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Neon Prey

(Lucas Davenport #29)

John Sandford

4.17 · Rating details · 16,983 ratings · 1,423 reviews

Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 NewYork Times bestselling author John Sandford.

It was a relatively minor criminal matter, all things considered, but enough that the US Marshals obtained a warrant to enter the home. They didn’t expect to unearth trophies from a score of killings.

Now Davenport ...more

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Hardcover, 400 pages

Published April 23rd 2019 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

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May 12, 2019 Tim rated it it was amazing

When it comes to interest and action, there are few better authors than John Sandford. Neon Prey is no exception and another superb effort. 10 of 10 stars

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Jun 15, 2019 Paula rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Sarcastic detective fans

Shelves: favorite-authors, series, read-in-2019, crime, suspense-thriller, mystery, published-2019

I am such a Lucas Davenport fan!

I’ve read all 29 books. Lucas Davenport has been a staple in my life forever...

He is brilliant. Dresses well. Likes to hunt killers. What more could you ask for?

If you are not into this series yet, but like homicide detective stories. This is one of the best.

I’m not a big fan of his current US Marshall partners though. Can we have Lukas just going back to being a homicide detective, please ? Otherwise, this book would have gotten 5 stars...

4 out of 5 stars

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Mar 07, 2019 Kemper rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, thriller, serial-killers, 5-0, crime-mystery, lucas-davenport

I received a free advance copy of this from NetGalley for review.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And if what happens is that you get eaten by a cannibal while there you'll definitely be staying in Vegas.

Clayton Deese was an enforcer/hired killer for a loan shark in New Orleans who gets arrested after one of his jobs go wrong. Since Deese has a lot of skeletons in his closet he jumps bail and disappears. Actually, the skeletons are in graves behind his house, and Deese had a habit of cutti I received a free advance copy of this from NetGalley for review.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And if what happens is that you get eaten by a cannibal while there you'll definitely be staying in Vegas.

Clayton Deese was an enforcer/hired killer for a loan shark in New Orleans who gets arrested after one of his jobs go wrong. Since Deese has a lot of skeletons in his closet he jumps bail and disappears. Actually, the skeletons are in graves behind his house, and Deese had a habit of cutting prime cuts off his victims and throwing them on the grill. Once that grisly discovery has been made Deese is the country’s most notorious fugitive, and US Marshal Lucas Davenport is brought in to help track him down.

Deese has hooked up with his brother who is running a nasty home invasion crew that Lucas tracks from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as the trail keeps getting bloodier. There’s also a complication that Deese’s old boss is worried that he’ll flip on him if caught so he’s trying to either kill him or make sure he gets out of the country.

This is the 29th book of the Prey series, and it’s got all the usual stuff. The plotting is tight with multiple characters all working their own agendas, the tension builds nicely to some big moments, and we get to hang out with Davenport as he uses a mix of deduction, manipulation, and intimidation to find the bad guys. Sandford even throws a pretty wicked curve ball at the reader about a quarter of the way into the book that literally made me sit up and curse aloud in shock when it happened. Lucas’ new role as a marshal continues to be interesting, and the Vegas setting is used well as the kind of place where trying to follow a suspect through the maze of a casino is a challenge.

However, it doesn’t quite hit the peaks of the series at its best. There’s some great set-up of Deese as a people-eatin’ leg-breaker, but more time is actually spent with other members of the home invasion crew so that he doesn’t come across as the best of the Prey bad guys. It’s a little disappointing that more isn’t done with the cannibal angle. (What? If I read a book where I’m told the villain eats people then I expect somebody to get eaten. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the only person who watched Hannibal.) In fact, it’s more used for shock factor and almost a running gag than anything. The twist that we get early on doesn’t really amount to much either at the end of the day and is kind of quickly forgotten.

