Dark of the Moon

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Eric Conger

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Virgil Flowers kicked around for a while before joining the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. First it was the army and the military police, then the police in St. Paul, and finally Lucas Davenport brought him into the BCA, promising him, "We'll only give you the hard stuff."

He's been doing the hard stuff for three years now, but never anything like this.

In the small town of Bluestem, a house way up on a ridge explodes into flames, its owner, a man named Judd, trapped inside. There are a lot of reasons to hate him, Flowers discovers. In fact, he concludes, you'd probably have to dig around to find a person who doesn't despise Judd.

And that isn't even why Flowers came to Bluestem. Three weeks before, there'd been another murder, two, in fact, a doctor and his wife, the doctor found propped up in his backyard, both eyes shot out. Flowers knows two things: this wasn't a coincidence, and it had to be personal.

But just how personal is something even he doesn't realize, and may not find out until too late. Because the next victim may be himself.

©2007 John Sandford (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Critic reviews

“A book that will keep you turning pages, guessing, and completely immersed - and engrossed - in whatever Sandford wants to throw at you. It’s a great ride, and Sandford proves that sometimes it’s not the character, it’s not the series, it’s the writer.” (The Post)

“An adrenaline rush peppered with laugh-out-loud moments." (Booklist)

Highly enjoyed

Good narration, easy to listen to. A good plot with a few twists and turns.

Good, but typical, detective story

Good characters and plot development. This is a big macho detective and that gets a little much at times. But overall a good listen.

Good Story

I really enjoyed this book. I live in the area which is the setting of this book and it was enjoyable hearing all the familiar places. If I would give Mr. Sandford one critique, Minnesotans call soda "pop" not "coke." Anyway, I really like Virgil Flowers and this story.

Great listen

Anyone who likes suspense or crime solving might like this. The narrator has an easy to listen to voice.

love these stories

I really enjoy the stories having lived in the Twin Cities for over 50 years. The locations are easy to relate to and love the mystery.

Must read or listen

great story well written and preformed. keep your attention and made you want to keep listening.

Kept my attention!

Would love to give 5 stars but do not give 5 to any author who cannot write without using the f word. It is totally not necessary.

After reading....

... Lucas Davenport I turned with no great expectations to Flower. I looked at the reviews and they were not as good as Davenport.

I must say Dark of the Moon is one of Sanford’s best books. I really recommend it.

Most Enjoyable

This is an excellent book. The story is good; the characters are well developed and the plot progresses at a good pace. What really makes this book "a must" is the narration. The narrator's voice is highly "listenable" and he does a superb job of adapting his tone and inflections to differentiate the various characters. Overall, the story keeps the listener engaged and eager for the next chapter.

Good listen

This is classic John Sandford read (or listen in this case). He uses Det. Virgil Flowers as the protagonist instead of Lucas Davenport, but he has the usual interesting story with lots of bodies and a mystery to boot. Flowers makes an interesting kind of hero and the rural Minnesota ambience is well done. I enjoyed this immensely. Just the kind of thing for a long road trip.