in taking this series on. I have read books published by them that were, quite frankly, not as good as this one.
So even though I only give it three stars, I am quite aware that other people aren't as bothered by missing commas as I am. So if you are thinking about either reading or borrowing this book, my recommendation would be to go for it.
September 10, 2023
I don't usually leave long reviews. You will read it or not on your own. However, in this case I'm gonna make the exception. Mr. Scott is a very good writer. Plot, character, all of it. HOWEVER, and here is where it gets tricky. SPOILER POSSIBLE.
It was too much. A twist is good, two twists is better, but this got way out of hand, in my own opinion. The back stories: Virgil and Wheeler, Virgil and Sandy, Virgil and fire, etc. Too many. The conflict: Virgil and his dad, Virgil and Wheeler and the war, Sandy and her dad, etc. The assassins: Too little definition to too much definition. The pastor? Child porn, burning churches, insurance companies, fraud. Too much. The over sexed wife? Really? Parading for the kid?
Too much. Too much going on, too many threads, too many characters. Cut some of it out and it would be five stars. Split it into two. I shudder to think what happened in the second one and I will wait till the long, dark days of winter to attempt it.
It was too much. A twist is good, two twists is better, but this got way out of hand, in my own opinion. The back stories: Virgil and Wheeler, Virgil and Sandy, Virgil and fire, etc. Too many. The conflict: Virgil and his dad, Virgil and Wheeler and the war, Sandy and her dad, etc. The assassins: Too little definition to too much definition. The pastor? Child porn, burning churches, insurance companies, fraud. Too much. The over sexed wife? Really? Parading for the kid?
Too much. Too much going on, too many threads, too many characters. Cut some of it out and it would be five stars. Split it into two. I shudder to think what happened in the second one and I will wait till the long, dark days of winter to attempt it.
November 12, 2017
Sadly, the two stories did not blend well. In my opinion, the author tried to do too much. The actual mystery, Jonesy, his subordinates, and his father were well written characters. However, the extra things (the friend from the past, the preacher) did not feel like they were part of the same story. It felt like the author tried to add a red herring, but put too much effort into it. I felt there should either have been more, or those plot lines should have been left out. I also did not like the scenes told from the killers' points of view. They did not add to the reader's understanding of their motivation and could have been left out (or at least shortened).
This book would have been awesome if the author had stuck to the mystery and side parts of Jonesy's life (like Sandy, or his father). With everything thrown in and mixed together, it became too much of a hodge-podge.
This book would have been awesome if the author had stuck to the mystery and side parts of Jonesy's life (like Sandy, or his father). With everything thrown in and mixed together, it became too much of a hodge-podge.
April 29, 2025
i got the first four books in the series for free and the story line was very entertaining. i thoroughly enjoyed the story line and the characters. BUT the lack of a competent proofreader and copy editor projibits me from paying money to buy any more of the books. if you can't keep your details straight from one page to the next or one chapter to the next or even from one book in the series to the next, then you need a copy editor. if you can't tell where to, and where not to, put commas, then you need a proofreader. if the books were free, i'd read them all but i'm not paying money for an author who doesn't have enough confidence in his work to hire professionals. i see there are 24 books in the series now. maybe he's gotten better or maybe he has hired professionals, but it would have to be proven to me in order for me to read any more.
November 11, 2020
A great beginning to this series
This was a great story with terrific characters, humor, angst, mystery, suspense, and many twists and turns that will keep you intrigued until the end. I'm going to be honest and say that I had a bit of difficulty understanding some of the sequences, and how each of these fell into the storyline, but eventually it all started making sense. It's definitely written in a different type of format from what I am used to (not in a bad way), but once I understood how all of the pieces fit together everything seemed to flow much easier for me. I'm looking forward to this series.
I would recommend this book, series, and author.
This was a great story with terrific characters, humor, angst, mystery, suspense, and many twists and turns that will keep you intrigued until the end. I'm going to be honest and say that I had a bit of difficulty understanding some of the sequences, and how each of these fell into the storyline, but eventually it all started making sense. It's definitely written in a different type of format from what I am used to (not in a bad way), but once I understood how all of the pieces fit together everything seemed to flow much easier for me. I'm looking forward to this series.
I would recommend this book, series, and author.
July 14, 2019
Disappointing Read
The characters are ok. The thought and word choices don’t portray real people from Indianapolis. Hoosiers aren’t hicks. The plot wasn’t fully fleshed out for a good crime novel. It was like reading a book outline. Future novels should portray Indianapolis and Hoosiers more realistically and not basic outlines of personalities. The descriptions of Indianapolis and surrounding areas were inaccurate. Anyone from Central Indiana will know which locations are inaccurate.
