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Mad River
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Series: A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 6
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
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Shock Wave
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The thrilling new Virgil Flowers novel from the #1 New York Times best-selling author. The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands.
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there should be a 10 star rating
- By ELSA on 2018-05-17
Written by: John Sandford
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Storm Front
- Virgil Flowers, Book 7
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In Israel, a man clutching a backpack searches desperately for a boat. In Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a message from Lucas Davenport: You're about to get a visitor. It's an Israeli cop, and she's tailing a man who's smuggled out an extraordinary relic - a copper scroll revealing startling details about the man known as King Solomon. Wait a minute, laughs Virgil. Is this one of those Da Vinci Code deals? The secret scroll, the blockbuster revelation, the teams of murderous bad guys? Should I be boning up on my Bible verses? He looks at the cop. She's not laughing.
Written by: John Sandford
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Escape Clause
- A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 9
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The first storm comes from, of all places, the Minnesota zoo. Two large and very rare Amur tigers have vanished from their cage, and authorities are worried sick that they've been stolen for their body parts. Traditional Chinese medicine prizes those parts for home remedies, and people will do extreme things to get what they need. Some of them are a great deal more extreme than others - as Virgil is about to find out.
Written by: John Sandford
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Bloody Genius
- A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 12
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of science and medicine. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right? Then a renowned and confrontational scholar winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate...and as he probes the recent ideological unrest, he soon comes to realize he's dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy.
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Darn good read
- By Faye Langille on 2020-03-13
Written by: John Sandford
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Holy Ghost
- A Virgil Flowers Novel
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of 700 souls. Nothing ever happened there - until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map. They'd heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They'd all get rich! What could go wrong? When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that's only the beginning of their troubles - and Virgil Flowers'....
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Another great Sandford
- By David Anderson on 2018-10-23
Written by: John Sandford
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Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The thrilling new novel in the number one New York Times best-selling series. In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. “Issues” is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. The vote is four to one in favor. Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier.
Written by: John Sandford
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Shock Wave
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The thrilling new Virgil Flowers novel from the #1 New York Times best-selling author. The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands.
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there should be a 10 star rating
- By ELSA on 2018-05-17
Written by: John Sandford
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Storm Front
- Virgil Flowers, Book 7
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Israel, a man clutching a backpack searches desperately for a boat. In Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a message from Lucas Davenport: You're about to get a visitor. It's an Israeli cop, and she's tailing a man who's smuggled out an extraordinary relic - a copper scroll revealing startling details about the man known as King Solomon. Wait a minute, laughs Virgil. Is this one of those Da Vinci Code deals? The secret scroll, the blockbuster revelation, the teams of murderous bad guys? Should I be boning up on my Bible verses? He looks at the cop. She's not laughing.
Written by: John Sandford
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Escape Clause
- A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 9
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The first storm comes from, of all places, the Minnesota zoo. Two large and very rare Amur tigers have vanished from their cage, and authorities are worried sick that they've been stolen for their body parts. Traditional Chinese medicine prizes those parts for home remedies, and people will do extreme things to get what they need. Some of them are a great deal more extreme than others - as Virgil is about to find out.
Written by: John Sandford
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Bloody Genius
- A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 12
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of science and medicine. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right? Then a renowned and confrontational scholar winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate...and as he probes the recent ideological unrest, he soon comes to realize he's dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy.
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Darn good read
- By Faye Langille on 2020-03-13
Written by: John Sandford
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Holy Ghost
- A Virgil Flowers Novel
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of 700 souls. Nothing ever happened there - until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map. They'd heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They'd all get rich! What could go wrong? When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that's only the beginning of their troubles - and Virgil Flowers'....
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Another great Sandford
- By David Anderson on 2018-10-23
Written by: John Sandford
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Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The thrilling new novel in the number one New York Times best-selling series. In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. “Issues” is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. The vote is four to one in favor. Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier.
Written by: John Sandford
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Bad Blood
- A Virgil Flowers Novel
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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One late fall Sunday in southern Minnesota, a farmer brings a load of soybeans to a local grain elevator - and a young man hits him on the head with a steel bar, drops him into the grain bin, waits until he's sure he's dead, and then calls the sheriff to report the "accident." Suspicious, the sheriff calls in Virgil Flowers, who quickly breaks the kid down...and the next day the boy's found hanging in his cell. Remorse? Virgil isn't so sure....
Written by: John Sandford
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Heat Lightning
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Flowers is only in his late 30's, but he's been around the block a few times, and he doesn't think much can surprise him anymore. He's wrong. It's a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives (the second one , if you're keeping count ) when the phone rings. It's Lucas Davenport. There's a body in Stillwater, two shots to the head, found near a veterans' memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth.
Written by: John Sandford
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Rough Country
- A Virgil Flowers Novel
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Virgil's always been known for having a somewhat active, er, social life, but he's probably not going to be getting too many opportunities for that during his new case. While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of northern Minnesota, he gets a call from Lucas Davenport to investigate a murder at a nearby resort.
