BLOODY GENIUS by John Sandford
When John Sandford writes a Lucas Davenport story it is mostly serious. When John Sandford writes a Virgil Flowers story all hell breaks loose. These two characters are completely different individuals and Sandford respects that in total. That doesn’t mean Flowers might not pop up in a Davenport novel or vice versa. But now in the twelfth Virgil Flowers novel, BLOODY GENIOUS, it is mostly Flowers all the way, and aren’t we glad it is.
In this novel Flowers has been asked by the governor of Minnesota to investigate a murder at the University of Minnesota, one of the most prestigious universities in the state. The local investigators are not doing enough quickly enough to solve the crime, or so the governor thinks. Flowers rolls into town and meets with the local police sergeant who is heading up the investigation, a woman named Margaret (Maggie) Trane.
At first Maggie is hesitant to give Virgil the time of day but soon his charm wins her over. He can exude charm when he wants to, but only so much. He wants to get this case solved and get back to the farm where he lives with a woman named Frankie who is pregnant with his twin boys. Flowers knows his priorities.
Sandford appears to delight in filling the story with hilarious one liners by Flowers and those in his orbit. If you don’t laugh out loud reading BLOODY GENIUS then you have a serious problem with your sense of humor. Virgil Flowers is one of the drollest humans on the planet and he also is a first rate investigator. This is a fantastic combination for a novel.
The case itself is pretty clever too. The professor was killed in the library late at night. Flowers can not find a motive or even a good suspect. It takes every bit of sleuthing skill he possesses in order to eventually solve the crime. Even then he has to have a little bit of help from friends and family.
I still love it when John Sandford writes a Lucas Davenport novel but I have to admit I get even more excited when he writes a Virgil Flowers book. BLOODY GENIUS is Sandford and Flowers at the top of their games.
BLOODY GENIUS is published by G P Putnam and ]Sons. It contains 372 pages and sells for $29.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
