String Trimmers - string trimmers, lithium-ion

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I looked at different cordless grass trimmers. I was tired of the gas trimmers that were hard to start and hard to hold. My muscles would quiver an hour after using a gas trimmer. I looked at the green works but found it too expensive. I wanted something simple. When I did receive the Sun Joe that battery was defective but they sent me a new one already charged up through UPS. I guess it had been a manufacturing problem since there was a letter that came with the Sun Joe that there were a handful of defective batteries. All in all so far I'm in love with the thing. It's powerful yet easy to hold. It's a lithium ion battery which means it lasts longer than a ni-cad battery. What's neat is you can use as both an edger and a trimmer and even has wheels to use as the edger. I trimmed both the front and backyard and did the edging and still have plenty of power left over. This one beats the black & decker and has more to offer. I do highly recommend it and see how reliable it will be over time. You no longer have to worry about if you can get it to start. You just press the button and go. I figured I saved over $100 just by getting this one versus the green works and about $23 over the black & decker. I asked and they will be coming out with a cordless blower in the future. This saves hassle and time as well as energy. Sun Joe TRJ600C Trimmer Joe 20-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with One Battery and Quick Charger

My first experience with this thing was awful, exactly as described by an earlier reviewer ("natethepa"). I didn't return it immediately because I really liked two things about it:



1. It's featherweight, far lighter than anything I tried at a big store - and I'm comparing with cordless trimmers only. The wheels make edging even easier.



2. The removable battery is tiny, weighs probably less than a pound, takes barely an hour to recharge (1.5 hours for the initial charge), and lasts at least half an hour, maybe more. Many other batteries require an overnight charge, but with this one you can come home from work, plug it in, eat dinner - and you're ready to go.



So I read the instructions again and discovered that the factory doesn't pull the string out of the spool as far as it should be pulled (WHY?????) and that the user must do it before starting. So I did, and the second time around, it didn't snap once, whether I trimmed or edged.



Obviously, this is not a heavy-duty machine, no brush-clearing with it, but it does a passable job for our suburban purposes. Also,



3. you need to press two buttons to start it but only one needs to be held after that, which is a lot better than my other cordless trimmer where three buttons have to be held at all times.



One star off for the terrible instructions written for litigation purposes only (three pages about not taking showers while trimming), while the all-important information about pulling the string out appears at the bottom of page 5.

In short when I first compared the Sun Joe Cordless trimmer to others on the market such as the Infomercial giant "Worx" it had all the features I needed with half the price. I was just skeptical about the quality of the item due to the price difference. Now that I have been using this product for three weeks straight without a hitch and loving it the more I use it I thought it was time to give feedback.



Pros: Flawless trimmer string advance system that has worked 100% of the time for me, plenty of power for completing a small yard off one charge, quick changing conversion from trimmer to edger (not many models off this feature), smell of fresh cut grass not gas fumes, perfect power and handling for trimming around lawn edging and stepping stones, takes standard trimmer line size .065 right from your local hardware store (no need to buy the pre-strung spools from manufacturer), super fast charging time of 1 hour and 20 Volt battery system to boot.



Cons: If you have a larger yard and plan to do a lot of edging you will need to plan for a recharge mid stream. This is ok for me as I use a manual reel mower and by the time I Finnish mowing the back yard the unit has already recharged after using it on the front yard. If you need to go non-stop with a large yard I would purchase a backup spare battery and alternate.



PLEASE take a deep breath and stop before operating this unit when you get it....READ the instructions! Some comments have been made about the instructions not being complete but they are now as I had no problems whatsoever. There have also been comments about defective batteries etc. and I can say I have had no issues with my battery and have gone through more than a dozen recharges and full use. Sun Joe offers a full 2 year warranty and is why i bought this unit to begin with.....that peace of mind for the 2 years was worth me risking the purchase of this unit and very glad I did.



I hope this helps someone else make a decision on this great little unit as I know there is not a very good marketing imitative for this unit by Jun Joe for some reason!

