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Chosen Prey (Lucas Davenport #12)
A New York Times bestseller! Lucas Davenport returns in the most harrowing and unexpected Prey novel yet--the story of a congenial man, and his most uncongenial obsession... Art history professor James Qatar's hobby was taking secret photographs of women. At night when he was all alone he'd dream about them and indulge his fantasies. Then one day his fantasy went too far....more
ebook, 416 pages
Published
May 7th 2001
by Berkley
(first published January 1st 2001)
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#12 in the Lucas Davenport series. I give this average entry a 3-1/2 star rating - so round down to 3 stars if you are not a Lucas Davenport fan. I'll round up to 4 stars because even an average entry in this series provides superior entertainment. The killer, this time around, is drawn to young blondes. Only one is given much attention in the book and, as it turns out, she is certainly not typical prey.
With a new mayor on the horizon, Lucas and the police chief are both likely to be out of a j...more
With a new mayor on the horizon, Lucas and the police chief are both likely to be out of a j...more
Oooh! I liked this one. I especially liked it because some of the storyline took place in my old stompin' grounds and alma mater.... U.W. Stout in Menomonie, WI. But really, this was a good thriller. It was my first taste of John Sanford and I was not disappointed. All I'm going to say about the story itself (as I don't want to accidentally spoil it for future readers) is that James Qatar is a sick, sick man. Yikes! I am definitely going to keep my eyes open of more of Sanford's writing. Thanks...more
Sandford, John
Chosen Prey
Crime Fiction/2001/Putnam-Berkley/383 pgs
#12 in the Prey/Lucas Davenport series
Late 1990's/Early 2000's / Minneapolis, MN
Lucas Davenport; detective/investigator
1st Lines: James Qatar dropped his feet over the edge of the bed & rubbed the back of his neck, a momentary veil of depression falling upon him.
Comments: Aaaahhhhh... nice to be back w/ the Prey series. Never stopped liking it, just so many books, so little time and trying to make way for new authors. Darn to...more
Chosen Prey
Crime Fiction/2001/Putnam-Berkley/383 pgs
#12 in the Prey/Lucas Davenport series
Late 1990's/Early 2000's / Minneapolis, MN
Lucas Davenport; detective/investigator
1st Lines: James Qatar dropped his feet over the edge of the bed & rubbed the back of his neck, a momentary veil of depression falling upon him.
Comments: Aaaahhhhh... nice to be back w/ the Prey series. Never stopped liking it, just so many books, so little time and trying to make way for new authors. Darn to...more
May 05, 2013
aPriL MEOWS often with scratching
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries-suspense-thrillers
“All extremes of feeling are allied with madness.”
― Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Obsession.
James Qatar is obsessed with small-town blond young women. But not because how they sparkle with life. Rather, it's how they look while dying being strangled by his favorite rope. As an art history professor and an intellectual, he has always been drawn to the beautiful deaths of asphyxiating women. Many many women.
Blond Ellen Barstad is obsessed with sexual adventure. She thinks she has found the perfect teache...more
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I started to rate this a 4, but I quickly thought about the part when the investigator should have picked up on who the killer likely was when the killer's mom (who happens be be considered a major link to the killer) tells him that she has a son who teaches at the same school where another prof had just been found dead. WHAT? Good grief, this Davenport is supposed to be a smart guy, and he's just heard the main lead say this..and thinks of nothing? How did Davenport get to be so smart, if he mi...more
This is another of the better books in John Sanford's "Prey" series (they're all good, so I suppose my differentiation is mostly because the characters in some grab me more than in others). But I do love it when the bad guy or gal - in this case a serial killer - is revealed to the reader up front. A big part of the thrill of the read, then, is how and when the identity will be known by the "hero" as well - in this case, Minneapolis Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport. Needless to say, there are zigs a...more
Sep 15, 2012
Kristin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books,
mystery
Alas, we went back to the format of knowing what the psychotic killer is thinking and doing since book #11. And yes, the guy is a scumbag of the worst kind. Not even a bad buy the reader can emphasize with. You want him caught, and you want him caught now.
The downside to Chosen Prey is our killer seems to be one step ahead of the police. I've noticed this pattern in previous books: something alerts the killer by accident that the police might be looking for him, the murderer does a few things t...more
The downside to Chosen Prey is our killer seems to be one step ahead of the police. I've noticed this pattern in previous books: something alerts the killer by accident that the police might be looking for him, the murderer does a few things t...more
It has been two years since I read the previous book in the Prey series, but this was like hanging out with an old friend you haven't seen for a while - you fall back into old patterns like it was just yesterday. Another fast-paced search for a killer, another chilling glimpse into the killer's mind. I love the camaraderie between Davenport and his colleagues and chuckled out loud on many occasions.
