Dark of the Moon

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Eric Conger

The first Virgil Flowers novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.

Virgil's been doing the hard stuff for three years, but he’s never seen anything like this. In the small rural town of Bluestem, an old man is bound in his basement, doused with gasoline and set on fire. Three weeks before, a doctor and his wife were murdered. Three homicides in Bluestem in just as many weeks is unheard of. It’s also no coincidence. And it’s far from over.©2007 John Sandford; (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Critic reviews

“Sandford keeps the reader guessing and the pages turning while Flowers displays the kind of cool and folksy charm that might force Davenport to share the spotlight more often.”—*Publishers Weekly

“Flowers is a welcome addition to [Sandford’s] body of work.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“[Sandford] maintains the page-turning momentum that makes his novels such a treat. If you liked Lucas, you’ll love Virgil.”—The Tampa Tribune

“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 and Courier

“An adrenaline rush peppered with laugh-out-loud moments.”—Booklist

Great winding road of a story

A real treat, this newest of John Sandford, and I've listened to them all. Full of twists and surprises. I finished and immediately replayed it, to listen for clues and connections I missed the first time around (many!). The narrator doesn't have Richard Ferrone's gravelly voice, but has an effective tone and pace of his own that I got used to within a few minutes. Appropriately, he sounds just like midwesterners I've known, so his characters are convincing and the narration is enjoyable. Yup, a real treat!

wonderful even the second time around

I purchased Dark Of The Moon not realizing that I had already read the book previously. Since I almost never reread even very good books, I was disappointed and almost tossed it back on the shelf. Still, having paid good money and all....

As it turned out, even with the drawback of knowing exactly where the book was going, I still had a great time listening. Sandford writes wonderful characters, not just Flowers and Davenport, but all the supporting players. They are sketched deftly with artful details and they are always consistent. In addition, his plots are tightly constructed, and his action sequences remain tense even when you know what the outcome will be. In fact it was a pleasure to be able to pay somewhat closer attention to how the author fashioned the whole story from beginning to end.

I am glad Richard Ferrone did not do this narration. I love his work on the Davenport books, but Flowers needed a voice which was not a constant reminder of Lucas. The reader did a fine job, and Virgil now has a very satisfying vocal persona of his own. I loved the subtle variation in midwestern accent which Conger used to define character, and I never had any problem knowing who was speaking.

Davenport vs. Flowers

I listened to Dark of the Moon, the first novel in the Virgil Flowers series, four years ago. Six of the eight Flowers novels an 13 of the 26 Davenport novels are in my Audible library. I have preordered Escape Clause which will be released in a few hours. Although Davenport appears in all of the Flowers novels, I prefer Davenport to Flowers. Like most of John Sandford's books Dark of the Moon is excellent, but Sandford is far from being in the elite group of modern detective writers; he seldom writes 5 star novels. This certainly is not one. Worthwhile? Yes! Special? No!

Dark of the Moon

Think you'll miss Davenport as the main good guy? Think Again. Flowers is an entertaining, complex Hero! Listen and Love!

Do YOU compare your children?

Lumping Lucas and Virgil together is unfair to each. With my kids, I don't compare their strengths and weaknesses and choose one over the other. They are individuals. I believe the same is true for these protagonists. That being said, Virgil is a believable, credible guy and has a bright future ahead of him.