The battery charges really quick, the unit is very light & comfortable and I love it. The supplied cutting string was not heavy enough for what I was doing but I really put it to the test! I had some heavy cutting to do as I just moved into a new home and it was all over-grown: small Oaks & wild overgrowth. Not sure how long the battery lasts under 'normal' use but I beat it up for 45 minutes non-stop. I used a heavier cutting string, that's the only down-fall.

The unit is great. Love having the trimmer and edger, and while it doesn't have the power of a gas unit, it sure beats my previous (and more expensive) black and decker cordles unit! It's easy to assemble and easy to use. I had the same problem other reviewers did with the battery. Customer service was great. I hadn't yet registered it on their site for the warrenty, so the rep did that for me, then explained that they had some units with a bad battery and he apologized and said that I should have a new battery in a couple days...the whole call was done in under 5 minutes. I wish I hadn't had to go through the battey hassle, but they made it as painless as possible and definitely stood by their product. - Snow Joe - Cordless String Trimmer - String Trimmers - Lithium-ion'

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Best Wipers - valeo, windshield wipers

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I was previously using Bosch Icons before on my car and I was really happy with their performance until they wore out after only 4 or 5 months. The Valeo 600 wipers are rated Consumer Reports best value and have had very good reviews so I gave them a try. I've had them for about a month now and I dont know if they will get better with age but so far not very good. I use 24" on the driver side and 20" on the passenger side as well as one 20" on the rear. The 20" wipers seem fine but the 24" never wipes clean. It leaves a huge 5" wide unwiped streak on my windshield. Maybe these 24" dont fit my car very well (Acura RSX). I'll probably go back to using Icons but it was worth a try considering these are supposed to last a good long time and cost less than half the price of the Icons. Valeo 600-24 Series Wiper Blade - 24"

I researched wiper blades online and discovered that the Valeo 600 series wiper blades are the top of the line. I was nicely surprised to find out they weren't very expensive and ordered them immediately.



They are easy to install and work as they should... no streaking and no jittering. I love these wiper blades.

They seem well designed/constructed, much better than what I've purchased in the past in local stores, and at a good price.



Bought a pair for my Subaru, they fitted and worked well, so purchased another pair for my wife's Accord.



I always use RainX treatment (or similar) which I highly recommend doing for maximum visibility, and I suspect also improves wiper life.

These Valeo Wiper Blades are the BEST we have ever had. Have not used them in the Summer, but all thru the Fall & Winter they have out performed all other brands I have used over some 50+ years of driving. They cost a little more, but they are the BEST!

I've belonged to the "Wiper of the month club" for years. I've tried them all - I want quality and long life. I've had a pair of these on for nearly a year and I can't kill them. Best I've seen. I hope they don't change their rubber formula or change suppliers - Windshield Wipers - Valeo - Razor Blade - Best Wipers'

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Drill Accessories - hand tools, drill accessories

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I use these in my impact driver. The seem to hold up well. I have driven about 100 lags and have only broken 1 of these tips. I am sure that it would be equally as useful in a standard drill/driver. Be sure to buy a couple because they are easy to misplace. DEWALT DW2542 1/4-Inch Hex Drive to 3/8-Inch Socket Adapter

I bought this for my Milwaukee impact wrench for installing security cameras on cinder block walls. I was able to use a 3/8" socket with self tapping masonry bolts without swapping out tools on a 24' ladder. I felt for the time savings alone it was worth having.

I was glad to find this item on Amazon.com's website. 1/4" adaptors are so common but the sockets that use that drive only go up to about 1/2". Using this you can go up almost if not to 7/8" which can be useful. Heck one day my dad and I were working in the basement of our house and he didn't have a 1/4" adapter handy so WE got out this one and went to work. WHen I saw this I bought two one for him and one for myself. - Drill Accessories - Hand Tools - Power Tools - Woodworking'

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Featherboards - router, featherboards

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I purchased several of these. Initially they looked good, but in use they are annoying and end up breaking. Most other commercially available featherboards are better designed, better built and cost less! I am surprised other reviewers rate these so high, I suspect the ratings are given before much use.



