Dark of the Moon

Written by P.C. Hodgell

Narrated by Jennifer O'Donnell

Tai-tastigon is burning. The whole city is in an uproar. And the cause, Jame, and her friend Marc have fled. They are making their way through mountain passes, far too late in the season, hoping to find Jame's brother Tori somewhere on the other side. Nothing ever goes easily for Jame, least of all this journey. As hints of the past she has forgotten-of dark and horrid years in the house of Gerridon, betrayer of her people, the Kencyrath, and her god-come to the surface, she encounters changers from the house of Gerridon, wanting to bring her back into that dark place. Arrin-ken, catlike creatures who are nevertheless a part of her own people, find and judge her. Bandits, brigands and strange remnants from the past of her people-which suggest a dim future for them, their god and their hope of defeating the great enemy, Perimal Darkling-arise to haunt her. But her determination to find her brother and to avoid falling into eternal darkness only grows stronger. Meanwhile Tori, who is Highlord of the Kencyrath, leads the wayward lords of the Kencyrath with uneasy grace. He is a compromise for them, a way of avoiding endless battle between them. But he can bind them together only so long as he can tread a narrow way between their varied needs and desires. When a vast and unexpected danger threatens, he must call up the host-the troops that each lord must muster-but in so doing he threatens his own position and his sanity, for he cannot avoid the attention this calls to him, attention that seems to bring changers who want to kill him, and odd nightmares that seem to suggest a future he does not want and the reappearance of a sister he both loves and fears. Jame and Marc appeared first in God Stalk, where Jame discovered that she had odd powers and that she did not need a past to change forever the future of those around her. In this second book, she is just as hard on her friends, and her enemies, as she was in the first. But knowing her past, knowing how near she is always to the brink of a personal disaster she cannot accept, she must now consider each step she takes more carefully. This does not mean that either she, or for that matter, Tori, will ever be less than wild and unexpected. It only means that both must count and accept the cost of their actions. It is a way of living neither is prepared for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980050278

Reviews for Dark of the Moon

[judygibson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was pretty good, though more bloody than I'm comfortable with. First of a series; I'll continue with it.

[tsmom1219 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5. I like the character. Will keep reading the series.

[pattylee-621744 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like Lee Child. Potato chips, escapist. Interesting protagonist.

[highlander6022 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An acceptable book, but a little too long, and the ending was disappointing - no real surprise at all.

[jbreedlove_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first VF novel and it ws pretty good. A middle aged VF unravels a complex series of murders while taking out a large meth lab. It seemed to drag in a few places and there was some odd punctuation but a good read. Sandford did a good job about disquising the murdered though it was somewhat confisung and thin when he went back and interviewed the killers early acquaintences. Loog forward to the next one.

[tvnerd95 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I admit I was worried that no man could compete with Lucas Davenport and I was right but Virgil is close and also different enough that I didn’t have any issues with confusing the characters. I love the “Prey” series and was looking for another dark mystery to start. Dark of the Moon didn’t disappoint and I adore Virgil. Maybe I just have a thing for Minnesota detectives.

I was very happy at how fast the mystery took off in this book and also how there was very little down time from Virgil investigating the case. You don’t really get a lot of insight into how Virgil’s brain works but you still see movement with the case as he works through the townspeople. Virgil is very social and as he communicates with the characters the author does a great job of using this to help the readers get to know each of the characters and suspects. There are a lot of them and for an audiobook this was sometimes confusing if you didn’t catch all the names.

