ROUGH COUNTRY: A Virgil Flowers Novel
John Sandford
Putnam Adult
Thriller
ISBN: 9780399155987
ROUGH COUNTRY, John Sandford’s latest work, proves that his skills show no signs of dulling. This is the third installment in the Virgil Flowers series, a spinoff of his Lucas Davenport books, of which he has written a shelf full.
For the uninitiated, Virgil Flowers is an investigator with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is headed up by the aforementioned Lucas Davenport. Davenport is Flowers’s boss, though in ROUGH COUNTRY (and the other Flowers books), his presence is basically limited to a voice over the phone (and very intermittently at that). This helps to keep Davenport from overshadowing Flowers and also allows Flowers to develop as his own character. The reader sees that he is a bit more of an everyman than Davenport; unlike Davenport, he does not have more money than God, is not married (though he is most definitely a player), and has a bit more sass to him, which is played up quite well here. Also, Flowers’s methods of investigation are unorthodox (though not exceedingly so); his style may cause one’s eyebrows to go up, but no one is in total shock over his behavior…for the most part, anyway.
One of Sandford’s major strengths is his ability to create characters who think and act like real law enforcement personnel. This helps the reader to be totally engrossed in the story, which is set in a majestic but remote area of northern Minnesota. As ROUGH COUNTRY opens, Flowers is competing in a fishing tournament when he gets a call from Davenport that yanks him back on duty. A woman has been shot and killed while kayaking at Eagles Nest Lodge in Grand Rapids, a women-only resort where the guests can relax, unwind, recuperate, and, as it turns out, engage in some other activities that aren’t exactly spelled out in the brochure.
Flowers initially isn’t wild about the assignment, but since everyone else is busy hunting a missing teenager known as “Little Linda,” he becomes the go-to guy. As he gradually warms to the task, Flowers discovers that there is a web of connections among the victim, the resort employees, a local bar, and a female country singer with dreams of hitting the big time. And for various reasons, everyone seems to be hiding something. What don’t they want Flowers to find out? And what does it all have to do with this woman’s murder?
Sandford has Flowers doing what he does best --- kicking things up and turning things over until he gets to the heart of the matter. It is only when the killer attempts to claim another victim, however, that Flowers is inadvertently provided with the clue that he needs to crack the case and bring the murderer to justice while solving (intentionally or otherwise) another case or three in the process.
The characters in ROUGH COUNTRY --- the ones who wander on and off the page and the ones who hang in there for chapter after chapter --- are sharply drawn and memorable, and the plot is equally entertaining and compelling. Ultimately, there is one heck of a mystery to unravel here, and Sandford, veteran that he is, does a magnificent job of laying it out. The reader, by the midway point, will be a step or two ahead of Flowers, until the end when Flowers sprints ahead. You won’t mind, though. And you’ll be laughing here and there along the way as well.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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