Still, it’s John Sandford so it’s a pretty satisfying thriller that will keep you turning pages even if it isn’t Lucas’s most memorable case. ...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Maureen Carden rated it it was amazing

Shelves: just-so-damn-good, police, wild-ass-adventure, mau-s-challenge, thriller, netgalley, serial-killer, fbi

Neon Prey by John Sandford has easily passed my old lady reading test. I read a quarter of the book, put it down for two weeks, and then pick it back up to finish. The test: remembering everything I have read and not having go back to refresh my memory. Neon Prey was an easy A+, no going back to refresh my memory of the story or characters.
Yes indeedy ladies and gentlemen step right up and read Neon Prey. You won’t be sorry, unless you don’t like graphic crime stories.
There isn’t a crime I can Neon Prey by John Sandford has easily passed my old lady reading test. I read a quarter of the book, put it down for two weeks, and then pick it back up to finish. The test: remembering everything I have read and not having go back to refresh my memory. Neon Prey was an easy A+, no going back to refresh my memory of the story or characters.
Yes indeedy ladies and gentlemen step right up and read Neon Prey. You won’t be sorry, unless you don’t like graphic crime stories.
There isn’t a crime I can think of that isn’t present in Neon Prey, and maybe one or two I wouldn’t have thought to include. This is just one more example of Sandford’s genius in keeping the Lucas Davenport series fresh. The other genius, making it possible to jump in anywhere in the series and read as a stand-alone. Be aware though, very aware that you will want to go back to read the prior twenty eight. If I were a new reader, by the end of this book I would be jumpin’ for joy.
Davenport is now a deputy U.S. Marshall without portfolio, so to speak. He has some serious political pull, on both sides of the political aisle and is allowed to do pretty much what he wants. What he wants is to bring in serious killers.
Rae Givens and Bob Matees, fellow deputy US Marshall’s bring Davenport just what he wants, a formerly unknown serial killer who is in the wind. Clayton Deese, has been arrested by the FBI, and has agreed to snitch on a New Orleans boss, Rodger Smith; a serious player in the swamp of New Orleans’s crime.
Instead, Deese, has cut his ankle monitoring device and hightailed it from his south Louisiana property. When Bob and Rae, along with the FBI agent Sandro Tremanty, go to re- arrest Deese, they find buried bodies; lots of buried bodies.
The chase for Deese lasts for months, collecting more cities, more criminals and more crimes.
The writing as always is meticulous, taking you along on Mr.Toad’s wild ride At the same time the easy humor and dry wit makes you want to ante up a pocketful of quarters and ask for a seat at the table.
Depravity, camaraderie, terror, warmth, distrust, humor are all present and accounted for in Neon Prey. There is a tender yet funny scene where Davenport meets with his eldest daughter who is pondering which path to take after college, a dream job or further education. He tells her he doesn’t like to talk about such things, but basically she is trust fund scum and money should never be a basis for her decisions. A lesson never learned by Deese and his partners.
Sadly, Davenport’s coworkers from the earlier books are barely present. Never fear though, Virgil Flowers, with his usual sobriquet, is present a few times, just not often enough. Sorry Mr. Sandford, I’m sure you hear this complaint in every Davenport book. But ‘me and Mr. Davenport, we got a thing going on’ and that will never change. Flowers is just my backdoor hero.
I have to admit to being intrigued by Deese's use of filé powder in his barbecue rub, but I would use a different meat source.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more

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Mar 01, 2020 James Thane rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-fiction, lucas-davenport, john-sandford

I've said in previous reviews that I think this long-running series has lost a bit of its luster now that Lucas Davenport has left Minnesota and joined the Marshal's Service, and there's nothing about this book that would lead me to alter my opinion. I continue to believe that Davenport's new running buddies, Bob and Rae, are a pale substitute for the rich characters like Sloan, Del, Shrake and others who inhabited the earlier novels. Additionally, Sandford has long been known for creating compl I've said in previous reviews that I think this long-running series has lost a bit of its luster now that Lucas Davenport has left Minnesota and joined the Marshal's Service, and there's nothing about this book that would lead me to alter my opinion. I continue to believe that Davenport's new running buddies, Bob and Rae, are a pale substitute for the rich characters like Sloan, Del, Shrake and others who inhabited the earlier novels. Additionally, Sandford has long been known for creating complex, interesting and scary villains--antagonists who were worthy of a matchup with Lucas Davenport. That, too, is missing here.

