Title: Bad Blood
Author: John Sandford
Series: Virgil Flowers
(#4)
Publisher: Putnam
Adult
Publication Date: September
21, 2010
Review: A small Minnesota town is shocked when local high school football star,
Bobby Tripp, is arrested for the brutal murder of farmer Jacob Flood.
Immediately, this opening scene, in which we read the details of Tripp killing
Flood, strays from John Sandford's usual practice of hiding the identity of the
killer. Knowing Tripp's identity, I was certain that this would be a story that
was much different from any of the previous installments in this series.
Sure enough, Tripp is found the next day, dead in his jail cell from an
apparent suicide. Upon further investigation, it is revealed that Tripp's death
was involuntary which could mean only one thing. . . murder.
Enter Virgil
Flowers. He probably better resembles an aging cowboy/rocker, but there is no
denying his skill. Despite his unconventional appearance and behavior, he has
become one of the best investigators working for the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension(BCA). He is called by the town's sheriff, Lee Coakely.
Coakley is an attractive, recent divorcee with two sons. From their first
encounter, there is palpable chemistry between her and Virgil. But there is no
time for romantic excursions. It is soon revealed that the officer who was
guarding Tripp's cell has also, apparently, committed suicide. As you can
probably predict, his death is quickly determined to be a murder, as well.
As Virgil
investigates, he comes across two possible directions at which to follow the
case. The first involves the young Bobby Tripp. As a high school sports star,
he was sure to get a large scholarship to continue playing ball at the college
level. But an injury left him in his small town. Virgil's snooping reveals that
Tripp may have been gay. Stuck in his small town and hiding the secret to his
sexuality, it is possible that Jacob Flood threatened to reveal Tripp's secret,
leading Tripp to kill him.
The other thread
involves the dead officer's secretive church. Perhaps more reminiscent of a
cult, the church is rumored to condone strange sex acts, including pairing
underage children with older members. This thread reveals actions dating over
100 years into the towns history and possible connections to previous murders. With
all of these issues comming to light, Virgil is thrust into some of the darkest
crimes he has ever experienced.
This is kind of a change of pace for John
Sandford's Virgil Flowers series. Yes, he continues to make Virgil one of the
most entertaining and relatable characters in crime fiction, but he forces his
lovable character into some of the darkest situations he's ever written about.
Rape is never an easy topic, especially when it involves children, but
Sandford's skills as a writer allow him to touch upon the subject with a
delicate hand, while still advancing his fast paced mystery. This is the best
Virgil Flowers novel to date, with a strong web of mystery that will keep you
engrossed until the very last page.