Rough Country [Hardcover]

At one point in Rough Country the cop investigating a murder (Flowers) is interviewing someone and he tells them that real criminal investigations are not at all like what they see on TV or read in crime novels, which is ironic because Rough Country is EXACTLY like one of those crime novels or TV shows.

The characters are thin & the plot is predictable. Rough Country is a mystery (the killer isn't revealed until the end) but you'll have no problem predicting who the killer is or anticipating any of the supposed plot twists. The murders in this novel center on a resort that caters (in large part) to the lesbian community but there is no indication that Sandford knows much of anything about the lesbian community. It feels like a gimmick - a weak attempt to create a `fresh angle' and an opportunity for the womanizing Flowers to be stymied by women who are immune to his considerable charms. Sandford tries to create a large pool of suspects (most of her co-workers wanted her dead, she had a girlfriend who may have been jilted, both male and female lovers at the resort could have motives, and she has connections to a local band and singer that could have led to her murder). The result is a myriad of characters, most of who come and go so briefly, they are just superficial blips on the screen. The characters in this novel are flat as cardboard and I didn't feel for a minute that any of them were remotely real, including Flowers who, even after three solo novels, still lacks complexity. (I think his periodic musings about god are supposed to give him depth, but its no substitute for actual character development)

Rough Country is evidence that Sandford is content to churn out moderately entertaining, shallow fiction for the masses. I listened to this as an audio-book and it served its purpose for me. It helped to pass the time while I was driving or doing other mundane tasks. And that's about it. It doesn't have much else to offer.

No question that thriller master John Sandford knows how to hook a reader early on. He's done it with 19 Prey novels and he does it again with this, the third in his Virgil Flowers series.

It had been an idyllic day now turning to evening as Erica McDill, who heads an advertising agency, was out on Stone Lake paddling toward what she called the pond. One partner in the agency had died, the other was retired and agreed to sell McGill his remaining stock. She would have "absolute control. So Excellent."

McGill's mind was busy, full of plans, wondering how to get rid of what she called the "footdraggers," workers not pulling their weight. At the same time she was looking for an eagle to return to its nest high in a white pine. "She saw it a half mile out, unmistakable in its size, a giant bird floating along on unmoving wings." That was all she saw - "The killer shot her in the forehead."

At the same time Virgil Flowers along with his pal Johnson is enjoying a fishing tournament not too far away in northern Minnesota. His sport is soon interrupted by a phone call from Lucas Davenport saying Virgil needs to investigate the murder of a woman at Eagle Nest Lodge, an upscale resort for women only. It doesn't take long for Virgil to discover that much of the resort's popularity is due to the privacy provided for lesbian affairs or to have flings with the good-looking underage male employees.

In addition, Erica's murder was not the first to have occurred at the Lodge, another woman died the year before. Motives? There are a slew - jealousy, revenge, love, hate, greed. Erica had been involved with Wendy, the lead vocalist, in a nearby country band. Not a shrinking violet, Wendy had ambition and Erica made some promises but now she was dead. Could Wendy's other lover have been the shooter? The list of suspects grows as Virgil digs more deeply into the lives of the Lodge's employees and guests.

Leave it to Sandford to keep us guessing until the very end and enjoying every minute of it. Suspense readers won't want to miss Rough Country.

- Gail Cooke

Great book, once again. Love the whole character persona of Virgil Flowers and his investigative style. Definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Sandford's books.