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Virgil Flowers #3
Rough Country
Virgil's always been known for having a somewhat active, er, social life, but he's probably not going to be getting too many opportunities for that during his new case. While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of northern Minnesota, he gets a call from Lucas Davenport to investigate a murder at a nearby resort, where a woman has been shot while kayaking. The resort is for women only, a place to relax, get fit, recover from plastic surgery, commune with nature, and while it didn't start out to be a place mostly for those with Sapphic inclinations, that's pretty much what it is today.
Which makes things all the more complicated for Virgil, because as he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer.
©2009 John Sandford; (P)2009 Penguin
Which makes things all the more complicated for Virgil, because as he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer.
©2009 John Sandford; (P)2009 Penguin
1 pages, Audiobook
First published September 29, 2009
2375 people are currently reading
4686 people want to read
About the author
John Sandford
234 books9,631 followersJohn Sandford is the pen name of John Roswell Camp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author known for his gripping thrillers and popular crime series. After earning degrees in history, literature, and journalism from the University of Iowa, Camp began his writing career as a reporter, first at The Miami Herald and later at The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, where he earned critical acclaim for in-depth series on Native American communities and American farm life. His work won him the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1986.
In 1989, Camp transitioned into fiction, publishing two novels: The Fool's Run under his real name and Rules of Prey under the pseudonym John Sandford. The latter launched the long-running “Prey” series, starring Lucas Davenport, a sharp, fearless investigator navigating politically sensitive crimes across Minnesota and beyond. The series grew to include spin-offs and crossovers, notably featuring characters like Virgil Flowers, a laid-back BCA agent with a sharp wit, and Letty Davenport, Lucas's equally determined daughter, who stars in her own series starting in 2022.
Sandford’s books have consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with over two dozen debuting at number one. Known for his dynamic storytelling, fast pacing, and keen attention to detail, Sandford combines his journalistic roots with a gift for character-driven narratives. He remains an avid reader and outdoorsman, and continues to write compelling fiction that resonates with readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers grounded in realism and driven by memorable protagonists.
In 1989, Camp transitioned into fiction, publishing two novels: The Fool's Run under his real name and Rules of Prey under the pseudonym John Sandford. The latter launched the long-running “Prey” series, starring Lucas Davenport, a sharp, fearless investigator navigating politically sensitive crimes across Minnesota and beyond. The series grew to include spin-offs and crossovers, notably featuring characters like Virgil Flowers, a laid-back BCA agent with a sharp wit, and Letty Davenport, Lucas's equally determined daughter, who stars in her own series starting in 2022.
Sandford’s books have consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with over two dozen debuting at number one. Known for his dynamic storytelling, fast pacing, and keen attention to detail, Sandford combines his journalistic roots with a gift for character-driven narratives. He remains an avid reader and outdoorsman, and continues to write compelling fiction that resonates with readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers grounded in realism and driven by memorable protagonists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,246 reviews
June 7, 2021
Virgil is at Vermilion Lake for a fishing tournament when Lucas Davenport called. He's asked to go to Eagle Nest Lodge where a woman was shot in the forehead by a sniper. I have to say that Virgil's books 1-2-3 just keep getting better and better! I enjoy John Sandford's writing, characters, and mystery. As per usual, I was unable to guess the killer.
June 11, 2018
The endorsement by THE Stephen King on the cover page of the novel had attracted my attention. By the way it is a murder mystery, not a horror story.
This was my first Virgil Flower novel. I had read a few Lucas Davenport novels earlier by the same author, and liked the fact that Davenport made a brief appearance in this book.
Anyway this is not the first book in the Virgil Flower series, but you can read it as a standalone.
The story opens with the murder of Erica McDill while she was “relaxing” in a peaceful and bucolic wooded “women only” resort. McDill was the CEO of an advertising agency, and had planned to get rid of quite a few unwanted people. Understandably quite a few people hated her and a sexual angle would also emerge.
Now, our protagonist Virgil Flowers, agent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who by the way looks more like a surfer than a cop, is tasked with carrying out the investigation. I liked the character of Virgil (unusual name) : he is a bit different from the protagonists of the police procedural I have come across so far. He does not look or dress like a cop, forgets where he kept his gun, thinks about God before going to bed, not depressed about anything. But, don’t let his appearance fool you – he is a shrewd customer.
Virgil’s investigation will make him encounter a variety of characters – self-centered, manipulative, pure weird. Some pretty unsavory secrets would be revealed and we would have quite a few suspects with strong motives. McDill’s murder won’t be the only murder in this story, be prepared for more.
It is a pretty decent mystery novel with suspense, action and some genuinely funny moments. John Sandford has never disappointed till now.
Through out the book, there are references to some shoot out that Virgil had been involved in. It would be fun to read about it, assuming the event transpires in some earlier novel.
I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.
This was my first Virgil Flower novel. I had read a few Lucas Davenport novels earlier by the same author, and liked the fact that Davenport made a brief appearance in this book.
Anyway this is not the first book in the Virgil Flower series, but you can read it as a standalone.
The story opens with the murder of Erica McDill while she was “relaxing” in a peaceful and bucolic wooded “women only” resort. McDill was the CEO of an advertising agency, and had planned to get rid of quite a few unwanted people. Understandably quite a few people hated her and a sexual angle would also emerge.
Now, our protagonist Virgil Flowers, agent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who by the way looks more like a surfer than a cop, is tasked with carrying out the investigation. I liked the character of Virgil (unusual name) : he is a bit different from the protagonists of the police procedural I have come across so far. He does not look or dress like a cop, forgets where he kept his gun, thinks about God before going to bed, not depressed about anything. But, don’t let his appearance fool you – he is a shrewd customer.
Virgil’s investigation will make him encounter a variety of characters – self-centered, manipulative, pure weird. Some pretty unsavory secrets would be revealed and we would have quite a few suspects with strong motives. McDill’s murder won’t be the only murder in this story, be prepared for more.
It is a pretty decent mystery novel with suspense, action and some genuinely funny moments. John Sandford has never disappointed till now.
Through out the book, there are references to some shoot out that Virgil had been involved in. It would be fun to read about it, assuming the event transpires in some earlier novel.
I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.
September 21, 2016
"That f------g Flowers."
Virgil Flowers, the Minnesota state cop and spin-off character from Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, returns to solve another mystery and get a little fishing done.