1. The black plastic knobs that you use to tighten the featherboard in place capture onto a nut head. The largest problem with these featherboards is that it is easy to strip the black plastic knobs when they are tightened, allowing the plastic knob to turn freely on the captive bolt.



2. A better design would ensure a more positive capture into the track slot by having both black knobs works to lock the split aluminum bar into the track slot, in this design only one of the knobs does this. Which BTW is the one that strips as above, since you have to tighten it enough to stop the featherboard sliding in the track.



3. The black plastic knobs are small and feel cheap, other commercial featherboards have larger knobs that are easier to tighten.



4. Also after using them for a while you've start to hate the non-parallel bolt slots that the featherboard slides around on. Most other commercial featherboards have parallel slots and these are easier to adjust. Bench Dog 40-011 Feather-Loc Double Featherboard for Table Saws & Router Tables

I have been using these featherboards for a little while now both on my router table and on my table saw fence.

They do there job but I find it awkward and time consuming to set them up because of the non parallel slots.

I'm on just now to order one more pair. I appreciate Darrel's review above and want to add my thoughts.



Darrel is referring to the feather locks that come with an aluminum split bar you can use in a standard ¾ miter gauge slot. I got one of those when I purchased the cast iron Bench Dog router table that attaches to a table saw replacing the left table. BTW I love the router table. I got the fence and their switch, which all have been working great. The heavy cast iron table mated perfectly to my old Delta contractor's saw and the extra weight helps add mass to the whole saw. I bought a new porter cable 891 and love the whole set up.



I agree with you that the aluminum split bar thing is a joke. I looked at it once and never even tried it. It looks like it would only grip the slot at one end. I can imagine that you might strip the knobs out trying to tighten it sufficiently. I would trash that whole idea.



On the other hand, I love the feather locks used with the router table. They are really easy to use and work great. Routs are way cleaner with feather boards. I have two and need two more so I can use two on the table and two on the fence. It's hard for me to imaging breaking one when used for a router application. Another carpenter in my shop thought that the magnetic base feather board approach would be good for ripping on a table saw, which sounds like what you were trying to do?

Although it is possible to make these I decided to purchase the Bench Dog feather boards to go with my bench dog pro-top router table. I am glad I did as it makes it a lot easier to handle routing the longer items. The feather locs can be attached effortlessly, adjusted easily and are like an extra hand, making it easier to manipulate the workpiece and much safer. I think I could probably have made a pair but for $20 I think I made the right choice. Its a nice product and a feather board of some type is an excellent safety addition. They look great and work well.

I imagine they might have a good product but their marketing sucks.

I expect to take something out of a box and begin using it. You pay for a product and you should get something that works.



Once you try to use this, it doesn't adapt to your saw. Upon investigation, you need to purchase the adaptor which they offer for another $10 as I remember. Thats not what I expect from a business. I thought being made in the usa was good but I'd rather buy something chinese that I can use.



Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I purchased one of these on amazon a while ago. Initially, it was great. But as others have noted, they are not well made. They do strip out after some use, making them worthless. I did not use this often, so its not like it was heavily used - or abused. This is in a rarely used hobby shop, so saw very little action. These would last a week in a shop where they were used with any regularity. There has to be a better quality featherboard out there. I would not recommend this one - not even for a very light duty shop.

These featherboards looked good so I bought. In use they are hard to adjust because the slots are not parallel and the bolts bind. Because the slots get closer as you move the fingers closer to the blade, the featherboard has more leverage on it and is not that stable. They should have kept the slots parallel



Also, featherboards only work when the fingertips are parallel to the fence and these are hard to adjust.



The other problem is only one of the bolt knobs actually cause the miter track to expand to hold the featherboard in!! This is the biggest problem. The other bolt only pulls the orange plastic down to the track but does not expand in the slot. So there is always some rotational play in the featherboard.



The bottom line is-- this is an expensive featherboard with two insurmontable problems, so keep looking.

I bought these to go with a table saw I just purchased for home use and have used the bench dog featherboard before. My three star rating is not so much for the product as I thought it works quite well, but for the infomation given on the product.



