Silken Prey (Lucas Davenport Series #23)

( 156 )

Overview

The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner.

“If you haven’t read Sandford yet, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.”—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas Davenport’s going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.

Very early...

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Silken Prey (Lucas Davenport Series #23)

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Overview

The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner.

“If you haven’t read Sandford yet, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.”—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas Davenport’s going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.

Very early one morning, a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell. The next thing he knows, he’s waking up on the floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body wet with blood. When the car stops, a voice says, “Hey, I think he’s breathing,” and another voice says, “Yeah? Give me the bat.” And that’s the last thing he knows.    
 
Davenport is investigating another case when the trail leads to the man’s disappearance, then—very troublingly—to the Minneapolis police department, then—most troublingly of all—to a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness, and sheer will to make it happen.

No matter who gets in the way.

Filled with John Sandford’s trademark razor-sharp plotting and some of the best characters in suspense fiction, Silken Prey  is further evidence for why the Cleveland Plain Dealer called the Davenport novels “a perfect series,” and Suspense Magazine wrote, “If you haven’t read any of the Prey series, you need to jump on board right this second.”

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Governor Elmer Henderson hands Lucas Davenport a political hot potato in bestseller Sandford’s intriguing 23rd thriller featuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent (after 2012’s Stolen Prey). Incumbent Republican Sen. Porter Smalls had a slight lead for reelection, until a campaign volunteer accidentally discovered child porn on Smalls’s computer. Now Taryn Grant—a wealthy, ambitious, ruthless Democratic newcomer—might pull off an upset. Though Henderson is a Democrat, he believes Smalls has been framed, and tasks Davenport with quietly and quickly investigating. Up against two of Grant’s “security” men, both tough ex-military operatives, and the election deadline, Davenport needs all his smarts plus help from fellow BCA agent Virgil Flowers (the star of his own series) and computer genius Kidd. Sandford expertly ratchets up the suspense and delivers some nifty surprises as Davenport deals with political nastiness and paybacks regardless of party affiliations. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (May)
Kirkus Reviews
Dirty political tricksters give Lucas Davenport his most satisfying case in years. Even though he's a conservative Republican, Sen. Porter Smalls is widely known to be a lot more liberal in his sexual ethics. But not so liberal that you'd expect child pornography to pop up on his personal office computer. The horrified staffer who accidentally finds it there calls her father, and he calls 911. Minnesota governor Elmer Henderson, a Democrat, is no friend of Smalls, but he's impressed by his claims of innocence, and he doesn't want any blowback if the kiddie porn turns out to have been planted. So he calls Lucas Davenport, asking him to investigate but keep everything confidential. The hush-hush first phase of the case ends when Lucas finds evidence linking the porn stash to Bob Tubbs, a political jack-of-all-trades who's disappeared and hasn't used his credit cards for days. Given the cover of a homicide investigation, Lucas' Bureau of Criminal Apprehension takes the case public, solving one problem--how can Lucas talk to anybody if he's sworn to secrecy?--but raising another. For the trail leads to some very awkward spots: the Minneapolis Police Department, from which it's pretty clear the damning pictures came, and the campaign of Taryn Grant, the wealthy, well-connected heiress who wants Smalls' Senate seat. With the election less than a week away, Lucas is under intense pressure to get results without stepping on the feet of Grant, who Sandford (Stolen Prey, 2012, etc.) indicates early on is indeed in this mess up to her eyeballs. Meanwhile, another Sandford veteran to whom Lucas turns for help hatches a plot to steal Grant's jewels from the safe in her home. Complications ensue. Sandford keeps every stage of the investigation clear, compelling and suspenseful while peeling back layer after layer of a world in which "everybody was hot, everybody was rich."
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780399159312
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 5/7/2013
  • Series: Lucas Davenport Series , #23
  • Pages: 416
  • Sales rank: 660
  • Product dimensions: 6.40 (w) x 9.12 (h) x 1.58 (d)

Meet the Author

John Sandford

JOHN SANDFORD is the author of twenty-three Prey novels; six Virgil Flowers novels, most recently Mad River; and six other books. He lives in California and New Mexico.

Biography

John Camp (better known to readers as thrillmeister John Sandford) began his career as a journalist -- first as a crime reporter for The Miami Herald, then as a general reporter, columnist, and features writer for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press & Dispatch. In 1986, he won the Pulitzer Prize for "Life on the Land: An American Farm Family," a five-part series examining the farm crisis in southwest Minnesota.

Camp's interests turned to fiction in the mid-1980s, and he took time off to write two novels which were ultimately accepted for publication: The Fool's Run, a techno-thriller featuring a complex con man known as Kidd, and Rules of Prey, a police procedural starring maverick Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport. When both books were scheduled (by different publishers) to be released three months apart in 1989, Camp was persuaded to adopt a pseudonym for one. He chose his paternal grandmother's maiden name, "Sandford" for Rules of Prey, and the nom de plume has remained attached to all the books in the series.

Less Dick Tracy than Dirty Harry, hard-boiled, iconoclastic Lucas Davenport is a composite of the cops Camp met while working the crime beat as a reporter. Intelligent and street smart, Davenport is also manipulative and not above bending the rules to get results. And although he has mellowed over time (something of a skirt chaser in his youth, he is now married with children), he remains one of the edgiest and most popular protagonists in detective fiction. Fans keep returning to the Prey books for their intelligently hatched plots, high-octane pacing, and deft, fully human characterizations.