A lesbian is murdered while kayaking on a lake at an upscale Minnesota restort that caters exclusively to women. That's a political hot potato getting tossed from hand to hand until it's thrown at Virgil who gets his vacation at a nearby fishing tournament interrupted by Davenport to put him on the case. But there are plenty of suspects since the victim was getting ready to fire a large part of her work force, leave her long-time partner, and had hooked up with a local singer who already had plenty of jealous lovers. With so many directions to investigate Virgil is soon running all over Minnesota, and the killer isn't done yet.
I wasn't sure about this series at first, but it grew on me over the course of it. This is due in large part to the character of Virgil. A Minnesota state cop who wears rock band tee-shirts, usually leaves his gun under the seat of his truck, writes wildlife articles for magazines, tows his boat while working a case, and who uses fishing as an almost zen meditation state to think about his investigation is offbeat and refreshing.
I do have a story complaint about Virgil making a really stupid decision that leads to someone getting killed and not showing any guilt or self-recrimination about it at all. Sandford has always been willing to have his characters make mistakes, sometimes with tragic results, but this is the first time I remember them just shrugging it off.
Virgil Flowers, the Minnesota state cop and spin-off character from Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, returns to solve another mystery and get a little fishing done.
A lesbian is murdered while kayaking on a lake at an upscale Minnesota restort that caters exclusively to women. That's a political hot potato getting tossed from hand to hand until it's thrown at Virgil who gets his vacation at a nearby fishing tournament interrupted by Davenport to put him on the case. But there are plenty of suspects since the victim was getting ready to fire a large part of her work force, leave her long-time partner, and had hooked up with a local singer who already had plenty of jealous lovers. With so many directions to investigate Virgil is soon running all over Minnesota, and the killer isn't done yet.
I wasn't sure about this series at first, but it grew on me over the course of it. This is due in large part to the character of Virgil. A Minnesota state cop who wears rock band tee-shirts, usually leaves his gun under the seat of his truck, writes wildlife articles for magazines, tows his boat while working a case, and who uses fishing as an almost zen meditation state to think about his investigation is offbeat and refreshing.
I do have a story complaint about Virgil making a really stupid decision that leads to someone getting killed and not showing any guilt or self-recrimination about it at all. Sandford has always been willing to have his characters make mistakes, sometimes with tragic results, but this is the first time I remember them just shrugging it off.
January 14, 2024
Ok, now I'm starting to really like this series.
As a fan of the Lucas Davenport series, it was hard not to compare the two series. The end result was Virgil's falling short every time.
It pays to trust the author. In the first two books, I was missing the funny one-liners and the banter Lucas has with everyone. In Rough Country, we finally get Virgil showing some of the same.
Now to the story:
The novel begins with Virgil on vacation. He is participating in a fishing tournament when Lucas calls and assigns him a new job. A woman has been killed while canoeing. As soon as he gets there, many become suspects. It's up to Virgil to figure out who is behind the murder.
I can't wait to start the next one.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
As a fan of the Lucas Davenport series, it was hard not to compare the two series. The end result was Virgil's falling short every time.
It pays to trust the author. In the first two books, I was missing the funny one-liners and the banter Lucas has with everyone. In Rough Country, we finally get Virgil showing some of the same.
Now to the story:
The novel begins with Virgil on vacation. He is participating in a fishing tournament when Lucas calls and assigns him a new job. A woman has been killed while canoeing. As soon as he gets there, many become suspects. It's up to Virgil to figure out who is behind the murder.
I can't wait to start the next one.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
April 19, 2015
To start with, I didn't like the Virgil Flowers books. I've read all of the Lucas Davenport 'Prey' series and loved them. I'd appreciated the character of Flowers, as he appeared in the Davenport books, but I just couldn't see how any series not focused on Davenport could be as good. This was initially confirmed when I tried, and failed to finish, the first Flowers book. But then, in a weak moment and persuaded by another Sanford fan, I tried a later book from the series... it was good. I've now worked my way through most of the series and they're all good. I'm starting to believe I'd misjudged my first experience and will need to go back and sample the first book again.
This book is typical of the series, in that Flowers is teams up with some local cops to solve a murder in a rural Minnesota setting. He looks and acts cool, gets involved with the local women, drinks some beer and quotes the bible... yes, quotes the bible. That's the thing about Flowers, he's a complex mix and a certainly a very different man to Davenport. The more I've now read of this series (completed in a random order) the more I've appreciated that, in his own way, he's as interesting as his boss. Actually, if I compare the series to the recent Prey books they're probably superior.
What a great crime writer Sanford is. If you haven't tried any of his books I'd strongly urge you to do so.
This book is typical of the series, in that Flowers is teams up with some local cops to solve a murder in a rural Minnesota setting. He looks and acts cool, gets involved with the local women, drinks some beer and quotes the bible... yes, quotes the bible. That's the thing about Flowers, he's a complex mix and a certainly a very different man to Davenport. The more I've now read of this series (completed in a random order) the more I've appreciated that, in his own way, he's as interesting as his boss. Actually, if I compare the series to the recent Prey books they're probably superior.
What a great crime writer Sanford is. If you haven't tried any of his books I'd strongly urge you to do so.
November 17, 2017
★ ★ ★ 1/2
Caught with a long-wait situation and no book at hand, I did something I hate doing. I started a series in the middle. This is the third Virgil Flowers book. I was glad to discover that Flowers is a different character than Lucas Davenport, Sandford’s more famous series protagonist. But the book was pure Sanford. The clues are openly and honestly presented, even if they are more of the foreshadowing variety than the fairplay kind. But if executed correctly, the journey is often as interesting as the destination. In this case, both were worth the time.
Caught with a long-wait situation and no book at hand, I did something I hate doing. I started a series in the middle. This is the third Virgil Flowers book. I was glad to discover that Flowers is a different character than Lucas Davenport, Sandford’s more famous series protagonist. But the book was pure Sanford. The clues are openly and honestly presented, even if they are more of the foreshadowing variety than the fairplay kind. But if executed correctly, the journey is often as interesting as the destination. In this case, both were worth the time.
May 27, 2013
Hurray for this satisfying detective tale set in northern Minnesota. Virgil Flowers, a charming investigator with the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, gets called away from a fishing trip to solve a sniping murder of a tourist woman staying at a rustic lodge on a lake near Grand Rapids.
In chatting up women guests and staff at the lodge, he learns the setting is used largely as a lesbian retreat. The murdered woman worked in PR and promotions and showed some interest in helping a local female country band and maybe buying the resort. Flowers is challenged by too many plausible motivations and suspects in the areas of money, sexual jealousy, and redneck craziness.
