There is nothing like a Virgil Flowers novel to shake off the fall reading doldrums. This fine series by veteran scribe John Sandford (could he at least be considered for Grandmaster status at this stage of his career?) was originally conceived as a spinoff from the Prey books. That worthy series features Lucas Davenport, who has jumped from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to the U.S. Marshal’s service. This does not prevent Sandford from preserving the tie that connects but does not bind the two story channels. Indeed, Lucas makes a quick cameo appearance in DEEP FREEZE, the newly published installment in the Virgil Flowers canon, and even contributes to the resolution of the case. Still, Virgil is firmly in the driver’s seat, not only as a protagonist but also as the raison d’etre for picking up the series. This 10th installment conclusively demonstrates why.

"It has everything that one reads mysteries for --- strong characterization; terrific, memorable and (in parts) hilarious dialogue; interesting scenery; and, yes, a mystery that will drive the reader to distraction and drives Virgil even more so."

Virgil is sent back to Trippton, Minnesota, which also was the setting for DEADLINE. Faithful readers of these books will recall Trippton as the place with the homicidal school board; sure enough, school is tangentially involved in DEEP FREEZE as well. Things kick off with the murder of Gina Hemming, who was born and raised in Trippton but left for better things. However, when those better things left her, she found herself back in Trippton and doing quite well for herself while incidentally considering her station to be above those who never left. We meet Gina and a number of her former classmates from Trippton High as they gather at the Hemming residence to plan a class reunion. After the meeting ends, one of its attendees returns with the hope of having his quarter-century-old unrequited love...requited. It doesn’t happen, and when he is violently rebuffed, he responds in kind, with murderous results.

Sandford lets the reader in on the gent’s identity from the first page, and I’m being coy about that here because he does such a terrific job of developing the character that I don’t want to spoil the fun of discovery for you. The other amazing thing that Sanford does is to create an additional mystery associated with the death, one that sinks the hook for the reader. It is this secondary mystery that Virgil solves first --- about halfway through DEEP FREEZE --- but it takes him most of the book to ultimately discover whodunit. It’s not that Virgil is slow on the draw; far from it. It’s just that there are no lack of suspects in Trippton who have motive and/or desire to off Gena, who was a bit aloof with a whole lot of stuck up.

As if the murder investigation isn’t enough to keep Virgil’s plate more than full, he is also tasked by the Minnesota governor with assisting a private investigator from Los Angeles. She is in Trippton to serve a cease-and-desist letter upon a clandestine group of folks who are adapting an iconic figure for dual use as an adult sex toy that has gained nationwide popularity. The people doing it, guided by a Trippton citizen who has become a local folk hero, are operating under the radar but in plain view. The activity has become a cottage industry that has given the local economy a much-needed boost. Virgil’s efforts in assisting the shutdown of this operation is not welcomed by the locals, who in the course of this investigation treat him with everything from distraction to physical attacks. Virgil is between a rock and a hard place, literally, and isn’t unsympathetic to these residents. He would rather just solve the murder and go home. Life isn’t that easy, though. Or is it? You will have to read the book to find out.

DEEP FREEZE may be a nominal sequel of sorts to DEADLINE, but one could read it without touching any of the nine volumes that have gone before. It has everything that one reads mysteries for --- strong characterization; terrific, memorable and (in parts) hilarious dialogue; interesting scenery; and, yes, a mystery that will drive the reader to distraction and drives Virgil even more so. If you aren’t reading this series, you should be. DEEP FREEZE will make a Sandford fan out of you all on its own.