Deadline is a fairly enjoyable but forgettable thriller from John Sandford and features Minnesota state investigator Virgil Flowers. It was first published in 2014 and is one of numerous publications from this very prolific author.
It all starts with a request to help a friend with a situation concerning abducted dogs. A local reporter is found dead in a ditch on the side of the road. A corrupt school board is at the heart of the troubles in Trippton. As Virgil starts to unearth some deep and expensive secrets, the body count starts to tick up as well.
Sandford introduces the shady characters right away, so there isn’t that much of a mystery. The author does manage to throw in a few unexpected twists in the story. A couple of deaths did surprise me.
Sandford does not have a very distinctive prose style, but he seems to be competent enough. Virgil is a somewhat interesting protagonist with a messy marital past. Another well-known character, Lucas Davenport, is Virgil’s supervisor and makes a couple of quick appearances in this novel.
There is some cheeky humor which helps makes this a bit more of an agreeable reading experience.
Virgil Flowers himself is a likeable enough of protagonist, so I will likely share in a few more of his exploits eventually.
John Sandford is basically the guy to turn to for an easy read if one wants to have a break from works with a bit more depth. This is another one of his books where it was pleasant enough to read but unremarkable.
Next up, I am taking a ride out into the depths of deep space with an amnesiac astronaut with Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary.
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