Book Review--Past Reading

Review—Bad Blood

John Sandford wrote the novel Bad Blood.  Putnam Adult published the book in September 2010; the novel has 388 pages.

            Could Warren County, Minnesota be the next crime capital? Newly elected Sheriff Lee Coakley has a murder on her hands; drunken driving tickets are common, murder not so much. In addition, wonder of wonders; soon, the suspected murderer is dead in his cell. Lee needs help, and as Warren County’s first female sheriff, she wants someone reliable. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Virgil Flowers is on his way to do just that.

            One murder leads to a suicide, or is it? When Virgil starts to investigate, a cold case murder becomes known that seems to affect the current cases. The recent deaths and the murder of a young girl lead to the investigation of many of the local farm families. What they find amazes Lee and Virgil, and further investigation uncovers even more scandal for this small community. Many of the local farmers come from German immigration, they have lived life the way their ancestors instructed and followed a religion of unknown origins. Between home schooling and intermarrying, this group has stayed isolated and secretive, but with technology the way it is today, it is often harder to keep a secret. Virgil and Lee not only have to travel around Minnesota for clues but as two single consenting adults; a relationship for them seems a natural course of events. Added worries in dangerous situations are all part of a day’s work as this investigation is led down some very tricky paths. As the heat rises for the farmers, Lee and Virgil call in further backup to maintain and control the coming storm.

            John Sandford has written many crime and thriller novels involving Lucas Davenport in his Prey series. Virgil Flowers is his new creation and this is the fourth book in this series. The characters and drama were intriguing and well paced; I may need to try to fit in the past books. The underworld of religion and cults may disturb some but the topic is well handled by Sandford.