The story lost a star with the side subplot. Virgil had figured the case out and even we readers knew who it was but the author took us on a side trip for no reason that just dragged the story out way beyond where it needed to be. Plus the only issue I really had with Virgil is that he really is a manipulative ass and seems to enjoy it. Granted it helps him with the case but still even with those he seems semi-close to he is manipulative. He is very much the case comes first kind of guy.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book, I really enjoy the Virgil Flowers stories, quite a bit more than Davenport if I must say so. I think it's the lighthearted fun Virgil displays in everything he does. This one, an old man was murdered in his home and the home was burned down around him. This little town has a lot of secrets, and as with any little town someone else knows them.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5*** Sanders is perhaps best known as the author of the Lucas Davenport mystery series set in Minneapolis / St Paul MN. Now he gives one of Davenport’s colleagues his own series. Virgil Flowers has been in the Army and the St Paul Police. Now Davenport has recruited him to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, promising him “We’ll only give you the hard stuff.” This case begins as Flowers heads to the western end of the state, to help the local police solve a grisly murder. As he approaches the town, he notices a glow in the sky which can only be a fire. In fact, it is the mansion of a well-known man – Bill Judd – which has erupted in flames, with Judd trapped inside. Not too many people are sorry to see Judd go; years ago he perpetrated a scam involving Jerusalem artichokes which resulted in many farmers losing their land, and one or more suicide. Flowers is curious but doesn’t begin to notice a pattern until yet another murder happens. Sandford crafts a tight plot with several twists and turns, plenty of suspects, a little love interest, and a skilled, likeable lead detective. I like the way Flowers pieces together the puzzle. He’s deliberate and cautious, but aggressive when questioning a reluctant witness. He’s an astute observer and is careful when drawing conclusions, keeping his theories to himself until he is more certain both of the person he might confide in, and of who the culprit is. If he has a fault, it’s that Virgil is a bit more of a ladies’ man than I like, but he’s always honest about his intentions and women seem to willingly go along for the ride. The supporting characters seem to be a good match for Flowers; they hold their own and support/challenge him as they see fit (including the women).

[trayceetee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read one of John Sandford's "Prey" books recently, and I loved it! A friend told me his Virgil Flowers series is also good. Good? It's fantastic! I loved this mystery, and I honestly did not see "whodunnit" until just when Flowers discovered it. Speaking of "that f**king Flowers," I would love to meet this guy in real life! Long hair, writer AND detective, wearer of jeans and concert/band t-shirts--sounds fabulous!!!

I'm just getting into mysteries, and both this series and the "Prey" series of Sandford's can be considered on my 'to read' list!!!

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Virgil Flowers of Minnesota's BCA is called in to get to the bottom of the murder of an elderly couple in a small town. As he arrives, another murder by arson is taking place, and subsequently another elderly couple is murdered. Flowers and the local sheriff, a high school acquaintance and sports rival, work together to try to sort out the common threads that tie the murders together, most likely carried over from the past. There are many suspects in Virgil's mind, including the sheriff and his sister, who has become a romantic interest..

[sarah_buckley-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

John Sandford is an author I have read extensively. His "Prey" series of books which follow the life/case files of Lucas Davenport were probably the first "real" mystery books I read. I was fascinated by the idea of not only following the detectives on the case as they figured everything out, but also seeing things from the killers POV.

My long history of reading Sandford has never led to reading the Virgil Flowers series and so I recently decided to pick a few up and see if they were as great. Happily I can say that I liked this book quite a bit. I found the mystery interesting and engaging and Virgil Flowers himself is unique and an engaging character.

Virgil is a bit of a cowboy cop. he dresses in a loose manner and his hair is longer than regulation. He also has some exposition about how bored he got with "regular" police work. That's the cue for Lucas Davenport of the BCA to hire him for his team. Virgil is promised only the most interesting cases and he never gets bored. Virgil is a bit of a hound dog in his personal life and has hints of many ladies in his past.

The case in this book is an interesting one. The book starts with a huge fire and races off from there. I liked all the twists and turns and I never really guessed who the killer was or his/her motivations until mostly the end.

i really liked this book and it was an excellent start to the series. I look forward to reading some more!

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book by a new-to-me author. The characters were interesting and well-developed. Each character had a human side. No one was completely good or completely evil. I also thought Sandford did an excellent job of describing Virgil Flower's viewpoint in the story. He was mostly sure" of the killer but wasn't absolutely certain until the reveal at the end. This let the narrator (Eric Conger did an excellent job narrating, btw) take you on twists and turns until the very end. I'm definitely continuing this series, and I'm going to check out the partner series starring Lucas Davenport."

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Virgil Flowers wades into small town intrigue to stop a killer with a very old ax to grind.
I have read the Lucas Davenport Prey series for years. Virgil Flowers was a character within that series. He makes a very interesting as well as different character in his own books.

