Monday, January 5, 2009

"Phantom Prey" by John Sandford (audio)



Sandford's Prey series, featuring the hardened, streetwise, and ever-studly Lucas Davenport, are books that I cannot turn my back on. I have a compulsive want and need to read whose butt Lucas is kicking these days. A man's man through and through, Lucas continues to swear, get shot, B.S. with his cop buddies, bend to his wife's every whim, and chase down the latest bad guy (or girl). This may be the 18th installment of the series, but Lucas ain't dead yet. In fact, I think he is getting better with age.



A rich heiress has gone missing, and her mother, who is a couple cards shy of a deck, is begging for help in finding her. Lucas' wife, Weather, asks Lucas to humor the crazy lady (who happens to be her friend) and give it some of his special TLC. But when Lucas starts digging, he finds himself entrenched in the goth underworld, and things just don't add up. A string of murders occur, and it not only becomes apparent that they are tied in with the missing girl, but that they may have been committed by a mysterious "fairy" goth hottie. Then there is the missing $50,000. And the personal trainer that was sleeping with both the mother and the daughter. Then Lucas gets shot (it isn't a Prey novel unless some of Lucas' blood is spilled). Lucas doggedly chases down clues, running into more dead ends than he likes, and soon finds out there may be more than one rotten apple in the bunch.


This is classic Sandford. I can't say it is the best Prey novel ever written, but this is not really a criticism. You just can't beat the installment where he meets Weather and she saves his life with an emergency tracheotomy, or the one where he is obsessing over creating a list of the top rock -n roll songs of all time. It is kinda fun, actually, that Sandford secretly reveals to the reader one of the evil-doers about halfway through the book, and we get to see this person unravel into madness. Sandford is kind enough to save the discovery and arrest of another unlikely culprit for the end. He's also kind enough to leave us wanting for more.


5 comments:

Melissa said...

This is one of my favorite series and I am 2 books behind in it now. It's one I hope to get caught up on soon!

Sandy Nawrot said...

I never get tired of them. They aren't really highly intellectual, but you need a break now and again!

Literary Feline said...

I haven't had a chance to try anything by John Sanford yet, but I do want to someday.

Sandy Nawrot said...

Wendy - Hey I thought you were napping! Well, it is good to hear from you. You are missed! Anyway, if you do decide to read the Prey series, it is fun to read them in order. Not necessary, but the events of one book will at times carry over to the next. There are a lot of them, but they are quick reads!

paulalovescats said...

I've read a bunch of these, but I didn't try to read them in chronological order.
I have a white cat too! Mostly white.