You should know these two things:

1) The miter slot adaptor does NOT come with these feather boards. Either I did not read the item description very well, or it does not state this in the online info. It does however clearly state this on the packaging the item comes with. If you are expecting to use these featherboards on your 3/4" miter slots, you can't unless you purchase the adaptor. They fit 1/4" T slots.



2) The two featherboars that arrive are mirror images of each other. The photograph of the items online, as best as I can tell, shows two itentical items side-by-side. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but don't expect two identical boards. Use one in the left miter slot (once you purchase the adaptor) and the other will work in the right miter slot, or on your rip fence. - Bench Dog - Featherboards - Benchdog Router Table - Router'

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Garage Storage - overhead garage storage, bike lift

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We researched a lot of similar products via online reviews, settling on this one as having the greatest likelihood of highest quality / best price and WE ARE VERY PLEASED.



Here are some key things we'd like you to know:



1. It takes some time to get these things mounted right, so just plan on it... you need to string the rope through the 4 pieces and pulleys just so, mount them on joists just so, and ensure the distance between the two pieces is just right for your bike. We recommend at least two people, chips and salsa, and perhaps a coors light ;)



2. You can mount several bikes fairly close together if you offset the handlebars a bit forward and back among the mounts so that the handlebars never "share the same space." We bought 5 of these bike hoists and mounted them to run parallel to the joists spaced at 24" for mounting 5 bikes, one bike on each of five different joists mounted side-by-side. We bought long screws from the hardware store to replace those included in the package so we could securely screw through the drywall and further into the wood joists. We'd recommend including this hardware store errand in your time estimates for installation.



3. It is important that the BACK tire go toward the wall where the rope coming out of the brake will be cleated. The whole rope and braking mechanism works so well this way ... if you put the handlebars on the wall side like the picture for this product, then the handlebars block you moving the rope to operate the brake (trust, trust, trust me on this). If you put the back tire to the wall, the rope moves freely :) By the way, the braking mechanism in the pulley seems so sturdy you might choose not to mount/use the cleat, but it does feel safer to us to use it.



4. The distance between the ceiling and the bike will not be related to how far up the handlebars or the seat stick up ... it will be the length of the hardware above where it hooks on -- this may be important to you if you are mounting above a car and top-to-bottom distance matters. We mounted three of our bikes above a mini-van roof (the other two in front) and it was important to choose the lower profile bikes as not all of the bikes would have fit directly above the van. The "first bike" in line (at the front of the van) can be raised and lowered while the van is parked in the garage so that's a great location for whichever bike you'll be riding most frequently *or* for the bike of a kid not old enough to move the car in order to get his/her own bike down ;)



5. On arrival, the instructions said the mounts would hold 100 pounds (which is more than we had read here online). Our tandem bike fully equipped is just under 50 pounds and seems very secure and happy.



6. These are designed for the top rounded section of the lower hook assembly to fit into the rounded-out section of the ceiling mounted pulleys. The hook assembly will only fit into the ceiling assembly if the two pieces mounted on the ceiling are spaced EXACTLY to fit the specific bike where the hooks will grab the seat and handlebars. You'll be much more pleased if you take the time to get this spacing right (you can tell by letting the hooks hang down while you are choosing the mounting position ~ gravity will allow the ropes to work as a plumb line :)



7. Our thoughts relative to the complaints you might read about this product ... A. The rope has been fine, no fraying or other problems. B. The "hook" ends could be hook-ier without a doubt, although we've not encountered any problems with them (perhaps because we don't live in earthquake zones and we don't move with great haste :) C. Sometimes the front or back of the bike will raise or lower faster than the other end -- when this happens we simply grab the lowest tire and give it a boost up to level it which happens quickly and then it stays level for the rest of the up or down operation so it's never been a big concern. D. We mounted each bike directly into one joist (i.e., parallel/directly below one joist and not perpendicular between two joists) thus there was no need / benefit of mounting the brackets to a 2x4 first and then mounting the 2x4 to the ceiling -- we just mounted straight into the ceiling.



8. If you are going to cut the rope shorter, only do so when the bike is in the down position ... once the bike is lowered, this cool contraption uses a lot of rope!



