You will not guess the ending so in that respect it is a good mystery. Personally I have never really warmed up to the main character. He is an acquired taste and I have not acquired it yet. Good solid writing, not overly graphic.

This was structurally similar to the previous Flowers entry, but somewhat better. It's on a suitable path now, but I still feel the stakes are too low and his skills aren't being properly utilized. The high profile cases with considerable stakes are being covered by the Davenport series, so I guess this was done to keep them differentiated. As is the trend now for the series, this is decidedly a mystery rather than a thriller. It did better at it than the previous book, but I think Sandford's talents lie much more in the thriller than the mystery genre.

The Goodreads description of the book is misleading and I don't know what their goal for doing so was. It made it seem like this was about culture war stuff and an interdepartmental struggle. Either that or it wasn't meant to be obvious, to me at least, what the intention was for the murder in the opening pages. Maybe that's the case, because the narrative treats it as some grand mystery with false theories and red herrings aplenty. If anything, it's a warning against tunnel vision and otherwise preconceived ideals. Occam's razor is certainly applicable as well.

I have to wonder whether the resolution was intentionally meant to be meta humor, because I could see it being as an absurdist joke. It's not a shaggy dog story, but it does contain elements of that. There are several clues to the identity of the murderer, but they're more obvious in retrospect.

I liked the self-referential humor, which is nice because I didn't care much for the attempts at humor in the previous books. The characters were weird, not in a bad way, but seemingly different from what came before. I would've expected them more in a game like Danganronpa or Ace Attorney rather than in this series with their intense singularly defining personality trait. Maybe I'm just noticing it more, but it seemed like there were a lot more brand names than usual.

As a note, this may be the last separate Virgil Flowers book based on what Sandford said in a interview. For more details on that, see what I wrote about The Investigator.

Rating: 3.5/5

This book was impressive! Murder, mayhem and cops with a humorous side.

4.5...Sadden that I am officially caught up on the fuckin' Flowers novels...I absolutely love them! What I love the most is how the Davenport/Flowers worlds come together! DEL!!! All the feels for his badass! I hope another book is in the works...Can't wait!!

I have never read anything by this author, and I probably never will again. I thought with the reviews on this book, and being sold as a smart mystery set in academia, it would be interesting. Instead it was filled with immature characters who were crude beyond any reasonable explanation, and a confused, scattered "mystery" that had more to do with bookers and blow. The married with children main character makes sure to point out whether every females breasts, ass or legs are her best feature, or describe her entirely based on sex appeal. Everything was said in the most out of place, crude way possible...eg "sweating more than a blind lesbian in a sushi bar" (really??) The plot and mystery itself wasn't even a redeeming factor, it was confused and scattered, with a conclusion pulled out of absolutely nowhere.

I'm not sure exactly who the target audience for this book is...but it definitely wasn't me.

Twelfth in the Virgil Flowers thriller series and revolving around a BCA detective based in Mankato, Minnesota, roving the state, solving crimes. (It's the fall following Neon Prey, 29.)

My Take
It's Duncan who drops Virgil in the soup, setting up his initial conflict — having to horn in on the local homicide investigation. One that has no clues, no DNA, and an unreliable narrator. It's a departure from Sandford's usual third person global subjective POV.

Sandford keeps the action subtle, and that narrator POV does fit with Virgil having missed something as well as that lack of clues and all those involved characters who hide, lie, and twist their comments, not understanding events.

Katherine Green is an odd duck, always on the hop for and full of potential study questions. It doesn't matter the situation, Green comes up with a slew of questions that keeps me wondering about her.

I don't think it's Trane's yoga mat in the carrel. I'm also surprised that no one else thought of testing that pill bottle cap. And I'm annoyed that we don't find out what happened with the McDonalds.

The low-key Virgil is wondering if he'll have to wear a shirt and tie to be taken seriously. Fortunately, it's a short-lived thought. He is however contemplating the change in his future, from what he had planned to the coming twins, the articles he's writing, and the novel he's started. It's a low-key character arc that suits Virgil so well, as he evolves, slowly.

I like Virgil's suggestion to Frankie for when the twins arrive.

I think Sandford could have done more with Foster's character. He raises some interesting questions, but doesn't go anywhere with it. Harris made an interesting point about the difference between Quill and himself: concepts versus cutting. Makes me think those surgeons are cowboys!

I love this one...

"...Virgil said, 'I just had a thought.'

'Don't be afraid,' Jenkins said. 'New experiences can be valuable teaching moments.'"

Megan was something else, but did have her own unexpected character arc. It was nice that she ended up so much better than she began. Booker cracked me up. Sure, I can see his concerns, and his reactions are perfectly plausible; he's just so "excited".

There's a nice blend of family with Virgil's interaction with Frankie and her Sam as well as with Lucas and Weather. That bit at the end about Virgil's language is a crack-up, and points up the hazards of taking on a new family role. Then there's Virgil and the other law enforcement agents — from the antagonistic start to all this interagency cooperation. It's "amazing" how much Virgil can get done when everyone pulls together! Oy.

It's a slow pace that's primarily character-driven and takes awhile to get anywhere. And worth it.

The Story
Yeah, it's crazy that intelligent people can get so carried away with their outlooks, but people are people. And they'll defend their perspectives to the death.

