Dark of the Moon is Book 1 of John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers series. Virgil work for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. His boss is Sandford’s Lucas Davenport. In this first installment, Virgil is on the case of a serial killer whose victims are all residents of Bluestem, MN. Bill Judd, Sr. is the first victim and as the case develops, it all seems to revolve around him.

While working on the Judd case, Virgil uncovers a methamphetamine ring based in a religious compound. Virgil finds himself with way too many suspects and some pretty vague clues. Will he be able to unwind this twisty knot?

This book was full of action and thrills but you’ll need your thinking cap on to follow all the twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it took me a few chapters to warm up to Virgil. He’s a rebel but not in the “fly in the face of authority” way. Virgil is persistent in his pursuit and his quirky habit of reviewing a case but thinking about it as a story was a unique take on the investigative process.

Mystery and thriller lovers will enjoy this book, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for younger readers as there are some graphic scenes throughout. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

Check out Dark of the Moon and give it a read.

Guest review contributed by A Line From a Book. These reviews tend to be short and to the point, crossing a wide variety of genres. She loves to discover new authors and hidden gems.