9. Everyone in the family can operate these hoists easily -- they are so much safer and usable than the stationary hooks we used to have that involved lifting heavy bikes on and off. Also, if you leave the kickstand down as you put your bike up, then when you lower the bike on the pulley later, it will land ready to go :)



10. An unexpected benefit (beyond the extra garage space which we were hoping for) has been that all of us ride our bikes much more often than we used to. Putting the bikes up and getting them down is so easy that it has brought back a lot of frequency and joy to our bike riding experience.



August 2010 Update ~ Still using them and still loving them :)



Bon Appetit! RAD Cycle Products Ceiling Mount Bike Hoist

This bike lift is almost identical to the more expensive Racor list. We purchased a Racor first, then three of these. The only difference is slightly cheaper rope, and different pulleys. For the price, I'm happy that I went with this one.



Review from my Racor purchase (applies to all of them):

We purchased four lifts (three of this brand, one Racor) for our garage and are happy with them. We were able to position each bike about 16" apart and have no trouble getting any bike up or down.



I have several hints from our installation, and one complaints, but on the whole am very satisfied:



Positive:

* Works smoothly

* Clever, simple system

* Locking mechanism for rope is nice

* Installation is straightforward



Negative:

* Hooks need a safety strap, depending on where you attach them



Hints:

* I attached the hooks to a lower location on each bike to have the bike lifted all the way to the ceiling. This gives me enough room to stand beneath the bikes without bending my head.

* I used some of the extra rope, after cutting to an appropriate length, for safety straps for the hooks. Depending on where the hooks attach, they may not have enough bite to fully trust -- easy way to prevent potential injury (see an earlier post on earthquakes!!)

* I don't recommend using the supplied bracket for excess rope. I just coiled the rope and hung it from one of the quick-release levers on the bike. Works great, and keeps the ropes from getting tangled.



On the whole, I'm happy with our purchase. Almost identical to the Racor lift here Racor Ceiling Mounted Bike Lift #PBH-1R and a significant savings that adds up if you're buying several.



================================

UPDATE: January 20, 2010

================================

After living with these hoists for a while, I have mixed emotions:



* Hooks do not have a deep/aggressive enough curve, resulting in a less than optimal hold depending on what part of the bike you're trying to hold.



* Some sort of safety strap is necessary on each hook, partly due to the shape of the hook.. I dropped a bike several times due to the hook not holding reliably, a strap would have at least made this less painful.



* While the hoist makes the bikes easier to raise and lower (minus the hook issues), it is not able to get the bikes as high as simple bike hooks mounted in the same location



Given the lack of trust in the hold provided by the hooks plus the few inches of lost clearance that make a difference in our garage (though our mounting situation may be lower than yours) I've gone back to good old bike hooks to store our bikes. - Bike Rack - Bike Storage - Bike Lift - Overhead Garage Storage'

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Electric Sharpener - pencil sharpener, stanley bostitch

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I purchased this sharpener for classroom use because it was quiet and touted to be extremely efficient in the classroom. One month after beginning use, the sharpener stopped sharpening on one side. I returned the sharpener to the company and was sent another in the mail. The second sharpener never did sharpen on both sides. I tried every pencil in the drawer, some old, some new, various brands, with the same outcome: 1/16th sharpening on one side and full sharpening on the other. I contacted customer service via e-mail and was told the problem was the PENCILS. (Their studies show that many pencils are inferior and dry unevenly, thereby making it impossible to sharpen them.) I then tried other types, brands, etc. No improvement. I finally tried colored pencils, and notified the company that the sharpener would only sharpen colored pencils. They notified me that I had invalidated my warranty by sharpening colored pencils and they were off the hook.