And it's death that finds a famous...and confrontational researcher. A case without clues that is embarrassing the police and pulling Virgil Flowers in to investigate.

There are more suspects than just the impassioned zealots, as Virgil discovers when he must interview the victim's family and probe into a malpractice suit.

The Characters
Laidback Agent Virgil Flowers is a roving detective for the BCA and good friends with Lucas Davenport. The very pregnant Frankie owns a farm which doubles as her base for her architectural salvage business. Her sons include her oldest, Rolf; Tall Bear; Moses; and, eleven-year-old Sam. Honus is Virgil's yellow dog (Deadline, 8). John Benson weighs more than Sam.

Johnson Johnson is Virgil's best male friend. Lucas Davenport is still a US Marshal. Weather is Lucas' plastic surgeon wife. Letty, their adopted daughter, is still at Stanford. The Davenports' two youngest are Sam and Gabrielle.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is...
...the state FBI. Jon Duncan is a supervising agent. Del Capslock (Cheryl is his wife), Shrake, and Jenkins are agents and friends of Virgil's and Lucas'. Barry is in tech services.

Minneapolis Homicide
Sergeant Margaret "Maggie" Trane is leading the investigation; her husband is a doctor. Lieutenant Carl Knox is Maggie's supervisor. Detective Sergeant Ansel Neumann gives Virgil the two-dollar tour.

Bill Offers is a cop with Narcotics. Julia Parker is the assistant medical examiner at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office; Honey Marshall is a medical examiner investigator. Harmon Watts is a Hennepin County assistant attorney.

St Paul PD
Detective Roger Bryan is quite competent.

University of Minnesota
Dr Barthelemy "Barth" Quill, MD, PhD, is a brilliant but cold genius, "famous for his research into innovative therapies for spinal nerve injuries". Alex Nolan is an alias. Quill's coworkers include Carol Ann Soboda, Carl Anderson is the lab director, Julie Payne knows everything, Sally is a tech, Robert Harris is a microsurgeon, Ann, and Rosalind.

Megan Quill is Quill's loser daughter with even more loser friends: Jerry Krause and Brett Renborne. Dick is Megan's neighbor. Butch Olsen is a friend of Jerry's. Jerry's mother, Connie, lives in Faribault. Brett's landlady works as a secretary at the Minnesota Historical Society. Wife #3 is Nancy Quill, an associate professor of linguistics, and about to be Quill's ex. Jen is Barth's housekeeper. Trixie Hahn is Megan's mother and Barth's first wife who lives in White Bear Lake. Kaitlin Chambers is a friend of Megan's in White Bear. Bunny Quill is Barth's sister and co-heir to their father's (Darian Seebold Quill) very successful company, Quill Micro-Sprockets.

The newly tenured Professor Katherine Green is head of the Department of Cultural Science. Green's students include Clete May, who likes to "lean" into women and has a thing for kyūjutsu archery; Terry Foster, who is an older grad student, is a former captain of military intelligence (Joe Lee is Terry's neighbor); and, Sandy Thomas is a friend with benefits who's had some five or six majors.

Alice is a barmaid at the beer joint, The Beacon. Harry (he owns three McDonalds and entertains youth theories) is a customer with lots of NCIS-influenced theories. Genevieve O'Hara is caring for a dying mother and formerly worked at the Andersen Library.

Boyd Nash is a sociopathic scientific predator. Dexter Hamm expedites information. China White sells drugs. Long Wayne Gibbs, a.k.a., Long Doyle Gill or Long Bob Greer, is still in the porno field. Paisley likes to tie people up. She's got a scary brother. Lilith is a friend of hers. Abigail Cohen is hiding behind several names.

The lazy John "Jack" Combes is a sometime criminal lawyer and a friend of Quill's with whom he plays handball. Carleton Lange, Shelly Carter, John Brennan (John Brennan LLC) is working the McDonald lawsuit for the university, Jared Miles (he's with DC&H), and George Wesley are lawyers. Larry "Call me Lare" Hardy is the sleazy Robin Jones' boss. Don Wright is the chief assistant county attorney in Dakota.

Lonnie Marks can pour a foundation. Frank McDonald, an electrician, had a terrible accident. His wife, Ruth, is an RN. Jon-Ellen Nord settled out of court. Dave Jensen has an architectural printer.

Surface Research is...
...an innovative paint company owned by Stuart L Booker, Jr. Andi is Booker's wife. Allen Young is a night guard.

Blue Earth, Minnesota, is...
...where Virgil had that "brown" meal. Jewel Blue doesn't believe Poindexter.

Fulda, Minnesota, is...
...where Virgil would rather be, investigating a group marriage.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a complement of blues and oranges in layers of transparency. It's the deep royal blue of a nighttime sky with the university library set back on the campus grounds. Superimposed on top of that (and initially appearing to be the oranges of autumn leaves) is an exploded spine with black nerves. The text is mildly transparent with the yellow of the author's name at the top — an info blurb in a partially transparent white is to the right of the author's first name. The title is a transparent pale orange with the series information in a soft green to the left of the last word of the title.

The title is both victim and killer, a Bloody Genius.

You just can't go wrong with a John Sandford book! I love revisiting Virgil, his growing family and some of the cops from the Lucas Davenport series. Virgil meets the best people while he's out fighting crime in his band t-shirts and shit kicker boots.