Joni Parker's Blog - Posts Tagged "lucas-davenport"
Book Review: Twisted Prey by John Sandford
Published in 2018. The story opens with an assassination attempt on a U.S. Senator. Senator Smalls is returning from West Virginia with a colleague who is also his lover. She is driving a Cadillac SUV when it’s sideswiped on a narrow road and plunges over the end of the road. Quick thinking brings the vehicle to a stop against the trees instead of falling over the cliff, but in the process, the driver is killed. The Senator sustains some minor injuries but is otherwise, unhurt. The truck that ran them off the road disappears, so when the West Virginia police investigate, they deem it an accident. To prove otherwise, Senator Smalls calls on an old friend and U.S. Marshal, Lucas Davenport.
In this book, the term, twisted, refers to another Senator, who may have been behind the assassination plot. Taryn Grant is an ambitious woman who wants nothing more than to be the President of the United States and she’s willing to do anything, even murder, to get there. Marshal Davenport had a run-in with her once before but could never prove that she murdered anyone. He wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
I’m new to Prey series by the author, even though he’s written twenty-seven other books in this series alone. I’ll have to look for others. I enjoyed meeting Lucas Davenport and his friends, Bob and Rae, as they investigate the case. The book was easy to read, but the writing seemed a little choppy with a lot of breaks when not needed. But it kept me interested throughout.
In this book, the term, twisted, refers to another Senator, who may have been behind the assassination plot. Taryn Grant is an ambitious woman who wants nothing more than to be the President of the United States and she’s willing to do anything, even murder, to get there. Marshal Davenport had a run-in with her once before but could never prove that she murdered anyone. He wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
I’m new to Prey series by the author, even though he’s written twenty-seven other books in this series alone. I’ll have to look for others. I enjoyed meeting Lucas Davenport and his friends, Bob and Rae, as they investigate the case. The book was easy to read, but the writing seemed a little choppy with a lot of breaks when not needed. But it kept me interested throughout.
Book Review: Rules of Prey by John Sandford
Published in 1989. This is one of the author’s older novels but it’s really good.
The Twin Cities has a serial killer on the loose. He’s known only as maddog and he takes pleasure in killing women. At each death scene, he also leaves a different rule that he goes by. His third kill goes awry, however. The woman fights back and sprays him with mace. He runs away and she calls the cops.
The police bring in the best for this one. Lucas Davenport joins the team that is formed to hunt him down. He’s a lieutenant in the Minneapolis Police Department, handsome, and independently wealthy from some video games he created and sold. He rises to the challenge and thinks of it almost like a video game except it’s real. The clues are elusive, almost non-existent, but Lucas uses his instincts and his smarts to close in. Step-by-step.
I couldn’t put this book down. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. I enjoy this author’s writing style and the way he puts a story together. He also manages to include some humor as well. Great!
The Twin Cities has a serial killer on the loose. He’s known only as maddog and he takes pleasure in killing women. At each death scene, he also leaves a different rule that he goes by. His third kill goes awry, however. The woman fights back and sprays him with mace. He runs away and she calls the cops.
The police bring in the best for this one. Lucas Davenport joins the team that is formed to hunt him down. He’s a lieutenant in the Minneapolis Police Department, handsome, and independently wealthy from some video games he created and sold. He rises to the challenge and thinks of it almost like a video game except it’s real. The clues are elusive, almost non-existent, but Lucas uses his instincts and his smarts to close in. Step-by-step.
I couldn’t put this book down. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. I enjoy this author’s writing style and the way he puts a story together. He also manages to include some humor as well. Great!
Book Review:
Published in 2022. Mystery. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up with the FBI to help solve a series of murders by a mysterious group called The Five. The first murder takes place in San Francisco and is followed by a press release, boasting of the murder and the reason for it. The second murder is in Houston, also followed by a press release. The third murder takes place in Minneapolis, where our intrepid investigators are called in to help solve the mystery. Using standard police techniques, combined with their own brand of investigating, Lucas and Virgil uncover the first clues anyone has found so far. Step-by-step, they get closer to finding out who the murderer is. What they find is confirms everything in the press release. The Five are a gang of crypto billionaires out to kill the dregs of society and make the world a better place, but who are they to decide?
