Rough Country

A Virgil Flowers Novel

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Eric Conger

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, where a woman has been shot while kayaking. The resort is for women only, a place to relax, get fit, recover from plastic surgery, commune with nature, and while it didn't start out to be a place mostly for those with Sapphic inclinations, that's pretty much what it is today.

Which makes things all the more complicated for Virgil, because as he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer.

©2009 John Sandford (P)2009 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Rich, satisfying, and frequently hilarious.” (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly)

"Unexpected twists...Sandford excels at all the required elements of the novelist: plot, personality, and prose. The melding is masterful and produces an exquisitely paced book at once beautiful and profane, a story that fans of both crime-novel approaches can enjoy. He makes Flowers as appealing and captivating a character as always. With a confident touch, Sandford brings it all home in Rough Country.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

“It’s a complicated case, but Virgil is up to the task, and, as always, he’s funny, smart, and tough when he needs to be.” (Publishers Weekly)

Sandford Does Not Disappoint as Flowers Blooms

Sorry, couldn't resist. When Sandford first spun off the Virgil Flowers novels, my reaction as a dedicated Davenport fan was "oh no, please don't distract your efforts from the next Davenport novel!" I listened to the first Flowers novel (Heat Lightning?), though, and really enjoyed it. This latest story is no different. As always, Sandford spins a complex plot with an unknown killer in an unusual situation in the Minnesota north country.

As is often the case in Sandford's work, there are many characters and while they give the novel a sense of reality and complexity it is somewhat difficult to keep track of them all (a special challenge for an audiobook). In my view the way many of the characters are in the spotlight for a short time and then kind of fade away quickly leads too strongly to the real villain by a simple process of elimination in the reader's mind. That said, though, I really did not figure this one out until Virgil did. And when that key clue came to light - mentioned almost in passing - there was an AHA! moment that made the whole book worthwhile. And there was a twist at the very end in one of the book's key sub-plots that really got me. Others will see this coming but for me it was a bolt from the blue that again made the book really enjoyable.

Eric Conger does a perfect job of the narration. For me his voice is now as much a part of Virgil Flowers as Richard Ferrone's voice is of Lucas Davenport. Production is flawless, well directed, and clear and easy to listen to.

If Sandford holds to his usual cadence there'll be another Davenport story to listen to later this year, and another Flowers story at the beginning of 2011. I already can't wait. Thanks Audible for bringing back one of my favorites.

LOVE VIRGIL FLOWERS!!!

I think I'm going to enjoy this series very much! Sandford has hit pay-dirt with this character! Can't wait to download the next story! It's NEVER boring and keeps me on my toes. Eric Conger is the perfect choice in narrator. I'm delighted to see that he's the voice throughout the series.

that f*****g flowers

Although I am partial to the Davenport series, and love the Kidd series, Virgil is quickly becoming a new fav in my house. I listened to the entire book in one sitting as I drove across country, and every time I had it figured put, a new twist would make me question my reasoning. This book kept me guessing till the end! Can't wait to get started on the next one.

another Fing Flowers story and it's Great!

Sandford's Fisherman sleuth Virgil Flowers almost catches the fish and the ladies, but does catch the bad guy! Fun story!

Decent audio book

I like the Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport series except for the demeaning sexual comments about women as objects for a man’s desire. The plots keep you guessing and the action keeps my interest.

Improbable story line - great conclusion

This was a very enjoyable book. Virgil was in prime form. The narration was excellent.

I really like that !@#$% Virgil Flowers!

It had mystery and humor, It was sexy and fun.
I was a little hesitant on buying this one because
sometimes Sandford will just push out a new novel
for us only because he feel he needs to.

With this one he REALLY enjoyed writing, I could feel it.
The story held my interest from start to finish,
got me wondering about new characters,
had great character build up and I found Virgil to
be rather sexy in this one.

I like the new character introduction, It's fun reading
Sandfords novels when laced with humor. Virgil develops
more of that in this book. Of course narrater Eric Conger
didn't hurt with his sex appeal lending his voice as Virgil
was a good choice.

Nice!

Very well done from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Tight plot. Full character development without getting too wordy. Narrator did a professional job with voices and did not overpower the read. Highly recommended!

loved it!

exciting and funny. great listen, will listen again any time. highly recommend it to anyone.

Virgil Flowers is Fun

I don't think this is John Sandford's best book, but I like the character of Virgil Flowers. The character is raunchier and funnier than Lucas Davenport, which opens up pages of humor that I love. The mystery story is average and not that suspenseful, but getting to the end is fun. Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it. But I love Virgil!