[tatoosh-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first full length novel featuring Virgil Flowers. This is a solid introduction to this series. In this book Virgil is tasked with solving three murders within a few days in a town/location that has not seen a murder in half a century. Three themes that appear throughout the Flowers novels originate here. Virgil seems to have an unlimited supply of t-shirts featuring obscure musical groups; Virgil, seemingly irresistible to women, has an affair with the local sheriff's sister, and he drives back and forth lot. The first seems to reflect the writer's interest expertise as a music critic (See Broken Prey). The second seems to be a knock-off of Lee Child's Jack Reacher character. The last seems to be a filler to substitute pseudo action for something that will advance the plot meaningfully. Either that or the author wants us to think that Flowers is not particularly well organized.

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Virgil Flowers is sent to a tiny Minnesota town to solve a vicious murder. It's a fairly straightforward thriller, but Virgil is a fun character, with all his irreverence. I grew up in the Midwest, though not nearly as rural an area, and it was a nice trip back to familiar territory. If you like thrillers, you'll probably like this one, but it doesn't really stand out from the genre.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I do like this series better than the Sandford's long-running Davenport books, which has become a bit too redundant. This title is the first of the series. Virgil Flowers is with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (kind of a state FBI but with a totally weird name - it really exists.) He has has been sent by Davenport (head of the BCA who always makes cameo appearances in the Flowers' novels) to investigate the killing of a local physician and his wife. The murders have the feel of a revenge killing. On his way there, on the outskirts of town, he stops to watch a fire of the Judd residence. Judd had been hated by most everyone in the community and it's clear the fire is an arson; the amount of accelerants estimated to have been some 20 cans of gasoline used to get things going. That had me wondering. I've lit a pile of brush sprinkled with about a quart of gasoline and damn near singed my eyebrows when it went off. The idea of spreading gasoline around a house with pilot lights etc., and then lighting it makes me wonder how anyone could have done that and escaped injury.) As the investigation progresses, another man and his wife are killed and Virgil is scrambling to find a link between them. We briefly see the killings from the point-of-view of the killer, (totally unnecessary, I thought) identified only as Moon which may be a link to a Man-on-the-Moon party that had happened many years earlier or perhaps it relates to the victims all being staged to face to the east. No one knows, but one old senile woman keeps mentioning the man-on-the-moon.Couple all of that with the DEA and a meth-lab bust, not to mention a local church devoted to a whites only message, a sheriff who wants to get re-elected, one suspect the sheriff is dating and another Virgil is sleeping with who happens to be the sheriff's sister, and you have an explosive mix.I listened to this. Excellently read by Eric Conger.

[askum_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book of John Sandford's that I have read and enjoyed it and wanna read more of his collection. This book kept me thinking and kept my mind wanting more throughout.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy exploring other areas when I am reading, and the State of Minnesota is a state I have visited while reading a bakery mystery series. The Virgil Flowers series is more intense and better written than the other Minnesota series. This story has many twists and turns while Virgil attempts to solve the murders of 5 elderly people and to find the Man in the Moon. I like the character description and the setting description, but sometimes felt too at a loss as to what was happening. The ease of forming intimate relationships seems a little too simple, but then people follow strange habits. Also, I felt that Virgil's boss gave him too much free rein.

[hchannell-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Although I like John Sandford's Prey series, I did not enjoy this book. I almost gave up on it on several occasions. The story was slow, boring and went nowhere. I will continue reading the Prey books but will not read more from this series.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Flowers (that eff'n) was only headed for Bluestem to take a deposition. But when the most reviled man in town burns to death after a particularly gruesome double murder, the Minnesota BCA agent finds himself neck deep in small town secrets, lies, and motives.Sanford's heroes aren't always the most morally upright, but they're flawed in (mostly) the right directions. A good, fast, action-packed read.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this on my smart phone (second audio book ever!) I enjoyed the story and the narrator. I have read several of the Lucus Davenport books and always enjoyed them. Virgil Flowers is also an interesting character. I thought the mystery was pretty good and I enjoyed the small town relationships. I will be reading the next Virgil Flowers novel. (or maybe listening)

