Clever intricate plot &suspense, but tons of violence & gore...

We just finished racing through Sandford's latest Lucas Davenport novel, "Broken Prey", 17th in the "Prey" series. As in most, there is a horrible serial killer on the loose; Davenport tears himself away from the increasingly political duties he has in his newest position; and he and sidekick Sloan really are engaged throughout the whole battle to find the perp. The plot is so complicated it is not easily summarized. The story involves the hunt for someone with connections to the St. Johns' institution for the criminally insane; and first one perp then another is the sure suspect. Finally it becomes clear a sick but clever brain lies behind the masterminding of the crimes and their cover-ups and red herrings.

As with all these tales, Sandford writes compelling stories that keep the pages flying - suspense is taut throughout, and a couple of major mis-directions provided unusual interest and entertainment. However, it seemed that the language and graphic violence, gobs of it, in this book were really over the top - which in the final analysis was a distraction for us. We feel obliged to warn potential readers of the extreme blood and guts all over this work. Nonetheless, we have no doubt from some of the early returns that Broken Prey will be another Sandford hit, best seller, and popular entry in this long running set. We did enjoy immensely the intricate plot, but wish we could have escaped much of the gore.