The villain in this novel is a guy named Clayton Deese, who works as a leg-breaker for a New Orleans loan shark. But when an attempt to intimidate a late-paying customer goes wrong, Deese winds up in jail. He promptly skips bail and the marshalls are on his trail. They don't really care all that much about Deese; they're trying to build a case against his boss. But all that changes when the marshals raid Deesse's cabin in the woods and find a number of bodies buried behind the house. Even worse, it appears that Deese has been feasting on the more delectable parts of his victims.

Now a full-scale manhunt is underway with Lucas Davenport leading the search. Deese runs to California where he joins up with his brother and a couple of other guys who are doing brutal but profitable home invasions. Davenport, Bob and Rae will track Deese to California but will lose him and spend the rest of the book trying to track him down.

Deese is not a very interesting villain and, even allowing for the cannibalism, he doesn't come off as particularly scary. He doesn't remotely measure up to some of Sandford's earlier villains and hardly seems worthy of Davenport's attention. He also disappears for much of the time while the story focuses instead on the people he's teamed up with.

The book has its amusing and exciting moments, but there's no mystery about it, and very little tension. The whole story amounts to one extended manhunt and every reader knows that Davenport will get his man in the end, which raises the question, So what? Again, it's not a bad book, but it's not nearly in a league with the earlier Prey novels and a reader fresh to the series, if there is such a person among crime fiction fans, would be well advised to start at the beginning of the series rather that with Neon Prey.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Aug 06, 2019 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio

John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport has become one of my favorite series to listen to. The plots are fast paced, with great villains. They are complicated enough to hold my interest but not so convoluted that I can’t keep up on audio. This one is one of his better ones (and I’ve read them all). I highly recommend for anyone looking for a great audio book.

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Mar 09, 2019 Monnie rated it really liked it

Only a couple of authors have written separate serial books featuring two different characters I absolutely love, and John Sandford is one of them. For years, law enforcement agents Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport have been never-miss favorites. It is the latter who takes center stage here (although happily, Virgil makes a couple of appearances as well).

That said, most characters in long-running series - at least in my experience, and I'll cite as examples works by both Jonathan and Faye Kell Only a couple of authors have written separate serial books featuring two different characters I absolutely love, and John Sandford is one of them. For years, law enforcement agents Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport have been never-miss favorites. It is the latter who takes center stage here (although happily, Virgil makes a couple of appearances as well).

That said, most characters in long-running series - at least in my experience, and I'll cite as examples works by both Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, J.D. Robb and Janet Evanovich - over the years tend to lose a titch of the pizzazz that hooked me in the first place, and Lucas and Virgil are no exceptions. But hey: most of these characters aren't exactly spring chickens anymore, so slowing down a bit is to be expected (as I approach octogenarian status. I know this all too well).

In fact, in this, the 29th in the series; even Lucas himself has a few moments of self-doubt. But he's still filthy rich (millions earned by gaming software he developed), married (to plastic surgeon Weather, who gets in a few good lines here) and hasn't lost his sense of humor. And while the thrill of the chase may have dropped a notch or two, it hasn't lessened my love of the books, including this one. It begins with a chase to find a hired killer named Deese; the marshals don't find him, but they do find graves filled with dead bodies. That's bad enough, but evidence shows this killer has a particularly nasty habit (let's just say if you put him in a room with Hannibal Lecter, one of the two wouldn't go home hungry and the other wouldn't go home at all).

