It is not a happy time for Virgil. Investigating the meaningless murders of several people in rural Minnesota just keeps turning up more bodies.The population is nervous, everyone in law enforcement is angry, and the intervention of Virgil Flowers, even in the area he originates from, is unwelcome. It isn't everyday Flowers gets stymied by two self centered, greedy little delinquents, while trying to sort out self righteous insurance salesman, a family of moneyed doctors, and a couple of guys who kick Virgil around a gravel parking lot like a bit of Spam getting pushed around bread crumbs, prior to going in the fry pan.; not a thing of beauty and not choreographed by Bruce Lee or Twyla Tharp.
Should I mention that he also finds himself butting heads with the local law? It is no small conflict, since it could destroy the ccase he is trying to build...not good.
On the plus side, Virgil is getting to spend time with his mom and dad, and has an old flame sometimes waiting for him in a motel, but those things aside, it is not a happy time. Flowers may think about God, but he is witnessing chaos in Minnesota...from the kids killing their mom and dad to tornadoes blowing through town.
You can ponder what it all means, or just go along for the ride and the dark humor along the way. I found this a hard book to turn off, although it seemed to me to be a lot darker than prior titles in the series. It does hit on a lot of aspects of that old, "Bonnie and Clyde," movie. Every once in awhile I pick up that DVD from the shelf, consider putting it on, and then grimace and put it back. Know what I mean? I liked, "mad River," very much, and I am sure I will be listening to it again eventually, but you have been warned. God may be in His heaven, but there is not much evidence of Him in rural Minnesota, not Virgil's part of it, anyway. The answer, of course, is that Virgil needs to go fishing!
