Dark of the Moon (Virgil Flowers Series #1) by John Sandford: CD Audiobook Cover

    Dark of the Moon (Virgil Flowers Series #1) by John Sandford, Eric Conger (Read by)

    BUY IT NEW

    • $39.95 Online price
    • $35.95 Member price
      • Join Now
      • skip to cart
    • Add To List uiAction=GetAllLists&page=List&pageType=list&ean=9780143142508&productCode=BK&maxCount=100&threshold=3

    Usually ships within 2-3 days

    Get It There On Time
    Holiday Delivery Schedule

    BUY IT USED

    12 used from $7.70

    Used Copies Available from our Authorized Sellers.

    FIND & RESERVE AN IN-STORE COPY

    Enter a zip code

    (Compact Disc - Unabridged)

    Reader Rating: (32 ratings)

    Detailed Rating: "Originality" See All

     
    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Customer Reviews
    • Meet the Writer
    • Full Product Details

    Synopsis

    Three murders in just as many weeks in the quiet rural town of Bluestream is unheard of. It's also no coincidence. And it's not over: Detective Virgil Flowers is about to be pulled into the middle of a killer's violent personal vendetta.

    Publishers Weekly

    What a pleasure to find a novel with an upbeat hero paired with a reader who is more interested in telling a story well than in demonstrating the outer limits of his vocal range. Far from the usual cynical, borderline-depressed investigator, Virgil Flowers is a likable, hang-loose sort of sleuth who enjoys life and seems to relish handling the "hard stuff" for his boss, Lucas Davenport (Sandford's Preyseries hero makes a brief cameo). Flowers's assignment is to investigate several gruesome murders in a small town. Unlike the harder-edged Preyseries, Moonis more of an entertainment, allowing Flowers to supplement his determined quest for justice with witty conversation and several romantic interludes. Conger matches the lighter moods with a mellow, almost mesmerizing matter-of-fact delivery, adjusting his vocal range just slightly to differentiate speakers. But when the action demands it-such as the grim opening murder scene or the suspenseful storming of the cult leader's encampment-Conger's voice takes on a properly hardboiled intensity. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, July 23). (Oct.)

    Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

    More Reviews and Recommendations

    Biography

    John Sandford began his career as a journalist using his real name, John Camp. He won a Pulitzer for feature writing before turning to mystery-suspense novels, simultaneously releasing two “first” novels under two different names in 1989.

    More About the Author

    Customer Reviews

    Small Town Carnageby Anonymous

    Reader Rating:
    See Detailed Ratings

    November 30, 2008: The Dark of the Moon is a murder mystery novel in which a series of brutal murders plague a small town in Minnesota called Bluestem. These kinds of killings would never happen in an area like Bluestem. Virgil Flowers, an agent from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, is sent in to unscramble the mystery that has the small town on edge. Virgil is also teamed up with the county sheriff Jim Stryker. As the novel carries on, Flowers and Stryker go through many obstacles and complications that impede their success in finding the perpetrator. Once the novel is over and done, everything has fallen into place and Virgil has to take part in a thrilling stand off with the evil doer.
    After all is said and done, I believe that this is a very well written novel by Sanford. I think that the character of Virgil Flowers was portrayed excellently. He was not boring like any ordinary cop would be and kept you interested in the whole book and not just the crime part. This is because Sanford weaved in details of Virgil?s personal life to make things more exciting and to sometimes take your attention off of the case.
    A second thing that I liked about this book is that it always keeps you thinking about who could have possibly killed the people in the storyline. Sanford does a good job of not making anything too obvious and he always has more and more new information popping up. It really replicates an actual investigation in that there are so many suspects and that as an investigator, you can never really count anyone out. This is apparent in the book when Virgil Flowers even considers his girlfriend, his colleague, Stryker, and even Stryker?s girlfriend as possible murderers. For Virgil, it is always every man for himself.
    One final thing that I thought was key to liking this book was that Sanford was always baffling the reader by casting in different connections between the close knit community. Once the novel reached the end then, it all unraveled and began to make sense. Also, every once and awhile, John kept it attractive by writing in the voice of the unknown character, Moonie. It was interesting to hear how the killer was plotting out who to knock off first and who to do after that, but afterward you still are perturbed about not knowing who it is yet. It is just something that makes you want to continue on reading.
    To sum it up, I believe that The Dark of the Moon is a great read for anyone who likes the murder mystery novels. John Sanford keeps you interested in the storyline by incessantly adding in new connections between the close knit community and by incorporating a few showdowns between the main character and the antagonists. The author also keeps you attracted to the story by including the life of Virgil Flowers, who is not your ordinary banal cop and is quite the character, as well as a great detective. I highly suggest that anyone who is looking for a good book should go out and buy this thrilling novel.

    New Detective Shinesby Anonymous

    Reader Rating:
    See Detailed Ratings

    June 23, 2008: I really liked the unusual setting of this mystery: a small town in southeastern Minnesota. Virgil Flowers is the type of anti-hero detective who's hard not to like. A stunning description of a shootout at a rural drug lord's house is definitely a highlight.


    More Customer Reviews