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Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport #18)
After one troubled college-age student disappears and two are found slashed to death, Lucas Davenport finds himself hunting what appears to be a modern-day Jack the Ripper. But Lucas keeps getting the sneaking suspicion that there is something else involved. Something very bad, very dark, and as elusive as a phantom.
Paperback, Large Print, 535 pages
Published
May 5th 2009
by Large Print Press
(first published May 6th 2008)
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The latest installment in the Lucas Davenport series. Excellent plot and pacing. Sandford just never misses. His writing is sharp and clean and fast-paced. He always has kind of a "double" plot---the main story and then a side story of another case Lucas is working on. In this book, both stories are exciting and interesting.
The main plot has a nice sinister, otherworldly edge to it, which I haven't seen in this series before. Sandford took a little Stephen King and p...more
The main plot has a nice sinister, otherworldly edge to it, which I haven't seen in this series before. Sandford took a little Stephen King and p...more
I'm completely addicted to the Prey series. The last one slightly disappointed me so I was tempted to not buy the hardback to this one.
But I did.
And it was great! This involves Lucas Davenport, as per usual, working a couple of cases. The cases for this round involve the death of a "Goth" girl and a mobster type person.
Weather is friends with the Goth girl's mother, who implores Lucas to take the case. He does, out of kindness and the promise of kink...more
But I did.
And it was great! This involves Lucas Davenport, as per usual, working a couple of cases. The cases for this round involve the death of a "Goth" girl and a mobster type person.
Weather is friends with the Goth girl's mother, who implores Lucas to take the case. He does, out of kindness and the promise of kink...more
Mary
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sandford fans and crime novel fans.
Shelves:
popular,
mystery-crime-fiction
Another good one in the "Prey" series by Sandford. Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a Goth killer this time. As usual, the reader discovers the identity of the killer before Davenport and it's interesting to see how he discovers the truth after myriad distractions and diversions. A subplot includes the stakeout of a Lithuanian gangster pad - doesn't really add anything to the story except for Lucas and Del to bounce ideas off each other. No real personal additions to Lucas' backgroun...more
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Back when I was a little punk rock girl, I used to cringe whenever I saw punk rockers depicted in books or on film, because it was inevitably horrifying and wrong. Maybe that's why I cringed at the whole Goth thing this book had going. It was sort of like listening to your grandparents attempt to be hip by using slang words they read in Time magazine.
Horrifying wrongness aside, I also found the villains to be rather boring, and the book dragged whenever it switched to their POV. A m...more
Horrifying wrongness aside, I also found the villains to be rather boring, and the book dragged whenever it switched to their POV. A m...more
Lucas Davenport is a good-looking, married cop in the Twin Cities who’s risen in rank over the life of 18 ‘Prey” titles to head the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He endures the bureaucracy and mingles well with the political ties his title demands, but prefers to be on the street and catch the bad guys. In Phantom Prey, Davenport enters the Goth community and does just that.
Sandford’s writing is sophisticated and contemplative as well as fast-paced. In reflecting over the pat...more
Sandford’s writing is sophisticated and contemplative as well as fast-paced. In reflecting over the pat...more
Phantom Prey is #18 in John Sandford’s best-selling Prey series, the latest of which is #21. It’s one of a total of 33 novels Sandford has published since 1989, all of which seem to be set in his home state of Minnesota.
An innocent reader might wonder how Sandford finds so many clever plots involving the life of law enforcement officers in Minnesota, which is after all a state with a population of little more than five million people. That same reader might also wonder how Sandford ca...more
An innocent reader might wonder how Sandford finds so many clever plots involving the life of law enforcement officers in Minnesota, which is after all a state with a population of little more than five million people. That same reader might also wonder how Sandford ca...more
Not bad, but...Sandford has started to really repeat himself, and get on a kick for half a book or so, different characters saying certain phrases repeatedly. In this book, one of the repetitive phrases is "Oh poop." Even Davenport says it, which is not likely judging by his personality and lingo in past books. He's usually not so cutesy; he's crude and rough, and I doubt "Oh poop" would be in the Lucas Davenport vernacular.
And several different characters bring ...more
And several different characters bring ...more
After following the advise from the staff at my local book store, I started reading John Sandford’s Prey Series last November (2010). Over the past seven months, I have read the series in order beginning with Rules of Prey. Over all, I enjoy Sandford’s writing, and intend to continue reading the series; but Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport, Number 18) is not Sandford (Camp) at his best.
Sandford's female villains have traditionally been his stars (i.e., Carla Rinker- Certain Prey and Mort...more
Sandford's female villains have traditionally been his stars (i.e., Carla Rinker- Certain Prey and Mort...more
I am slowly reading my way through Sandford's Prey Series and for the most part I do enjoy the books. I had a hard time getting into this particular installment though. It took me a month to get through this book and that is an unusually long time for me to finish a book once I begin. I set it aside several times, but I did not want to give up on it.