Shortly after I notified the company a second time, I received a very nice e-mail from a company problem solver who settled the problem by sending a Super Pro 6 model. It has two sharpening blades and works beautifully. I suggest you pass on the Quiet Sharp 6 and purchase the Super Pro 6 model to begin with. The dual sharpener solved all problems inherent in the Quiet 6. Stanley Bostitch QuietSharp6(TM) Classroom Pencil Sharpener With 6-holes And Quiet Motor, Blue (EPS10HC)

Just replaced a schoolpro sharpener with this new Bostitch item. Have always been a fan of their staplers, so decided to give this a try. The first thing that really stood out was how quiet it was compared to the schoolpro model. I can actually let the kids sharpen during a lesson without disturbing the class. The sharpening speed is also far superior. I still have the shcoolpro in the classroom, but the kids all prefer the Bostitch due to how fast it is. Another great feature is the magnetic safety switch which gives me added peace of mind when letting the kids sharpen their own pencils.

I've always made do with the frustrating little handheld pencil sharpeners, but no more. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a truly sharp pencil!



I thought this might be a little more pencil sharpener than I needed, until I started sharing it with my mom. She now uses it for all her various sizes and hardnesses of drawing pencils, and she can't stop raving about it. So in addition to schools, it would be a good choice for art classes.



Keep in mind that quiet does not mean silent. It has to make some noise to do its job well, but it IS less noisy than other electric pencil sharpeners.



I've had the unit for about three weeks now, and I'm quite pleased with it. My only issue, and it's minor, is with the catch tray ("shavings receptacle"). It comes off a lot more easily than it goes back on. If you press too hard on the front of the unit to secure the suction cups, the catch tray will come off. Also, be very careful when you go to empty it. Be sure all the shavings are in the FRONT of the tray before you remove it. Otherwise, you could have a big mess on your hands requiring a Dustbuster for cleanup. (Yes, I speak from experience.)



If any problems arise with the unit in the future, I'll adjust my review and rating to reflect such problems. So far, I'm happy to recommend it.

This is the best pencil sharpener that I have ever used. I first saw it in the library at my son's Elementary school. That evening I found it at Amazon and purchased it for a fantastic price. This sharpener is quiet and fast and leaves a point that is strong and sturdy. I recommend this over many other products that are on the market.

I will not begin to count the NUMEROUS sharpeners we've had throughout the YEARS!!!! I will simply say that I absolutely love my 'SMURF'. We named it that. My kids should be in college when the time comes to empty the shavings tray, it is massive. The device is quiet (unlike my kids) and it has suctions underneath to prevent one of my lil ANGELS from knocking it off the table. I absolutely love it. The dial for additional pencil widths is a plus. I read a lot of the reviews and teachers gave high marks for the quality and performance. I have to agree. For those that look for negative reviews; you won't find one here. I am a happy lil momma. STANLEY BOSTITCH SHARPNER RULES. Thank you.

This Sharpener is Awesome! It sharpens all types of pencils quickly and quietly. I love that it automatically stops when the pencil is sharp. Works like a dream in my classroom. Thirty-five students go through a lot of pencils in a fourth grade classroom during the year. I've used other electric sharpeners. This one is the best. - Electric Pencil Sharpener - Bostitch - Stanley Bostitch - Pencil Sharpener'

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Lucas Davenport - virgil flowers, lucas davenport

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Dark of the Moon is a new book by John Sandford, author of the great Lucas Davenport series. Sandford uses a co-author in this novel that features Virgil Flowers, a cop working with the Bureau of Criminal Aprehension where he is assigned the hardest cases. Flowers has been divorced a lot, is somewhat afraid of guns, and takes pride in wearing quirky t-shirts. The book opens as he is traveling south to investigate the murder of a harmless ederly couple when he drives upon a house being devoured by flames. The house was set on fire to cover up the murder of the ederly, feeble and hated Bill Judd. Virgil teams with Jim Stryker, an old buddy and the current sherriff, and they start investigating the crimes. A lot is going on in this novel. Stanford throws a lot at the reader.



Dark of the Moon reads just like a Lucas Davenport book. Incredible plotting, tons of characters in the small town, you get to know the town and the feeling that everyone DOES know everyone else. Virgil is a funny guy, all Sandford books have an underlying humor to them. You can tell Sandford is having fun when he writes.