Written by: John Sandford
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Deep Freeze
- Virgil Flowers, Book 10
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Virgil knows the town of Trippton, Minnesota, a little too well. A few years back, he investigated the corrupt - and, as it turned out, homicidal - local school board, and now the town's back in view with more alarming news: A woman's been found dead, frozen in a block of ice. There's a possibility that it might be connected to a high school class of 20 years ago that has a midwinter reunion coming up, and so, wrapping his coat a little tighter, Virgil begins to dig into 20 years' worth of traumas, feuds, and bad blood.
Written by: John Sandford
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Twisted Prey
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Lucas Davenport had crossed paths with her before. A rich psychopath, Taryn Grant had run successfully for the US Senate, where Lucas had predicted she'd fit right in. He was also convinced that she'd been responsible for three murders, though he'd never been able to prove it. Once a psychopath had gotten that kind of rush, though, he or she often needed another fix, so he figured he might be seeing her again. He was right.
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Another great Prey Series novel
- By Patrick Langlois on 2018-07-17
Written by: John Sandford
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Dark of the Moon
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Virgil Flowers kicked around for a while before joining the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. First it was the army and the military police, then the police in St. Paul, and finally Lucas Davenport brought him into the BCA, promising him, "We'll only give you the hard stuff." He's been doing the hard stuff for three years now, but never anything like this.
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Enjoyable Read
- By Gordon Pow on 2021-10-17
Written by: John Sandford
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Deep Freeze
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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A few years back, Virgil investigated the corrupt - and, as it turned out, homicidal - local school board in Trippton, Minnesota. Now the town's back in view with more alarming news: a woman's been found frozen in ice. There's a possibility that it might be connected to a high school class of 20 years ago, and so Virgil begins to dig into 20 years' worth of bad blood.
Written by: John Sandford
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Righteous Prey
- A Prey Novel, Book 32
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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“We’re going to murder people who need to be murdered.” So begins a press release from a mysterious group known only as “The Five,” shortly after a vicious predator is murdered in San Francisco. The Five is believed to be made up of vigilante killers who are very bored…and very rich. They target the worst of society—rapists, murderers, and thieves—and then use their unlimited resources to offset the damage done by those who they’ve killed, donating untraceable Bitcoin to charities and victims via the dark net.
Written by: John Sandford
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Storm Prey
- A Lucas Davenport Novel
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Very early, 4:45, on a bitterly cold Minnesota morning, three big men burst through the door of a hospital pharmacy, duct-tape the hands, feet, mouth, and eyes of two pharmacy workers, and clean the place out. But then things swiftly go bad, one of the workers dies, and the robbers hustle out to their truck-and find themselves for just one second face-to-face with a blond woman in the garage: Weather Karkinnen, surgeon, wife of an investigator named Lucas Davenport.
Written by: John Sandford
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Rough Country
- A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 3
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
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While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of Northern Minnesota, Virgil Flowers receives a call from Lucas Davenport to investigate a brutal murder at a nearby resort for women only. As Virgil begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented and popular country singer. The more Virgil digs, the more he discovers the arrows of suspicion point in many directions, encompassing a multitude of motivations: jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger, and fear.
Written by: John Sandford
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Silken Prey
- Lucas Davenport, Book 23
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Murder. Scandal. Politics. And one billionaire heiress so dangerous in so many ways. An explosive Lucas Davenport thriller from number one New York Times best-selling author John Sandford. All hell has broken loose in the capital. An influential state senator has been caught with something very, very nasty on his office computer. The governor can’t believe it - the senator’s way too smart for that, even if he is from the other party. Something’s not right.
Written by: John Sandford
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Masked Prey
- A Prey Novel, Book 30
- Written by: John Sandford
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The daughter of a US Senator is monitoring her social media presence when she finds a picture of herself on a strange blog. And there are other pictures...of the children of other influential Washington politicians, walking or standing outside their schools, each identified by name. Surrounding the photos are texts of vicious political rants from a motley variety of radical groups. It's obviously alarming - is there an unstable extremist tracking the loved ones of powerful politicians with deadly intent? But when the FBI is called in, there isn't much the feds can do.
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poorest Davenport so far.
- By william gary irwin on 2020-05-22
Written by: John Sandford
Publisher's Summary
Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what's-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns.
The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers' cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn't realize what's about to happen next.
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What listeners say about Mad River
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bill
- 2012-10-06
Good. Not Great. But Virgil is Hard to Skip.
John Sandford is a terrific writer and the creator of both the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers mystery series. Both series have given fans some great reads (or listens) and Sandford has certainly earned his place among the very best crime/mystery writers. I'm a fan and I've read (or listened to) everyone one of his books, many more than once.
I'm glad I read this latest Virgil Flowers mystery and, as a fan, will be unlikely to miss the next one. Mad River is an enjoyable, sometimes suspenseful listen. If you are a fan, its worth the credit.
That said, this is not the right book to introduce you to Virgil Flowers or to hook you on the series. Something is going on with John Sandford and it is not leading to great books. It seems Sandford is losing steam with both his series. Plots, character development, local color are all a bit less compelling than they once were.
Perhaps this is understandable with the long-running (22-book) Davenport series. But Sandford's Virgil Flowers offerings (of which this is the 6th) have seemed a fresh and exciting new start. That may yet prove out, but this latest novel is merely a good tale from an author we know can produce great ones.