The characters are ok. The thought and word choices don’t portray real people from Indianapolis. Hoosiers aren’t hicks. The plot wasn’t fully fleshed out for a good crime novel. It was like reading a book outline. Future novels should portray Indianapolis and Hoosiers more realistically and not basic outlines of personalities. The descriptions of Indianapolis and surrounding areas were inaccurate. Anyone from Central Indiana will know which locations are inaccurate.
June 4, 2022
Killing Team
Killers on a mission challenge Inv. Virgil Jones. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the murders but the crooked path leads right to the door of the most powerful man in the state. Will Jones be able to sort it through before the death count goes even higher or will he be the next victim.
This is a decent read. A bit talky with Jones and his team. Could have lived without the romance.The murderers are cold and relentless. Victims are stock. But overall entertaining.
Killers on a mission challenge Inv. Virgil Jones. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the murders but the crooked path leads right to the door of the most powerful man in the state. Will Jones be able to sort it through before the death count goes even higher or will he be the next victim.
This is a decent read. A bit talky with Jones and his team. Could have lived without the romance.The murderers are cold and relentless. Victims are stock. But overall entertaining.
February 21, 2024
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN RENAMED SINCE I BOUGHT, ITS NOW CALLED "STATE OF ANGER" THE VIRGIL JONES SERIES. AFTER READING IT I THINK CHANGING THE NAME WAS A GOOD IDEA.
I WAS AT 75% AND STILL NOT SURE WHAT OR WHO'S DOING IT. WOW! I'M LOVIN' THIS. I'VE GOT A NEW AUTHOR TO FOLLOW AND THIS SERIES HAS 19 BOOKS SO FAR AND I'M GONNA' READ EVERY ONE OF THEM. I LIKE THE CHARACTERS BUT I WANTED TO SHAKE THE HELL OUT OF VIRGIL, HE'S HEADED FOR TROUBLE AND HE KNOWS BETTER.WHATS THE MATTERWITH HIM? I DID HATE THE ENDING. OMG! WHY? ;D
I WAS AT 75% AND STILL NOT SURE WHAT OR WHO'S DOING IT. WOW! I'M LOVIN' THIS. I'VE GOT A NEW AUTHOR TO FOLLOW AND THIS SERIES HAS 19 BOOKS SO FAR AND I'M GONNA' READ EVERY ONE OF THEM. I LIKE THE CHARACTERS BUT I WANTED TO SHAKE THE HELL OUT OF VIRGIL, HE'S HEADED FOR TROUBLE AND HE KNOWS BETTER.WHATS THE MATTERWITH HIM? I DID HATE THE ENDING. OMG! WHY? ;D
July 9, 2020
A worthwhile read
Virgil Jones is his name! Sounds like a song title I once heard in Dixie.
Kidding aside, the story is a decent yarn. The characters are interesting enough to carry a series. The story was clever and I was a bit caught off guard at the ending.
The author has fun with the story by adding some quirkiness and humor. I enjoyed the book and will read his next book in the series.
Virgil Jones is his name! Sounds like a song title I once heard in Dixie.
Kidding aside, the story is a decent yarn. The characters are interesting enough to carry a series. The story was clever and I was a bit caught off guard at the ending.
The author has fun with the story by adding some quirkiness and humor. I enjoyed the book and will read his next book in the series.
February 15, 2021
NOTE: Actually, I just finished State of Anger. I don't know why Goodreads "thinks" I just finished this book.
This book moves like gangbusters!
Assassins --all around Indianapolis. Why? Virgil Jones of the Indiana State Police aims to find out.
The characters are well-developed and the story races along. I highly recommend it and plan to read the next one immediately.
This book moves like gangbusters!
Assassins --all around Indianapolis. Why? Virgil Jones of the Indiana State Police aims to find out.
The characters are well-developed and the story races along. I highly recommend it and plan to read the next one immediately.
December 22, 2021
Do adults actually read this mess?
No, I didn't finish, but in the portion I read there was cheesy, sleazy sex, absurd bad guys, preposterous multi murders, juvenile dialogue with the big, bad detective called "Jonesy" by his subordinates and loads of other nonsense. Now that I know how bad this writer is, I would be greatly embarrassed for anyone to see me reading a book by him. Of course, there is now zero chance of that happening...
No, I didn't finish, but in the portion I read there was cheesy, sleazy sex, absurd bad guys, preposterous multi murders, juvenile dialogue with the big, bad detective called "Jonesy" by his subordinates and loads of other nonsense. Now that I know how bad this writer is, I would be greatly embarrassed for anyone to see me reading a book by him. Of course, there is now zero chance of that happening...
April 20, 2023
Need a Tree
Flow charts are also needed for this story. As you read, it looks like random killing sprees. Then there are connections. A few red herrings later, a few new clues surface. You may think it is over but wait there is more. I can't say that I enjoyed the story. The writing is incredible but if you get attached to the characters, it can be painful. Bring on the rest of the series.