I enjoyed the teaming of Lucas and Virgil for this book, but at one point, the plot almost stopped when no one wanted them. The FBI was in charge of this investigation since it crossed over state lines, so why would they need two cops from Minnesota? Fortunately, they did because it wouldn’t have been solved without them.
I enjoyed the teaming of Lucas and Virgil for this book, but at one point, the plot almost stopped when no one wanted them. The FBI was in charge of this investigation since it crossed over state lines, so why would they need two cops from Minnesota? Fortunately, they did because it wouldn’t have been solved without them.
Book Review: Judgment Prey by John Sandford
Published in 2023. Mystery. Lucas Davenport, U.S. Marshal, is still recovering from his gunshot wounds during his last case in New York City. He’s doing better and able to jog, if he takes it easy. But when he gets a call from another U.S. Marshal, he can’t resist lending a helping hand. He also calls on his friend, Virgil Flowers of the Minnesota BCA, to join him. Together, they help the locals investigate the shooting death of a federal judge and his two young boys in his home. They don’t have much to go on because the shooter didn’t leave many clues. But they begin by speaking to the judge’s wife, who had found the bodies when she got home. They substantiate her alibi and continue to dig deeper into the judge’s background to find the perpetrator.
I enjoyed the rapport between the two men. They are complete opposites with different styles of investigation, but they get the job done. Somehow. And that’s part of the charm of this book. The book is easy to read and has a good story that solves the mystery.
I enjoyed the rapport between the two men. They are complete opposites with different styles of investigation, but they get the job done. Somehow. And that’s part of the charm of this book. The book is easy to read and has a good story that solves the mystery.
Book Review: Toxic Prey by John Sandford
Published in 2024. Thriller. A Lucas and Letty Davenport Novel.
Letty Davenport, the daughter of U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport, is assigned to find out more about a British citizen, Dr. Lionel Scott. He’s an expert in infectious diseases, with contacts worldwide, but he’s embarked on a new expedition that will wipe out billions of people in an effort to save the planet. He believes humans are destroying the planet and the only way to save it is to reduce the population, by at least half, preferably more. To accomplish his mission, Scott has come up with a new way to transmit the Marburg virus using the highly contagious measles virus. Letty raises the alarm to the highest levels of government, and the search for Dr. Scott is on. However, there is evidence he is no longer working alone and is ready to unleash the new virus. Letty calls upon her father for help and together they try to find and stop Dr. Scott before it’s too late.
I enjoyed reading this novel, but the concept of reducing the Earth’s population to help the planet is not new. This method of doing it is unique so far as I can tell. I wonder about the viability of using the measles virus since so many of us have been inoculated against it. Also, I’ve had measles, so I don’t know if I would be resistant to the virus or not. I haven’t had Marburg before; it’s supposed to be similar to Ebola. Don’t want that either. Although this plan would reduce the population, would it be enough to save the planet?
Letty Davenport, the daughter of U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport, is assigned to find out more about a British citizen, Dr. Lionel Scott. He’s an expert in infectious diseases, with contacts worldwide, but he’s embarked on a new expedition that will wipe out billions of people in an effort to save the planet. He believes humans are destroying the planet and the only way to save it is to reduce the population, by at least half, preferably more. To accomplish his mission, Scott has come up with a new way to transmit the Marburg virus using the highly contagious measles virus. Letty raises the alarm to the highest levels of government, and the search for Dr. Scott is on. However, there is evidence he is no longer working alone and is ready to unleash the new virus. Letty calls upon her father for help and together they try to find and stop Dr. Scott before it’s too late.
I enjoyed reading this novel, but the concept of reducing the Earth’s population to help the planet is not new. This method of doing it is unique so far as I can tell. I wonder about the viability of using the measles virus since so many of us have been inoculated against it. Also, I’ve had measles, so I don’t know if I would be resistant to the virus or not. I haven’t had Marburg before; it’s supposed to be similar to Ebola. Don’t want that either. Although this plan would reduce the population, would it be enough to save the planet?
