Micro review: Deep Freeze is a chilling thriller which is also heartfelt and graceful

Bestselling author John Sandford is back with the 10th instalment to his Virgil Flowers series – Deep Freeze. The author takes the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent Virgil Flowers back to the little town of Trippton by the Mississippi River, which was also the setting of his novel Deadline.
Deep Freeze opens with the murder of Banker Gina Hemmings, as her head is smashed with a champagne bottle, after a high-school reunion committee meeting.Next morning, her body is fished out from a frozen river. Virgil Flowers, who is on a vacation in Trippton, is bribed by boss John Duncan into investigating the death. As Virgil starts snooping, he discovers that Gina’s death might have been the result of 25 years of drama and bad blood between her high school classmates. Meanwhile, the governor has also asked Virgil to track down one Jesse McGovern, a manufacturer of obscene Barbie Dolls, named “Barbie Os”, in Trippton. As the mysteries grow deeper, Virgil’s investigative skills and impressive humour keep us hooked till the end.
John Sandford’s writing is sophisticated, and reveals his penchant for dark humour. Sandford knows how to keep his readers curious as well as entertained. His references to Elizabethan literature in a crime thriller is fascinating. Deep Freeze, aptly titled, is a chilling thriller which is at the same time, heartfelt and graceful.
How critics view the book:
Publisher’s Weekly writes, “Along the way to the satisfying ending, Virgil displays the rough humor and rough justice that make him such an appealing character.”
Booklist writes about Deep Freeze in a review: “One of the very best novels in a superior series.”
Kirkus Reviews writes, “As so often in Sandford’s small-town adventures (Escape Clause, 2016, etc.), the greatest pleasures here are incidental: clipped conversations, quietly loopy humour, locals mouthing off to and about each other. Pull up a seat, make yourself comfortable, and enjoy.”