Part of Virgil Flowers, book 4
First published 2010
Virgil Flowers arrives in southern Minnesota after a young man kills a farmer at a grain elevator, striking him with a steel bar before dumping his body into the grain bin. The killer calls the sheriff to report an "accident," but his story quickly falls apart under questioning. When the suspect turns up dead in his jail cell the next morning, apparently by suicide, Virgil suspects something darker at work. His investigation reveals a sprawling conspiracy that spans multiple generations and families. The crimes he uncovers are so monstrous that even Virgil, who has seen plenty of violence in his career, struggles to comprehend their scope. As the true nature of the conspiracy becomes clear, Virgil faces not just the challenge of solving the case, but deciding what justice looks like when the crimes run so deep.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cover-up, investigation
Setting: Minnesota
388 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: violence