Saturday, October 3, 2009

Rough Country by John Sandford

Rough Country


I Give This Book 4 Stars!



Description: 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. The more he digs, the more he discovers the arrows of suspicion that point in many directions, encompassing a multitude of motivations: jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger, fear. Then he finds that this is not the first murder, that there was a second, seemingly unrelated one, the year before. And that there’s about to be a third, definitely related one, any time now. And as for the fourth . . . well, Virgil better hope he can catch the killer before that happens. Because it could be his own.


When I first started this book I was afraid maybe I had stepped away from this genre for too long. It felt rough around the edges, seemed more of a "man's" book, and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But, I knew if I walked away from a mystery, it would bug me not knowing who the killer was. So, I stuck it out through the language (which wasn't excessive, but apparently I've been reading books that don't contain a lot), and the focus on the lesbian issues. Then it really started to draw me in, and I was extremely glad I hadn't given up on it. I got a great twist towards then end that I really didn't see coming. I love that because I've read enough of this type of story that I usually can see it coming. The mystery was tied together nicely and the last pages left me laughing!


 


* I want to thank Lydia Hirt for the chance to opportunity to read and review this book!

2 comments:

  1. I've been meaning to try a book by John Sandford, but maybe I'll start with another one. Have you read any of his other books?

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  2. J. Kaye - I've read some of his "Prey" series and liked them. But, I honestly couldn't tell you which ones. I don't think it's important to start from the beginning of them. I'm not sure if he has any books that aren't a series.

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