While I'm usually a fan of Sandford's "Prey" novels more so than the Virgil Flowers ones, this one was a good read. Certainly recommend it for fans of Sandford and Flowers, but also to "Prey" fans as well.

Sandford as always writes a great book. Virgil Flowers has long been a favorite character, and this one does not disappoint. Awesome visiting with him again.

I first came to Sandford via his Lucas Davenport books, but have since fallen in love with Virgil Flowers as well. Sandford pulls in the reader from the first word and keeps a relentless pace throughout his novels. In this latest installment of the 11-book series, a small town which gained fame with the appearance of the Virgin Mary (and the accompanying promise of riches) is thrown in a tailspin when a body is discovered. This body is not good for business, and neither is Virgil Flowers's digging into the case. Something has to give. This is a terrific addition to the canon.

John Sanford books always provide me with an excellent, unique story and an exciting read. I never start them in the middle of the week because I know I won't sleep until I finish them. This one is no exception. A town is dying and the townspeople are trying to find a way to keep it alive. A scheme is planned that is a sure fire disaster waiting to happen. So when the disaster blows up, the story becomes an exciting ride through the consequences and cleanup. Another hit in the long line of John Sanford titles.

If anything ever happens to me, I want someone like good ol' Virgil Flowers to investigate the case. John Sandford has created a character that is tough, smart and cagey. He ALWAYS gets his man or woman solving what seems like unsolvable mysteries.
In this novel, Virgil is investigating in a small - REALLY small - town that has built a shrine where religious phenomena supposedly occurred. That draws crowds but then a dead body is discovered.
These are always entertaining suspense novels and Sandford loves to leave you guessing as to who the culprit may be. Most of the time he surprises me.
An enjoyable book and an equally and uniquely enjoyable character!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts This is the 11th in the Virgil Flowers series and somehow it really isn’t getting old. Flowers is such an interesting character. In this story there is a bit of a church feel to it that I found very interesting. We have all heard about sightings of Jesus/Virgin Mary and this town is actually devote to the belief.

This is a really interesting suspenseful story. Worth the read.

It can be read as a stand alone.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure I'd like any other John Sanford books that weren't Lucas Davenport, but I was wrong. I really enjoy the Virgil Flowers series just as much. Keep up the good work.

Each year, I eagerly await the release of John Sandford's latest Virgil Flowers novels. The series has become one of the few that I routinely keep track of. There's just something about Flower's off-kilter approach to crime fighting that makes the books must-read events. When I was offered an advanced copy of the eleventh and latest novel in the series, I eagerly accepted. It sat on my "to be read" list a bit longer than I anticipated, but the pages flew by as soon as I began reading it.

Typical to the Flower's series, Holy Ghost begins with a bit of an absurd set up. The local mayor of a small Minnesota town is shooting at the pervasive flies in his trailer. He and a couple other citizens are complaining about the downfall of the town. People just don't come here anymore, and the local businesses are beginning to crumble. Then they have a bright idea that is sure to change their fortunes.

Weeks later an apparition of the Virgin Mary conveniently appears at the local Catholic church. Just like that, the town's fortunes are improved. People from all over begin flocking from all over for the chance to witness another miracle. The mayor and his friends happened to open a general store of sorts directly across from the church a few weeks before the blessed appearance. Now the entire town is facing a revitalizing windfall. But a lone shooter seems to have it out for the town. A few weeks into the new found prosperity, two people have been shot.

Enter Virgil Flowers, the rough and tumble detective for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. His harder edges have been softened by his girlfriend Frankie. The couple is expecting their first child together, so Virgil is truly starting to settle down. Still, his unconventional methods and everyman personality still help him to solve the "hard ones". As the Virgil arrives in town, the shooter claims his first fatality, and the urgency of the case intensifies. The livelihood of an entire town depends on him.