Flowers hooks up with Stryker's sister Joan and has a good time with her, while at the same time wondering if Joan or Jim could be the killer. In fact, everyone Flowers encounters has a motive or a reason to be a killer. Sandford fans will love this book. It is fast pace and full of twists. Flowers' wit always keeps you entertained as well.



With a new Davenport book due in the spring, fans of the author won't have long to wait for another great book. Hopefully, Sandford can continue to write novels featuring Flowers as well. Dark of the Moon

First, this is not another installment in the "Prey" series that features Lucas Davenport, one of the most fully developed characters in modern fiction. Second, this may be only partially the product of John Sandford. The Acknowledgment states the novel "was written in cooperation wsith my friend Larry Millett . . ." Sounds like Sandford got more than just an idea or advance reading from Sandford. If indeed Sandford has taken on a co-author, he should have the decency to tell us so forthrightly.



Virgil Flowers, a secondary character in recent Prey novels goes solo in this one. He still works for the Minnesota BCA and Lucas Davenport is his boss. But we read very litle of Lucas here and the interchange between the characters is practically non-existent.



So Flowers, the perpetual I'll-do-it-my-way guy is in Bluestem Minnesota helping out his old buddy, Sheriff Jim Stryker, find a murderer who has burned an old man to death and killed another elderly couple, shooting out the eyes of the husband.



Everyone is a suspect. The son of the old man, who happens to be the area's most hated multi-millionaire; the local newspaper editor; the Sheriff's sister (whom Flowers beds without adding to the story); the illegitimate daughter of the dead millionaire who suddenly proclaims her presence and entitlement to a chunk of the expected inheritance; a born-again Christian who used to be a criminal and maybe still is; a father-son brace of deputies who might be murderers and few others. In all, there are about a dozen primary characters, each of whom may be the murderer. Flowers, working almost alone, has to figure out who the bad guy (or gal) is.



In all, it's a good, kind of old-fashioned "whodunit". It's definitely a change from the "Prey" series. The writing is excellent, but different than what I've come to expect from Sandford. The editing, on the other hand, sucks. A couple of times, you have to reread to figure out which character is speaking. In one instance, a couple is referred to as having children - a supposed fact that is contradicted later in the book.



As a character, Flowers lacks the believability of Lucas Davenport. But it took at least a couple of "Prey" novels before Davenport started shaping up and Flowers is definitely off to a good start.



The ending is a bit of a disppointment and because I don't like "spoilers", I'm not going to tell you why. It isn't much of a disappointment, but the close reader will see what I am talking about.



On the whole, this is a good mystery, different in many subtle ways from the "Prey" series. But if you had never read a "Prey" novel, you wouldn't know the differences. Virgil Flowers is off to a good start as a character and I hope the we'll see more of him as a solo character in the future. By the same token, if Sandford has taken to using a co-author, I hope he has the decency to tell us so and to give the co-author proper credit. And I hope as well that we'll continue to see Lucas Davenport in more "Prey" novels. Davenport is still, by far, the more interesting character.



Jerry

Virgil Flowers who is working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is sent to Bluestem for some investigative work. Virgil's boss, Lucas Davenport the protagonist of Sandford's PREY series only gives Virgil "the hard stuff". Bluestem has some "hard stuff" going on. There's more than one secret, more than one scam, more than one strange character, and maybe more than one killer in the small town. It's hard to know who to trust when every one knows everyone's business.



The first third of the book was very compelling. I was instantly drawn into the story. I loved the character of Virgil Flowers. The storyline was suspenseful. I would give that part of the book 5 stars. After the storyline is set up and the characters are introduced the book runs into problems. The story just started dragging. There were not only too many subplots and tangents, there were way too many characters. A big problem for me, though I liked Flowers a lot, I absolutely did not care about any of the secondary characters. There was so little time in developing them how could you really care. By the last quarter of the book, I couldn't wait for it to end. It was a major disappointment. I do hope Sandford uses Virgil Flowers again as a main character, but next time I hope he tightens up the storyline, make a bit more plausible, use less characters, and make us care about more than one of them. - Sanford - Lucas Davenport - Virgil Flowers - Sandford'

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