There was more than one plot line happening in this story, and I found that somewhat distracting. As usual, Sandford does a good job des...more
There was more than one plot line happening in this story, and I found that somewhat distracting. As usual, Sandford does a good job des...more
Linda O
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lovers of fast-paced crime - without much introspection
453 pgs. 2008. Once again, our reluctant hero, Lucas Davenport, vanquishes the forces of evil in a very seedy and gritty representation of a lovely city in my home state, Minneapolis, Minnesota! Of course, it's been awhile since I've lived there, but I really do not recall all those weird sociopaths walking around everywhere. :) Seriously, Sandford always provides a good, fast read and Davenport is a great champion of justice and goodness. I'm fond of his wife Weather (a surgeon) and there's alw...more
I picked this book up at the Goodwill after having donated a shopping bag full of old clothes. My next errand was to take my daughter to the doctor and I'd left my Kindle at home. Having read a few of Sandford's "Prey" books, I figured this one would do.
I have to admit I was a bit ticked off at the cashier who thumbed through it and pronounced it as having "zero entertainment value." I wondered if she gave opinions on clothing and furniture choices as well.
...more
I have to admit I was a bit ticked off at the cashier who thumbed through it and pronounced it as having "zero entertainment value." I wondered if she gave opinions on clothing and furniture choices as well.
...more
John Sandford's "Prey" series started off as a Thomas Harris-influenced crime series with a detective hero only slightly less demented and violent than his quarry. Over the years, Sandford has tempered his hero's extreme behavior and turned the "Prey" books into the most reliably entertaining police procedurals now on the market. This is an okay entry. It starts out promisingly, then starts losing steam as the murderer's identity comes into focus. The identity, when revealed,...more
Straightfoward, tough, methodical and determined. One of the best things about reading John Sandford—and following Lucas Davenport—is you pretty much know what you’ll get. I am no Sandford expert by any means but the reason I picked this up is I knew I could assured of a connect-the-dots plot and masterful sleuth work. Check and check, both are here in spades. “Phantom Prey” deals with a series of murders and one disappearance of a series of young “Goths,” who favor a certain look and dark v...more
What do a coke dealer named Siggy and a Goth couple called Fairy and Loren have in common……only the fact that they are being pursued by a cop named Lucas Davenport and that they all appear in John Sanford’s novel PHANTOM PREY. I have read many of the prey books and enjoyed them but the entire concept of this book is akin to viewing an episode of the Ghost Whisperer with Melinda visiting SHUTTER ISLAND. On top of that, the secondary story of Siggy and his exhibitionist spouse was dull, dull, du...more
The only reason I don't give it five stars is that it may not be an important work of literature, or something. But maybe I'll change my rating; this Prey book may be something more important. It is what a Stephen King book aspires to be, but in my opinion all the King books fail due to their lame phrasing and attempts to appeal to all Americans just through random vulgarity. On the other hand, this Prey book (most of them, but this one particularly) is appealing because it tells an interesti...more
This was my first John Sandford book. Highly comparable to James Patterson, but to a Minnesotan, even better! I really enjoy being able to picture where the characters are, since the setting is in Minnesota. I also enjoyed how the author follows more than one case for the main character, keeping your brain working throughout the story. This book followed the murders of young people in the Goth scene in MPLS, following Lucas Davenport as he tries to make sense of why all these people are being sl...more
John Sandford keeps cranking out great dialogue, credible story lines, convincing characters. Lucas still has plenty of testosterone in his tank at his advanced age.
I've read quite a few of the Prey series books. Being from Minnesota myself, its always interesting because the stories are set there and I'm familiar with a lot of the areas that are discussed in the book.
Compared to the other books in this series, I would say that this was an okay read. The premise is that an old friend asks Lucas to help her solve the murder of her daughter. It just so happens that people that knew her daughter are also being murdered. I thought the storyline unfo...more
Compared to the other books in this series, I would say that this was an okay read. The premise is that an old friend asks Lucas to help her solve the murder of her daughter. It just so happens that people that knew her daughter are also being murdered. I thought the storyline unfo...more
I wouldn't miss a Davenport novel and would like to see all of these in movies one day (or even better as a great HBO series). Still, this one isn't at the top of my list. It seems like the killers are getting crazier with each novel. If you haven't read stories about Lucas Davenport, don't start here--go back to the beginning of the series. Or, read my favorite continued plot in this order: Certain Prey and then Mortal Prey. If you have read most of them, try Heat Lightning to learn more about ...more
Woman comes home to find blood on her wall and her college-age daughter unaccounted for. As a friend of Weather, she asks her to get her husband Lucas Davenport involved. Lucas follows the trail to several goth killings. He is also involved in tracking down an escaped fugitive who was a drug dealter. Lucas gets shot by suspect. Lucas just one step behind killer in several places. Winds up looking for fairy goth. Lucas forgets number one rule - follow the money. That leads to original mur...more
I love this series, but didn't care for this book all that much. The best scenes in the book weren't about the main mystery / crime, but the secondary one. Watching Del and Lucas watch the girl in the apartment was funny, but in the end she was the one laughing. For some reason I kind of admire her for it. The main mystery / crime was odd. Once you figured out what was going on it was still odd. I didn't have any sympathy for the main character involed and really didn't care what happened ...more
Book Review 2:
Phantom Prey was written by John Sandford. It is his eighteenth novel following detective Lucas Davenport. Sandford started writing Lucas Davenport novels in 1989, with Rules of Prey. When his “Prey” novels became more popular, Sandford would write them on a yearly basis. It is evident that Sandford has not yet tired of his hero. Even his eighteenth time with Davenport is fresh and exiting, written like it is the first.
