Mad River (Virgil Flowers Novels)

Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what’s-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns.

The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers’ cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn’t realize what’s about to happen next.

"In this high-octane thrill ride, bestseller Sandford's fifth novel featuring Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent Virgil Flowers (after 2011's Shock Wave), Lucas Davenport, Virgil's boss (and star of his own series), dispatches Virgil to a remote corner of the state to deal with 'a bad one.' Four people are dead: a married couple in Shinder, another two in nearby Bigham. The gang responsible — armed and dangerous teens Jimmy Sharp, Tom McCall, and Becky Welsh — have already murdered one woman during a robbery, and Virgil soon suspects them in these other crimes. Fearful that the killing spree hasn't run its course, Virgil pulls out all the stops to get inside the minds of his quarry while he sorts through all the possible motives for the spate of deaths. Virgil's penchant for wisecracking, which in less skilled hands could have been annoying, serves to deflate the tension, and his backstory is simple enough to allow new readers to easily keep up. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"The best entry in a stellar series" Booklist (starred review)

"A high-octane thrill ride. Virgil pulls out all the stops." Publishers Weekly

"Wonderfully entertaining" St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The greatest strength of Mad River lies in Flowers himself. It's hard to think of a more balanced and genial investigative hero, yet he's still able to keep cops and bad guys alike in line. The killers' motivations and dynamic remain riveting until the final pages." Shelf Awareness

"There are few events more welcome in the literary world than the appearance of another John Sandford book. Mad River is shot through with dark humor from all sides [and] the violence that is the driving force of the book ratchets up the suspense to an almost excruciating degree." Bookreporter.com

John Sandford is the author of twenty-two Prey novels, most recently Stolen Prey; the Virgil Flowers novels, most recently Shock Wave; and six other books. He lives in Minnesota.