Lucas has an office in Minneapolis, but he works out of Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Marshals Service. Finding Deese is important to the feds not only because of his eating habits, but because it's believed that he's been hired by a bad guy named Roger Smith (no relation, I presume, to the late husband of Ann-Margret), who's the real target they're after. The chase brings together a few familiar (and likable) characters from previous books as well as a slew of law enforcement agencies from New Orleans to Los Angeles to Las Vegas. One raid in particular turns out not all that well for Lucas (triggering, so to speak, that self-doubt mentioned earlier).

All in all, it's another great adventure that doesn't disappoint (telling more might spoil the fun for other readers, so I won't). I must, however, note one of the highlights for me: The ever-dapper Lucas dressed in cargo shorts. Now that would be a sight to see!

Once again, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
...more

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Oct 24, 2019 Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If Michael Connelly is the most readable crime fiction writer operating today, and I believe he is, then John Sandford must stand proudly in second place. His Prey series is approaching its 30th book and his offshoot series, featuring Minnesota cop Virgil Flowers, is now into double figures. I grab a copy of the latest book from either series whenever I can. Lucas Davenport is now employed by the US Martials Service and thanks to his political connections he gets to largely pick his own cases. I If Michael Connelly is the most readable crime fiction writer operating today, and I believe he is, then John Sandford must stand proudly in second place. His Prey series is approaching its 30th book and his offshoot series, featuring Minnesota cop Virgil Flowers, is now into double figures. I grab a copy of the latest book from either series whenever I can. Lucas Davenport is now employed by the US Martials Service and thanks to his political connections he gets to largely pick his own cases. I know this is pretty contrived but it does allow Davenport attach himself to manhunts all over the country and to pick the very juiciest cases. In this episode, Lucas gets involved in the chase for a killer, Clayton Deese, who appears to partially eat his victims. Tagged the Louisiana Cannibal, he’s fled his home state as the local police and FBI continue the gruesome task of digging up bodies buried close to his shack.

Lucas teams up with returning characters Rae and Bob (also US marshalls) and pick up a lead that Deese may have headed for Los Angeles to hide out with his half-brother. From here the trail leads them to Las Vegas where the rest of the action is to play out (hence the title of the book). There is always a good sprinkling of humour in these stories in the by-play between the characters but for the most part it’s a fast paced thriller that doesn’t really let up. Deese really is a dastardly character and Sandford milks this for all it’s worth. It’s also worth noting that, as Connelly does so well, the manner in which the investigation and chase is conducted feels real – each step taken is explained and feels logical with the involvement of relevant parties along the way and plausible options being explored. The other thing I really like about these books is the way Sandford allows us to see the story from the point of view of both the chasers and the chased. We see how they try to out-guess and out-manoeuvre each other and view their interactions from both sides. It’s really effective and grabs me every time.

If you enjoy crime fiction and haven’t found your way to Sandford’s books yet, then I’d really urge you to try him out. I think he’s a class act and this book is yet another top quality effort, an easy five-star rating from me. ...more

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May 04, 2019 Scott rated it it was ok

To begin with, I think it is only appropriate that I admit to being a fairly avid reader of John Sandford, especially a fan of his Lucas Davenport “Prey” series. A pretty big fan to be honest.

When we last saw our fearless hero, Lucas Davenport, he was getting comfortable in his federal marshal job which afforded him lots of freedom in cases he investigates. He had two agents assigned to him – Bob and Rae - both of whom are witty, hard-working and never lack an opinion. When this book begins, we To begin with, I think it is only appropriate that I admit to being a fairly avid reader of John Sandford, especially a fan of his Lucas Davenport “Prey” series. A pretty big fan to be honest.