But the final sentence is a major cliffhanger! I do have the next book in the series on my booksh...more
But the final sentence is a major cliffhanger! I do have the next book in the series on my booksh...more
Lucas Davenport, Sandford's likeable protagonist in the Prey series, and his detective team try to find the cemetery killer. James Qatar is an art history professor, an author, and a smug, narcissistic pervert. He starts out taking pictures of beautiful blondes and then creating highly sexual drawings of the photos with the aid of Photo Shop. His hobby quickly develops in his desire to kill the subjects of his art and Davenport is asked to join the team investigating the deaths of the young woma...more
James Qatar loves to kill girls. He particularly loves to strangle young, blonde, petit girls. He is about to kill another blonde when the news tells him that a body has been discovered, followed by the news that more graves have been found at the same site. This makes him a little more cautious and he decides to keep seeing his latest prospect and put off the killing until the news of all the bodies has died down a bit.
Meanwhile, Lucan Davenport is on the case and we follow his investigations i...more
Meanwhile, Lucan Davenport is on the case and we follow his investigations i...more
Apr 01, 2013
Marilyn Knox
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller
Reading John Sandford is such a treat. He writes so well! The premise here is a person who is driven to murder young women of a certain type. Lucas Davenport gets involved as it becomes obvious that this is a serial killer.
My favorites, Weather, Sloan, Del and Marcy are in the book. There is a new character in Sheriff Marshall.
This book was interesting as the ending was predictable--something that doesn't usually happen in a Sandford book. The only question is how it will happen.
Don't start to...more
My favorites, Weather, Sloan, Del and Marcy are in the book. There is a new character in Sheriff Marshall.
This book was interesting as the ending was predictable--something that doesn't usually happen in a Sandford book. The only question is how it will happen.
Don't start to...more
This is the John Sanford that I love. After the last book, Easy Prey, I was hesitant to start this one. This was what I was expecting. It was well written, fast paced and full of great characters.
Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport and his crew work what turns out to be a very prolific serial killer. James Qatar is a history professor with a passion for petite blondes. He photographs them without their knowledge manipulates them with photoshop, until they are distorted pornography. He sends the "drawin...more
Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport and his crew work what turns out to be a very prolific serial killer. James Qatar is a history professor with a passion for petite blondes. He photographs them without their knowledge manipulates them with photoshop, until they are distorted pornography. He sends the "drawin...more
This is the 12th in John Sandford's Prey series, and once again Lucas Davenport has a serial killer to catch. This is a good procedural in showing the day to day grunt work that goes into solving a crime of this sort. I read one review that complained that the end was obvious half way thru the story, and it was, but I think that was intentional. The end was just as obvious to Davenport as to the readers, and letting us in on the secret just showed that knowing the end does not mean we can do any...more
Feb 13, 2012
Diane
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed,
mystery-thriller-suspense
The twelfth book in the excellent Prey series is a welcome change, since the last entry was a disappointment. Sandford has returned to his particular plot device of focusing on the villain, so although there is no mystery about whodunnit, the excitement comes from tracking Lucas Davenport and his team of Minneapolis cops as they stumble their way to the truth. A solid secondary character emerges, a deputy from a rural county with a strong stake in finding the serial killer. Davenport's personal...more
Another great detective story by John Sandford. This story has the Assistant Chief of Police Lucas Davenport trying to figure out what and to who are strange murders happening. Obviously a mass murderer but who and why as each murder scene is totally cleaned by the criminal. Watching and experiencing the clue seeking and detective work of Lucas are spell binding and just plain hard to put down detective whodunit mystery work. I have come to really enjoy all of Sandford's writings. A must read.
This time the serial killer is art history professor James Qatar. He is fixated on young blondes.
This is a great Prey book. The reader knows the killer and gets to watch as Lucas Davenport and his team stumble their way through the clues.
Davenport is back with Weather and a marriage is being planned and maybe even a child. Davenport seems to have settled down somewhat and even grown up a bit.
Loved the book and the development of the characters
This is a great Prey book. The reader knows the killer and gets to watch as Lucas Davenport and his team stumble their way through the clues.
Davenport is back with Weather and a marriage is being planned and maybe even a child. Davenport seems to have settled down somewhat and even grown up a bit.