Listening to Mad River was more like listening to a straight chronology of events than to a novel. The events were well-related and the new characters were engaging enough (although by no means compelling). But it seemed like this story was something Sandford just had to get off his chest, so he told it too straight. As a result, much of the spark Sandford brings to his tales (GREAT local color, plot twists, solid character development) are missing.
I don't want to be too harsh here. If we weren't talking about John Sandford here, the story would probably rate a 4 instead of a 3. I'm not sorry I spent time with this audio, and the plot was sufficiently interesting to be remembered. But if this type of story-telling is the new normal for John Sandford, I'm not sure how long I will be anxiously anticipating his next work.
The best advice I can offer (as others have) is that this is certainly a creditworthy mystery for the Virgil Flowers/John Sandford/Lucas Davenport fan. For everyone else, start with the earlier works and become a fan, first.
35 people found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 2012-10-12
Virgil finally misses the 'spot'!
What could John Sandford have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Cut back on Sanford's meds and remind him what a GREAT character he invented to start a new series for us to enjoy.
What three words best describe Eric Conger’s performance?
Great as always.
Was Mad River worth the listening time?
Of course. How can you turn down Lucas Davenport (the Prey series) or Virgil Flowers' books!
Any additional comments?
I am a Devout Sanford reader. I have read all of his books a minimum of 3 times (usually more after all these years). I wait impatiently for his new releases. Unfortunately, I think Sanford is tiring out. Mad River felt as if it were a must 'write book', not one that Sanford really cared about. I know Lucas Davenport is getting long in the tooth, but Hey(!) don't give up on Virgil Flowers. He still has lots of spunk (lol), character and personality to last. To make this short: I waited a long time for the book and was sorely disappointed.
13 people found this helpful
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- 9S
- 2013-02-03
Sanford at the top of his game!!
Jimmy Sharp, Becky Welsh, and Tom McCall are three Minnesota teens who, without planning it, kill a store clerk. Then the three kill a second victim during a car jacking. From that point Sharp, Welsh and McCall decide to settle old scores, and the real killing begins. This book is much darker than anything Sanford has ever written. Sanford also delves into some serious moral and ethical questions that may make a listener uncomfortable, but those issues need to be addressed. Throughout this horrifying tale we meet victim after victim and each time hope "no, this person will not be murdered", but Sanford does not give us any reprieve from some truly evil killers. Virgil Flowers is haunted by the brutality of the murders, but he is determined to take the teens alive. However, his colleagues have different plans for how the end will come for Jimmy Sharp and Becky Walsh. Spend a credit, download the book and strap in for a wild ride!
9 people found this helpful
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- LMcL
- 2012-10-04
For Fans Only
John Sandford is my favorite mystery-thriller author. [Wouldn't mind knowing Virgil Flowers either.] So I enjoyed the book. But it's not up to par with Sandford's other books.
From start to finish it felt like Sandford was fulfilling a contract commitment and didn't have time to get inspired.
Note to Publisher: Please don't make him dumb down this series or the one with Lucas just to grind out more books!
I LIKE the social commentary, don't get me wrong. But I didn't learn anything new.
Another thing, the main characters use the same sentence structure, which I've noticed before. Breaks the spell. Maybe the next book could include disguising your identity in a sophisticated manner and Sandford could learn about changing sentence structure along the way?
8 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 2012-10-16
John Sandford keeps up the good work.
Im a huge Sandford fan. Mad River doesnt dissapoint. Good story, great characters, keeps your attention. Smooth story with great action and the depth of the characters is what sets his books apart, for me.
5 people found this helpful
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- Janet C. Walker
- 2012-10-03
New Sandford books are mandatory reading
Sandford's books are a compulsion with me. Whether for Davenport or that $%^ Flowers, they are always intricately constructed. Details are vibrant and always interesting. This one is once again worth the credit as were all the others I remember. I did a layover for an hour in Minnesota once, so hardly an expert on the area but it seems real as you listen and the can't put it down factor is high. Even a little twist at the end.
Buy this one, narrator is great and the entire production is worth the cost.
16 people found this helpful
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- Cris
- 2012-10-11
Weak Ending
This book sounds like Sandford had a quota to fill. We know some of the players but we don't learn anything more about them and the new players are thinly developed. Not much fun, easy to guess the ending, and not much of a story overall.
12 people found this helpful
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- A. Koren
- 2012-10-29
Best of the Virgil Flowers series
Easily the most driven and interesting of the Virgil Flowers books. As good as the Prey books with Lucas Davenport!
3 people found this helpful
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- Phillip
- 2013-03-15
Decent Sandford entry
I would give this 3 1/2 stars if I could and Eric Confer turns in his expected laudable performance. This is just a decent entry compared to Sandford's best, though.
That said, Mad River is superior to most police procedurals/mysteries that come out. I love John Sandford's books and find them a great, light reading experience. While this isn't his best, I'd still recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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- Linda
- 2012-10-28
I miss Virgil when I finish a book!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, I love John Sandford's writing style and Eric Conger's narration. Always a good story !
5 people found this helpful