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was interesting enough that I'll read the next in the series. I prefer Flowers over Davenport because he feels just a bit less "dated" (of course, Davenport's stories are older, so that explains why they're more dated, but still). Flowers is still borderline sexist and really too "cute" to be real, and somehow falls into a sexual relationship immediately after arriving in a small town to investigate a crime... but anyway, this didn't detract too much from the story.The "mystery" wasn't really much of a mystery. I think Sandford intended there to be lots of suspects by suggesting it could have been anyone in the town, but in reality there was only one realistic suspect. I think, also, that the author attempted to explain the rationale behind the murders but it was a bit of a leap - it kinda can be summed up in that the killer was just plain crazy, but the 'why' behind this craziness is still unclear to me. The other thing that bothered me a bit is how the point of view would change periodically - most of the book (90%+) is from Virgil's point of view, but every now and again, with no warning, we're popped into someone else's head - I could understand if it was just the killer's head we visited, but it is not.Sounds like I disliked the book - but I did not... would I have liked a main character who was a bit more pro-active and a bit less "entitled"? Sure. Would I have liked more butt-kicking and less driving back-and-forth between towns? Sure... All in all: it might not have been very deep, very thought-provoking, or very suspenseful, but it passes a few hours just fine.

[debavp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had the hardest time deciding when to read this. Virgil Flowers is introduced to us in the Prey series, but I was afraid to read it to soon—I didn’t want to risk a spoiler. So I waited until I was through with Invisible Prey before picking this series up. Virgil is almost the anti-Lucas, and I think deep down Lucas realizes Virgil might be his match. He can be an ass when necessary, but that’s not often. He’s extremely self-deprecating and it’s like everyone is drawn to him like moths to a flame. With Virgil, Sandford gives a physical description that still manages to keep Virgil vague enough that he average reader wouldn’t know him if he passed him on the street EXCEPT for the fact that every reader would instantly recognize him, should they chance to meet, knowing for certain he was that “fucking Flowers”. I look forward to learning more about this enigma that is Virgil Flowers. 

[zachmontana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another enjoyable Vigil Flowers crime solver in small town Minnesota. Must solve seemingly unrelated murders and intriquing inter-relationships.

[dragonfreak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 In the little town of Bluestem, things seem peaceful. This is a town where everybody knows each other and what they are doing at all times. But the horrific murder of Bill Judd Sr. uproots the whole town. His death was caused by a fire in his house and he went down with him. Judd wasn’t very popular, in fact, ever since the infamous Jerusalem Artichoke Scam, people hated him. It almost seemed inevitable that he’ll be killed.Virgil Flowers, part of the BCA, was called in to solve this murder. It seemed like a simple “Who Done It” case, but again there was another murder. Two actually, a couple about Judd’s age, the Gleasons. Now the case is stranger and gets more personal. Virgil realizes that these murders aren’t some random thrill-seeking kills, they’re something more, much more. This didn’t start with the scam, no, this started 30-40 years ago because of Judd’s actions, and the lives it will affect will be far great.Truth be told, I thought this book was pretty darn good. The plot is complicated, maybe a little too unnecessarily complicated at times, but overall, very good. Recommended.Rating: Four Stars ****

[dickmanikowski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Even by John Sandford's standards, this is an exceptional novel. Both the characters and the plot are gripping.

[marywj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was fine, a run of the mill cop story; just disappointing because Sandford's Prey series and his Kidd series are so interesting and have such interesting main characters, and this suffers in the comparison.

[davidpwhelan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the first of this set of Minnesota-based criminal investigation novels by Sandford that I'd read. I still like his writing but this story didn't grab me as much as his Kidd series did. I got about 1/3d of the way through and lost enthusiasm.

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dark of the Moon. John Sandford. 2008. Sandford the author of the “Prey” books has taken a character mentioned in the them, Virgil Flowers and made, what I hope is, the beginning of a series. Virgil works for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and his supervisor in none other than Lucas Davenport, the main character of the “Prey” books. You do not have to have read the first series to enjoy this book. Virgil is sent to investigate the murder which turns into a series of murders of prominentpeople in a small town. He knows the sheriff from high school and becomes sexually involved with the sheriff’s sister. Suspects include the sheriff, a crazy preacher, the rich victim’s son and illegitimate daughter and son. This was a page turner, but not very demanding-a nice summer read.

[bushard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

very good, Minnesota author John Standford writes about Virgil Flowers an investigator for the bureau of crimal apprehension