Part of Virgil Flowers, book 8
First published 2014
Virgil Flowers thinks he's dealing with a simple dognapping case when his investigation takes a dark turn. The pet thefts appear connected to a larger operation supplying stolen animals to medical laboratories. Then Lucas Davenport calls with urgent news. A reporter has been murdered along the Mississippi River in southeast Minnesota. What Virgil doesn't know is that five school board members voted unanimously to authorize the killing during a closed session meeting. The victim had been investigating something that made powerful people nervous enough to order his death. As Virgil digs deeper into both cases, he discovers the dognapping ring and the murder are part of something much bigger and more dangerous than he initially realized. The thirteenth book in the series finds Flowers navigating small town corruption where civic leaders make deadly decisions behind closed doors.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation
Setting: Mississippi River, Minnesota
Period: 21st-century
388 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: murder, violence