Flow charts are also needed for this story. As you read, it looks like random killing sprees. Then there are connections. A few red herrings later, a few new clues surface. You may think it is over but wait there is more. I can't say that I enjoyed the story. The writing is incredible but if you get attached to the characters, it can be painful. Bring on the rest of the series.
July 1, 2023
Twists, Turns & Outcomes
Usually by the time I get to 60% I've got the Outcome figured but "Not This Time"! Thanks Thomas Scott for keeping me " in a Fog" all the way to the end! Great Read!
I really enjoyed the character development and intertwined as I would think it should work. Scott let Me see enough of them each time that I got one more "piece of the puzzle"!
I have found 2 more of Thomas Scott books and have them "on deck" to read next!
Usually by the time I get to 60% I've got the Outcome figured but "Not This Time"! Thanks Thomas Scott for keeping me " in a Fog" all the way to the end! Great Read!
I really enjoyed the character development and intertwined as I would think it should work. Scott let Me see enough of them each time that I got one more "piece of the puzzle"!
I have found 2 more of Thomas Scott books and have them "on deck" to read next!
March 23, 2020
Very interesting!!
Twists and turns..Huh??Thought I had figured the who, what & where just to be wrong again and again. Interesting characters...believable tales of greed and trying to tell what's the truth or not and trying to not remember the demons of the past. Excellent writing!!!
Twists and turns..Huh??Thought I had figured the who, what & where just to be wrong again and again. Interesting characters...believable tales of greed and trying to tell what's the truth or not and trying to not remember the demons of the past. Excellent writing!!!
April 20, 2020
very very enjoyable mystery
I very glad I decided to get this book as it was a terrific read and I was so glad when the mysteries were cleared up. Virgil Jones is a detective who has his own issues but manages to stay focused on the strange murders that are happening in Indy involving seemingly unlikely unrelated people. looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I very glad I decided to get this book as it was a terrific read and I was so glad when the mysteries were cleared up. Virgil Jones is a detective who has his own issues but manages to stay focused on the strange murders that are happening in Indy involving seemingly unlikely unrelated people. looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
July 12, 2020
First Book of a Series I Got by Accident
I just meant to get this first book but ended up with whole series. This first book is pretty good and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. Interesting characters and a decent plot plus the format is comfortable too.
Let's see what the next book is like.
I just meant to get this first book but ended up with whole series. This first book is pretty good and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. Interesting characters and a decent plot plus the format is comfortable too.
Let's see what the next book is like.
August 2, 2020
Money well spent
I got t books two and three through Book Bub for free. After reading them, I wanted to know how events transpired that were mentioned in my free reads. So, I went online and bought number one and am so glad I did. Jonesy and Sandy
Are fun characters and Delroy is irie mon. Read and you will get it.
I got t books two and three through Book Bub for free. After reading them, I wanted to know how events transpired that were mentioned in my free reads. So, I went online and bought number one and am so glad I did. Jonesy and Sandy
Are fun characters and Delroy is irie mon. Read and you will get it.
August 7, 2021
State of Anger is an exciting police procedural guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat
I thoroughly enjoyed reading State of Anger and highly recommend it to anyone who loves reading great police procedurals. It’s loaded with mystery and intrigue that keeps you anxiously turning pages to see what happens next
I thoroughly enjoyed reading State of Anger and highly recommend it to anyone who loves reading great police procedurals. It’s loaded with mystery and intrigue that keeps you anxiously turning pages to see what happens next
June 15, 2017
La trama es un poco complicada
El libro está bien escrito, pero la trama es un poco no muy creíble lo que hace que el autor tenga que recurrir a temas secundarios continuamente, lo que le hace perder calidad.
El libro está bien escrito, pero la trama es un poco no muy creíble lo que hace que el autor tenga que recurrir a temas secundarios continuamente, lo que le hace perder calidad.
September 28, 2018
Worth Reading
Excellent characters and character development, conniving plot. Only reason not to give 5th start is it is just a little too reminiscent of the Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford.
Excellent characters and character development, conniving plot. Only reason not to give 5th start is it is just a little too reminiscent of the Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford.
May 16, 2019
Politics and religion in the first 25 pages. Not interested in the authors mockery. Wit reading at page 26.
I believe books should come with a warning label “if you have faith and/or are a republican this book will mock you. Read at your own risk.
I believe books should come with a warning label “if you have faith and/or are a republican this book will mock you. Read at your own risk.
Read
July 8, 2019Flyover justice
Well written, complex investigation and crime story. Fully developed characters, although I expect that the depth will increase as the series continues. Worth your time to read.
Well written, complex investigation and crime story. Fully developed characters, although I expect that the depth will increase as the series continues. Worth your time to read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 124 reviews