I love his humor and methods for drawing people out. Sandford outdoes himself with a colorful cast of characters in this one. His usual MO of wearing of T-shirts figuring obscure rock bands makes for a great way to break the ice with the music crowd. But his usual pattern of flirting and love conquests is a bit out of place in this set, and a promising link-up he finally succeeds at is continually frustrated from fulfillment by events. I dug how Flowers uses fishing, dreams, and reveries while on the road as a mental venue to piece together clues. When he finally homes in on the best candidate for the villain, he has to make that final leap of proving it, and an amazing leap it is.
This is number 3 in a series of 7 and best for me of the 4 I’ve read. It is solidly in police procedural territory rather than a thriller.
In chatting up women guests and staff at the lodge, he learns the setting is used largely as a lesbian retreat. The murdered woman worked in PR and promotions and showed some interest in helping a local female country band and maybe buying the resort. Flowers is challenged by too many plausible motivations and suspects in the areas of money, sexual jealousy, and redneck craziness.
I love his humor and methods for drawing people out. Sandford outdoes himself with a colorful cast of characters in this one. His usual MO of wearing of T-shirts figuring obscure rock bands makes for a great way to break the ice with the music crowd. But his usual pattern of flirting and love conquests is a bit out of place in this set, and a promising link-up he finally succeeds at is continually frustrated from fulfillment by events. I dug how Flowers uses fishing, dreams, and reveries while on the road as a mental venue to piece together clues. When he finally homes in on the best candidate for the villain, he has to make that final leap of proving it, and an amazing leap it is.
This is number 3 in a series of 7 and best for me of the 4 I’ve read. It is solidly in police procedural territory rather than a thriller.
February 10, 2025
In Rough Country, John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers is back in action, balancing his love for fishing with a murder investigation at a women-only resort in northern Minnesota. What begins as a routine case, where a woman is shot while kayaking, quickly unravels into a complex mystery filled with jealousy, blackmail, and hidden motives. The more Virgil digs, the more secrets surface, leading him into a tangled web of suspicion.
Sandford weaves a gripping narrative, skillfully balancing Virgil’s laid-back charm with the escalating stakes of the investigation. The mystery is cleverly layered, with each twist pulling the reader deeper into a story that’s both suspenseful and surprisingly insightful into human nature.
Rough Country delivers an engaging blend of crime, intrigue, and sharp character moments. Virgil Flowers is as captivating as ever, and Sandford proves once again why he’s a master of modern crime fiction. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the series, this is a thrilling read you won’t want to miss.
Sandford weaves a gripping narrative, skillfully balancing Virgil’s laid-back charm with the escalating stakes of the investigation. The mystery is cleverly layered, with each twist pulling the reader deeper into a story that’s both suspenseful and surprisingly insightful into human nature.
Rough Country delivers an engaging blend of crime, intrigue, and sharp character moments. Virgil Flowers is as captivating as ever, and Sandford proves once again why he’s a master of modern crime fiction. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the series, this is a thrilling read you won’t want to miss.
January 30, 2017
Third in the Virgil Flowers thriller subseries and revolving around a roving detective with a penchant for band T-shirts and writing fishing and hunting articles. (This series is an off-shoot from Sandford's Lucas Davenport and doesn't rely upon it.)
My Take
It's an intriguing start as McDill thinks of her scientist dad's explanation on the difference between full moons on the horizon and overhead. It's true enough that you can sell the image easier than you can sell the truth.
I'm thinking that the epithet everyone assigns to Virgil refers to is his clearance rate. Then again…
Wendy is such a drama queen. She likes stirring everyone up, screwing anybody, and fighting. At least she comes by it naturally, *eye roll*. To be fair, everyone does seem to roll with it."'I've been working downtown for ten years and I've never been hit on by a college girl,' Sedlacek said, looking after her. 'What have you got that I don't?'
'Good looks, personality…cowboy boots.'
"Fuck me,' Sedlacek said. 'I've been trying to get by on intelligence.'"
Wow, I did not like the Sextons, and then to hear what everyone else has to say about them…well, now I know why I didn't like 'em. I did have to laugh at Susan Boehm gettin' all uppity on Virgil. Then her kid deflates the heck out of her, and Virgil stomps out any last bits of hot air, lol.
Virgil sees himself as the "genial observer" — a role which is shot to hell with his two stories being in The New York Times Magazine — and I see him as a stirrer-upper, whispering in one ear after another, stirring the pot to see what bubbles up next. I did miss having Virgil writing this case up the way he did in Dark of the Moon , 1, and Heat Lightning , 2.
Windrow is right. No artist thinks or wants to think they're in a business. All they want to do is create. And make enough money to create some more.
I'm still trying to get a handle on Sandford's Virgil even as I am enjoying these more as I read them. The cases are as unfathomable as Lucas Davenport's, only…Virgil is so much more laidback. And I'm still not getting where all that success with the ladies comes from.
The Story
Eagle's Nest is not likely to fulfill Virgil's usual active social life, as it's mostly become known as a resort for those with Sapphic inclinations.
Which makes things all the more complicated for Virgil, because as he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer, and the more he digs, the move he discovers the arrows of suspicion that point in many directions, encompassing a multitude of motivations: jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger, fear. Nor is this the first murder., that there was a second, seemingly unrelated one, the year before. And that there's about to be a third, definitely related one, any time now. And as for the fourth... well, Virgil better hope he can catch the killer before that happens.
The Characters
The surfer-lookin' Detective Virgil Flowers with a preference for indie bands gets assigned the tough ones and in between he fishes and writes articles. After events in Heat Lightning , 2, Virgil is moving into the big time with that two-story article in The New York Times Magazine. Johnson Johnson is his fishin' buddy who runs a sawmill.
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is…
…the state cops. Lucas Davenport runs one department within it and is Virgil's boss. Ron Mapes leads the initial crime scene crew along with Lane; Herb Huntington is Mapes' assistant. Stacey Lowe leads the crew in the Cities. Jenkins and Shrake are the resident thugs. Sandy is a part-time researcher at BCA. Doug Wayne is the highway patrol pilot. Sebriski is a highway patrolman delivering a rifle.
Stone Lake in Itasca County is…
…where the Eagle Nest Lodge is located. Margery Stanhope owns the lodge. Iris Garner is Margery's daughter; Earl is Iris' husband. George Rainy is a guide. Dorothy Killian is the guest who's leaving. Jared Boehm is a dock assistant, and one of the many "pretty boys" supplementing his income. Susan Boehm is his attorney mother about to find out why parents don't represent their kids. Rusty Jones was the campus guide in Duluth.
