Virgil (nicknamed "that F***in' Flowers" by his police buddies) has always had a bit more comedy to him than Sandford's other police novel hero, Lucas Davenport. But in "Storm Front," a lot of the comedic attempts are of the kind more likely to elicit groans than genuine laughs. To me, this book seems more like a parody of a John Sandford novel, than an actual John Sandford novel. The book is full of caricatures rather than characters, and there aren't any homicides to solve. (I prefer a novel with a lower violence level than, e.g., the Jack Reacher books - one or two murders per novel are plenty for me. But the plot of this one just felt like the stakes were too low to be very interesting. I'm not a fan of "religious mystery" plots.)
I heard Sandford's interview on NPR several months ago, in which he said that other writers would be involved in drafting "Sandford" books from now on, to enable more per year to be published. This is the first new book by "Sandford" I have read since hearing that interview, and I have to say, I think the quality of the writing has suffered. I hope Sandford and his collaborator(s) get better at the new system of turning out "Sandford" novels, so I can enjoy future ones as well as I did the earlier ones. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers books have always been 4- to 5-star quality, before "Storm Front."
I heard Sandford's interview on NPR several months ago, in which he said that other writers would be involved in drafting "Sandford" books from now on, to enable more per year to be published. This is the first new book by "Sandford" I have read since hearing that interview, and I have to say, I think the quality of the writing has suffered. I hope Sandford and his collaborator(s) get better at the new system of turning out "Sandford" novels, so I can enjoy future ones as well as I did the earlier ones. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers books have always been 4- to 5-star quality, before "Storm Front."
Post a Comment