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sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Another highly enjoyable audio featuring BCA detective Virgil Flowers. This series is consistently good and I always get a kick out of Virgil's social investigation skills. The narration was performed by Eric Conger and he did a fine job.
arthur_pendrgn's review
2.0
More policing, less womanizing in this one. This one is solved less by craft than through luck. Not sure how the marketing survey idea would work in today's noxious social media world. Too many people would love to dis their neighbors if they were assured anonymity. I have a hard time believing that law enforcement would take the time to do this.
Edit 12/30/23: Well, I've just learned that all of these witty "dedications" are to collaborators, not mere friends. I am sorely disappointed. How much of this is actually Sandford's work? Not very much. Sandford (Camp) admits in this article that the tone of the novels are set by his collaborators, who also invent the characters and lay out the "fundamental part."
https://www.twincities.com/2012/09/29..
Edit 12/30/23: Well, I've just learned that all of these witty "dedications" are to collaborators, not mere friends. I am sorely disappointed. How much of this is actually Sandford's work? Not very much. Sandford (Camp) admits in this article that the tone of the novels are set by his collaborators, who also invent the characters and lay out the "fundamental part."
https://www.twincities.com/2012/09/29..
lauconn's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rmesquirrel's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way Sandford writes in such distinct different voices.
cjeanne99's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Someone is setting off bombs in an attempt to stop Pye-Mart from expanding to the town of Butternut Falls, MN. Virgil is on the case - and he solves it.
rmichno's review against another edition
3.0
Fast paced plot, but it was hard to get invested in any of the characters, including Virgil. At the end of the book I didn't know Virgil any better than I did at the beginning.
breezie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
sarah_ann_roth's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
manadabomb's review against another edition
3.0
I feel so ashamed that I missed that this came out and I didn't read it right away. I'm losing my touch.
Another f*ckin' Flowers book. Virgil is really holding his own now. Davenport was barely in here at all. Flowers is growing into his own and really impressing me.
PyeMart is being built in Butternut, MN and it's making lots of people angry. We start off with a bomb exploding at the headquarters of PyeMart in MI, with the apparent attempt to take out the board of directors. Instead, it ends up killing a secretary.
Another bomb happens at the construction site in Butternut and instead of killing anyone "important", the poor sap who is heading the construction is killed.
Now is the point you are pissed at the bomber. These people are every day folks working their jobs, not the head guy making the decisions. Flowers is called in, towing along his boat (just in case he gets time to fish) and starts making headway. Mr. Pye comes into town, all blustery and having his assistant take exact notes for his book, and starts throwing around money (has that ever helped??).
More bombs. Virgil loses someone dear to him. More bombs. More deaths. And eureka! Really?? That was the bomber all along? Didn't see that one.
Thank you, f*ckin' Flowers.
Another f*ckin' Flowers book. Virgil is really holding his own now. Davenport was barely in here at all. Flowers is growing into his own and really impressing me.
PyeMart is being built in Butternut, MN and it's making lots of people angry. We start off with a bomb exploding at the headquarters of PyeMart in MI, with the apparent attempt to take out the board of directors. Instead, it ends up killing a secretary.
Another bomb happens at the construction site in Butternut and instead of killing anyone "important", the poor sap who is heading the construction is killed.
Now is the point you are pissed at the bomber. These people are every day folks working their jobs, not the head guy making the decisions. Flowers is called in, towing along his boat (just in case he gets time to fish) and starts making headway. Mr. Pye comes into town, all blustery and having his assistant take exact notes for his book, and starts throwing around money (has that ever helped??).
More bombs. Virgil loses someone dear to him. More bombs. More deaths. And eureka! Really?? That was the bomber all along? Didn't see that one.
Thank you, f*ckin' Flowers.
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
Honestly relieved that this one wasn't as dark in content as the last one I read in the series.
Virgil is Virgil, some recurring supporting and some fresh cast of characters is more agreeable than despicable, the mystery is twisty without being exasperating and, per the usual, there's a minor subplot with a hilarious end. Also appreciated the upending of the series' standard trajectory on another dependable subplot, IYKYK. 😉
Has moments where you can definitely tell it was written more than ten years ago (mild female objectification/sexism) but compared to the other detective series I'm following from the 70s...it's within my tolerance levels.
Virgil is Virgil, some recurring supporting and some fresh cast of characters is more agreeable than despicable, the mystery is twisty without being exasperating and, per the usual, there's a minor subplot with a hilarious end. Also appreciated the upending of the series' standard trajectory on another dependable subplot, IYKYK. 😉
Has moments where you can definitely tell it was written more than ten years ago (mild female objectification/sexism) but compared to the other detective series I'm following from the 70s...it's within my tolerance levels.