Zoe Tull is Margery's gay accountant and a potential buyer; Mary may become a partner. Mabel Knox works for Zoe. Signy is Zoe's sister and owns a quilt store in Grand Rapids; Joe is Sig's runaway husband.
Janelle Washington works in a candy store (Dan owns it) and rides a bicycle to work; her husband, James, is a greenskeeper. Tom Morris is a friend of theirs, and Janelle's luckiest chance; Patsy is his wife. Barbara Carson is an elderly widow with an interest in heirloom roses. Jim Young is the local newspaper guy. Earl is a river rat.
Erica McDill runs an advertising agency, Ruff-Harcourt-McDill, in Minneapolis and has plans for the future. Ruth Davies is her significant other who's on the way out. Oren McDill is Erica's dad. State Senator Marsha Williams is a friend of Oren's. Barney Mann is the much-loved creative director. Lawrence Harcourt has retired and was planning to sell out to McDill. Abby Sexton had an affair with McDill; she and her husband, Mark (works at RHM), have an open and easy relationship. Sandra Oduchenko is the Sextons' babysitter. Ronald Owen and John Yao are ad agency employees with the potential to lose their jobs. Jean Owen is Ron's wife and really hated Erica.
The Wild Goose is the bar where the ladies like to hang and where the band plays. Tom Mortensen is the owner; Chuck and Kara Larsen are the bartenders.
Slibe Ashbach is Wendy's dad, and he raises English Crème Golden Retrievers on the side when he's not doing grading or septic. Slibe II, a.k.a., Deuce or Junior, is Wendy's brother. Maria Osterhus is the wife who ran away with Hector Avila, a civil engineer.
Wendy Ashbach is the band's country singer; Berni "Raven" Kelly is the not-so-great drummer and Wendy's girlfriend; the belligerent Cathy "Cat" Mathis is on keyboards; Bertha "Bert" Carr is the violinist; Cynthia "Sin" Sawyer is lead guitar; and, Gerry O'Meara plays bass. The Schoolhouse is a recording studio. Corky Saarinen is the manager who had been looking forward to working with McDill. Mark is a sound engineer.
Itasca County Law
Bob Sanders is the sheriff; his father, Ken, was the sheriff before him. Don, Roy Service, Ben and Dan (big beefy boys), Frank Harris, and Carl are deputies. John Phillips is the county attorney. District Court Judge Don Hope thinks "Wendy is a buxom lass". Hank Underwood is the Cessna pilot in Itasca. Dick Raab is a defense attorney.
Little Linda Pelli is a lost fifteen-year-old who has all of Bemidji looking for her. Ruffe Ignace is a reporter with the recently bankrupt Minneapolis Star Tribune. Debbie is a witness really annoyed with the very noisy couple next door.
Iowa City is…
…where Constance Lifry, another regular gay guest at the Eagle Nest owned a restaurant, Honey's. She was good friends with Jud Windrow who owns the Spodee-Odee in Iowa City. O'Hara is a freelance drummer. Irma Windrow is the bookkeeper and Jud's ex-wife. Prudence Bauer is Connie's sister.
Will Sedlacek is the chief deputy for Johnson County while Larry Rudolph is another deputy. The sheriff, Jerry, was good friends with Constance.
Roy is the tournament chairman at Vermilion Lake.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a hazy suggestion of a man, quiet and alone in the woods. The author's name is large and in yellow at the top of the cover while the title is about half that size and dim compared to the author's flash.
Yep, it's Rough Country for Virgil on several counts. He's used to getting easy with the ladies, but this case involves gay ladies, and I don't mean happy.
February 11, 2015
I thoroughly enjoy the Virgil Flowers character, as well as his stories. Rough Country is no exception. My only minor complaint are the numerous innocent victims. I wish there were fewer and I wish there was payback. 9 of 10 stars
August 21, 2011
Rough Country, 2 stars. I think Mr. Sandford found an off-market “Most Popular Baby Names” because his characters sport monikers like: Zoe, Signy, Virgil, Berni, Slibe. Not exactly common. This story revolves around a killing at an exclusive retreat for women in the Minnesota woods, a place where the women can indulge in AC or DC relationships (or AC/DC at the same time). Poor Virgil is called off his favorite pastime, fishing, to go solve the murder. The immediate murder (and another murder in the past) are connected to a girl’s band in the local area. It is a moderately interesting detective story but in the end, not all that exciting. Missing from the plot is the characteristic firefight with automatic weapons that Virgil seems to get involved in. In fact, no real action occurs in the entire book. Virgil seems unusually arrogant and uncaring in this one. He brings in a character from another state to listen to the women’s band that is at the heart of the story. What happens to that character is a direct result of Virgil’s actions, yet he doesn’t lose a wink of sleep or really care much. I didn’t like Virgil at the end of this book.
September 20, 2019
This novel features Virgil Flowers Detective. Found I Liked this character. He is on vacation when a murder occurs at a nearby resort. The characters are countryfied. Is that a word? Was a good story but a bit long. So many twists I got a stiff neck.
April 5, 2019
Virgil Flowers never Disappoints! From the mouth of Davenport himself. . ."That F***ing Flowers" are words of endearment and nothing less than authentic respect and reverence for Flowers due to his impeccable integrity and work ethic. It's a bro thing.
Always smart, action-packed, and outlandishly humorous. I never tire of John Sandford's novels. :)
Eric Conger keeps me engaged and is the perfect narrator.
Always smart, action-packed, and outlandishly humorous. I never tire of John Sandford's novels. :)
Eric Conger keeps me engaged and is the perfect narrator.
April 12, 2020
Another really good mystery. Really enjoy reading about Virgil Flowers and his ways of solving a crime He always solves it too and it's never what you think while reading the story but wraps it up at the end. LOts of interesting characters. This one was about a group of people who were connected to a resort and him figuring out how and why they were connected. John Sanford is a wonderful writer and this is a great series. Definitely recommend.
February 16, 2020
Short reviews of wonderful Virgil, sorry.
This was excellent, complex, interesting characters. Great action.
This was excellent, complex, interesting characters. Great action.
February 5, 2021
To begin with, I think it is only appropriate that I admit to being a fairly avid reader of John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport “Prey” series. A pretty big fan to be honest (even with the recent less than stellar outings). And now, I am having the pleasure of reading his second series focusing on the ever-popular, Virgil Flowers. After downing the first two in the series, I have finished the third book – “Rough Country” – and am happy to report that they just keep getting better.
