Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $17.79
You Save: $9.16 (34%)
New (47) Used (43) Collectible (2) from $8.13
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 282
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0399155279
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155277
ASIN: 0399155279
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Fresh from his spectacular (Cleveland Plain Dealer) debut in Dark of the Moon, investigator Virgil Flowers takes on a puzzlingand most alarmingcase, in the new book from the #1 bestselling author.
John Sandfords introduction of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers was an immediate critical and popular success: laser-sharp characters and a plot thats fast and surprising (Cleveland Plain Dealer); an idiosyncratic, thoroughly ingratiating hero (Booklist). Flowers is only in his late thirties, but hes been around the block a few times, and he doesnt think much can surprise him anymore. Hes wrong.
Its a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives (the second one, if youre keeping count), when the phone rings. Its Lucas Davenport. Theres a body in Stillwatertwo shots to the head, found near a veterans memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth.
Exactly like the body they found last week.
The more Flowers works the murders, the more convinced he is that someones keeping a list, and that the list could have a lot more names on it. If he could only find out what connects them all . . . and then he does, and hes almost sorry he did.
Because if its true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thoughtand every one of them is booby-trapped.
Filled with the audacious plotting, rich characters, and brilliant suspense that have always made his books compulsively readable (Los Angeles Times), this is vintage Sandford.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
like cashews November 22, 2008
Once you start, you can't stop... reading. Sanford is a master. The lean and mean style breezes by. Virgil is the horny detective, never a woman he doesn't like. The story flies at you, tho you can pick out the bad guys, the book does not disappoint. A winner.
 Heat Lightening November 17, 2008
Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers)
A good mystery with a lot of different angles but the main character, Virgil Flowers, just lacks something. He just seems like such a loser. Certainly not as polished and finesse as his boss.
A Vietnam era connection for the murders and going back to examine those times was interesting. It does move at a good pace. A couple of surprises along the way.
I read a lot of books because I get in to the characters, like some people do with TV, but all of Sandford's books are good murder mysteries. They are worth reading for that alone.
I do hope we get Lucas Davenport back though.
 I LOVE Virgil Flowers November 16, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Another great Sanford novel! I have been a big fan through all the Prey books. This new guy ROCKS! I love how this still ties in with Davenport, but gives us a new direction.
More flash than substance November 10, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am trying to figure out if I would like these books more if I hadn't read the Davenport series first. It just feels to me that Virgil is Lucas light. There isn't a substantive difference between the two, and Virgil, frankly, isn't as smart as Davenport. I saw the 'twist' at the end, coming a mile off, and it annoyed me that Virgil didn't. The person with the most detectiing capacity in this book was Lucas's old friend the Nun.
The plot centers around 2 men who are killed and displayed conspicuously at war memorial sites with a lemon in their mouth. Virgil is told of a Vietnam connection and the rest of the book is spent figuring out a) who is going to be killed next and b) why are they being killed. I didn't mind them being killed but the collatoral damage seemed rather high.
So, Sandford is always readable but this is definitely a second tier outing for me. A library loan, not a keeper...
Kudos to John Sandford for a new character November 10, 2008
The Prey series has always been one of my favorites, and Sandford gets credit for allowing Davenport to mature in age and career. In this book, the main character Virgil Flowers is very different from Davenport, who appears pretty much as a supporting 'actor'. Virgil is a portrayed as someone I think I'll grow to like quite a bit.
The plot is interesting, the book is hard to put down. Isn't Sandford's BEST, but it's quite good.
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