Loved the book and the development of the characters
A Fast Paced Story
I enjoyed this fast paced story and I am a big fan of Lucas Davenport. I missed this book in the Prey novels, so I'm doing a little catch up. I found I got to visit with the usual characters and a few new characters. I thought that the characters were described extremely well and the plot kept me guessing throughout the book. This book is a real thriller and I always look forward to Mr. Sandford's new books. Highly recommend.
I enjoyed this fast paced story and I am a big fan of Lucas Davenport. I missed this book in the Prey novels, so I'm doing a little catch up. I found I got to visit with the usual characters and a few new characters. I thought that the characters were described extremely well and the plot kept me guessing throughout the book. This book is a real thriller and I always look forward to Mr. Sandford's new books. Highly recommend.
Not my favorite Davenport book. I love the character, but he needs a good villain - and I thought this was his worst adversary thus far. This guy didnt inspire me with the dread, or horrify me like some of the past people Lucas has hunted down. Thius guy was wimpy and kinda boring. I felt like if the Davenport books were a season of television, this would be a filler episode. Good eough to entertain, but ultimately forgettable.
Sandford has found his stride again after a few lukewarm books. I suspect my fondness from this book stems from the return of Weather and an interesting antagonist. I was really hoping that we would get more of a backstory on Qatar's upbringing, but the details were scanty. While my favorite in the series remains Winter Prey or Buried Prey, I thought this one was laudable as well and am eager to read the next in the series.
A patron recommendation of this author and series led me to read this. I just randomly chose one of the books from the middle of the series. Have to say I enjoyed it, another middle aged male detective series. Thought it was well written though, more complex story line than the Parker books I read. Could recommend it for someone who had read all Parker's books and was looking for another author to read.
Bad, bad, bad. Another crappy book bites the dust. Time for a book I will like. This book read like a bad Dick Tracey novel but add in A LOT of sex. I really don't have any desire to read a book that could set up a bad porno. There weren't any characters I absolutely loved so I had no stake in the outcome. The villain was weak and a wuss, no challenge. I would recommend skipping this one.
Someone is murdering young, busty blondes in Minnesota. Will Lucas Davenport and his team be able to find the culprit before he finds his next victim? Not only is Lucas stressed about finding the killer, Weather has his mind ticking and things are looking on the up and up! This book had a nice speed but did not compare to the past books. A good read if you follow the series.
Listened to the abridged version on a trip to Raleigh. Set in Minneapolis, this is a book about an art history professor named James Qatar. He kills pretty young blond women. He strangles them with a rope and buries their bodies in the woods. A police detective named Lucas Davenport takes the case on.A "thriller" with a very predictable ending.
Art history professor James Qatar's hobby was taking secret photographs of women. At night when he was all alone he'd dream about them and indulge his fantasies. Then one day his fantasy went too far. Now it's Qatar's turn to becoome an obsession-of Davenport's. And for both men there's no turning back.
I am remembering some of the background story line because it has been a long time since I read the other books in this series. This one was ok, not much of a mystery, more of suspense. I want to complete the rest of the series over time. I do cringe at some of the language and sex scenes.
Not my thing, really, but enjoyable enough. Fast paced and bits of humor but too much about main character and his girlfriend's plans to have a baby. He also seems to have slept with every woman we run into in the book, but no one holds a grudge. The bad guy, a serial killer is a little bland and I felt that the detectives should have caught on to him far sooner.
Picked up my $.50 copy to read while traveling and really enjoyed it. It's a police procedure novel whose main character is Lucas Davenport. John Sandford has written a ton of novels, most of which have the word "prey" in the title. If you want a fast, mindless read, this is a good one.
I loved the the character discriptions. I found my self laughing out loud and having to read sections to my husband.
The ending for Marshall was heart breaking. To feel in your heart the characters pain - what an amazing author. Can't wait to read more of his books.
The ending for Marshall was heart breaking. To feel in your heart the characters pain - what an amazing author. Can't wait to read more of his books.
1st Prey book in awhile for me. After reading this, I remembered why I started reading them in the first place. Down to earth storytelling. Characters realistic although he could cut down on the cursing. However, love how fast he takes you through the story.
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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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“Cinnamon Girl" wasn't right for this day, for this time, for what was about to happen. If he were to have music, he thought, maybe Shostakovich, a few measures from the Lyric Waltz in Jazz Suite Number 2. Something sweet, yet pensive, with a taste of tragedy; Qatar was an intellectual, and he knew his music.”
—
4 people liked it
“I'll bring pajamas " she said.
"Yeah? You have any idea how old I am?"
"Not nearly as old as you're gonna be by midnight.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
"Yeah? You have any idea how old I am?"
"Not nearly as old as you're gonna be by midnight.”
