Stolen Prey by John Sandford is a great detective story, with the detective in question being Lucas Davenport. Lucas is a smart, honest, thoughtful, unconventional police detective who solves crimes with good solid detective work.

This story (the 22ndin the series) revolves around the cold-blooded, brutal murder of an entire family. Lucas suspects that it more than a random killing, and as he looks deeper he uncovers layer upon layer of deception. He eventually ends up solving a whole series of inter-related crimes, while simultaneously tracking down and solving another, completely personal crime -- finding the couple that robbed him at gunpoint on the street one night.

Mr Sandford does a beautiful job of interweaving the stories of the various criminals, detectives, and supporting characters throughout the story. Lucas is a sympathetic, believable, smart protagonist, solid and dependable. He is the sort of cop you would want on your case if you were the victim of a crime. The story is unpredictable, entertaining, and contains lots of twists and turns, which make this book -- like all the rest in the series -- a pleasure to read. If you have not read the Lucas Davenport series, then it is worth checking out. You have 22 great books out there waiting to be read!