The plot revolves around Davenport invest...more
Phantom Prey was written by John Sandford. It is his eighteenth novel following detective Lucas Davenport. Sandford started writing Lucas Davenport novels in 1989, with Rules of Prey. When his “Prey” novels became more popular, Sandford would write them on a yearly basis. It is evident that Sandford has not yet tired of his hero. Even his eighteenth time with Davenport is fresh and exiting, written like it is the first.
The plot revolves around Davenport invest...more
The 18th book in the Prey series (21 books as of 2011) is very good, but not the best. Lucas Davenport, the protagonist, is a happily married man in his late forties, though occasionally attracted to other women like one of the witnesses in this book. Del Capslock, his long-time colleague, is worried about his wife, who has been under the weather. Both men don't get to spend too much time at home, though, because there are a couple of crimes to be solved. On the passive side, there's a long-runn...more
John Sandford tries to draw in horror and mystery lovers with a bizarre storyline involving goths, new-agers, personal trainers, and emu-raising farmers. This one didn't entirely work for me. I guessed the murderer early on, but Sandford didn't entirely "earn" the ending. Perhaps he doesn't feel enough sympathy for his bad guys(and gals) to make them live. He seemed more in the groove with a side plot about a drug dealer. If you like your thrillers with ghosts, this one might be ...more
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When a woman comes home to find a substanile amount of blood in her home but no body, things are set in motion. With her daughter missing and all the blood in the home she suspects the worst. 6 months pass and the body has yet to be found. Ms. Austin enlists the help of Lucas Davenport to find her daughter. Little did Lucas know when he agreed to take this case that his life would be changed.
A fairly good read, I found it boring at times and I would pick it up and put it down. In th...more
A fairly good read, I found it boring at times and I would pick it up and put it down. In th...more
Ed
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
"Prey" and crime fiction/police procedural fans.
Shelves:
crime-fiction,
reviewed
I lost track of Sandford's "Prey" series for a couple years. I'm glad I'm back.
In this episode, Lucas Davenport, is more or less nagged into looking into the disappearance of the daughter of a friend of his wife, Weather. The mother, Alyssa Austin, is a bit of an eccentric but a competent business woman. He gets hooked more deeply when three of the daughter, Frances' "Gothic" acquaintances are brutally murdered. Evidently Frances was dabbling in the Goth scene i...more
In this episode, Lucas Davenport, is more or less nagged into looking into the disappearance of the daughter of a friend of his wife, Weather. The mother, Alyssa Austin, is a bit of an eccentric but a competent business woman. He gets hooked more deeply when three of the daughter, Frances' "Gothic" acquaintances are brutally murdered. Evidently Frances was dabbling in the Goth scene i...more
Of all the Prey books this is the first that disappointed me. It had some weird attempt to be "in the mind" of the crazy Goth schizophrenic fantasy of the killer, but it didn't work. The murders never really made sense, neither did the fact that the killer was seen with a male accomplice. The fact that we know, from her internal monologue he is not real makes that pretty implausible,or just bad eye-witnessing. All in all, far too weird and not very good from the "solving the c...more
I have a love and hate relationship with John Sanford, the author of this book.
I love crime stories, and this book is first class. I love the way he let the reader in on the plot before the main character detective Lucas Davenport. It makes you cheer Lucas on.
I love the location. I used to live in the same neighborhood during my college years. The book gives me goose bumps when I am recognizing streets, shops and restaurants.
I love his incredible productivity. There is always a...more
I love crime stories, and this book is first class. I love the way he let the reader in on the plot before the main character detective Lucas Davenport. It makes you cheer Lucas on.
I love the location. I used to live in the same neighborhood during my college years. The book gives me goose bumps when I am recognizing streets, shops and restaurants.
I love his incredible productivity. There is always a...more
This is a good solid read from John Sandford, exactly what we have come to expect. It is fun and engaging, probably a little more so to a long term reader who already knows the character but certainly accessible to a new reader. There are twists and red herrings. The villains are interesting and not necessarily what you expect immediately. I also found myself, on the second time through, noticing how he uses his language and sentence structure to vary the pace. Nicely done.
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John Sandford was born John Camp on February 23, 1944, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended the public schools in Cedar Rapids, graduating from Washington High School in 1962. He then spent four years at the University of Iowa, graduating with a bachelor's degree in American Studies in 1966. In 1966, he married Susan Lee Jones of Cedar Rapids, a fellow student at the University of Iowa. He was in th...more
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