Reviews

This is the 8th in the Virgil Flowers investigation series, and I have read none of the other books.
There are three things going on in this book, which stars the protagonist Virgil Flowers, a member of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, something I've never heard of. Maybe it's supposed to be like FBI?
There are dognapping cases, there's meth cooking going on, and the school board of this little bo dunk Minnesota town is filching money out of the school district.
Virgil's friend Johnson Johnson, who was named after an outboard boat motor, calls up Virgil and asks him if he'll help him and his friends with these dognapping cases. The dognappers are supposedly selling these dogs to Laboratories where they will be experimented on, so you know we can't have that. Johnson Johnson Warren's Virgil that if he can't do something about these dog nappers, his friends, who have lost some of their beloved dogs, will take things into their own hands and become vigilantes. Virgil asked Johnson to ask his friends if they can't give him a couple of days to find out who's doing this and bring them to justice. They reluctantly agree. However the whole time throughout this book They're hounding him. Lol.
When Virgil goes over to this bodunk town area, which he only does because he figures he can get in some fishing with his boat, he starts snooping around and finds out there's more than dognapping going on. He finds out there's some individuals cooking up meth for sale. For this, Virgil collaborates with the DEA. Moreover, some murder happens because a pillhead reporter was snooping into the school boards filching money out of this little Minnie Mouse School district.
the murder of the jogger, called into Virgil by his boss in the ca, is really the reporter who has gotten the goods on the school board embezzlement, but only the reader knows this. Virgil is puzzled by it and it takes him quite a while to put two and two together, but he's determined to stay on the job.
It takes the reader all the way to the end of the book till we get to see these dog Nappers brought down. But I guess it was worth it, because, take a look at this
"... but right in the middle of the caravan, 12 or 15 women got out of 5 or 6 suvs. They were dressed identically, in black jeans, black shirts, and black bicycle or motorcycle helmets, some with face plates. Some Wore knee pads or football shoulder pads. Most of them carried aluminum baseball bats; two or three carrying iron bars that looked like spears.
Another voice, close by: 'oh, shit.'
Virgil turned and asked, 'what?'
'it's the auntie vivians.'
'who's that?'
'the Minnesota women's anti-vivisection league. I'm gettin' the fuck outa here.' And the guy started running. He turned back just long enough to blurt, 'save yourself.' "
I would have liked this so much if they were activists for Farm animals. Why do people have so much energy to protect species that are known as pets, but don't care when cows, pigs, Etc are tortured before slaughtered to be eaten by humans?

I love the part where the yellow dog adopts virgil.
"... Virgil said to the dog, 'with my lifestyle, I can't have a dog.'
the dog nodded and looked out through the windshield, ready to roll.
D. Wayne said from the backseat, 'when I get you - '
'shut the fuck up.' And to the dog, 'really. I can't. I'll give you a lift back to trippton.' The dog nodded again and smiled a dog smile.
Virgil said, 'really.' "
But Virgil lives with a woman who has an 11-year-old son who immediately falls in love with this dog, so it's not true that Virgil couldn't really have a dog with his lifestyle.
Virgil Flowers is known to wear t-shirts from local bands around Minnesota. there's a pretty cool part featuring a local band, where he had found a clue to the school board's Crimes by making a comment to the local sex worker, Wendy McComb, who knew and was friends with Conley, the reporterwho was murdered by a schoolboardmemberto hush him up.
"He finished the scone, threw his bag in the trash can, and took the Diet Coke and laptop with him. 10 minutes later he was looking through Conley's CD collection. There were no Mouldy Figs albums...
There were two by Moldy Peaches.
'what?'
He got on the phone to Wendy McComb, who picked up on the fourth ring but couldn't hear what he was saying because, she said, she was in a supermarket and the music was too loud. He shouted at her to go to a quieter place, and when she had, he said, 'Mouldy Fif? Or Moldy Peaches?'
'Oh, Jesus! Moldy Peaches! That's what it was. I knew about the Mouldy Figs and I just... just... said the wrong thing. He said the chick singer for The Moldy Peaches.'
'thank you,' Virgil said, and clicked off.
Chick singer for The Moldy Peaches. He had no computer link for his laptop, but he did for his phone, and quickly figured out that Kimya Dawson was the singer he needed to find. When he punched her name into google, he instantly came up with a song called 'Tire Swing.'
his eyes snapped to the window that led out to the side yard, and the swing that hung over the valley. He turned off the phone and, hardly daring to hope, went out to his truck, got a flashlight from the door pocket, and carried it over to the tire swing. The flash drive was duct-taped into the top part of the swing, just to the left of the Rope tie, where nothing could get at it, where it would be nice and dry and safe. Like a mosquito, it was going to sting somebody.
Virgil held it in the curl of his hand and smiled."
This was pretty good for such a commercial author like John Sandford.

shirlee2024's review against another edition

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4.0

He has many flaws, but I always enjoy Virgil Flowers.

lcoverosey's review against another edition

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3.0

I listened to the audio book and it just never felt exciting.

stevem0214's review against another edition

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5.0

Listened to this again...what a great story. I again think this is the best in the Flowers series so far. Johnson Johnson is in this one and that's always a treat, but Jenkins and Shrake...just a good tale!! WOnderful ending as I said before!

I think this is the best of in the Flower's series so far. As always, great dialog, great plot and great bad guys. There is a chase scene near that end of the book that will have you laughing out loud (or it did me anyway!). Wonderful the way the two stories come together and a great ending. I can't wait for the next in the series!

papidoc's review against another edition

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4.0

Virgil Flowers is at it again in this new novel from John Sandford. He seems to be developing a relationship with Frankie, who was a minor lawbreaker and interesting character from one of Virgil's previous adventures. Though she only plays a minor role in this one, it seems clear that she is in Virgil's life to stay. He compares her favorably to his (three!) previous wives.

This time, Virgil goes to help out a friend (Johnson Johnson, the one with the brother named Mercury) figure out why the local dogs keep disappearing. Along the way, two more cases divide Virgil's attention, including a meth manufacturing operation, and a criminal embezzlement conspiracy and series of murders perpetrated by the local (sociopathic) school board. This is not a spoiler, because Sandford reveals who I'd doing what in the first chapter or two of the book.

It's a quick read...I started and finished it on a plane from Texas to California, and it made for a tolerable trip. Good enough to take my mind off the miserable onboard flight conditions perpetrated on the traveling public by the airlines. Virgil should go after the airlines and recover the disappearing seat space, in-flight amenities, and pleasant attitudes of the flight attendants!

ammbooks's review

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4.0

Probably the busiest of the F. Flowers books. Go Virgil

twotoes's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No

3.25

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