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)

Flowers First!!

This is the first Virgil Flowers book and it is excellent!! It is a very easy listen and it kept my attention throughout. Eric Conger is a fantastic narrator. I highly recommend this book.

Sound track issue

All throughout this book the sound track kept getting clipped not hearing the beginning of sentences making it difficult to listen to. Not very good continuity.

long and drawn out

willing to give a series a shot but will need to draw more detail and intriguing mystery

Spellbinding

My first time with this author. Thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the plot twists and turns.

Too many plots

Good book but not up to usual stories. There were too many characters that slows action. That F---ing Fowers will always be favored even Davenport.

A Good Start For Flowers

If you could sum up Dark of the Moon in three words, what would they be?

Good Flowers Introduction.

What did you like best about this story?

As a Sandford fan and Lucas Davenport follower, it's nice to have an introduction to a character that can fill-in for the tired Davenport series.

Have you listened to any of Eric Conger’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Conger did a good job bringing Virgil to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's not so compelling as to listen straight through, two or three hours at a time is good enough.

Any additional comments?

I'm going to move on through the Virgil Flowers series.

Virgil Flowers remind me of Columbo.

I enjoyed watching Columbo speak with suspects, he was always analyzing in the back of his mind ; while at the face value he was not so sure. Always made the arrest even when no one else saw it coming.

Flowers does it again.

What did you love best about Dark of the Moon?

Sandford nails Minnesota, again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Virgil Flowers. An interesting character. A lot more depth that what appears on the surface.

Which scene was your favorite?

None in particular.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Good but not great

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Kept me fairly entertained but I found the writing style to be on a more amateur scale than I had anticipated. The mystery part of the story was very good but the characters were rather coarse. The occasional sex scenes and overly detailed shooting scenes seemed out of context. Too many genre to provide a smooth story.

Would you recommend Dark of the Moon to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend with reservations.

Have you listened to any of Eric Conger’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not listened to him before but I was pleased with his voice tone, inflections, and ability to voice many characters clearly.

Do you think Dark of the Moon needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not a specific follow up to Dark of the Moon, all is wrapped up.

Any additional comments?

There are obviously many readers/listeners who enjoy this series and I am going to try book #2. Just feel this could be a great series instead of good one.

intro to Virgil flowers

great preforms as always, great story, flowers first story. little town mystery, multiple mysteries the john sandford way.