indianajane's review against another edition
4.0
I always have a hard time giving ratings to books like these. Obviously, four stars for John Sandford isn't the same as four stars for Willa Cather. But for what it was, this one was good.
trash_reader_'s review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
For something described as "modern-day Bonnie and Clyde" it wasn't as gripping or on-the-edge-of-your-seat as I had expected. But maybe my expectations were too high for something that was just a manhunt.
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
Kind of a bummer. I guess I should be glad I got this far into the series before encountering a dud.
Tension of a manhunt fizzling out with a depressing denouement, no real answers, no real justice.
I suppose I could credit it for provoking thought around the idea of why people kill and why many seek to punish those who've wronged them, and how futile and haunting it can be to have tried murder as an answer to one's problems.
But even as Virgil Flowers regularly holds forth with some existential ponderings, the balancing moments of levity felt sparse in this one. Furthermore, a lot more of this book was the action of the chase, rather than any particularly clever cat and mouse between investigator and criminal. I think I'd prefer to mosey out for more questioning, rather than speeding down one more road with the lights flashing.
Even if I can credit that these books are often violent, even dealing with disturbing themes, this one didn't even come with the consolation of a solved mystery, just a lot of speculation! 🤷🏼♂️
And while we're on the subject of things that bugged me, three different women in this book are the victims of SA, with one scene briefly described, so please be aware before you read.
Do I wish that authors were a Iittle more circumspect in reaching for the easy short hand of portraying a very bad man by showing him doing violence against women? Yes. Do I understand it persists because of how effective it is in conveying the sentiment to the reader? Also yes.
On some level the gender binary of it all bugs me too.
Separately, the long-running thread of low-income, not book smart, not exceptionally attractive, young people with traumatic pasts being automatically doomed, not qualified for redemption, especially in the context of one strongly hinted as gay but in denial in the face of internalized homophobia, feels both exceptionally hopeless, and also kind of overwrought and convenient to the narrative.
I will try the next in the series to see whether this is a sign of steady decline or a one off slump.
⚠️SA, assault, intimate partner violence
Tension of a manhunt fizzling out with a depressing denouement, no real answers, no real justice.
I suppose I could credit it for provoking thought around the idea of why people kill and why many seek to punish those who've wronged them, and how futile and haunting it can be to have tried murder as an answer to one's problems.
But even as Virgil Flowers regularly holds forth with some existential ponderings, the balancing moments of levity felt sparse in this one. Furthermore, a lot more of this book was the action of the chase, rather than any particularly clever cat and mouse between investigator and criminal. I think I'd prefer to mosey out for more questioning, rather than speeding down one more road with the lights flashing.
Even if I can credit that these books are often violent, even dealing with disturbing themes, this one didn't even come with the consolation of a solved mystery, just a lot of speculation! 🤷🏼♂️
And while we're on the subject of things that bugged me, three different women in this book are the victims of SA, with one scene briefly described, so please be aware before you read.
Do I wish that authors were a Iittle more circumspect in reaching for the easy short hand of portraying a very bad man by showing him doing violence against women? Yes. Do I understand it persists because of how effective it is in conveying the sentiment to the reader? Also yes.
On some level the gender binary of it all bugs me too.
Separately, the long-running thread of low-income, not book smart, not exceptionally attractive, young people with traumatic pasts being automatically doomed, not qualified for redemption, especially in the context of one strongly hinted as gay but in denial in the face of internalized homophobia, feels both exceptionally hopeless, and also kind of overwrought and convenient to the narrative.
I will try the next in the series to see whether this is a sign of steady decline or a one off slump.
⚠️SA, assault, intimate partner violence
bigotterbooks's review
3.0
Another swell outing with that effing Flowers. Plot summary can be wrapped up short & sweet: 3 young killers on a crime spree in Minnesota with much more to the story than just that! Good interaction between the kids & Virgil that is interesting and reveals quite a bit about him as well as them.
Sandford is still solid and the story swept along with only a few missteps.
One weird phone call to his mom that had me scratching my head-does Virgil kiss his mom with that mouth? There was a closer look at Virgil's dad that sort of put Virgil into perspective. I enjoyed the fleshing out of their family back story a little bit.
The main plot was good-choppy vignettes of violent action interspersed with humor here & there. There are good cops, bad cops, hot chicks, beatings, sexual 'stuff', car chases, introspection and a nice plot device to look inside the killers' minds. Sandford writes like a slow moving train: you know where you're going with this engineer & conductor but the weird scenery along the way is always changing!
A couple of points that dropped my rating to 3:
--SPOILER ALERT---
I did kind of wonder what was up with the dropped plot point of the Vanity Fair article? Several months pass before the wrap up of the story so that's plenty of time to resolve it. Kind of strange the way it was set up, too. The Letty character is so strong and takes care of her own business but WEATHER is the one dragging her feet on the article? Or maybe it's Lucas-Sandford never gets into it and I thought that was odd.
