With so many of the “Prey” series novels written, it isn’t surprising that John Sandford has been focusing more on family in each book and less on his signature character Lucas Davenport. Beyond the fact that Lucas has been married for many novels now with children, there is his work family of the folks at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. They always play many roles in the books and that is not an exception here. The last several novels have also featured the criminal family– united by blood, a need to get even with Lucas, or some other circumstance.
The latest in the series “Wicked Prey” opens as many have lately in the criminal family arena. Brutus Cohen and Rosie Cruz, both aliases, are in St. Paul looking to link up with other members of their gang in the days before a big score. The Republican convention is also in town and the gang has big plans to take advantage of all that money. The fact that the political money men really can’t let out to the police what happened to them or how much money they lost just makes the job easier and very lucrative. And ripping off the money men is just the start on a much larger plan.
Naturally, Lucas and his people are called in to work the case. It isn’t the first time Lucas has handled a sensitive political situation and the illegality of what the money men are doing is without question. But, the world of politics is what it is and the bigger issue is that Brutus Cohen and Rosie Cruz and other members of the gang have a history of killing law enforcement and civilians. A nasty pattern that quickly repeats itself making Lucas and his team frantic trying to find these killers before others get hurt or killed. Naturally, things go sideways and then very bad with events becoming increasingly violent and harder to deal with from a media and publicity angle while the death and injury count climbs.
If that isn’t enough, there is the secondary story line of his adopted daughter, Letty, who at a very sophisticated fourteen, is messing with a psycho. A psycho who wants Lucas Davenport to suffer before him he kills everyone in the family. Yet another storyline involves a shooter who wants to take a shot at McCain.
Once again, John Sandford tells us virtually all the bad guys and bad gals in the opening chapter. So there is little mystery to figure out. Instead, this book is all about the chases and the hunts for the various suspects. Unfortunately those various chases are less than riveting which leads to a lack of suspense or thrills for the reader.
The various chases also lead to major ethical questions regarding the Letty storyline. Not only is there a major plot point hole regarding her age and her internship for a local media outlet, the actions she takes in this novel go far beyond what Lucas has done in the past. She really does seem to believe and live the concept that the ends justify the means and doesn’t care who she sacrifices to achieve her goal. By the end of the book one begins to wonder if she is a budding psychopath headed to be in direct and violent conflict with Lucas. The fact that he becomes aware of her actions and says absolutely nothing about the matter raises serious questions as to his responsibilities as a father.
The main case, the search for Cohen and Cruz, holds some interest even though the chase is disjointed, scattered, and is not totally resolved leaving open and guaranteed a sequel with some of these villains. A lot of authors seem to be doing that these days by bringing back the same criminals for return engagement after return engagement. Biggest case in point for that are recent books by Robert B. Parker.
However, the biggest issue by far is the read itself in that the book doesn’t read like a John Sandford novel normally does. Language is almost always unnecessarily graphic lately and that continues in this novel with Lucas and others using the f-word in every situation regardless of event, audience, or suitability. Beyond that fact, there is the feeling that the novel just flat out doesn’t read like a Lucas Davenport novel. The voice, style, whatever that elusive quality was that made a Lucas Davenport novel read like one is gone from this book.
Ultimately, that is our loss as readers. One hopes that John Sandford can get that quality back—and soon.
Wicked Prey
John Sandford
G. P. Putnam’s Sons (part of Penguin Group)
2009
ISBN# 978-0-399-15567-3
Hardback
402 Pages
$27.95
Book provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2009
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8 users commented in " Book Review: “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMr Tipple, you wrote: “The main case, the search for Cohen and Cruz, holds some interest even though the chase is disjointed, scattered, and is not totally resolved leaving open and guaranteed a sequel with some of these villains.”
The two main villains - Brutus Cohn, the most violent, and Rosie Cruz, the brilliant mastermind, are both killed in the final chase. I don’t know how even Sandford could bring them back for a sequel.
If you have read the book, you know the others got away.
Yes, I read the book, Kevin. But the only ones who “got away” were “lesser villains,” two characters who are hardly worthy of a sequel. One was a minor character, the girl friend of the main villain, Brute, and she was not involved in the gang’s crimes. She stole 2 million from the gang. The other was one of the four main gang members who only wanted to go back home and work on his farm - and get out of the crime business.
What surprised and disappointed me about the ending was that there was no mano a mano kind of face off between Brute Cohn (not Cohen) the worst killer villain and Davenport. And Rosie Cruz the mastermind got shot in the back.
Kind of a let-down for me as an ending. Especially when the two lesser villains got away with the money. If I were Davenport I would not chalk that result up in the “win” column.
I think you are minimizing their potential regarding a sequel. I was kind of glad he didn’t go the cliched route of having Cohen and Davenport go one on one.
However, I think we agree that overall this one wasn’t one of his better books.
See, I liked Wicked Prey just fine. I can pat myself on the back having read every single ‘Prey’ novel, and I love John’s style, and I like the fact that his character is aging a bit, Lucas is maturing a little. Sure, he is still a babe hound, to an extent, (like most guys regardless of their matrimonial ties,) but he does not act on it. Lucas is maturing, learning there’s more to life then a roll in the hay. I think Lucas is a great character! I’m a little concerned for the fact that he is letting Letty get out of hand….could be just the motherly voice in my head but…..
As for the use of the f’word - that is just a fact of life in the police business (and most other areas of life when constantly dealing with high levels of stress,) and adds realism to the story. Nothing wrong with that. It’s not like the ‘Prey’ novels are competing with Harry Potter or anything. We are all adults here. Get over it!
I, too have read every single one of the Prey books plus “Night Crew”, and I think I didn’t realize it was a John Sandford book until halfway through it. I was a little diappointed in the book. I read one review of it, and it wasn’t good, but I wanted to read it anyway. It lacked the suspense that his other novels usually have. Even the denounment was a little flat. What I want to complain mostly about it is, I GET IT, MR. SANDFORD. You hate Conservatives/Republicans. In this novel and the one before it, you have said some really ugly, unflattering things about the Republican party. I was so angry, I actually felt sick to my stomach. I almost didn’t finish “Invisible Prey” because of his political ugliness. Why does he have to bring politics into things? Now I’m disappointed in Mr. Sandford. Got to give it to him, which surprised me, that when Davenport was “so disgusted” with the Republicans for giving out money, it was brought out that the holier than thou Democrats did the same thing, however, I read between the lines of his dislike for the Republicans. Look who’s calling the kettle black, Mr. Sandford. Please leave the politics out of your books, and please, only white trash people cuss in front of their kids and let their kids cuss, so let’s stop the cussing. I don’t mind it when its with the police people, but not when its discussions with Davenport and Letty and Letty and other adults. That’s disrespectful. what kind of examples are they setting for teenagers reading the book, or for the fictional Letty and Sam characters?
I am sorry,in my above review, I accidentally mentioned “Invisible Prey”, I meant, “Phantom Prey.”
My husband and I listen to audio books while traveling and the “Prey Series” is our favorite.
The Language is “real life” Police talk. Wicked Prey was as exciting as the rest of the series. The only issue is that my husband tends to drive faster when the action heats up! I’d love to see a movie of any of these books. I vote for George Clooney as Lucas and Patricia Belcher of “Bones” as Rosemary Ruix
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