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Author's Nearly New Cop Follows Familiar Script

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By GEORGE MEYER

Published: December 9, 2007

"Dark of the Moon," by John Sandford (Putnam, $26.95)

Having written 17 novels featuring Minneapolis supercop Lucas Davenport, ex-journalist John Sandford may have wrung just about all he can from a rich, handsome, intrepid hero.

So it's not surprising Sandford's latest novel offers an alternative. Only his follow-up hero is, well, a lot like Davenport (and his plot's a lot like Davenport's, too).

Welcome Virgil Flowers, a likeable Davenport assistant introduced a few books back, who operates with lots of autonomy on Davenport-like cases with the assurance that "we'll only give you the hard stuff."

Thus, Flowers lands in rural Bluestem, Minn., to investigate the apparently motiveless killing of a country doctor and his wife. Even though the case seems unrelated to a fire that consumes the mansion of an old rogue millionaire, connections start sprouting like weeds.

Pretty soon Flowers is shot at, closely examined by the media and falling in love, all while wearing his trademark rock-group T-shirts and exercising a wiseacre mouth. And in Bluestem, corpses start piling up, along with clues, red herrings and quick-hitting action.

A huge police raid on a methamphetamine lab run by a Bible-thumping felon only precedes the solving of Flowers' initial crimes.

Sandford's style seems energized by his nearly new hero, and he maintains the page-turning momentum that makes his novels such a treat. If you liked Lucas, you'll love Virgil.

George Meyer, a writer and communications consultant, is president of the Meyer Publishing Co. of

Tampa.

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