When we last saw our fearless hero, Lucas Davenport, he was getting comfortable in his federal marshal job which afforded him lots of freedom in cases he investigates. He had two agents assigned to him – Bob and Rae - both of whom are witty, hard-working and never lack an opinion. When this book begins, we are introduced to Clayton Deese, muscle and killer for Louisiana lawyer and loan shark, Roger Smith. Smith has a customer who isn’t paying and needs to be taught a sever lesson, and sends Deese to deliver it. However, Deese runs into problems and lands in jail for deadly assault, putting Smith’s illegal operations at risk. Seven months later Dees skips out on his bail and disappears.

In come U.S. Marshals from Davenport’s team – Bob and Rae - who are investigating Smith’s operations and hoping to bring him down by turning Deese against him. But things turn bad quickly when they find a hidden trail behind Deese’s country cabin, leading to a woods area full of unmarked graves. It seems that Deese is a secret serial killer who had been disposing his victims in his backyard for years. And to make it worse, it appears that he has a cannibalistic tendency which get’s Davenport’s immediate attention and puts him and his team on the trail of a sadistic killer on the run from Louisiana to California to Nevada.

In the interest of good faith, I am seeing a vey bad developing pattern with Sandford’s “Prey” series over the last several years. One that is starting to make me nervous. I have always enjoyed his books, albeit some more than others. However, book #27 “Golden Prey” was rather disappointing. The plotting was weak and the last hundred pages was an overly drawn out, anti-climactic ending. We didn’t get to see his family and other familiar characters very much. Then last year, book #28 “Twisted Prey” was much improved, with stronger plotting and more complex character conflict. Lucas had a stronger adversary that challenged him on a higher analytical and emotional level.

Which brings me to this year’s book #29 “Neon Prey” which falls back into the same one-dimensional, weak plotting that “Golden Prey” suffered from. Even worse. This book is a feebler read than that one was. Nothing about the beginning set’s up for an interesting read, especially since they already have the big bad guy figured out and only need to physically catch him. Neither the bad guy or his compadres seem worthy of Davenport’s challenge beyond the length of a short story read. The entire book serves as a basic and somewhat haphazard 390-page manhunt. There are a couple of almost-got-the-bad-guys-but-oh-no-they-got-away-again oh-well moments that just drag things out way too much.

There are other weaknesses in this book, including the poor writing style and treatment of Davenport as being almost a side character. Sandford’s writing style that was once fast-paced, fluid, and sharp, seems more now like a stream of consciousness – one that rambles and is extremely disjointed at times.

Overall, the math is starting to lead me to the old “Star Trek” movie adage, and that is the odd ones are bad and the even ones are good. In my opinion, and it only one opinion, “Neon Prey” is arguably Sandford’s least interesting Lucas Davenport mystery he’s ever written. I am not sure how he went off the rails in two of his last three books, but here’s hoping that next year’s outing (an even numbered book) will bring a reinvigorated plot and worthy adversary for Lucas Davenport to face in his 30th anniversary year… Here’s hoping so…
...more

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Jul 16, 2019 Sandy rated it liked it

Shelves: tackling-mt-tbr, bit-of-a-downer, series, crime, detectives, suspense, american-authors

Bit of a disappointment, I'm afraid. Although the mystery/manhunt aspect is good, the dialogue is dull & seems like we've read it all before. There's nothing new here, just a darker plot with vicious bad guys & little humour to alleviate a more violent than usual story line. ...more

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May 20, 2019 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller, books-read-2019

Clayton Deese is an enforcer for a New Orleans loan shark, Roger “Rog” Smith. Rog wants Deese to send a message to someone who has fallen behind on his payments but things don't work out as planned. Deese gets busted but skips bail. Deese is small time. The FBI would really like to get Smith so an FBI agent along with U.S. Marshall's Bob and Rae go to Deese's home. They don't find Deese but they do discover several graves behind his house. The remains show evidence of cannibalism. Suddenly Deese ...more

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May 07, 2019 Skip rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-detective

Lucas Davenport is now a full-fledged U.S. marshal, who is called upon for special assignments. In Book #29, he is called on for his expertise in tracking down a serial killer, Clayton Deese, who is a hit man for a New Orleans thug. After ditching his tracking device, a slew of dead bodies are discovered in his swampy backyard in Louisiana, with some showing signs of being eaten. Lucas manages to track him to L.A. where he has hooked up with some other nasty dudes in wealthy home invasions. In a ...more

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Feb 27, 2019 Janet Newport rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-books, netgalley, 2019-reads

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this arc.

