muddypuddle's review against another edition
5.0
It's official - I have such a crush on Virgil Flowers. I need another fix, soon.....
ssloeffler's review against another edition
4.0
I love Virgil. Love how he thinks. I get a kick out of the local sheriff in this one, too.
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
4.0
Huh! Virgil #5 is a bit different and is a mystery. Usually, when reading Sandford's thriller, the reader knows who the villain is right off the bat. Not this time!
Someone is mad that a big chain store Pyemart is opening in Butternut Falls (I didn't know this is a real place). Bombs have been going off and innocent lives lost. The first victim was Pye's executive assistant. While preparing a conference room for a board meeting, the first bomb went off and killed her instantly. Then another at a new Pyemart construction site. ATF, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were called to assist local law enforcement.
This is a good mystery with some county-level corruption and multiple twists that threw me off track, so many possible suspects! Another worthy Virgil Flowers book.
Someone is mad that a big chain store Pyemart is opening in Butternut Falls (I didn't know this is a real place). Bombs have been going off and innocent lives lost. The first victim was Pye's executive assistant. While preparing a conference room for a board meeting, the first bomb went off and killed her instantly. Then another at a new Pyemart construction site. ATF, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were called to assist local law enforcement.
This is a good mystery with some county-level corruption and multiple twists that threw me off track, so many possible suspects! Another worthy Virgil Flowers book.
martyfried's review against another edition
4.0
A fairly typical Virgil Flowers novel, not quite as good as some but if you're a fan, you'll like it. Perhaps it was the lack of an active love interest that made this one seem lacking a bit. He's still loosely involved with the Sheriff from the last book, but she's in Florida, and they don't seem to be getting along too well. Perhaps the fame went to her head.
But don't think the book isn't still good - it was. The center of attention in the story is the CEO of a WalMart-like chain called PyeMart that is planned for a small town, Butternut Falls, with a lake and a lot of nature lovers who don't want a PyeMart to destroy their lives. It seems that PyeMart has bribed the town leaders into supporting them, much to the chagrin of many in the town. Somebody is trying to stop the development by blowing things and people up, starting with a failed attempt on the CEO - killing his secretary instead - and including a failed attempt on Virgil. Surprisingly, I found the CEO to be somewhat of a likeable guy, despite being a bit of a jerk.
Virgil uses some fairly unconventional methods to finally find out who the bomber is, and we get some free secondary action as they go after the crooked town leaders.
I'm running out of books in this series, but I look forward to reading some of Sandford's other books, such as the Lucas Davenport series.
But don't think the book isn't still good - it was. The center of attention in the story is the CEO of a WalMart-like chain called PyeMart that is planned for a small town, Butternut Falls, with a lake and a lot of nature lovers who don't want a PyeMart to destroy their lives. It seems that PyeMart has bribed the town leaders into supporting them, much to the chagrin of many in the town. Somebody is trying to stop the development by blowing things and people up, starting with a failed attempt on the CEO - killing his secretary instead - and including a failed attempt on Virgil. Surprisingly, I found the CEO to be somewhat of a likeable guy, despite being a bit of a jerk.
Virgil uses some fairly unconventional methods to finally find out who the bomber is, and we get some free secondary action as they go after the crooked town leaders.
I'm running out of books in this series, but I look forward to reading some of Sandford's other books, such as the Lucas Davenport series.
kim58's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kaje_harper's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy John Sandford's mysteries. They are clever, well written, plot-driven stories. The main characters are engaging, but for me not so absorbing that I fall into deep identification with them. (This is even more true of Virgil Flowers than of Davenport in the Prey series.) Conversations are a little dry, witty and sardonic. There is a fair bit of mayhem, but at enough remove that it isn't really disturbing. The coolness works well but is also probably the thing that makes these reliable 4-star instead of 5-star reads for me.
In this book Virgil almost gets killed, and is dealing with the fact that the woman he may have been falling in love with has moved to LA and may not be coming back. And yet, the level of emotion he expresses over these is not far different from the intensity he puts into solving the problem of the case. A book where the near-death of the hero has me going "that's interesting" instead of "Oh, no!" just doesn't reach the level of my favorites shelf. These are read-once books for me. But at the same time, I spend $4 to rent each one from the new-arrivals shelf at my library as soon as it comes out. For me, the Minnesota setting is an added bonus. And I know in each there will be lines I wish I had written. Like - "Have you ever noticed how dumb luck seems to follow smart people around?"
Recommended for people who like good clever writing, read mysteries for the mystery and don't need to sympathize deeply with the tribulations of the detective.
In this book Virgil almost gets killed, and is dealing with the fact that the woman he may have been falling in love with has moved to LA and may not be coming back. And yet, the level of emotion he expresses over these is not far different from the intensity he puts into solving the problem of the case. A book where the near-death of the hero has me going "that's interesting" instead of "Oh, no!" just doesn't reach the level of my favorites shelf. These are read-once books for me. But at the same time, I spend $4 to rent each one from the new-arrivals shelf at my library as soon as it comes out. For me, the Minnesota setting is an added bonus. And I know in each there will be lines I wish I had written. Like - "Have you ever noticed how dumb luck seems to follow smart people around?"
Recommended for people who like good clever writing, read mysteries for the mystery and don't need to sympathize deeply with the tribulations of the detective.
gulshanbatra's review against another edition
5.0
This book is not a literary achievement, but then, it doesn't attempt to.
What it aims for and excels at, is keeping your attention, while telling a damn fine tale, populated with believable characters, and most impressively, realistic dialogues / interactions.
There are way too many books that, in their desire to appear as literary achievements, show us dialogues that are half-baked, wooden, and often outright laughable, and are filled with characters that seem to be thinking properly but can't seem to behave normally - there are just too many "flawed" characters nowadays. It's become a trend.
Not this one.
The plot here is simple. This is almost as good as a classic locked room mystery. The clues come slowly, and sometimes turn out to be red herrings - which is what makes the chase that much more enjoyable and believable.
This is an out-and-out page turner, and boy, does it satisfy!
Delicious, satisfying, and almost believable - just like a perfect mystery should be.
What it aims for and excels at, is keeping your attention, while telling a damn fine tale, populated with believable characters, and most impressively, realistic dialogues / interactions.
There are way too many books that, in their desire to appear as literary achievements, show us dialogues that are half-baked, wooden, and often outright laughable, and are filled with characters that seem to be thinking properly but can't seem to behave normally - there are just too many "flawed" characters nowadays. It's become a trend.
Not this one.
The plot here is simple. This is almost as good as a classic locked room mystery. The clues come slowly, and sometimes turn out to be red herrings - which is what makes the chase that much more enjoyable and believable.
This is an out-and-out page turner, and boy, does it satisfy!
Delicious, satisfying, and almost believable - just like a perfect mystery should be.