"Rough Country"

John Sandford's "Rough Country" is the third book he's written in the Virgil Flowers series and it is another great read although this time we don't know who the murderer is from the beginning of the book.

Virgil and his friend, Johnson, are out fishing when Virgil receives a call from his boss, Lucas Davenport, informing him that a very wealthy woman has been murdered nearby while on vacation and he needs Virgil to cut short his vacation and head to the murder scene to work the case.

As Virgil investigates, he learns that the resort where the woman was staying is an all-female resort often frequented by lesbians and the nearby town also has a lesbian band as well as a number of other lesbians.  Wendy, the leader of the band, seems to be pivotal to this murder as well as another murder that took place in Iowa a couple of years earlier.  Both women were offering Wendy the opportunity to go big time with her band but, before they could make good on their offers, they ended up dead.

However, the case is muddled when another local woman - an older married woman - is shot and severely injured while out biking and, initially, Virgil can find no reason that would link her to the case.

Wendy's younger brother, who was pretty much raised by Wendy (after her mother ran off with another man and abandoned her family) becomes Virgil's prime suspect.  A manhunt ends with the brother being severely wounded and in the hospital and a prognosis that doesn't look good.  When Virgil begins to look at the case again, some fresh ideas come to him and the whole case takes a new turn with a very unexpected ending.  Sandford is such a great mystery/crime writer and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!  pazt