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).