A review by robotswithpersonality
Bad Blood by John Sandford
Phew! Not exactly a 'fun' read, but certainly engrossing, with third act high octane shenanigans that would make Hollywood proud. I continue to love the character of Virgil Flowers and how he goes about solving mysteries and associated problems in this series, even if this book in particular dealt with
REALLY rough subject matter.
The writing really kept the pace taught, the bad guys and the good guys both meticulously plotting out how to achieve their desired outcomes, Flowers et al methodically working leads and getting at the truth. It's a higher quality suspense when you get moments of matching wits. All the more satisfying when good triumphs.
I appreciate how entries in this series always manage to have a low stakes running joke or two throughout the narrative, a breather from the tension.
If by any chance you find yourself in an urban, temperate area in mid-February, nostalgic for real, rural winter atmosphere, this will cure you of the rosy remembrance by detailing the snow and the cold.
It glances the territory of moralizing/denigrating anything outside 'vanilla' sex, but mainly focuses on non-consensual/coerced acts where the character's and reader's abhorrence is shared. Might just be Midwestern values of the author muddying the waters between unconventional and perverse, but it's worth saying: polygamy, group sex, BDSM elements are not, in and of themselves, a wrongdoing, when safe, sane and between consenting adults.
⚠️ SA, statutory SA, incest, child abuse, spousal abuse, sex enslavement, grooming, cult indoctrination
REALLY rough subject matter.
The writing really kept the pace taught, the bad guys and the good guys both meticulously plotting out how to achieve their desired outcomes, Flowers et al methodically working leads and getting at the truth. It's a higher quality suspense when you get moments of matching wits. All the more satisfying when good triumphs.
I appreciate how entries in this series always manage to have a low stakes running joke or two throughout the narrative, a breather from the tension.
If by any chance you find yourself in an urban, temperate area in mid-February, nostalgic for real, rural winter atmosphere, this will cure you of the rosy remembrance by detailing the snow and the cold.
It glances the territory of moralizing/denigrating anything outside 'vanilla' sex, but mainly focuses on non-consensual/coerced acts where the character's and reader's abhorrence is shared. Might just be Midwestern values of the author muddying the waters between unconventional and perverse, but it's worth saying: polygamy, group sex, BDSM elements are not, in and of themselves, a wrongdoing, when safe, sane and between consenting adults.
⚠️ SA, statutory SA, incest, child abuse, spousal abuse, sex enslavement, grooming, cult indoctrination