The other thing was the whole Ag/husband/brothers/tornado. At the end I was shaking my head WTHeck? I felt like Sandford had a really good idea for a story but it didn't fit a Davenport story, wasn't enough for a standalone book and really didn't match Virgil but with a little tweaking it could maybe-kind of-sort of-a little bit, fit into this book?
---end spoiler alert---
Not a 4/5 star by any means but a decent 3 star way to pass a snowy day! Looking forward to the next one in the series.
Sandford is still solid and the story swept along with only a few missteps.
One weird phone call to his mom that had me scratching my head-does Virgil kiss his mom with that mouth? There was a closer look at Virgil's dad that sort of put Virgil into perspective. I enjoyed the fleshing out of their family back story a little bit.
The main plot was good-choppy vignettes of violent action interspersed with humor here & there. There are good cops, bad cops, hot chicks, beatings, sexual 'stuff', car chases, introspection and a nice plot device to look inside the killers' minds. Sandford writes like a slow moving train: you know where you're going with this engineer & conductor but the weird scenery along the way is always changing!
A couple of points that dropped my rating to 3:
Spoiler
--SPOILER ALERT---
I did kind of wonder what was up with the dropped plot point of the Vanity Fair article? Several months pass before the wrap up of the story so that's plenty of time to resolve it. Kind of strange the way it was set up, too. The Letty character is so strong and takes care of her own business but WEATHER is the one dragging her feet on the article? Or maybe it's Lucas-Sandford never gets into it and I thought that was odd.
The other thing was the whole Ag/husband/brothers/tornado. At the end I was shaking my head WTHeck? I felt like Sandford had a really good idea for a story but it didn't fit a Davenport story, wasn't enough for a standalone book and really didn't match Virgil but with a little tweaking it could maybe-kind of-sort of-a little bit, fit into this book?
---end spoiler alert---
Not a 4/5 star by any means but a decent 3 star way to pass a snowy day! Looking forward to the next one in the series.
manadabomb's review
3.0
This is the 6th in the Virgil Flowers series (with a smattering of Lucas Davenport). I do enjoy Flowers as much as I do Davenport but I'm going to make a bold statement and say - Davenport isn't adding to the story at all anymore. He needs to go and let Flowers stand on his own. We're 6 books in, Virgil has shown what he's made of and people like it. Phase out Lucas a bit and let Virgil run!
This book was interesting in that it's a crime spree spurred on by a crime ending in several crimes. All by different people. We start out a with a Bonnie and Clyde (and extra Clyde) group robbing a rich lady's home. Things go badly and one of the daughters is killed.
But did they go badly? Or was that how it was supposed to go?
B&C&eC are on the run and killing people left and right (crime spree spurred on by crime). Flowers is called in to get this under control, because at this point, at least 5 people are dead in a matter of days.
As he digs, Flowers realizes that it's probable that the daughter's estranged husband may be behind her death.
Nothing is concrete except for Bonnie and Clyde and extra Clyde (Becky, Jimmy and Tom) and that ends as well as the real Bonnie and Clyde did. A lot is actually left unresolved and it makes Flowers angry and the reader frustrated. But in real life, things don't neatly tie up and get a case closed stamp.
Good Flowers book, but not the best.
This book was interesting in that it's a crime spree spurred on by a crime ending in several crimes. All by different people. We start out a with a Bonnie and Clyde (and extra Clyde) group robbing a rich lady's home. Things go badly and one of the daughters is killed.
But did they go badly? Or was that how it was supposed to go?
B&C&eC are on the run and killing people left and right (crime spree spurred on by crime). Flowers is called in to get this under control, because at this point, at least 5 people are dead in a matter of days.
As he digs, Flowers realizes that it's probable that the daughter's estranged husband may be behind her death.
Nothing is concrete except for Bonnie and Clyde and extra Clyde (Becky, Jimmy and Tom) and that ends as well as the real Bonnie and Clyde did. A lot is actually left unresolved and it makes Flowers angry and the reader frustrated. But in real life, things don't neatly tie up and get a case closed stamp.
Good Flowers book, but not the best.
randyrasa's review
3.0
Another good Sandford, though this one didn't seem to have quite the verve and energy of some of the other Virgil Flowers stories. Still, a good read!
reesiereads's review
4.0
Another good and fast installment in this series. I almost felt bad for Becky and Jimmy -- almost. I really liked how Virgil seeked out an unlikely source to figure out where this modern-day Bonnie & Clyde might be hiding out.
rhgadavis's review
4.0
Virgil Flowers is rapidly stepping into Lucas Davenport's shoes, although Virgil's taste is much more woodsy Minnesota than custom-made metropolitan. I really enjoy the spiritual considerations and the "deep thinking" that are the hallmark of Virgil's quests for the bad guys.