This ninth part move on two levels as Virgil finally falls in love with someone but there is another problem someone else has started loving him. And that someone is not his beloved but her sister. The second thing is the usual mission that he is always assigned. The mission takes him to a zoo in this chapter and it seems that John Sandford has started experimenting with the series.
It’s not murdering now that we have seen all the time and which was supposed to be a common ingredient in the initial parts like Bad Blood and Shock Wave. The series has gone into a new dimension as our agent deals with the stealing of the baby tigers from the zoo. The Amur tigers famous for their body parts are supposed to like a relic in traditional Chinese medicines.
As times runs out for Virgil in the case he has two ladies in the house that demand his care one, of course, is his girlfriend Frankie that he is soon going to marry. The other girl, however, comes in his house and shows sudden affection towards him that really makes him worried about his relationship with Frankie.
Because the other girl Sparkle is Frankie’s sister. To Virgil’s bad fortune Sparkle enters herself into a case that brings a band of violent people on her tale thus the poor Virgil finds himself in a precarious state this time. Eric Conger narrates the two female characters excellently and the jealousy between them is shown brilliantly.
This is for the first time we start hearing about Virgil’s personal life as well which means that our hero is soon going to settle in life permanently.
