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martyfried 's review for:
Holy Ghost
by John Sandford
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy of this book. I am a big fan of this series, and appreciate not needing to wait for a copy, which I surely would get when available.
What I love most about the Virgil Flowers series are the characters, especially Virgil himself., a lawman from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The humor in their banter makes the actual plot less important; it's almost just there to provide a vehicle for the character's interactions. But in this one, the plot seems to be more upfront and involved. But don't despair - there's plenty of the banter, too.
A new character, a local 17 year old high-school kid named Skinner who is too smart for the small town, provides a lot of interest and humor to the story; I hope he returns in later episodes. He didn't like cops too much to start with because of a local cop from a few year previous who used to give him a hard time; the cop would pull him over every time he was out driving with a girlfriend, yank him out of his car, and yell at him. At first, Virgil felt sorry for the kid, until he found out Skinner usually had an open beer.... and he was twelve at the time.
Skinner is definitely no dummy, though. He comes up with a way to make money for himself, his buddy the mayor, and the town as a whole during a steady decline in the town's prosperity, such as it is. He and the mayor, whose favorite past-time is shooting flies in his trailer, fabricate a Virgin Mary sighting at the local church, which brings in a lot of outsiders hoping to catch sight of her.. This actually works out well until people start getting shot outside the church, and this is what brings Virgil into the story. The Mayor and Skinner are especially motivated to solve the case, as it promises to spoil their money-making scheme. And so, this sets up the story and gives lots of opportunities for humor as Virgil, the mayor, and Skinner all work together to solve the mystery.
I have really come to love this series, after reading all of the available books. I will beg, borrow, or steal any of the series, and might even read some twice. If you've ever seen the TV series "Justified" and liked it, you will probably like this series, too.
What I love most about the Virgil Flowers series are the characters, especially Virgil himself., a lawman from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The humor in their banter makes the actual plot less important; it's almost just there to provide a vehicle for the character's interactions. But in this one, the plot seems to be more upfront and involved. But don't despair - there's plenty of the banter, too.
A new character, a local 17 year old high-school kid named Skinner who is too smart for the small town, provides a lot of interest and humor to the story; I hope he returns in later episodes. He didn't like cops too much to start with because of a local cop from a few year previous who used to give him a hard time; the cop would pull him over every time he was out driving with a girlfriend, yank him out of his car, and yell at him. At first, Virgil felt sorry for the kid, until he found out Skinner usually had an open beer.... and he was twelve at the time.
Skinner is definitely no dummy, though. He comes up with a way to make money for himself, his buddy the mayor, and the town as a whole during a steady decline in the town's prosperity, such as it is. He and the mayor, whose favorite past-time is shooting flies in his trailer, fabricate a Virgin Mary sighting at the local church, which brings in a lot of outsiders hoping to catch sight of her.. This actually works out well until people start getting shot outside the church, and this is what brings Virgil into the story. The Mayor and Skinner are especially motivated to solve the case, as it promises to spoil their money-making scheme. And so, this sets up the story and gives lots of opportunities for humor as Virgil, the mayor, and Skinner all work together to solve the mystery.
I have really come to love this series, after reading all of the available books. I will beg, borrow, or steal any of the series, and might even read some twice. If you've ever seen the TV series "Justified" and liked it, you will probably like this series, too.