So how do I describe our fictional hero, Virgil Flowers? He is in his late thirties, tall, lean, and long haired for law enforcement. He’s been married and divorced three times, but still loves and adores the ladies. He’s an outdoorsman, photographer, and writer in his spare time. Most importantly, his preferred dress style is jeans and rock-and-roll band -shirts. Virgil also works as an investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, being recruited by Lucas Davenport and reporting directly to him.
When his third novel, “Rough Country” starts, Flowers is enjoying his downtown by participating in a fishing tournament with his buddy, Johnson Johnson (yes, the same name twice). That is until he gets a call from his boss, Lucas Davenport. With instructions to go investigate a murder at a nearby reclusive resort for women. A successful partner in a travel agency has been shot in the head while paddling a canoe in the lake during the prior evening.
Unhappy, Flowers departs the tournament, travels to the resort, and begins his investigation. It appears the victim was shot by someone hidden on the shore, hiding in the foliage. A killer with great shooting skills. It doesn’t take long for Flowers to overwhelmed with suspects. There’s the victim’s live-in girlfriend who knew their relationship was heading down the path of separation. Then there’s the local women’s country band that sings in the local bar and has quite a popular following. The lead singer was seen spending the night with the victim two days before her murder, and the singer’s girlfriend is the band’s very jealous drummer.
Before Flowers can finish his interviews, there’s more suspects. The town Accountant who had a previous relationship with the singer, still loves her, and is dang jealous of any new girlfriends. The singer’s father seems overly protective of his daughter and doesn’t want her to stray too far. Her brother is also a bit strange, living in his own world, but seems to have a strange relationship with his sister. The suspects are endless, leaving Flowers flustered and running down several rabbit holes, including a prior murder from years ago that may or may not be connected to this one. And to make matters worse, Flowers has found himself a lonely woman in town that he likes spending time with, but every time things start to heat up, he gets called away for his investigation. If it’s not another challenge, or new information, then it’s a frustrating interruption for our hero, Flowers…
Three books into this series, I am enjoying Virgil more and more. He is easy to relate to and cheer for. He is a great balance to Davenport’s more serious attitude and moralistic drama. Virgil is more laid back, more thoughtful is exploring his philosophical beliefs, and more humane. He is not perfect and makes mistakes throughout his investigative work. He falls easily for the women he interacts with, but never treats them with anything less than dignity, respect, and even a bit of worshipful awe. There are a lot of things to like about him and his character’s developing potential at this point and for the future. And for some reason, I found this book much funnier than the previous two. There were so many excellent sarcastic one-liners that I found myself chuckling aloud with enjoyment.
As for the plotting, I liked the traditional mystery theme and was easily immersed in trying to figure out whodunit. It wasn’t too hard to narrow it down to two or three serious contenders for the reveal of killer, but that didn’t take away from appreciating the storylines. Unlike the second book in the series, which got discombobulated in the middle and choppy throughout the rest, this one built steadily from the beginning through the middle, and built up well to nice climax and killer reveal at the end, including an additional surprise at the end that tied things together nicely.
Another thing of note. Even though Sandford writes the Flowers series with a small group of his friends, one thing that he successfully does well (most of the time) in this series is uses what I call the “James Patterson hybrid” movie script style of writing to keep moving things forward in a staccato and suspenseful delivery. This tight approach of using less than more words kept the reader’s interest going.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and an entertainingly suspenseful read. For me, it was the best of the three. That blanking Flowers is really warming up and building momentum. He reminds me of Sandford’s other character, Lucas Davenport, back in his early years. Less obsessed, more easygoing, and definitely more in touch with himself than Davenport. I cannot wait to read the next one.
So how do I describe our fictional hero, Virgil Flowers? He is in his late thirties, tall, lean, and long haired for law enforcement. He’s been married and divorced three times, but still loves and adores the ladies. He’s an outdoorsman, photographer, and writer in his spare time. Most importantly, his preferred dress style is jeans and rock-and-roll band -shirts. Virgil also works as an investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, being recruited by Lucas Davenport and reporting directly to him.
When his third novel, “Rough Country” starts, Flowers is enjoying his downtown by participating in a fishing tournament with his buddy, Johnson Johnson (yes, the same name twice). That is until he gets a call from his boss, Lucas Davenport. With instructions to go investigate a murder at a nearby reclusive resort for women. A successful partner in a travel agency has been shot in the head while paddling a canoe in the lake during the prior evening.
Unhappy, Flowers departs the tournament, travels to the resort, and begins his investigation. It appears the victim was shot by someone hidden on the shore, hiding in the foliage. A killer with great shooting skills. It doesn’t take long for Flowers to overwhelmed with suspects. There’s the victim’s live-in girlfriend who knew their relationship was heading down the path of separation. Then there’s the local women’s country band that sings in the local bar and has quite a popular following. The lead singer was seen spending the night with the victim two days before her murder, and the singer’s girlfriend is the band’s very jealous drummer.
Before Flowers can finish his interviews, there’s more suspects. The town Accountant who had a previous relationship with the singer, still loves her, and is dang jealous of any new girlfriends. The singer’s father seems overly protective of his daughter and doesn’t want her to stray too far. Her brother is also a bit strange, living in his own world, but seems to have a strange relationship with his sister. The suspects are endless, leaving Flowers flustered and running down several rabbit holes, including a prior murder from years ago that may or may not be connected to this one. And to make matters worse, Flowers has found himself a lonely woman in town that he likes spending time with, but every time things start to heat up, he gets called away for his investigation. If it’s not another challenge, or new information, then it’s a frustrating interruption for our hero, Flowers…
Three books into this series, I am enjoying Virgil more and more. He is easy to relate to and cheer for. He is a great balance to Davenport’s more serious attitude and moralistic drama. Virgil is more laid back, more thoughtful is exploring his philosophical beliefs, and more humane. He is not perfect and makes mistakes throughout his investigative work. He falls easily for the women he interacts with, but never treats them with anything less than dignity, respect, and even a bit of worshipful awe. There are a lot of things to like about him and his character’s developing potential at this point and for the future. And for some reason, I found this book much funnier than the previous two. There were so many excellent sarcastic one-liners that I found myself chuckling aloud with enjoyment.
As for the plotting, I liked the traditional mystery theme and was easily immersed in trying to figure out whodunit. It wasn’t too hard to narrow it down to two or three serious contenders for the reveal of killer, but that didn’t take away from appreciating the storylines. Unlike the second book in the series, which got discombobulated in the middle and choppy throughout the rest, this one built steadily from the beginning through the middle, and built up well to nice climax and killer reveal at the end, including an additional surprise at the end that tied things together nicely.
