cover image Mad River

Mad River

John Sandford. Putnam, $27.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-399-15770-7

In this high-octane thrill ride, bestseller Sandford%E2%80%99s fifth novel featuring Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent Virgil Flowers (after 2011%E2%80%99s Shock Wave), Lucas Davenport, Virgil%E2%80%99s boss (and star of his own series), dispatches Virgil to a remote corner of the state to deal with %E2%80%9Ca bad one.%E2%80%9D Four people are dead: a married couple in Shinder, another two in nearby Bigham. The gang responsible%E2%80%94armed and dangerous teens Jimmy Sharp, Tom McCall, and Becky Welsh%E2%80%94have already murdered one woman during a robbery, and Virgil soon suspects them in these other crimes. Fearful that the killing spree hasn%E2%80%99t run its course, Virgil pulls out all the stops to get inside the minds of his quarry while he sorts through all the possible motives for the spate of deaths. Virgil%E2%80%99s penchant for wisecracking, which in less skilled hands could have been annoying, serves to deflate the tension, and his backstory is simple enough to allow new readers to easily keep up. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Oct.)