Broken Prey (Lucas Davenport Series #16)

John Sandford writes the best police procedurals on the market today

The first body that of Angela Larson was found in a posed position, her body scourged, her neck sliced open, and ligature marks on her hands. The second corpse Adam Rice is found in the same manner with his young son killed as an afterthought. Lucas Davenport, who was at both crime scenes, concludes that the same person did the killings. When the news leaks to the media, parole officer Mark Fox Calls Davenport and tells him he thinks his parolee Charlie Pope, who was just released from St. John¿s mental institution for raping and strangling a woman was the perpetrator....................... Charlie is nowhere to be found. His trailer is deserted, he failed to show up for his job and the electronic surveillance bracelet he was forced to wear was cut open. He gets in contact with newspaper reporter Russell Ignace of the Star Tribune and tells him that he has a third victim that he will kill next. When Lucas learns of this, he leads a massive search to find the perpetrator but he is too late. Now Lucas really is determined to do whatever it takes to find and cage the killer...................... John Sandford writes the best police procedurals on the market today. The killer is playing a diabolical game, constantly shifting the evidence so it falls on the wrong person and Lucas doesn¿t catch on to the scheme until three innocent lives are lost. Even when he figured out what is happening, there is so many viable suspects that he and the readers will find it near impossible to identify of the killer. This who-done-it is one of the best Lucas Davenport tales in this long running series.................... Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm making my way thru ...

I'm making my way thru the J.S. "Prey Series" from start-to-finish & this is my favorite of the 16 I have read to-date. It's such a well-crafted story, told in a breathtaking way. There's not a single wasted word in this showcase of his writing style. I know this borders on cliche, but I literally couldn't put it down.

Loved it!

I found the beginning of this book a little disconcerting as it chopped and changed a fair bit. However, once I got into the story, I was hooked. The author maintains a good level of suspense throughout and the plot has more twists and turns than you would find in a maze. Interestingly, I was completely unable to pick the culprit until the author was ready for me to do so, which is fairly rare these days. If you like murder mysteries, you will love this book.

John Sanford

I decided to give this author a go when I read a reference about him in another book I was reading. I was enjoying that one, so I decided to try this author. I very much enjoyed reading my first book by him, and I hope to purchase others to read. A good story, human, realistic and believable.

Great as always

I love the Davenport series....Never a dull moment.

Broken Prey, John Sandford

Everything that John Sandford has written is riveting, thrilling and edge-of-your-seat, have to keep reading terrific. Broken Prey is no exception. For those of you who may not have had the pleasure of reading John Sandford, I recommend that you buy any of his 'Prey' books and prepare yourself for a good read.

In "Broken Prey", Lucas Davenport, seasoned investigator for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in Minnesota, is brought into a series of particularly heinous crimes where the body is put on display and left in a place that would be easily and quickly discovered. It goes on from there with the mystery stacking one on top of the other with Lucas one step behind the next murder. This is a definite read for those of us that love a good mystery/thriller.

Caught My Attention

I have not read or listened to any of John Sanford's writings, until Broken Prey. I was drawn from the beginning. Captured and kept captive to see what turn or trick was next. The Charater Davenport is just the kind of agent you would imagine more of the special crime agent would be like. I am only sorry that I started with a book towards the newest. I am loooking for the first 15 in the series to start from the beginning. I love them on CD so I can listen from my laptop or while in my car driving.

Another great saga in the series.

Good, solid character development and a great plot.

Greatness

I almost thought I was reading a different author. This book is fantastic. It actually has a few twists which in his past books were pretty rare. They were so straight ahead and too easy to figure out. This one however makes you think just a bit and its a hell of a story. I hope Sandford stays this way. He was very creative and his characters were fantastic. I loved when you read a book and you dont want to put it down and this was definitely one of them

The beginning of the end

I found this to be a tremendous work. The running tally of the greatest songs is great. The plot is just far fetched enough to be interesting without being completely insane. However, I fear the history of the best recurring in recent memory is about to come to an end. Given the financial situation of Lucas (which has been a great asset throughout)I do not see how he can continue to put his life on the line with a wife and small child. It is illogical and the Davenport is nothing if not logical. For all that I feel this book indicates it is a great read. The plot is dark and disturbing with moments of great levity. If you have never read a Prey book do not start with this one but it is well worth the time.

My First Prey & Not My Last

John Sandford has done a phenomenal job at keeping me on the edge of my seat! I never knew I could be so interested in horrific mystery novel until I picked up this book. Being farmiliar with the Twin Cities area was also a plus when reading this novel. I felt as if I had been traveling with Davenport the untire time. I will definitely read another book of his!

Never repetative

Having read all of the Prey novels, as well as the 3 Kidd novels, Broken Prey is no doubt a great read. Being from the Twin Cities, I can really realated to the locations and descriptions in the books. I will pick one of these up and crank thru it, and be done reading before I know it. Always a great read, never a dull moment

Forgotten from the top 100

Lucas forgot Roll On Down The Highway from Bachman Turner Overdrive. However, I am unable to pick one to replace. So, the list will just have to be 101 titles long. Would that help Lonnie turn the corner? I doubt it, but that's okay. Thanks for another great one John!!

My first Prey book I have read but Definitely not the last.

The book was definitely not to be put down, and the obscene crime situations certainly kept you 'engrossed.' However, my favorite part was the extremely timid patient at the end of the book who ended up with the list of the 100 Best Rock and Roll Songs... 'where are the Beatles' he anxiously shares with the group almost beyond belief? I guess he was a snapper!

Yippee, the old Lucas is back!

Wow, John Sandford must have listened. He dumped Weather and the kiddies in London and Lucas was kinda back to his old self. Kinda missed the gratuitous sex and violence.

He's done it again!

This book was fantastic and most enjoyable. The great part is that it isn't a must that you've read any of the other Lucas Davenport novels to enjoy.

get rid of Weather

another great Lucus novel, however I think they would be much better if he got rid of Weather. She is such a controller which undermines his intellegence and charisma. I have visions of the son growing up to be one of the 'bad guys' in someones novel and profilers saying he turned out bad because he had such a controlling mother. If Lucas gets a different woman, give her a real name.

This Series Rocks!

The Lucas Davenport series just keeps getting better and better. The characters have grown and gotten more 'textured' with every new installment. John Sandford is as dependable read as there is out there. Read them all!

Does Not Disappoint

Love the character development of this series. Keeps getting better. Excellent interactions and fantastic plot. I also recommend the haunting and beautiful 'Anna's Trinity.'

Great Book

I loved this book and read it in a day. It kept me scared like the Eyes of Prey, wondering when the next murder would take place and who it would be. The twists and turns made it impossible to put down. Lucas is still my hero...smart, funny, and emotional. After all he's seen and done, a dead body can still do a number on him. I really enjoyed the interaction between Lucas and Weather when he failed to mention the minor detail of getting shot. It restored my faith in the ability of a man trying to put one over on a very sharp woman.