I've always enjoyed John Sandford's Prey novels and this one (# 29) didn't disappoint. Lucas is still with the Marshall's service and it was great to see Bob and Rae back too as his trusted sidekicks. In Neon Prey, they has to scramble from New Orleans to LA to Las Vegas and points beyond, interacting with all sorts of law enforcement agencies. The action was non-stop and at time pretty grisly. The were bad guys galore, good guys, bad guys ...more

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May 02, 2019 Alan Teder rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook-edition, unabridged-edition, crime-fiction, mystery-fiction, 2019-reading-challenge

Only half of a book, and a repulsive one at that
Review of the Audible Audio edition (2019) narrated by Richard Ferrone
TW = brutal violence, cannibalism, assault

I’m not going to bury the lead here. This book mostly consists of several set pieces where Lucas Davenport and the U.S. Marshals with occasional other police forces are closing in on/and or confronting the villains. These scenes are then completely repeated from the other point of view i.e. first we get the police side in its entirety and ...more

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Apr 28, 2019 Bicky rated it it was ok

I have never been disappointed by a John Sandford novel. But with this book, I am flabbergasted. The villain is dumb but lucky, Lucas Davenport shows no special insight and the repartee between Lucas and his colleagues Rae and Bob is flat. Unless you have a compulsion to read every 'Prey" book, avoid this one. 2* because I managed to finished it. This is really strange, considering his previous 'Prey' book - Twisted Prey was excellent. ...more

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Apr 20, 2020 Jean rated it liked it · review of another edition

Lucas Davenport doesn’t do snakes. Neither do I! Thank goodness, the threat of snakes does not materialize until....Can’t tell that part, can I? Davenport, a former Minneapolis police detective and BCA investigator, is now with the U.S. Marshalls based in his home city of Minneapolis. He’s wealthy, thanks to a gaming system he developed. When he’s called upon to assist with a case involving a serial killer for hire, he is happy to be reunited with his old pals, Bob Matee and Rae Givens. Their jo Lucas Davenport doesn’t do snakes. Neither do I! Thank goodness, the threat of snakes does not materialize until....Can’t tell that part, can I? Davenport, a former Minneapolis police detective and BCA investigator, is now with the U.S. Marshalls based in his home city of Minneapolis. He’s wealthy, thanks to a gaming system he developed. When he’s called upon to assist with a case involving a serial killer for hire, he is happy to be reunited with his old pals, Bob Matee and Rae Givens. Their journey begins in New Orleans, where they cautiously search the suspect’s property, ever on the lookout for – sssnnnakes. To Lucas’s and my relief, no reptiles to be found. However, they discover corpses. The trio’s original search had them hoping that their discoveries might lead them to find Deese’s boss, but what they shows them they are not dealing with an ordinary killer. It seems that Mr. Deese is a dangerous killer with a peculiar appetite...

From there, Neon Prey becomes a chase, a game of cat and mouse. Deese hooks up with his brother and his gang of burglars. The pursuit takes them from New Orleans to LA to Las Vegas. Davenport generally doesn’t do cargo pants or shorts, but he bites the bullet and put on shorts in the 100+ degree heat to avoid looking like a cop. The plot sort of becomes like the Hillside Burglars meet Jeffrey Dahmer on steroids. From watching these criminals, especially Deese, I didn’t expect him to be very smart, but the guy has great survival instincts, and he manages to stay half a step ahead. The brother, Beauchamp, and his partners have a pretty good racket going, and Deese is only too happy to go along for a cut of the money so he can disappear. You have to give Sandford credit for coming up with so many ways for these guys to wiggle their way out of trouble with the law breathing down their necks.

