Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers)

Fresh from his €œspectacular€ (Cleveland Plain Dealer) debut in Dark of the Moon, investigator Virgil Flowers takes on a puzzling€"and most alarming€"case, in the new book from the #1 bestselling author.

John Sandford€s introduction of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers was an immediate critical and popular success: €œlaser-sharp characters and a plot that€s fast and surprising€ (Cleveland Plain Dealer); €œan idiosyncratic, thoroughly ingratiating hero€ (Booklist). Flowers is only in his late thirties, but he€s been around the block a few times, and he doesn€t think much can surprise him anymore. He€s wrong.

It€s a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives (the second one, if you€re keeping count), when the phone rings. It€s Lucas Davenport. There€s a body in Stillwater€"two shots to the head, found near a veteran€s memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth.

Exactly like the body they found last week.

The more Flowers works the murders, the more convinced he is that someone€s keeping a list, and that the list could have a lot more names on it. If he could only find out what connects them all . . . and then he does, and he€s almost sorry he did.

Because if it€s true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thought€"and every one of them is booby-trapped.

Filled with the audacious plotting, rich characters, and brilliant suspense that have always made his books €œcompulsively readable€ (Los Angeles Times), this is vintage Sandford.