Book Review - Phantom Prey by John Sandford
Category Book Review John Sandford Phantom Prey
John Sandford's Prey series is one that I've followed over the years. But the last few books seemed to be losing much of the spark that drew me to them in the first place. The latest installment in the series is Phantom Prey, and it finally came in at the library. Based on the way things had been going, I wondered if this would be the last one I'd read for a long time. Fortunately, Phantom seems to get back to some of the more exciting style of writing that originally drew me in. While not perfect, it's definitely a welcome change in direction.
Lucas Davenport is somewhat coerced into looking into the murder of a young gothic'ish woman, the mother of which is a friend of his wife, Weather. He figures he can make a few calls, sound like he's interested, and then let the regular cops carry on with their investigation. But before he can make much of an effort, another goth murder occurs, and there appear to be ties to the daughter. After the third killing in just a few days, Davenport is completely committed to the case, not knowing if they are random incidents or all tied back to the daughter. There's an incredible lack of evidence in the killings, and he's forced to look at things in ways he normally wouldn't consider. And one of those ways seems to point back to a person who would seemingly be above reproach...
In the earlier Davenport novels, you saw a lot of mind games and interesting trails of though due to Lucas's background as a game designer. But since he's been put into management, there seems to be less of that element, and I think it was the piece that made the novels special. Phantom seems to drift back more to that core premise, and there are plenty of psychological twists and turns going on. And once Sandford lets it be known who the killer is, the head games really begin.
I'm hoping that Phantom Prey marks a return to the Lucas Davenport style of the earlier books in the series. If so, I'll definitely keep reading along. Otherwise, I could easily start missing new episodes without too much regret.
John Sandford's Prey series is one that I've followed over the years. But the last few books seemed to be losing much of the spark that drew me to them in the first place. The latest installment in the series is Phantom Prey, and it finally came in at the library. Based on the way things had been going, I wondered if this would be the last one I'd read for a long time. Fortunately, Phantom seems to get back to some of the more exciting style of writing that originally drew me in. While not perfect, it's definitely a welcome change in direction.
Lucas Davenport is somewhat coerced into looking into the murder of a young gothic'ish woman, the mother of which is a friend of his wife, Weather. He figures he can make a few calls, sound like he's interested, and then let the regular cops carry on with their investigation. But before he can make much of an effort, another goth murder occurs, and there appear to be ties to the daughter. After the third killing in just a few days, Davenport is completely committed to the case, not knowing if they are random incidents or all tied back to the daughter. There's an incredible lack of evidence in the killings, and he's forced to look at things in ways he normally wouldn't consider. And one of those ways seems to point back to a person who would seemingly be above reproach...
In the earlier Davenport novels, you saw a lot of mind games and interesting trails of though due to Lucas's background as a game designer. But since he's been put into management, there seems to be less of that element, and I think it was the piece that made the novels special. Phantom seems to drift back more to that core premise, and there are plenty of psychological twists and turns going on. And once Sandford lets it be known who the killer is, the head games really begin.
I'm hoping that Phantom Prey marks a return to the Lucas Davenport style of the earlier books in the series. If so, I'll definitely keep reading along. Otherwise, I could easily start missing new episodes without too much regret.
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