Another thing of note. Even though Sandford writes the Flowers series with a small group of his friends, one thing that he successfully does well (most of the time) in this series is uses what I call the “James Patterson hybrid” movie script style of writing to keep moving things forward in a staccato and suspenseful delivery. This tight approach of using less than more words kept the reader’s interest going.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and an entertainingly suspenseful read. For me, it was the best of the three. That blanking Flowers is really warming up and building momentum. He reminds me of Sandford’s other character, Lucas Davenport, back in his early years. Less obsessed, more easygoing, and definitely more in touch with himself than Davenport. I cannot wait to read the next one.
October 14, 2009
Heh heh, Virgil is sent to solve a murder in what amounts to ZZ Top's Planet of Women. He's a guy who usually gets the girl pretty handily. But here all the women want each other, not him. Poor Virg!:D
September 21, 2018
I've been dying to read this book, but I couldn't get it from the library so read past it both in the Prey & this series. I was expecting it to be a case of a couple of corrupt agents that has been mentioned in passing, but it's not. That's important because it creates a much larger world & deeper history for both series while avoiding spoilers. Excellent!
I'm a bit obsessive (no laughing) about reading series in order. Both the Prey & Flowers series benefit from that, but they don't demand it in most cases. There is some history for core characters that makes the series much better, but once they're established Sandford keeps the stories self-contained enough that it doesn't matter too much. Fantastic!
This was a great mystery, although it quickly became a case of how they'd catch & convict, not who. There were some pretty brutal parts, but Sandford doesn't describe them in gory detail. My imagination filled them in just fine. Again, there was a fairly major oversight by the search that I wondered about at the time & it did come back to bite them. That's not a criticism, just a simple reality of dealing with a messed up situation & arm-chair quarterbacking. I could see it happening & thought the way it was finalized was great.
Virgil's love life is a hoot. Great thread there. LOL! Well narrated, too.
One of the best yet. My next book will be Deadline, Flowers #8, which puts me back into the groove. I'm looking forward to it.
I'm a bit obsessive (no laughing) about reading series in order. Both the Prey & Flowers series benefit from that, but they don't demand it in most cases. There is some history for core characters that makes the series much better, but once they're established Sandford keeps the stories self-contained enough that it doesn't matter too much. Fantastic!
This was a great mystery, although it quickly became a case of how they'd catch & convict, not who. There were some pretty brutal parts, but Sandford doesn't describe them in gory detail. My imagination filled them in just fine. Again, there was a fairly major oversight by the search that I wondered about at the time & it did come back to bite them. That's not a criticism, just a simple reality of dealing with a messed up situation & arm-chair quarterbacking. I could see it happening & thought the way it was finalized was great.
Virgil's love life is a hoot. Great thread there. LOL! Well narrated, too.
One of the best yet. My next book will be Deadline, Flowers #8, which puts me back into the groove. I'm looking forward to it.
September 29, 2019
I am half in love with Virgil “F***ing” Flowers. I just adore this character. As with the other books, I couldn’t wait to get back in my car to keep listening. In my opinion, the book is about Virgil and the case takes second stage.
What I liked in the book is the author seemed to want to focus on letting us get to know Virgil a little better. We met a friend from outside of work. We learn about some of his ex-wives. We also learn that Virgil likes his job but it isn’t his only motivation. I also liked that Virgil’s love life was less of a focus in this book and it helped you focus on Virgil’s intelligence as a detective. We get a real focus into the way Virgil sees and parsecs information on the case.
The case in this book was not that engaging to me and I admit I didn’t really about whodunnit. I just felt like it lacked the intensity of the first two cases in this series. Eric Conger has one of the best voices to me. I look forward to the next one.
What I liked in the book is the author seemed to want to focus on letting us get to know Virgil a little better. We met a friend from outside of work. We learn about some of his ex-wives. We also learn that Virgil likes his job but it isn’t his only motivation. I also liked that Virgil’s love life was less of a focus in this book and it helped you focus on Virgil’s intelligence as a detective. We get a real focus into the way Virgil sees and parsecs information on the case.
The case in this book was not that engaging to me and I admit I didn’t really about whodunnit. I just felt like it lacked the intensity of the first two cases in this series. Eric Conger has one of the best voices to me. I look forward to the next one.
December 3, 2010
Virgil Flowers returns for the third time in John Sandford's Rough Country. As the book opens, Virgil is vacationing on a fishing trip in the woods of northern Minnesota, but unfortunately, he's not out of cell phone range. In the middle of a morning on the lake, Virgil gets a call from his boss, Lucas Davenport, who assigns him to investigate the murder of Erica McDill, an executive from the Twin Cities who's been shot to death while vacationing at a nearby lodge that takes only female guests.
Virgil wades into the crime and soon discovers that a variety of people might have had a motive to kill Erica. The case becomes even more complex when a local rock band, also composed exclusively of females, enters the picture. The investigation takes Virgil back and forth across the state and beyond, and it's fun watching him work. As always, he's funny, irreverent, and mostly irresistible to those of the female persuasion. A surprising number of the women in this book are gay, and even if they (well, most of them) are immune to our hero's sex appeal, they are still inevitably charmed.
The character is a younger, single, hipper version of Sandford's principal creation, Lucas Davenport, and readers who enjoy the Prey series that features Davenport will surely enjoy the Virgil Flowers books as well.
Virgil wades into the crime and soon discovers that a variety of people might have had a motive to kill Erica. The case becomes even more complex when a local rock band, also composed exclusively of females, enters the picture. The investigation takes Virgil back and forth across the state and beyond, and it's fun watching him work. As always, he's funny, irreverent, and mostly irresistible to those of the female persuasion. A surprising number of the women in this book are gay, and even if they (well, most of them) are immune to our hero's sex appeal, they are still inevitably charmed.
The character is a younger, single, hipper version of Sandford's principal creation, Lucas Davenport, and readers who enjoy the Prey series that features Davenport will surely enjoy the Virgil Flowers books as well.
