Book: Field Of Prey by John Sandford

You wouldn’t think that it would be possible that the 24^th book of an ongoing series would be one of the best but that’s exactly what Field Of Prey by John Sandford is.

A young couple make a gruesome discovery and the hero of the Prey series, Lucas Davenport, is soon on the case. Aided by a local sheriff’s deputy Davenport must track down a killer responsible for the deaths of many young women as well as a colleague of his.

This is gripping stuff from start to finish and Davenport is back to his dangerous best as he throws protocol aside in the race to catch up with one of his most formidable foes yet.

As with all ongoing series I’d recommend starting at the beginning but Field Of Prey also works as an entry point to the series or a one off.

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Ric’s Rating: Essential. 

Book: Stolen Prey by John Sandford

An entire family has been murdered in the most horrific scene Lucas Davenport has ever seen. The level of violence and ruthlessness makes him immediately suspect the involvement of a Mexican drug cartel but he can find no evidence whatsoever to support this theory.

A tale of robbery, greed, drugs and murder follows featuring a whole host of unsavoury characters which includes: Three Mexican hitmen, disgruntled bank employees, a questionable Mexican cop and his assistant, along with Virgil Flowers who now has his own spin-off series of books.

While attempting to get to the bottom of all this Lucas must cope with an arm injury caused when he became the victim of opportunistic muggers. Will he catch up with them?

Being familiar with this series definitely enhances the reading experience as this one on it’s own doesn’t quite have the excitement of previous efforts, but as part of the series it’s another reasonably satisfying outing for Davenport and Co. largely thanks to the gripping finale.

Ric’s Rating: Good.        

Book: Buried Prey by John Sandford

The discovery of the bodies of two young girls at a construction site takes top cop Lucas Davenport back to his very first homicide case.

We travel back to the mid-eighties and join a much younger Lucas and rookie Detective Sloane (another recurring character from the Prey series) as they attempt to get to the bottom of the abduction of the Jones sisters.

When a suspect emerges Lucas can’t help thinking that something just isn’t right and despite force veterans being satisfied he continues his attempts to track down another elusive person of interest.

In this gripping police procedural the author shows how a flashback story should be done. A large chunk of the action takes place in the eighties but Sandford doesn’t dwell there too long and returns the tale to the present day at exactly the right point in the story.

The Prey series always takes the reader right into the heart of the investigation as leads are pursued and suspects eliminated and in this, the 21^st novel, there are even a few surprises as well as a shocking farewell to a well liked character.

Forget Cross and Reacher, for the best long-running series you have to check out Lucas Davenport in John Sandford’s brilliant Prey novels.

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Ric’s Rating: Essential.     

A - Z Challenge: R

R is for.................................Rules Of Prey by John Sandford.

Never have a motive.

Never kill anyone you know.

Never carry a weapon after you've used it.

These are just some of the rules laid down by a serial killer known as Mad Dog in the first installment of the fantastic Prey series, all of which feature maverick cop Lucas Davenport.

I have been enjoying the company of Davenport, his colleagues and his family for approximately 20 years now and they continue to excite and captivate.

John Sandford has created one of the most loved and enduring crime novel series and each time I begin the latest installment it's like sitting down for a drink with an old friend.

I highly recommend beginning with Rules Of Prey, you'll be in it for the duration if you do.

Sandford now has a spin off series featuring another cop from these books, Virgil Flowers and next month sees the release of the 21st Prey novel, Buried Prey.

I for one can't wait.

Book: Storm Prey by John Sandford

Twenty books in and John Sandford's Prey series featuring cop Lucas Davenport still delivers the goods. Every time a new one comes along it gives me a familiar comfortable feeling akin to the one generated by my favourite tv cop show, NYPD Blue.

A botched robbery results in the death of a hospital pharmacy clerk and on their exit the culprits are spotted by Lucas' wife Weather.

The mastermind behind the robbery is the shady Dr Barakat (a show stealing character) and he decides the best way to ensure his own safety is to eliminate ALL witnesses, including his accomplices. Lucas and the guys aren't about to let that extend to Weather who is assigned lovable rogue Virgil Flowers (who has his own spin off series) as her bodyguard while she performs an operation to separate conjoined twins.

The strength in Sandford's writing is the character development, everyone is well rounded and usually (as is the case here) there is no doubt who the villains are, giving you access to their thoughts, circumstances and motives.

An excellent outing and it gets by as a stand alone but the main players have been developed over so many years that if your a fan of crime thrillers I highly recommend starting at the beginning with the fantastic Rules Of Prey. You'll be hooked.

Ric's Rating: 84%

Top Books read in 2009

1. THE LOCH BY STEVE ALTEN

Murder mystery set against the legend and magnificent backdrop of Loch Ness.

2. STILL BLEEDING BY STEVE MOSBY

Disturbing tale takes you on a journey to the dark side of the internet and into the world of murder and suicide memorabilia. Mosby is one of the most original authors on the scene today and I highly recommend his books, but be warned, they are not for the faint of heart.

3. WICKED PREY BY JOHN SANDFORD

The long running Lucas Davenport series still delivers the goods but you'd need to start way back at the beginning with Rules Of Prey to get the best from this one.

4. BLOOD BROTHER BY JACK KERLEY

Carson Ryder tracking his serial killer brother in this top notch thriller.

5. INFECTED BY SCOTT SIGLER

Join "Scary" Perry Dawsey as he tries to stop "The Triangles" taking over his body. This book is far more than you'd expect. Highly recommended.