With Holy Ghost, author John Sandford continues to fire on all cylinders with this series. He perfectly mixes engaging characters with a gripping mystery. Unlike many of the previous novels, the identity of the villain in this one is kept secret throughout. There was a heightened thrill in discovering the bad guy with Virgil. I've been a bit worried about the development of Virgil's personal life in the past few books, but I think his relationship with Frankie has grounded him in a way that has only made him more relatable. Holy Ghost is a novel in a fantastic series by an author who is at the top of his game. I can't wait to read the next one!

I really enjoyed the storyline. I enjoyed reading this mystery book that is dabbled with humor and quirkiness. Virgil Flowers is a colorful laid back character that handles investigations a bit differently. He is a handsome, quirky character with a heart. Loved this book.

Virgil Flowers has a problem. No, it is not Frankie's pregnancy. The town of Wheatfield has been visited by the Virgin Mary causing an uptick in traffic. But now someone is shooting at the visitors and killed on of the townsfolk. No one has heard a shot or seen a possible shooter. So Virgil does what he does best, goes digging, snooping, hunting out secrets, solving unrelated cases and finally manages to get his shooters. Plus there are plenty of interesting side characters such as the mayor of Wheatfield and his sidekick Skinner. A nice addition to the Flowers story arc.

In HOLY GHOST, Virgil Flowers is a hoot, and not much throws him off his stride. In small town Minnesota a town hard struck by bad luck and worse economy could sure use a miracle if the town is going to avoid going belly up. And don't you know, a miracle occurs in the guise of a vision of the Virgin Mary. It brings out the faithful in the hundreds but also a nut job intent on killing off some of those same faithful. It takes a little doing, but Virgil Flowers, with the quick trip home to check up on pregnant Frankie, sees through the veil of conspiracy, but more importantly is able to identify the killer.

Oh Virgil, you did it again. Pulled me into one of your cases, and what a strange one it was. Sightings of the Virgin Mary saves a dying town, new businesses, townspeople making money, but then the killing started, and who did they call. Yep, you. I know how frustrated you were when nothing was adding up, couldn't figure out the shower or the why. Strange days indeed, full of weird townspeople, guns, bows send arrows, even a small group of supposed Nazis. Then again isn't this part of the charm of small towns? For a while it seemed as if you were never going to get to the bottom of this, but don't worry, as usual I found it all vastly entertaining.

Bet you never want to look at another chicken pot pie, and I was surprised that you weren't surprised that not only others in law enforcement call you ",that f***ing Flowers. Guess your reputation has spread. Looking forward to seeing you again in the near future.

ARC from Netgalley.

There is some guilt in finding Sandford's books funny - we are talking murders here of decent people. But when you read how the mayor of this small town was elected with the slogan "I'll do what I can," you are too delighted to feel guilty. You wish our elected officials had some of that candor. As always, Virgil Flowers comes through - this time in a rather convoluted manner but that's the style we've come to love about him. We have a suspect Virgin Mary sighting that revives a dying town only to have the tourists shot at, endangering the new prosperity. Rich characters of the mayor and a high school renaissance man are introduced. Regulars Shrake and Jenkins are called in to assist so if you are a Sandford fan, you are pleased to see them. I do confess I did wonder why there was zero mention of Lucas Davenport. Even if he's not involved, which of course he is not, I missed a reference to the character. Virgil was created in Sandford's Prey books and thought Lucas deserved at least a shout out! Oh well. Meanwhile all ends are finally tied up - again, I hesitate to use the word "fun" where people are hurt and killed but it's true. Virgil's life is about to be changed, not a spoiler to say his girlfriend is pregnant, he also finds the place to go for the best haircut of his life.

Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy of this book. I am a big fan of this series, and appreciate not needing to wait for a copy, which I surely would get when available.

What I love most about the Virgil Flowers series are the characters, especially Virgil himself., a lawman from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The humor in their banter makes the actual plot less important; it's almost just there to provide a vehicle for the character's interactions. But in this one, the plot seems to be more upfront and involved. But don't despair - there's plenty of the banter, too.

A new character, a local 17 year old high-school kid named Skinner who is too smart for the small town, provides a lot of interest and humor to the story; I hope he returns in later episodes. He didn't like cops too much to start with because of a local cop from a few year previous who used to give him a hard time; the cop would pull him over every time he was out driving with a girlfriend, yank him out of his car, and yell at him. At first, Virgil felt sorry for the kid, until he found out Skinner usually had an open beer.... and he was twelve at the time.

Skinner is definitely no dummy, though. He comes up with a way to make money for himself, his buddy the mayor, and the town as a whole during a steady decline in the town's prosperity, such as it is. He and the mayor, whose favorite past-time is shooting flies in his trailer, fabricate a Virgin Mary sighting at the local church, which brings in a lot of outsiders hoping to catch sight of her.. This actually works out well until people start getting shot outside the church, and this is what brings Virgil into the story. The Mayor and Skinner are especially motivated to solve the case, as it promises to spoil their money-making scheme. And so, this sets up the story and gives lots of opportunities for humor as Virgil, the mayor, and Skinner all work together to solve the mystery.

I have really come to love this series, after reading all of the available books. I will beg, borrow, or steal any of the series, and might even read some twice. If you've ever seen the TV series "Justified" and liked it, you will probably like this series, too.

The latest entry in the author's Virgil Flower's saga. I've been a fan of Sandford's for 20 years, starting with the Prey series. I really enjoy the Flower's series, and it seems like the main character is starting to develop more fully.
My only complaint is that I wish the author could "flesh" out Virgil more extensively, to a character you felt you know, like he did with Lucas Davenport.
Coming from the Midwest myself, the area's that Sandford sets his novels in feel like home. In this book, it REALL:Y felt like home. A small town, overlooked in the world's eyes, Wheatfield could be any town in the Midwest. When a couple of enterprising citizens come up with a scheme to put the town on the map, it blows up beyond their wildest dreams. And triggers another citizen to put into action another scheme to get rich themself.
I had a hard time putting the novel down. The action moves right along. Just when you think that you have it figured out, the author throws in another twist to make you rethink everything.
The best part of Sandford's books is that the "bad guy" is usually never some super-villain, but instead could be one's neighbor or coworker. This book continues that trend. Which makes it even more frightening!

HOLY GHOST: A Virgil Flowers Novel
John Sandford
Putnam Books
ISBN 978-0-7352-1732-4
Hardcover
Thriller

HOLY GHOST continues John Sandford’s unbroken string of terrific Virgil Flowers books. Sandford combines terrific plotting, perfect pacing, and strong characterization. Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, exhibits a quietly confident --- well, maybe not always quiet --- from book to book, but HOLY GHOST is just a bit different, with Flowers in the middle of an investigation of a series of crimes that seemingly have no motive. What HOLY GHOST does have in common with the ten books which precede it in the Flowers series, however, is Sandford’s unbeatable trademark combination of terrific plotting, perfect pacing, strong characterization, and immediately memorable dialogue.

As one might guess from the title, HOLY GHOST has a religious element to it. The all but dead Minnesota town of Wheatfield, Minnesota --- population 600 and dropping --- is suddenly revitalized when an apparition of the Virgin Mary appears during Mass at a small, almost moribund, Mexican church. The faithful and the curious flock to Wheatfield to pray and to hopefully catch a sighting, and, as one might expect, there are those who are ready to receive financial blessings as a result. The entire matter is barely on Flowers’ radar until he receives a panicked call from Wendall Holland, the somewhat unlikely populist mayor of the tiny but suddenly popular town. Someone is randomly sniping the the faithful in Wheatfield. There have been two incidents and while there have yet to be any fatalities Holland’s concern is twofold. One is for the residents of and visitors to Wheatfield. The other is that a sniper is bad for business. Flowers arrives full of hustle and bustle, sure that he can resolve the matter relatively quickly. He can’t. Flowers, in fact, grows extremely frustrated with his inability to get any sort of a handle on the case. When a longtime and much-loved resident of the city is murdered it becomes even more imperative. He comes close a time or two but the doer somehow gets away. Another murder occurs, one which indirectly sends Flowers in the right direction as the result of a little elementary forensic accounting. Sandford gives the reader a jump on what is going on, but not much of one, and the result is a work that is long on suspense and punctuated with the humor, grim and otherwise, that has been a welcome hallmark of this terrific series since its inception.

About that humor...I’ve already incorporated a couple of phrases from HOLY GHOST into my own jargon. One concerns a haircut and another is a euphemism for pregnancy which I had never heard before and which, I am thinking, much be original to Sandford. There are others, as those familiar with this long-running series (spun off from the even longer running Lucas Davenport canon) might imagine, but those two are especially worth noting. About Davenport...Sandford, to his credit, does not give him a cameo in HOLY GHOST. Given Davenport’s current job, it would take a little doing to shoehorn him into the proceedings. While Sandford could have done it, and he didn’t. Flowers is a strong enough character that he can carry the story, and indeed he does in HOLY GHOST, which, even at this late date in Sandford’s writing career, is one of his best. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on October 9, 2018

The Virgin Mary’s appearances at a small church in Wheatfield, Minnesota have revitalized a dying Rust Belt town. Quick to take advantage of the miracle are J.J. Skinner and Wardell Holland, the two men who orchestrated it with the help of Janet Fischer.

Taking advantage of the gullible is a time-honored way of making money and, in this instance, would have been relatively harmless had it not inspired a sniper to begin wounding townspeople and tourists who venture near the church. At least, the working theory connects the shootings (and perhaps subsequent murders) to the Virgin’s appearances.

Virgil Flowers is dispatched to Wheatfield to help the locals find the shooter. His investigation proceeds in Virgil’s usual ambling way as he chats and jokes with townsfolk while appreciating the local women and keeping an eye out for clues. He’s eventually joined by regular series characters, including BCI investigators Jenkins and Shrake, creating the opportunity for the kind of banter at which John Sandford excels.

Virgil’s investigation is complicated by the fact that no witnesses hear shots fired, nobody sees a shooter, and nobody is sure of the direction from which the shots came. Nor can anyone explain why all the shots that nobody heard were fired at the same time of day. The whodunit and “how was it done?” storylines are well executed, but it is the likeable characters that keep readers coming back to Sandford.

In addition to his regular characters, Sandford has fun with Skinner and Holland, who might not be entirely honest but have good hearts. He populates Wheatfield with a number of colorful characters. Virgil’s interviews with crime suspects and witnesses are always amusing, as is Virgil. I like his realistic view of law enforcement officers (a third are pretty good, a third are “just getting through life,” and a third are “poorly trained or burned out, not too bright, have problems handling their authority”). I wish more real cops were like the fictional Virgil.

Holy Ghost speculates about the connection between religion and violence and pokes gentle fun at paranoid survivalist gun nuts. That will turn off some readers, but readers who are looking for an excuse to become outraged have objected to Sandford novels in the past because characters held political positions with which the readers disagreed. Judging from Amazon reviews, some readers object to Sandford novels because his characters interact with Democrats without regarding them as demons. Sandford adds a couple of ineffective Minnesota Nazis to the cast of this novel, perhaps to appease a segment of the reading community that should probably stick with Mitch Rapp novels.

There’s nothing politically correct about Virgil, but he doesn’t see it as his duty to offend people for the sake of exercising his right to be obnoxious. Open-minded readers will appreciate Virgil’s open mind and his willingness to engage the world in a sensible but light-hearted manner as he goes about his business of investigating and stopping crime. Holy Ghost is another in a long string of Sandford novels that are just plain fun to read.

RECOMMENDED

Review: HOLY GHOST by John Sandford
(Virgil Flowers #11)

Virgil Flowers is definitely not the ordinary criminal investigator. As an investigator for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of Minnesota, he doesn't have a specified territory, so he's kind of a roaming agent. In this case, he is called to the small town of Wheatfield after two shootings of out-of-towners who are visiting to see the Marian apparitions. Yes, apparently the Virgin Mary is appearing in a tiny Minnesota community, just as at Fatima and Lourdes. Her apparition has enormously blossomed the town economy, which had seriously declined. Tourism means cash for the community, and Mayor Holland, a disabled Afghanistan vet, and his sidekick Skinner, an eighteen-year-old quite intelligent and crafty high school senior, are cashing in at their new emporium.

Meanwhile, first one visitor is shot and wounded, then a second. After Virgil Flowers arrives to investigate, a third victim, a local senior citizen, is shot and killed. Despite the crowds waiting near the church, no one ever hears a shot or sees anyone carrying a rifle. Virgil discovers an earlier murder and robbery, which had gone unnoticed for two weeks.

For quite a while, it seems that Virgil's investigation, and that of two other BCA agents, despite providing a lot of humour, isn't helping and perhaps is making matters worse, as the violence continues. But eventually, all comes to light, exposing a seriously twisted and convoluted rationale.

I think this is the first in the Virgil Flowers series I had read, although I had read some of Mr. Sandford's earlier novels, and I've become a convert. Virgil is a diligent yet laid-back investigator, there's a lot of humor, and the case is seemingly inexplicable with a twisted denouement and conclusion. HOLY GHOST is well worth checking out.

As a long-time fan of John Sandford’s books set in Minnesota, featuring Lucas Davenport, Virgil F*&^ing Flowers, and their related characters, I was happy to receive a copy of Holy Ghost (Virgil Flowers #11) from GP Putnam/NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I saved the book for a long-awaited vacation, eager to have a book I just couldn’t WAIT to start, sure that it would be one of those “leave-me-alone-can’t-you-see-I-am-reading” things for a solid day of escape. Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about why this one didn’t work for me. I haven’t been all that excited about the domestic bliss in Virgil’s life, even though I want everyone I care about to be loved…and I always miss Lucas Davenport when he isn’t in the book even a LITTLE.

This one had the usual wonderful descriptions (“Like most other things in the place, there was something not quite right with it, but not quite wrong enough to fix”) Sandford is so good at, and an interesting premise as three characters concoct a scheme to make their dying town famous and economically viable once again with a “Marian Apparition” (as in Virgin Mary appearing to the believers). And there are the quirky/strange characters, including Nazis, rednecks, an at least one REALLY attractive woman. But the story was too filled with unbelievable events, too many people getting bumped off for a reason that never did make sense to me, and an ending that was kind of meh.

Don’t get me wrong – I still love Sandford, and will eagerly grab his next one…but I am being kind giving this one three stars, as it really was in the 2s for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.
This is a Virgil 'effing' Flowers book and as usual, a super fun read. Virgil is sent to Pinion, MN, where Holland, the Mayor has come up with a scheme to attract religious tourists to his dying small town: a vision of Virgin Mary at St Mary's Catholic Church appears in front of the worshippers, with some photos taken to prove the 'miracle'. The ruse works until a sniper starts shooting at tourists, causing fear and death and the appearance of Virgil (yay!). His investigation is mainly conducted by mixing with the locals, listening to gossip, but he's stymied, not a suspect in sight. In the meantime, the lack of decent eateries forced him to eat nothing but frozen chicken pot pies in his miserable, overpriced motel room.
Virgil and the cast of locals made me smile, such terrific characters, loved it. Davenport isn't in this story, but Virgil has become such a unique character, as enjoyable as Davenport, and easily carries a book on his own. It's amazing to me how both series are as good if not better than ever...kudos to John Sandford, he's one of the best! Highly recommended.