September 5, 2020
5 Stars. Poor Virgil, it seems that, until he actually signs off on this case, he can't get together with the woman of his latest dreams. To a similar extent, the same for his other pastime, fishing. First, for him and me, the matter at hand. Erica McDill, a high-powered advertising executive has been shot while kayaking in rural Minnesota. There are numerous clues, including a shell casing, but it starts to complicate. She had been staying at a lodge for women only. Most of the guests are lesbians - not all, or all of the time mind you, and that included the victim who occasionally reached out to whichever gender was nearest! She was ruthless on vacation and at work too. Is the person responsible someone about to lose his or her job at McDill's firm in Minneapolis? What about her expressed desire to buy the lodge; there were others very interested too. Or does it relate to the storm swirling around a local band and its rising star, Wendy Asbach? Wendy's father Slibe and younger brother, The Deuce, are strange! It's dogs and septic systems for them. Or is it something else? I'll close this review with my commiserations for Virgil. (April 2019)
April 29, 2015
John Sandford writes several series. I think I enjoy the Flowers’ books the best. Davenport is too self-absorbed and the Kidd books, because of their reliance on technology, become dated rapidly. Virgil Flowers, one of Davenport’s BCA investigators, known for pulling his fishing boat all over Minnesota, has just the right mix of savoir-faire, investigative skill, sarcasm, dedication, and common sense.
This is the 3rd in the series and involves a resort solely for women, a man who loves his daughter too much, a son with extraordinary woodsman skills, a band, some high-priced shoe tracks, and a series of murders that suddenly become connected in strange ways and a plethora of suspects.
Good story and audiobook very well read by Eric Conger.
This is the 3rd in the series and involves a resort solely for women, a man who loves his daughter too much, a son with extraordinary woodsman skills, a band, some high-priced shoe tracks, and a series of murders that suddenly become connected in strange ways and a plethora of suspects.
Good story and audiobook very well read by Eric Conger.
March 20, 2013
Ok, i quit. I tried to finish this book, just on principle, but i cant it's SO fu@king STUPID! The dialogue is idiotic, the plot is sort of passable as far as i can tell (cant stand to finish it, remember?) but the sexist, bullshit cliche, inaccurate portrayal of gay women makes me want to stab the author in the face. Ok, I'm done ranting. I've got to go throw this shit in the fire-pit.
November 23, 2017
You gotta love Virgil Flowers. He is trying to fish in a tournament of some kind and Davenport calls, he finds a gal in a boat who has been shot, and she was staying in a resort of sorts, that is all female guests. Difficult case? You bet, but not for Flowers.
June 9, 2024
Third in the Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford, Rough Country has Virgil Pulled from a fishing tournament he's been waiting for all year to work a murder at a resort not too far away. The resort is almost exclusively for women, lesbian and straight and there's a lot of consensual activity going on, creating lots of suspects. Add in the college boy toys who work there and sex moves to #1 on the motive list. Then there's the music angle, with a local band that plays there having a singer who could make it big but 2 other members of the band aren't up to that skill level so jealousy and money are big too. And not just for the band but the resort owner who really doesn't want to lose the band which draws in lots of wealthy customers.
It's a wild ride but our man Virgil is up to the job, if he can keep his hands off the suspects. A top effort from John Sandford, who seems unable to write anything but masterful crime novels. Highly recommended.
It's a wild ride but our man Virgil is up to the job, if he can keep his hands off the suspects. A top effort from John Sandford, who seems unable to write anything but masterful crime novels. Highly recommended.
May 26, 2020
Virgil Flowers seems to be able to get involved with at least one woman during an investigation; not this time! While expecting to catch the big one at a fishing tournament in a remote area of Northern Minnesota, Virgil is called to investigate a murder at a nearby resort for women. Virgil’s dream investigation until he realizes that at the present the women here were all gay.
Well, if that wasn’t enough of a bummer, Virgil realizes that there appears to be a web of connections between the women at the resort, the murder victim and a local woman who is well known (locally) as a singer. Women, women everywhere with knots and fights and no reprieves for Virgil!
Well, if that wasn’t enough of a bummer, Virgil realizes that there appears to be a web of connections between the women at the resort, the murder victim and a local woman who is well known (locally) as a singer. Women, women everywhere with knots and fights and no reprieves for Virgil!
September 13, 2020
Read this concurrently with a really disappointing Prey novel and this one shines in comparison. It didn’t launch from the gate like a rabid pit from the word go like most other Sandfords but it definitely accrued mass and momentum and by the end I was gobbling pages. It doesn’t hurt that this was Sandford’s most sex-obsessed novel I’ve read yet—it was like that Blur song with girls who want boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they’re girls who do girls like they’re boys—always should be someone you really love.
January 19, 2020
A lesbian love triangle and throw in a good sapphic cat fight. Rock n Roll!
a good read, clever twist at the end but Sandford's writing is a bit misogynistic. His objectification of women gets a bit tiresome.
a good read, clever twist at the end but Sandford's writing is a bit misogynistic. His objectification of women gets a bit tiresome.
October 17, 2016
Enjoyable read, typical Flowers. I thought that it was a bit too long...just wandered a bit in the middle. Could have been 50 pages shorter and not have lost much.
Perfect last couple of pages.
Perfect last couple of pages.
October 22, 2009
I want to make one thing clear: This review is not an extended moan about how I wish Mr. Sandford would write more Lucas Davenport books. He hasn't abandoned Lucas--for which I'm grateful--but in his push to establish another series, I think Mr. Sandford would do well to take a step back and re-read one of the interviews he did early on about his PREY series: how he wrote the book in a kind of trance and really was at pains to make Lucas a real, fleshed-out character.
Regardless of reading trends and attention spans, I honestly believe that readers CRAVE a world into which they can disappear. As Mr. Sandford's career has evolved--and more specifically over the last six, seven years--his writing style has become sparer and sparser and this does not serve him or his books well.
Now, I've not finished this book and I'll likely post another review, but my initial thoughts dovetail with my reservations about all the Flowers books. I've been reading Sandford books from the beginning--in fact, I've read them all and several more than once--and what I've noticed is that he's sacrificed strong characterization and description for name-dropping. This has started to creep into his Lucas books as well, but if you go back and compare the early Lucas Davenport novels to Mr. Sandford's later work, you see a disturbing trend. There is no one better at setting mood and atmosphere; take a peek at the beginning of most any PREY book and you know where you are, what the weather's like, how things feel and smell, what they look like. Furthermore, Lucas Davenport is a complex, compelling character with contradictory impulses. Even the minor characters get their due.
Here and with all the Flowers books, we get names--lots and lots of names. A dizzying PLETHORA of names. But they are merely monikers without faces. Mr. Sandford has continued to cut back on his exposition and focused primarily on dialogue and short takes to propel his chapters. Sometimes this works; most times, it doesn't, and the reading experience becomes choppy and confusing and--most importantly--distancing. (Try getting into a reading rhythm with any of Koontz's latest and you'll see what I mean.) Virgil Flowers remains pretty uninteresting and not at all complex or subtle, and I have NO IDEA--even after several books--of what his "thinking about God" schtick is REALLY about. Yeah, yeah, there's an "explanation" of sorts in the first book, but without more meat to this character, this means as much to me as the name-dropping of bands does: I don't know who the bands are, I don't know what they sound like, and --worse-- I DON'T CARE!!
