Virgil Flowers hunts a killer responsible for a strange string of murders in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.On a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A body has been found near a veterans’ memorial in Stillwater with two shots to the head and a lemon in his mouth—exactly like the body they found two weeks ago. they found two weeks ago.
Working the murders, Flowers becomes convinced that someone is keeping a list—with many more names on it. And when he discovers what connects them all, he’s almost sorry. Because if it’s true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thought it did—and every one of them is booby-trapped.
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This is the second entry in John Sandford’s series featuring Virgil Flowers, an investigator with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Virgil is an unconventional detective, who looks more like a surfer than a gifted investigator. He wears his blond hair down to his shoulders, dresses in tee shirts bearing the names of often-obscure rock bands, and rarely carries a gun.
Virgil loves to fish, writes articles for outdoor magazines, and often tows his boat behind his pickup as he roams about the rural Minnesota countryside, chasing killers. He also loves women and is attracted to lots of them, many of whom return his interest. His principal method of investigating crimes involves walking around and talking to lots of people, and out of these conversations a solution usually occurs, often with deadly consequences.
This case begins when a man walking his dog is killed by a sniper who is assisted by a spotter. The body is then left in front of a veterans’ memorial in Stillwater, Minnesota, with a lemon stuck in the victim’s mouth. Several other men are killed in the same fashion and left at other veterans’ monuments around the state. Virgil discovers that the victims had connections back to the war in Vietnam, and that becomes the thread that he will follow through to the end of the chase. (This book was published in 2008, thirty-five years after the events in Vietnam, and the victims are middle-aged men.)
Truth to tell, the plot is pretty far-fetched, but that doesn’t really matter here. Most people read these books in order to spend a few hours in the company of “That F***in’ Flowers,” and it’s always a joy to do so. Virgil’s boss, Lucas Davenport, makes several cameo appearances here as to Shrake and Jenkins, two other members of Davenport’s crew, and it’s fun to see them all in action together. A very entertaining novel.
Heat Lightning is the second book in John Sanford’s Virgil Flowers series. When a man’s body is discovered at the Veterans Memorial in Stillwater, Minnesota with two shots to the head and a lemon in his mouth Virgil Flowers is put on the case. Similar murders continue throughout the state, bodies are always left on veterans memorials and Flowers discovers a Viet Nam and CIA connection among the victims from decades ago. Although Flowers has the highest rate of closed cases in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal apprehension, he is still quite capable of making mistakes, misjudging or underestimating suspects which, along with Sandford’s excellent writing, are two of the things that make this series so very enjoyable!
Love Virgil. Someone is torturing and killing men, and leaving a lemon in their mouths. Virgil is sent by Davenport to get to the bottom of it. He meets Mead Sinclair, a college professor and former Viet Nam radical. And Mead’s daughter, who Virgil really likes, a lot. But all is not what it seems.
Some history from the past, lots of greed and revenge. Another good story with Virgil’s off the wall humor.
I love the Virgil Flowers series. I prefer the Flowers series and the Kidd series to the more popular Prey series.
The only problem with the Virgil Flowera series is Sandford can’t write them fast wnough.
Great author
It’s Virgil Flowers. It’s gotta be great!
There’s know better than the F__king Flowers.
Binge-listening to the Virgil Flowers series on audiobook is my coping mechanism/escape during shelter-in-place. The stories are fast-paced thrillers–always with an extra twist at the end–and Virgil, the preacher’s son who talks to God every night and carries a gun reluctantly, despite being “that fucking Flowers” from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), is my new favorite hero. Already onto the number three in the series…
An original plot and wonderful characters, sprinkled with Sandford’s characteristic wit, make this an entertaining read. Virgil flowers is an irresistible hero—he is rapidly becoming my favorite character of Sandford’s.
Virgil is one of Sanford’s best characters and this book did not disappoint.
I love all the John Sandford books!
Very good. Gotta love Virgil Flowers!
The Virgil Flowers series is a spin-off of the Lucas Davenport series. Virgil is a unique individual whose eccentricities make him a enjoyable character to read. His character and the others in this series are so well developed that you feel like they’re one of your neighbors. The plots are surprising. Not your run of the mill detective plots. I wait patiently on a daily basis for the next addition of this character to come out.
One of my Favorite authors and he doesn’t disappoint.
Love all of his books and this one did not disappoint
Love John Sandford. Have read the entire Lucas Davenport series and am now starting on the Virgil Flowers series, which are just as good. This was a terrific complex story. Couldn’t put it down.
I love John Sandford books, and I love his Virgil Flowers series. Virgil is a different kind of investigator that his other protagonist, Lucas Davenport. Virgil goes into investigations with a seemingly laid back attitude, but he always gets the job done, usually with a Big Bang at the end. He is also kind of funny, and has interesting friends along the way.
Great character development. Love all John Sandfords books.
John Sandford is always a pleasure to read, especially Lucas Davenport and Vergil Flowers. I do wish Virgil would join the Marshal’s service so the twocould work together at times.
And a book about Letty Davenport would be great! I think she is a great character with a (real) killer attitude.