Bloody Genius

I am a loyal Sandford reader. I have been there since the beginning of the Davenport novels many moons ago. The Flowers books started as a nice distraction but now are, to me, more enjoyable than the Davenport books, while I feel like the author is playing out the string.

I will admit a bias to the Flowers book as I am a lifelong Minnesota resident, and I usually know the locations that Flowers visits. This book was a particular hoot, as I am also a U of M graduate and was familiar with the sites where most of the action takes place. This book also contained a pretty good mystery - it wasn't totally clear who the murderer was until about three quarters through the book. I also learned about Faraday pouches to the point where I got one.

There books aren't War and Peace, but they are above average crime thrillers written by a really good writer who seems interested writing about the Flowers character and his world. The stories vary in quality - usually from okay to really good - but they are always a good escapist read. If you are a Sandford/Flowers fan, enjoy this book, because it's above average. If you are new to this series, it may be prudent to head back to the beginning, because a lot of the characters will come and go without background (because the writer assumes you know who they are).

Series completed! I think Sandford ended it at the right time. This latest book suffered from being a soley urban experience, none of the backcountry excursions filled with local colour. Virgil is well on his way to a happy ending and that meant that the hijinks around prospective partners seen in the earlier books were also absent. I enjoyed seeing the the ‘thugs' again, but missed Johnson Johnson. There was something a bit perfunctory about the mystery, sort of like reading a case file, there were twists, but even the climax didn't feel as high octane as previous entries. That and I clocked the murderer early.  I gotta say, didn't love the casual objectification of women followed by a moralizing conclusion that saw dire consequences for the three kids experimenting with sex and drugs. The main character is the son of a preacher but he's also ‘that fuckin Flowers' -  now reformed womanizer prudishly advising a young lady on her future. It's a tough combo for the reader to swallow. Given where this series went at its darkest I don't think I'm up for reading Sandford's grittier series. The search for likeable detective stories continues...maybe it's time for another Miss Marple...🤔