Sudden Prey (Lucas Davenport #8)

First pages. Seventeen cops, mostly having conversations; with purp. Then: Shes on I-94 going 53 in a 65 zone… Some other cop somewhere; Smart. Were ready. In a bank, robbing it, are two women with the same name, one shoots a guard. WHEN? Someone likes killing people. Is this a sting? A stake-out? Why are there cops getting in and out of vans? WHO are driving vans? To catch the women AFTER the bank robbery ALLOWING the women to either rob the bank or following them in a van or waiting in a rest stop. The cops are casual. Bored, Who is following who? ANYONE? Davenport, our anti-Hero has a conversation (IN the bank?) with the chief, a woman, who is depressed, saying itll look bad (the shot guard? The sting? The bank robbers are in a van WHILE shopping in Sears, or just having, or just now robbing the bank. Catch them later? (WHILE robbing the bank? While shopping for appliances at Sears, while robbing the bank, or being set up in a nearby rest stop?) Chief is in the bank, Implying the press will say it looked like the women (either in the bank or in a van or in the rest stop or in the SEARS?). Cops named Sloan and Del, regulars, are either following the women in a van, or not. Shes coming up on the rest stop. WHO is? There are seven kids in a van (the escape van?) Who is following who if anyone is and before or after? Davenport puts on a bullet-proof vest. Takes it off. Pulls on a sweater. WHEREVER… WHY? Where IS he? Where are the same-named bank robbers whod just been in a Sears looking at WASHING MACHINES? WHO is tailing the… oh, I give up.

A credit union branch robbery goes bad. Lucas and his cops are in wait and the robbers are gunned down. The thieves were related to a psychopath whose sole purpose now becomes to exact revenge on the cops and their family members. Along with a couple of cronies he proceeds to do just that. In the process some secondary innocents are also snuffed out, as these psychos are without conscience.

Add the absolutely freezing Minnesota winter weather and a dirty cop into the mix and you have, pretty much, a non-stop page turner. There really are no big twists written into the story; small ones will do as the novel is so well written. Its another winner in the Prey series.

I am an ardent John Sandford fan. I recently purchased and read the complete Prey series and then the complete Flowers series in order, and I’m only sorry I’ll have to wait for the next book in both series. Sandford is a novelist with the rare ability to carry over characters and plot elements with complete believabiity while allowing both to develop in interesting, unexpected but natural ways – the only other “serial” novelist who does this nearly as well is Anthony Trollope, and he avoids murders. I re-read these books with pleasure as great or greater than the first reading because the fast-paced narrative and unexpected plot developments pulls you to read fast the first time; the second or third you can pay attention to atmosphere (he’s great on significant landscape detail), character growth, and situation development. Sandford writes like a real novelist, not like someone trying to impress academia with his literary exclusivity.

Im on my 3rd time around reading this series and what I find most compelling is the characters and their back and forth with one another. They seems so real. I laugh out loud, I agree with them and sometimes I debate within myself their views. The Lucas Davenport character I love so much I wish I could meet him … but he doesnt exist … or maybe he does somewhere just not in exact verbatim of the guy in the book. But I also love Sherrill and Sloan and Del. These characters are just so real! There are other series and books that I like but none, absolutely none, as much as this series!! Makes me think, with a little sadness, how all things come to an end …

So far ive read 3 Sandford books and each takes climactic stress to an utmost taught string that the reader finds tbemselves saying…”waitaminute!” there’s absolutely No Way it would happen like that! His dramatic action sequence moves so quickly that the immersed reader (along w Lucas Davenport) cant catch a breath or a calm thought…which makes one not have time to question the plausibility of the plot…until you do. Then you realize — nahhhhh it wouldnt have happened like that!

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