Dark of the Moon by John Sandford Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Dark of the Moon
Book Review: Only a Half Moon
Summary: 3 Stars
This book goes lunar. A key character is called Moonie. There are references to the 1969 moon landing. There's a bit about a cheap tattoo depicting the man in the moon. A woman wears man-in-the-moon earrings. All of this inspired me to create a rating system based on the phases of the moon between the new moon (one star) and the full moon (five stars). I could only give this book a half moon (three stars).
There are just too many undeveloped characters. I wasn't able to (and didn't want to) read this in just a few sittings. It took me about a week. I often found myself looking back to identify obscure characters that I knew had been referenced earlier. Also, too many subplots and suspects. The main story concerns a psycho serial killer. But there is also a major meth operation, a gaggle of greedy/meddling octogenerians, a son embezzling from his father, a suspicious newspaper editor, and a sheriff sweating his next reelection campaign.
Working the crimes are the local sheriff's department, the DEA, and Virgil Flowers, a hotshot with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Flowers is the tough, womanizing, rock-band-T-shirt-wearing hero that author John Sandford has developed in his last few novels.
Large portions of this book were vividly written: clever interrogations, skillfully described stakeouts, and exciting gunfights. Sandford is a master at creating the atmosphere of a small Minnesota town where everybody knows everybody else's business. Unfortunately, such bursts of brilliance were often obscured by a cluttered cast.
Book Review: Prey lite
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a good read and typical of other Sandford books. Fast action, convoluted plot. The problem was it was too much like the Prey series and could almost have been one. The lucky thing is...I like the Prey books!!Book Review: Sandford Needs a New Editor
Summary: 2 Stars
This is the first John Sandford book I attempted to read and will be the last.
Sandford's writing style is awkward at best. He seems to use vulgar language just for the sake of using vulgar language. He also seems to write random lines just for the sake of filling out the book. Lines such as, "that was in the afternoon, in which some other things happened, but none that turned out to be important" and "we even went out twice, but not three times" literally had me laughing out loud.
The character development in Dark of the Moon is lacking. Every character seems to talk the same way, react the same way, and lack any depth.
The investigation was slow moving and as a result, the plot never had me interested or even curious.
Book Review: Sandford brings us Flowers
Summary: 4 Stars
Most of John Sandford's books feature his cop hero Lucas Davenport, and most of the remaining books feature other characters from the same world, most notably artist/problem-solver Kidd. Dark of the Moon stars another character from the Davenport universe, Virgil Flowers. Flowers has played a supporting role in the recent Davenport books as another detective in Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but this novel gives him a chance to shine on his own.
Flowers has been called to the small rural town of Bluestem to look into the murder of an old doctor and his wife. Even as Flowers gets into town, however, another murder takes place, the arson-killing of Bill Judd, the local big wig that plenty of people hated (kind of a nastier version of C. Montgomery Burns). It doesn't take long for Flowers to sense a connection between the two crimes. And since all three victims were getting on in years, Flowers also suspects a connection to the past.
The most likely culprit is a born-again crook who now leads a racist Christian sect that may or may not be involved with other criminal activities. But this man is a present-day problem and Flowers also looks back in time and a link to a "man-in-the-moon" that ties the victims together. Assisting Flowers is the local sheriff (an old childhood friend) and providing a romantic interest is the sheriff's sister.
Unlike most Davenport books, which have the killer identified early on and get the suspense from the killers capture or death, Dark of the Moon leaves the reader guessing as to who is responsible. It is not, however, a whodunit, as there is little way for the reader to guess the killer any earlier than Flowers.
As the protagonist, however, Flowers is unimpressive: though he is likeable enough with his little quirks (for example, he has a fondness for rock band tee shirts), he is not particularly memorable. When I first read the Davenport books, I thought that this was a character I wanted to read more about; with Flowers, I wouldn't feel bad if he never appeared in another book. However, if he did, I'm sure the book would be a lot like this one: an entertaining if forgettable effort by Sandford.
Book Review: Sandford: Business As Usual
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't mean my review title to sound banal. I mean, us usual, John Sandford gives readers the 'best bang for his buck'! I've never been disappointed by a Sandford story. Always well-crafted and a fast exciting read. Love his characters and the plot always carries me away. The only downside to starting one of his books, is the inability to put said book down. That's what I love; a story that grabs me on page one and then makes it impossible to put down! a roller coaster ride.