From time to time, Camp strays from his bestselling series for standalone thrillers (The Night Crew, Dead Watch), and in 2007 he introduced a new series hero, Virgil Flowers of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who debuted in Dark of the Moon. Although he is no longer a full-time journalist, Camp contributes occasional articles and book reviews to various publications. He is also a passionate archaeologist and has worked at a number of digs, mainly in Israel.

Good To Know

Don't confuse John Sandford with John Sanford -- it's one of Sandford's pet peeves. Sanford (without the "d") is a Christian philosophy writer.

The Sandford pseudonym has caused a few problems for Camp in the past. At an airport once, his ticket was reserved under Sandford, while all of his identification, of course, had the name Camp. Luckily, he had one of his novels with him, and thanks to the book jacket photo, he was able to convince airport security to let him on the plane.

The books in Camp's less successful Kidd series (The Fool's Run, The Empress File, The Devil's Code, and The Hanged Man's Song) have been re-released under the Sandford pseudonym.

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    1. Also Known As:
      John Roswell Camp
    2. Hometown:
      St. Paul, Minnesota
    1. Date of Birth:
      Wed Feb 23 00:00:00 EDT 1944
    2. Place of Birth:
      Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    1. Education:
      State University of Iowa, Iowa City: B.A., American History; M.A., Journalism
    2. Website:

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 156 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(76)

4 Star

(38)

3 Star

(22)

2 Star

(12)

1 Star

(8)
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 156 Customer Reviews
  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    The series has become too scripted. While new readers may need

    The series has become too scripted. While new readers may need the character background to get up to speed, it is really annoying for those who have read the series to get the same character and setting background material in every one of the books. It is a waste of time and serves primarily as filler material. If you go through the book and pull out all the stuff that is background and has been shared in previous books, you will be amazed at how much of the material is filler. Just like food leftovers, the old material has gone stale and is not appealing.

    This installment of the Prey series trots out a completely unrealistic number of former characters from the Prey, Kidd and Flowers series. Heck, it got so bad that I was seriously expecting Anna and Creek from the Night Crew to show up.

    Also, the constant theme of hiding one's identity by killing anyone who is a link is both trite and simplistic. Quite frankly, I got into the series because John Sandford was able to develop interesting characters with novel thought patterns and actions but the last few books are really getting weak and the large amount of killing is detracting from the story and character development that set him apart as a writer.

    This is the book where the Davenport series "jumps the shark" and I can no longer recommend it to others.

    17 out of 24 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Tedious read, at best

    Right to the point- Boring, Boring, Boring!
    John Sandford, if you're tired of writing the prey books, quit writing them. And those "Kidd" people, what were they doing in there? They didn't fit.
    The Flowers series is a lot more interesting, and I'm disappointed in this book.

    7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Lucas is as cool and interesting as usual. Just want to say I ha

    Lucas is as cool and interesting as usual. Just want to say I haven't grown tired of the Prey books! Love Lucas!!

    5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted Sat May 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Political thriiller and a good read--conflicting agendas of the

    Political thriiller and a good read--conflicting agendas of the characters keep you on your toes--Sanford does it again and even has a Virgil Flowers cameo appearance for us readers that have followed the series.

    5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    I have read all the Prey series and the Kidd series as well as t

    I have read all the Prey series and the Kidd series as well as the Flower series. I thought both series had gone off the rails with Mad River and Stolen Prey.I seriously disagree with the reviewer who thinks the series has become too scripted.Silken Prey put the series back on track.I recommend this book to others

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Exciting and fun

    Sandfords ar the top of his game still. Quite a few unexpected other charaters turn up, and are just as brilliant as they were in their own books

    3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    I am tired of John Sanford

    Get a new character. Davenport is annoying.

    3 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Another good Sanford

    Good story with a lot of old friends. Would like to hear more about how kidd snd lauren are doing. MargeL

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Tue May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    loved reading about Kidd and lauren......we need a new Kidd nove

    loved reading about Kidd and lauren......we need a new Kidd novel!

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Another good read by sandford

    Loved the book looking forward to when he finally gets tg

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Money

    Way to much money how are we sopost to enjoy the book when we have to spent that much!:(

    2 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    To much mony

    :(

    2 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Tue Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Love Lucas Davenport!

    Love Lucas Davenport!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    I wish this guy would write 10 books a year !

    Sanford just keeps getting better and better !

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Good job from Sandford.

    I am a huge fan of The Prey Series and I liked this one.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Highly recommended!!

    If you have read any of John Sandford books in the past, this is a must read. I have read all of his books and can't wait for the next one to come out!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Actually I would like to have given it a 2 1/2 rating. Where did

    Actually I would like to have given it a 2 1/2 rating. Where did our earlier Davenport books? The ones that had you staying up at night biting your nails waiting for what was coming up next.John, I believe that you are all storied out, if you can't come up with a sit on the edge of your seat book please don't write it. I so love the Davenport books and feel that he has done the character an injustice.I'm sure that once again I will pre-order his next Prey book and then be dissapointed again. I sure hope that I'm wrong.If you are a Prey lover you might want to take warning, even might want to wait until it is in the library or $2.99 books. I was really let down with this one.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Do Not Say

    I've just read the sample and been intrigued in the book ever since I started to read it. So far it is a wonderful book and I am certain I will buy it.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Off the chain

    2 chainz

    1 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013

    Eksk

    Ik.sjddnzrdkr

    1 out of 26 people found this review helpful.

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