• Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8

  • By: John Sandford
  • Narrated by: Eric Conger
  • Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,779 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8  By  cover art

Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8

By: John Sandford
Narrated by: Eric Conger
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The thrilling new novel in the number one New York Times best-selling series.

In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. “Issues” is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. The vote is four to one in favor.

Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier - a team of dognappers supplying medical labs - when he gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A murdered body has been found - and the victim is a local reporter...

©2014 John Sandford (P)2014 Penguin Group

Critic reviews

“Another brainy thriller from a prolific author, Deadline fulfills readers’ expectations of Sandford’s fiction: tense, smart and character-driven.” (Richmond Times Dispatch)

“Rich characters [and] the descriptions of small-town life, politics and corruption and the concurrent trails of action make for a fast and entertaining read.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

“Sandford's best Flowers book to date.... There is a lot of drama and mayhem in this story and readers of traditional Sandford books will be satisfied for sure. Still if you like a little humor in your plots, this book will more than sate that desire. This book is the most fun I have had reading in a long time.” (Huffington Post)

What listeners say about Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,641
  • 4 Stars
    890
  • 3 Stars
    185
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    29
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,601
  • 4 Stars
    645
  • 3 Stars
    107
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,329
  • 4 Stars
    802
  • 3 Stars
    188
  • 2 Stars
    40
  • 1 Stars
    18

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best in this series

Loved this installment. A little lighter. I actually laughed out loud twice at some of the dialogue. The story kept me interested throughout, and the narration was excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AWESOME, FUNNY SANDFORD AT HIS BEST

Would you consider the audio edition of Deadline to be better than the print version?

I only listen, eyes can't handle print anymore.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Deadline?

The humor! Feels good to laugh.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of it to hard to pick out just one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes like I said laughter nothing better than that.

Any additional comments?

Eric Conger is GOOD great voice great sound. I don't know maybe I have a sick sence of humor but I really enjoyed this book. Thanks John and Eric.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of John Sandfords best Virgil Flowers story

Eric Conger's narration is superb. He IS Virgil. The story is full of humor and fast paced. I enjoyed the story so much I was sad when it ended. I wanted to keep hearing about Johnson Johnson and all of Virgil's friends and co-workers. The body count was high but each progression of the story made sense and added to the drama. Some of the absurdities rang so true you just know they could happen in real life.

John Sandford can't write often or fast enough to keep me satisfied, I want to hear more about the world he has created in Minnesota. Lazy fishing days, stupid criminals and sexy men and women. Keep writing John!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ed
  • 12-11-14

About what you would expect

This story is filled with a whole lot of characters who are easy to hate. Perhaps the newspaper editor is the worst of them all. You have a primary plot and two sub plots that Sandford did an excellent job of weaving together. There's never any doubt that the dogs and the good guys will prevail but the journey is fun anyway. Standard Virgil Flowers fare with maybe a little less female intrigue than usual.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Favorite iFlowers

My second listen to this book. Once again, Virgil and pals bring the story to life with humor while accomplishing all manner of law enforcement maneuvers. Kudos and accolades to John Sandford and Eric Conger.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

John Sandford is coasting

I was eagerly waiting for the audio release of this book, but wow, it reads as if John Sandford dictated it instead of wrote it. He's got an intriguing plot and that's it. None of the bad characters have dimension. The old Sandford would have been able to give them some heft and complexity without slow down the speedy narrative, but now, even the narrative bogs down. Who are these straw people? They catch fire and burn out before we get much of a look at them.

Sandford appears to know this, which is maybe why he gave three of the murderous school board members the same first name: Jennifer.

And the great Virgil Flowers is a cardboard cutout of himself. His traits are tics, cited to remind readers of the interesting person they got to know in previous books.

My main complaint is the subplot: the dog stealers. I don't want to ruin this for anyone who's going to listen to it, but the writer exhibits no real concern about the dogs who've been stolen and mistreated. The ending is played for comedy. It's not funny. And Virgil gets a dog out of it? Really? That dog was stolen. No effort is made to find the owner? And that's heartwarming? What?

Eric Conger does his usual splendid job. If I'd read this review instead of written it, I'd probably buy the book anyway, because, hey, it's still John Sandford. A debased Sandford is still pretty good, although he needs to be ashamed of the dog part.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best Virgil?

All Virgil Flowers mysteries are better than the majority of other mysteries, but this is probably my best Virgil so far. Great characters, friendships, and dialogue. And something personally important to me: almost all the characters who suffer bad events are bad people. Sanford's humor is at its best in the Virgil series, and this book is a good example of that.

The narrator is good and -- crucial -- has a perfect understanding of who Virgil is.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Flowers is back!

Would you listen to Deadline: Virgil Flowers, Book 8 again? Why?

No. I just don't reread. Too many books available.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Virgil was my favorite. I enjoy his down to earth personality. He is not perfect but human.

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

He is getting more into Virgil's character.

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

no

Any additional comments?

I read comments that said Sandford was coasting. I believe he is just developing another character that is not a super hero. I really enjoy "Virgil".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Virgil sure can get himself into it

Classic Virgil, or that f*^%$#g flowers as his friends call him. Read it in sequence a the story make reference to other things going on in the prey series and prior Virgil serieses. This one appealed to the dog lover in me and made me thing of that Jeannie C. Riley song - Harper Valley PTA. Great read, enjoy it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Typical Sandford Fare

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure I would, as long as I knew they didn't mind a good fun, light read on occasion.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It is a decent suspenseful plot that keeps a pretty high level of interest. Sanford always has at least two threads going in his stories which helps keep it moving along.

Which character – as performed by Eric Conger – was your favorite?

You would have to like Virgil Flowers if it was realistic for him to actually exist. He is independent, resourceful, thoughtful, and intelligent while being both blue collar and intellectual in his pursuits.

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

I wouldn't go that far! This a pretty light fare designed for easy enjoyment. You don't look to this author for deep inspirational moments or heavy thoughts. His characters say "huh" as a full sentence for goodness sake.

Any additional comments?

John Sandford has developed a great franchise out of a few recurring characters and he always delivers a fun, suspenseful storyline. Like all authors in this genre, he pads the word count, in his case with overly detailed explanations of geography that only a local would care about, but I have no real complaint with this since he delivers a good product. There is definitely a mass market playbook that most of them are following. It's only irritating when they get lazy and take their readers for granted. So far Sanford has not done so for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful