A wonderful addition to the Virgil Flowers series, this one had it all! Action, adventure, romance and updates on all of our favorite characters. The case was interesting and kept you wondering what would happen next. A great, fast read, just like you want from Sandford!

Sanford is my favorite, my go-to author, but this wasn't one of my favorites.
There is still much to like about this book, the characters, the relationships, but it was more mystery than the usual Thriller. Maybe because Virgil is about to be a father and and keeping him safe, but it wasn't as good as ones in the past.

It would have been a great read if not for the very very slow pace of the book, which is odd since the narrative starts with a murder, it took long chapters for the story to unravel interesting points of the investigation. The academic world is described as competitive as really is, with all kinds of different characters trying to overcome one another. I really enjoyed how Sandford weaved multiple story-lines together and Virgil ends up solving various other crimes along the way, which made the story much more complex and interesting!

This is an opportunity to have Fun with Virgil in the land of academia and 20 somethings. Virgil, due to political connections, ends up investigating down in the Twin Cities on the U of M campus. It is a different world, perhaps with different ideas of what’s worth killing over. We get a nice view of some social issues and of the younger generation. Score another one for Virgil,

Virgil Flowers. If you are a reader of murder/ thrillers, those two words insure a great story with a well loved character. Although love is not what comes to mind when reading a Virgil Flowers book. John Sanford gave us Flowers many moons ago and has kept him true to his background and we've followed him through his community of characters guaranteed to make his life difficult and interesting. This time, he's trying to sort through a nasty competition that ended in death. It's all fun and games until somebody dies, right? Another great book featuring one of my favorite characters.

A fun installment in the Virgil Flowers branch of Sandford's Davenport series. I enjoy Flowers and his askance take on everything.

Thoughts soon.Hi Virgil,

I think it's been about a year since I've last written. Many changes, seems they've managed a better way to keep track of you, so some of your excuses will no longer fly. Your dress sense though, that hast changed, those t-shirts are so you, glad you seldom how to convention.

A new case, one that sends you back to college. A murder of a well renowned, research Professor, with few apparent clues. I have to say you do work will with others when you want too, you were more than fair with Trane. There wasn't as much humor I this book, but enough to keep it interesting. What looked like a fairly straightforward case, manages to become complicated beyond measure. A little difficult to put together, but you did not get your reputation without reason.

I do have to take you to task for a few comments you made, a bit mysoginist in my view, but I forgive. After all you are not real and I don't have to deal with you I my very real life. Oh, and that board game, it was one of my favorites. How very clever.

Wishing you and Frankie the best.
Till the next time, which I hope will be soon.

ARC from Netgalley.

Its that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about fall this time. Time for the latest Virgil Flowers novel, of course! For over a decade now, I've read and enjoyed every Virgil Flowers novel written by John Sandford. Each fall, a new installment is released, and I spend the next few days glued to the book. For the past couple of years, I've been fortunate to receive a copy of the latest Flowers novel from Sandford's publisher, and this year I was happy to accept Bloody Genius to review. Once again, Sandford proves why Virgil Flowers is one of the most endearing heroes in modern crime fiction.

A prominent doctor/professor at the University of Minnesota is bludgeoned to death in the school library. There are immediately more questions than answers. He wasn't in the library when it closed the night before, so how did he get in and why was he in there? The professor wasn't well-liked by his colleagues, professional rivals, or even his family, so there's no shortage of potential suspects. A man with three ex-wives who is a complete jerk to everyone he encounters isn't exactly getting the key to the city anytime soon. Still, a brazen murder on a busy college campus can't be ignored.

Enter Virgil Flowers, the quirky but effective investigator for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Flowers's rough edges have started to smooth out since he began dating Frankie, a former suspect turned lover. The couple is expecting twins soon, and Flowers is struggling to balance his personal and professional responsibilities. He reluctantly begins investigating the murder, much to the chagrin of the local authorities and a female detective who has no trouble matching Virgil's dry wit. When all the potential suspects begin presenting solid alibis, Virgil is forced to dig deep and use his trademark unorthodox approach to bring justice and peace to the community.

At this point, Virgil Flowers may have actually eclipsed James Patterson's Alex Cross as my favorite detective in a crime series. With Bloody Genius, John Sandford continues to evolve his character in a way that is both natural and fun to read. Sandford bucks formula by placing his familiar character into new mysteries with different narrative paths in each book. Sometimes, the killer is known by the reader from the start, and the fun is in seeing Virgil discover what we already know. This time, we are in the dark with our hero, only discovering the murder when Virgil does. I truly did not see the ending coming! This is the twelfth novel in the series. While you don't have to read the previous books to understand this one, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping ahead. Go ahead and start with the first book. If you're anything like me, you'll race through the series and be eagerly waiting for the next one.

If I am looking for an entertaining, yet literate mystery, I first turn to aJohn Sandford Virgil Flowers novel. Bloody Genius does not disappoint. Taking on academics, and the politics of departmental politics adds another layer of depth and intricacy to a signature convoluted plot. Virgil retains his sense of humor throughout! Please keep them coming, John Sandford.

liked this one better than the last couple. as usual you get the quick witted Virgil doing his thing. enjoy the humor at times along with the action. Sandford never fails to deliver.

Virgil Flowers is one of my favorite characters, and this series is my go-to when I need a humorous diversion with a good mystery at its heart.

If you've yet to meet Virgil, he's a brilliant investigator whose intelligence is often underestimated by both criminals and cops. He's a nonconformist, who refuses to dress as expected for a detective. He says what's on his mind and has a quick wit.

We follow Virgil as he interviews suspects, works alongside local cops, and unravels the tangled mess to catch the killer. The plot borders on overly complex, which is the first time I've seen this happen in a Virgil Flowers novel. We have a whole lot of characters and moving parts, so keeping all the names and relationships straight can be a little daunting. Still, Sandford does a great job of keeping us oriented, and Virgil is always entertaining.

This is the 12th book in the series, but each of them can be read as stand-alone novels.

Flowers got called in on a murder in the library. Death was by computer and complicated by the victim being rich. After making up with the the officer originally in charge, Virgil proceeds to drive everyone crazy by picking up clues that had been overlooked. But the clues found kept leading the reader and the police on wild goose chases until another murder helped reset the police focus. Plenty of action and Flower fun. An enjoyable read.

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

Great book! I really enjoy books that keep me guessing but then also I enjoy when I am pretty sure of the “who-dun-it” and find out I was right.

Virgil is such an interesting character that I find myself trying to figure out how he is going to act before he even starts his investigation.

This is a great story that has twists and turns and I loved reconnecting with some of the characters we have met in previous books.

I also love the sub-plots and crimes that Virgil somehow gets wrapped up in.

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

No one is getting Virgil’s jokes. This is because he is knee-deep in academia land, investigating the murder of a well-respected but also generally disliked professor. Apparently those who work at the University of Minnesota do not have a well-rounded sense of humor.
Virgil teams up with Detective Trane from the Minnesota police department, a partnership that starts out shaky but solidifies when Virgil proves himself to be an affable companion. Trane is at a dead end until Virgil discovers some evidence that starts the ball rolling, leading to some of the strangest characters ever seen in a Flowers novel.
I felt that the book was slow going until the last third, when the action started to pick up a bit and the loose ends started to come together. There are a lot of characters and subplots, and unless you keep them straight it will end up being confusing.
The plot blurb notes there is an interdepartmental feud going on, but I found that portion of the story a bit underwhelming. There is less going on there than the publisher would have you believe. I feel it would have benefitted the book to have noted there was a murder on campus and Virgil had to deal with a lot of functionally crazy people; after all, the murder does take place in the beginning of the book and the rest is just smoke and mirrors until the end. At times I wanted to skip ahead, looking for more action and less talking, but I was afraid I would miss something.
Flowers novels are like pizza – it may not always be the best tasting, but it’s pizza. Despite the flaws I noted above, it is always good to see what Virgil is doing. Hopefully the next outing will be more suspenseful and action packed.

Another fantastic book by Sandford! How does he keep putting out these incredible page-turners?
This one is another story in the Virgil Flower's timeline. A murder in the library of the University of Minnesota. An initial dearth of suspects, giving way to the Sandford technique of finding lots of suspects. Which Flowers has to weed through, one by one. And in the end, managing to surprise the reader with the identity of the killer.
I've come to love these books. Not for any amazing detective stories, but just for the familiarity of the structure of his books. You always know that there's going to be some crazy crime, and there's going to be lots of twists and turns, and his hero (Davenport or Flowers) is going to make you laugh out loud, and that the ending is unforeseeable yet satisfying ending!

Virgil Flowers is back! His girlfriend Frankie is very pregnant with twins. He doesn’t appreciate having to bring in the hay on her farm. And, oh, he’s investigating a murder of a venerated Professor who likes to argue. The Professor is a genius who has been hit in the head—a Bloody Genius, get it?

The change of setting allows Virgil to be a fish out of water at the University of Minnesota. The reader shares his surprise about how seriously academics take small issues. Could one of the scuff-ups have led to the Professor’s murder? Or could it be his three former wives, his girlfriends, his estranged daughter, his drug dealing, his blackmailing, or something else? Truly, this guy is a winner!

I love that F*cking Flowers. His story is the best part of Bloody Genius. I also liked the pairing of Virgil with a police officer who actually appreciates his help. The mystery was good too. I totally missed the “hidden-in-plain-sight” clue that unravels the case. I like that in a book so I get to be as surprised as the author intended but can clearly see the hints in hindsight. If you like humorous police procedurals that use as little actual procedure as possible, you too will love that effing Flowers. 5 stars!

Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on October 1, 2019

Virgil Flowers novels tend to be a bit lighter than their companion Lucas Davenport novels, but neither series is crushingly heavy. Bloody Genius, like all of John Sanford’s novels, tells a fun story featuring likeable characters who trade barbs while laboring to solve a crime. Apart from following a successful formula, Bloody Genius offers one of the most engaging mysteries that Sanford has created. For that reason, I would rank it as one of the best of Sanford’s Virgil Flowers novels.

A professor sneaks a woman into a library at midnight, where he comes upon someone in his cubicle. The professor is clobbered on the head with his own laptop and the woman, who sees little and avoids being seen, decides that discretion is the better part of being a witness. For much of the novel, the police do not know who she is and are not even certain that anyone was in the library except the professor and his killer.

Since the professor has powerful friends with political connections, Virgil Flowers is dispatched to Minneapolis to assist the local homicide detectives, who have nothing. Flowers is careful not to step on the toes of the lead investigator, Margaret Trane. She overcomes her initial animosity toward Flowers, in part because Flowers is charming and funny and in part because he clearly isn’t trying to steal her thunder.

The reader knows more about the murder than the police, although the reader doesn’t know why the professor was killed or the identity of either the killer or the disappearing woman. Forearmed with that knowledge, the reader can enjoy Flowers’ investigatory missteps as he pursues theories that ultimately don’t fit how the murder occurred. The suicide (or murder) of another character and a mugging that might have been an attempted murder may or may not be related.

With all of those plot threads, the reader is never quite sure whether each new fact is a red herring or a clue. Did the murder have something to do with an academic dustup between the professor, who considered himself to be a real scientist, and members of the Cultural Affairs department, who the professor derided as useless? Did the cocaine in the professor’s desk tie into a motivation for murder? Why is a recorded conversation about a mysterious “experiment” hidden on a country-western CD in the professor’s sound system? Did the killing have anything to do with a malpractice lawsuit against the professor? Do seemingly unrelated crimes, including the theft of rare maps, furnish clues to the murder?

Sandford spins the plot elements with the skill of a master juggler. The eventual solution to the professor’s murder is clever. The crime is also one that an astute reader with esoteric knowledge that I lack might be able to solve. On top of a winning plot, Sandford ends the novel with a nice action scene and packs the story with his usual irreverent and profanity-laden dialog. I loved all of it, although readers who can’t abide the F-word (or the word pussy when it isn’t followed by the word cat), will want to steer clear of Bloody Genius. In my view, the naughty words just add to the fun.

RECOMMENDED

John Sandford has done it again. Bloody Genius is the twelfth book featuring Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent Virgil Flowers. This time Virgil is investigating the murder of a doctor who is also a professor at the University of Minnesota. There is no shortage of suspects and Virgil begins to sift through a myriad of clues in order to get to the truth.

As always, the characters are quirky and colorful, the dialogue is snappy and entertaining, and the story is fast-paced and suspenseful. Virgil is one-of-a-kind and his personality drives the story that is part police procedural, part off-the-wall and 100% excellent.

I highly recommend the entire Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford. Once again, he’s hit a home run with Bloody Genius.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Pay attention mystery lovers, a new Virgil Flowers investigation has just hit the shelves. Never mind that his girlfriend is about to pop out twins and the hay needs to be harvested, the governor of Minnesota needs Virgil's help to uncover who killed a prominent University of Minnesota professor. A leading light in his field, someone has bashed his head in with his computer and left his dead body locked in a carrel in the library undetected for two days. Virgil is perceived as an intruder into her investigation by Minneapolis detective Trane, but Virgil's unique charm soon wins her over.

This is a twisty investigation that is constantly running into leads that go nowhere. One of my favorite things about John Sandford's books in general is the way that he weaves his character's personal life seamlessly into the investigations making the character a well-rounded person instead of a one-dimensional caricature. Then there is Minnesota which Sandford brings to a life in a way that just makes you want to be there and discover what all the fuss is about. Finally, I found the pairing of Flowers and Trane to be fun and delightful. They are opposites in everything but their search for the truth and it gets crazy before it's over. You might find yourself wanting to take notes as you work your way through this story just so you can keep track of all the players, but you will definitely enjoy the process.

I have been a fan of Virgil Flowers since he first showed up in the Prey series. He's funny, he's fierce, he draws all the ladies in.

Bloody Genius started off very slow but once I hit 70%, it was like pedal to the metal suspense. There were a few too many people and subplots in this installment so I found myself skimming some parts to get to the good stuff.

The best part of this book was Trane. I need her to show up in some more of Sandford's books because she. is. awesome!! As always, I love Virgil's humor and one-liners. I can't wait to see what kind of craziness he can get into next.