The plot held my interest, but compared to the early books in the Prey series that I found so riveting, this is just okay. There is some humor, and the action moves along at a steady speed. Virgil Flowers makes a couple very brief appearances. The final chapter wraps up loose ends, so we learn what happens to all the players. All in all, it didn’t exactly sparkle, but I’ll give it three stars. ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Obsidian rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2020-library-books

Trigger warning: Graphic depictions of rape.

I almost put this one down a few times. It was very grim reading from beginning to end. Not only do you have a serial killer who eats people (not shown) you then have said killer and others deciding to become robbers and the rape. This book was too all over the place. We have Lucas dealing with getting shot (again) and him trying to get past it. I also felt let down by the ending.

In "Neon Prey" Lucas is sitting around bored. That is until Rae and Bob c ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2fiction, 1audio, 3series, mystery-thriller

Blackstone Audio had this available on their site, so I grabbed it even though the library will get it. Likely it would be 6 months before I got it & I didn't want to wait. Glad I didn't. It was good, about the same as the rest of the later novels. I know some don't like his move into trouble-shooting US marshal. It is a bit over the top, but I like the idea.

One of the things I really appreciated was a really stupid move on Lucas' part & the cooperation with the locals. One time they share & ge ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Jeff Dickison rated it really liked it

Another good Davenport story. In this one his team goes after a gang of home invaders which includes one cannibalistic serial killer. The action starts in Louisiana and winds up in the neon city of Las Vegas and the nearby desert. Recommended to Davenport fans.

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Aug 12, 2019 Deb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was written with excitement the whole way through. A new twist on the main bad guy and his demise was gruesome. The detective team together with a new addition working synchronized with a new romance thrown in. I thoroughly enjoy this modern but old style detective writing!

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May 01, 2019 David Putnam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I liked this book a great deal and any other author it would be five stars (more than five stars) but Sanford is up there with my favorite authors and to be fair (and to keep track for my own reference) I rate his books against his others.
This one isn't so much a mystery where Davenport is trying to figure out who is doing all the heinous things to the good people of a small town (or different state) and then trying to catch them. This is just a straight up chase novel. Davenport and his crew ar I liked this book a great deal and any other author it would be five stars (more than five stars) but Sanford is up there with my favorite authors and to be fair (and to keep track for my own reference) I rate his books against his others.
This one isn't so much a mystery where Davenport is trying to figure out who is doing all the heinous things to the good people of a small town (or different state) and then trying to catch them. This is just a straight up chase novel. Davenport and his crew are trying to find some extremely dangerous and ugly suspects. I liked all of that part of it.
When writing a novel one of the pitfalls is making a protagonist too perfect, he/she becomes a caricature of a super hero (much like Jack Reacher, which I can not read anymore because of this issue). The last Jack Reacher book I read, a car cut him off on a desolate highway and five thugs stepped out. I put the book down because it was a forgone conclusion what was going to happen. Seven pages of this elbow going in this face, and this foot connecting to that knee and...well you get the idea. Reacher never loses and he never shows emotion (or at least not near enough).
Back to Neon Prey:
Same goes for the antagonist. If he /she is so evil and without any flaws he too turns into a caricature. With a bad guy the way you give him flaws is by giving him just a tad bit of humanity. The bad guy is this novel is wonderfully bad and true to character at all times. He even eats people (and this may have been the bridge too far in the evil category). One or two touches of humanity to this guy and he would have been far more believable. He was painted to be so bad that he had to have a just ending and Sanford paid off in this respect. And that may be because I have a snake phobia.
In any case, this hardcover goes up on the keeper shelf along side all his others. This is the only series I have read twice through, (and I'm on my third lap now).
I can highly recommend this book.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series. ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 OutlawPoet rated it really liked it

I’ll admit that it took me a little bit to get into Neon Prey.

