John Sandford's introduction of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers in Dark of the Moon was an immediate critic al and popular success: «An immensely satisfyingtale by a writer at the top of his game» (The Providence journal); «an idiosyncratic, thoroughly ingratiating hero» (Booklist); «Sandford makes Flowers such an interesting character, and this is such a good story, that you'll be up late» (Richmond Times-Dispatch). But now it's Flowers who's up late. Flowers is only in his late thirties, but he's been around the block a few times, and he doesn't think much can surprise him anymore. He's wrong. It's a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives (the second one, if you're keeping count) when the phone rings. It's Lucas Davenport. There's a body in Still water, two shots to the head, found near a veterans' memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth. Exactly like the body they found last week...