WICKED PREY was, I think, Mr. Sandford's best Lucas book since BROKEN PREY, and his works that have focused on the weave of Lucas's life are still among his best. Pick up something like WINTER PREY--a hands-down fabulous book because it's all about relationships, man--and then compare that to ROUGH COUNTRY and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Will I buy the next Sandford? Of course, I will because I'm an optimist and Mr. Sandford is a superior writer when he remembers that it's people we care about. And, considering that people don't necessarily retire all that early any more, there's not a reason in the world why Lucas has to go away any time soon. For that matter, giving Virgil Flowers a real life and face would kick this series up another notch and make Virgil someone we can care about.
10/18/09--Okay, so I've finished the book now and my initial impression hasn't changed much. I will echo those reviewers who mentioned that they were way ahead of Virgil by the end (moi, aussi), though I DID not see a final plot twist coming, and that was nicely done. But my points about the dearth of characterization still stand. Lucas Davenport was/is, in part, defined by the people around him. Virgil Flowers, being the lone wolf, simply drifts from situation to situation. T-shirt schtick and surfer hair aside, there's nothing substantive to the guy, and I still don't care about him one iota. The fact that he was unfulfilled at the end? Huge yawn. In every single one of the PREY books, you really CARE about the people--girlfriends, colleagues, etc.--in Lucas's orbit. Here, it's hard to care about anyone. These people read like cardboard cutouts, easily interchangeable, and I'm sure we'll see them again, with different names, in the next Flowers book.
I also noticed that Sandford seemed to have trouble deciding exactly how to handle the killer's POV. That is, we'd get small snippets, a chapter here or there (two or three, I think), but nothing consistent. Now, that's not BAD, but it's not very engaging either. One of the things Sandford does better than any other writer is giving us parallel stories with multiple POVs. In BROKEN PREY, where the thing was a true mystery even though we kept getting the killer's POV, he pulled this off brilliantly. In those PREY books where we know the killer's identity but Lucas doesn't, he does it again--brilliantly. In this book, I see flashes of that technique, but it's not sustained and so fitful in execution that I can't figure exactly why he bothered doing it in the first place, other than for us to understand the why (of a shooting, for example) and then watch/wait for Virgil to catch up. Again, in the PREY books, this works very well. Here, it doesn't.
Regardless of reading trends and attention spans, I honestly believe that readers CRAVE a world into which they can disappear. As Mr. Sandford's career has evolved--and more specifically over the last six, seven years--his writing style has become sparer and sparser and this does not serve him or his books well.
Now, I've not finished this book and I'll likely post another review, but my initial thoughts dovetail with my reservations about all the Flowers books. I've been reading Sandford books from the beginning--in fact, I've read them all and several more than once--and what I've noticed is that he's sacrificed strong characterization and description for name-dropping. This has started to creep into his Lucas books as well, but if you go back and compare the early Lucas Davenport novels to Mr. Sandford's later work, you see a disturbing trend. There is no one better at setting mood and atmosphere; take a peek at the beginning of most any PREY book and you know where you are, what the weather's like, how things feel and smell, what they look like. Furthermore, Lucas Davenport is a complex, compelling character with contradictory impulses. Even the minor characters get their due.
Here and with all the Flowers books, we get names--lots and lots of names. A dizzying PLETHORA of names. But they are merely monikers without faces. Mr. Sandford has continued to cut back on his exposition and focused primarily on dialogue and short takes to propel his chapters. Sometimes this works; most times, it doesn't, and the reading experience becomes choppy and confusing and--most importantly--distancing. (Try getting into a reading rhythm with any of Koontz's latest and you'll see what I mean.) Virgil Flowers remains pretty uninteresting and not at all complex or subtle, and I have NO IDEA--even after several books--of what his "thinking about God" schtick is REALLY about. Yeah, yeah, there's an "explanation" of sorts in the first book, but without more meat to this character, this means as much to me as the name-dropping of bands does: I don't know who the bands are, I don't know what they sound like, and --worse-- I DON'T CARE!!
WICKED PREY was, I think, Mr. Sandford's best Lucas book since BROKEN PREY, and his works that have focused on the weave of Lucas's life are still among his best. Pick up something like WINTER PREY--a hands-down fabulous book because it's all about relationships, man--and then compare that to ROUGH COUNTRY and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Will I buy the next Sandford? Of course, I will because I'm an optimist and Mr. Sandford is a superior writer when he remembers that it's people we care about. And, considering that people don't necessarily retire all that early any more, there's not a reason in the world why Lucas has to go away any time soon. For that matter, giving Virgil Flowers a real life and face would kick this series up another notch and make Virgil someone we can care about.
10/18/09--Okay, so I've finished the book now and my initial impression hasn't changed much. I will echo those reviewers who mentioned that they were way ahead of Virgil by the end (moi, aussi), though I DID not see a final plot twist coming, and that was nicely done. But my points about the dearth of characterization still stand. Lucas Davenport was/is, in part, defined by the people around him. Virgil Flowers, being the lone wolf, simply drifts from situation to situation. T-shirt schtick and surfer hair aside, there's nothing substantive to the guy, and I still don't care about him one iota. The fact that he was unfulfilled at the end? Huge yawn. In every single one of the PREY books, you really CARE about the people--girlfriends, colleagues, etc.--in Lucas's orbit. Here, it's hard to care about anyone. These people read like cardboard cutouts, easily interchangeable, and I'm sure we'll see them again, with different names, in the next Flowers book.
I also noticed that Sandford seemed to have trouble deciding exactly how to handle the killer's POV. That is, we'd get small snippets, a chapter here or there (two or three, I think), but nothing consistent. Now, that's not BAD, but it's not very engaging either. One of the things Sandford does better than any other writer is giving us parallel stories with multiple POVs. In BROKEN PREY, where the thing was a true mystery even though we kept getting the killer's POV, he pulled this off brilliantly. In those PREY books where we know the killer's identity but Lucas doesn't, he does it again--brilliantly. In this book, I see flashes of that technique, but it's not sustained and so fitful in execution that I can't figure exactly why he bothered doing it in the first place, other than for us to understand the why (of a shooting, for example) and then watch/wait for Virgil to catch up. Again, in the PREY books, this works very well. Here, it doesn't.
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