While I love Lucas (and dearly loved our little Virgil “ahem” Flowers cameo), our villain wasn’t exactly the sort we love to hate. Despite his…proclivities…I actually found him a little dull.

However, the action amped up when our chase after one man became a chase after a group of very interesting characters. I was in.

(And a little aside: props on your descriptions of Altadena. I mean, it kind of weirded me out when you basically wrot ...more

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Mar 10, 2019 RachelW (BamaGal) rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc

Good ending; but it was a long, dry read getting there. I know I have said the last couple of books that I feel this series has gotten routine, boring, and I prefer Virgil Flowers. Yet here I am again...

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Jul 18, 2019 Julie rated it it was amazing

Nothing like reading this book where it is HOT and it is HOT here at the same time...
Another great read :) Only now I am sad as I have to wait till next year for a new book.

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Jun 10, 2019 Mark Mindel rated it it was amazing

Always good to be re-acquainted with Lucas Davenport and the gang. Of course, he's moved on from the Minnesota Bureau of Investigation and is now a special politically-appointed US Marshall who gets to choose his own cases, usually those to do with serial killers. This one is a unique one as the Marshalls team up with the FBI chasing down a gang of big-time robbers from LA who now have a cannibal/ serial killer in their midst. Wild chases and crazy traps along with no one trusting anyone. Lucas ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Fred Shaw rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you like reading how scumbag, low life criminals get whats coming to them, then read any of John Sanford’s Prey series novels. His key protagonist is super cop Lucas Davenport and I always enjoy his unorthodox ways of catching criminals.

This book is about a particularly nasty scum bag who kills for money, but he also does more with the corpses than is “socially acceptable”. The story begins in New Orleans, moves to LA and then Vegas. Lot’s of continuous action and edge of the seat nail bitin ...more

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Jun 11, 2019 Mike rated it really liked it

Sandford is one of a handful of authors that, when a new one comes out, I am a glutton. Lucas, a recent hiring as a US Marshall, is asked to look at a case outside New Orleans. His deputy buddies, Rae and Bob, have helped discover several bodies, linked to a local hit man.

Thus ensues a trek to California and Nevada, with a strong armed robbery gang, a serial killer, a dirty attorney and his henchman, and of course, several gunfights.

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Jun 06, 2020 RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) Griffin (alwaysdaddyprincess) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4 stars.

I have not read the series in order. I started reading this series in order. Most of that was before I join Goodreads.

Interesting and full of action as others stated. Also as others stated, this was a novel of a chase. I like the parts ( not a lot) where we interact with Virgil Flowers. Folks have probably stated that as well. I only read a few reviews.

If you like action and this author, grab this book.

🤗🐼💀🇺🇸

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May 12, 2019 SassafrasfromAmazon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reading-challenge, favorite-authors-series, police-procedural

I never thought I would ever say this about Sandford's Prey series--this book was simply a mediocre offering. Typically, Lucas is in the thick of things, and he's able to figure out the "wanted" killer's possible next moves. Lucas is a leader. He has been shot, but he slowly bounces back (as he has in the past).

Nevertheless, in this book, Lucas is NOT the leader in the hunt for the home invasion gang and the cannibal contract killer. In fact, it seems he is just a cog in the wheel that invo ...more

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Sep 02, 2018 Steven Laing rated it it was amazing

Waiting for the next one. Have read all of the Prey series and will continue to purchase them as they are written.I found Wicked Prey on a bus bench with a note attached stating read this? Been hooked ever since. Lucas Davenport is the man.

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About John Sandford

John Sandford

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See also John Camp

John Sandford was born John Roswell 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 Univer ...more

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“thirty thousand dollars’ worth of one-dollar bills?—he turned off the highway and onto the dirt road that would take him to Ralph’s place.” — 0 likes

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