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gmh711's review against another edition
4.0
Fast-paced crime fiction. I hadn't read any of the other Virgil Flowers novels but I didn't feel like I missed anything. There were several references to prior cases but nothing related to solving the mystery here. Wherein lies my one complaint: the solution is so off the wall it's hard to believe they solved it, but I'm sure many true crimes stories have equally seemingly random solutions. I would read another.
cindyann62's review against another edition
2.0
Audio
I think this is only my 2nd or 3rd Sanford book and I'm not sure I'll continue. There was an awful lot of women bashing (it's definitely a man's world with these two main characters) and while there were quite a few places that I laughed out loud, the story itself was thin. Sanford is one of my bf's favorite authors so if I'm in a pinch, I might try another one and see how it goes. Reacher might sleep around but at least I feel like he likes and respects women.
I think this is only my 2nd or 3rd Sanford book and I'm not sure I'll continue. There was an awful lot of women bashing (it's definitely a man's world with these two main characters) and while there were quite a few places that I laughed out loud, the story itself was thin. Sanford is one of my bf's favorite authors so if I'm in a pinch, I might try another one and see how it goes. Reacher might sleep around but at least I feel like he likes and respects women.
ericwelch's review against another edition
5.0
I rarely give five stars to fiction, but this one was a delight, read with perfection by Eric Conger.
There is nothing more vicious than a fight between academics. They have lots of time on their hands and have usually invested a substantial amount of intellectual capital in a set of ideas. When those ideas are challenged, the gloves come off. Not to mention the usual back-biting and jealousy, affairs, etc. I know, I wanted to sell tickets to a couple of battles in the Humanities/Social Sciences Department. The whole discussion about the Department of Cultural Science (an oxymoron for sure) was very amusing.
Professor Quill gets his head bashed in with a $12,000 laptop he owns (how in the world do get one to cost so much) in his cubicle in the library while having an assignation with an unknown woman. Virgil is called in because someone with money knows the governor and wants some movement in the case. The cops are stumped. Enough of the plot.
This is classic Virgil Flowers, which Sandford does so extremely well. Flowers is such a better character than Lucas Davenport. Another character I wish he would resurrect is Kidd. Those were very good but technology dependent and perhaps Sandford can't keep up with the latest.
There is nothing more vicious than a fight between academics. They have lots of time on their hands and have usually invested a substantial amount of intellectual capital in a set of ideas. When those ideas are challenged, the gloves come off. Not to mention the usual back-biting and jealousy, affairs, etc. I know, I wanted to sell tickets to a couple of battles in the Humanities/Social Sciences Department. The whole discussion about the Department of Cultural Science (an oxymoron for sure) was very amusing.
Professor Quill gets his head bashed in with a $12,000 laptop he owns (how in the world do get one to cost so much) in his cubicle in the library while having an assignation with an unknown woman. Virgil is called in because someone with money knows the governor and wants some movement in the case. The cops are stumped. Enough of the plot.
This is classic Virgil Flowers, which Sandford does so extremely well. Flowers is such a better character than Lucas Davenport. Another character I wish he would resurrect is Kidd. Those were very good but technology dependent and perhaps Sandford can't keep up with the latest.
sarahr's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I like the Virgil Flowers series and this one is a good one.
clambook's review
4.0
Let's say I'm going to be trapped on a bus for a weeklong trip across the country. Besides my wife, there are only two people I want with me -- Peter Grant in Ben Aaronovitch's wonderful Rivers of London series, and Virgil Flowers. No. 12 is as good as all the rest in the series, and that's high praise.