general

We're admittedly big Sandford fans, having enjoyed the entire preceeding set of "Prey" adventures (and his "Kidd" books as well) starring Lucas Davenport. Promoted to a position where he works on anything with political overtones at the behest of the Minnesota governor (no, not that one!), Lucas is soon embroiled with the murder of a Russian stranger down at the docks, and in escorting Nadya, an "investigator" (read, spy) sent over from Russia to look into the matter. Her presence adds both a great deal of suspense to the story, as we're never quite sure whether she's "legit" or not, as well as many funny lines as she puzzles over American colloquialisms.

We readers soon know the shooter is young Carl, grandson of Grandpa Walther, a communist spy who has been running a ring of families engaged in Russian "assistance" in northern Minnesota for some six decades!! A clever analyst and fearless assassin in his own right, he's teaching teenager Carl the tricks of the trade, including heartless executions. So while there's no doubt whodunit, not to mention some more murders along the way, the clues and hunches Lucas pursues to uncover the spy ring and the killer keep the novel moving at a fun pace. A slightly moralistic twist at the end even gives one pause for thought about truth and justice.

It's surprising Sandford can keep these characters and stories fresh after some 16 or so in this series. While Lucas has settled down with wife Weather, and young son and adopted daughter (who got barely more than a mention), he is still a smart and clever fellow and one whose success we care about. We thought the humor generated by the consternation of the Russian lady over various comical English sayings (like how does a foreigner translate something like "keep in under your hat"!) was a light-hearted touch, breaking up the contrasting horror of the various slayings and suicide populating the plot. Lastly, a sub-plot involving a "bag lady" who witnesses the first crime, was so interesting, we wish it had been expanded upon even further.

So kudos to Sandford on his latest "Prey" -- it's a book very well done and thus enjoyable entertainment!

Back to a little recreational reading...

I finished Hidden Prey by John Sandford a couple of days ago. This is the latest in his Prey series with main character Lucas Davenport. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't as good as some of his previous installments...

A Russian from a docked freighter is murdered on the docks. The killer notices a homeless woman who has witnessed the crime and takes off after her (but doesn't find her). A couple of days later, a homeless lady is found strangled and everyone thinks it's a connection to the first murder. Davenport is called in to help investigate the crime when Russia sends over a female "police chief" to help with the case. She is not who or what she seems to be, and it starts to look more and more like an espionage ring is responsible for the killing. It's up to Davenport to not only figure out who the killer is, but why the killings took place.

I like Sandford's writing and characters, so from that perspective I liked the book. What I didn't care for is how the story is structured. Murder mysteries seem to be written in two main styles. Either you don't have a clue who the killer is (and the story is tracking down who dun it), or you know right up front who the killer is (and you watch the action unfold as s/he is brought to justice). This is a blend of the two. You know who did the killing, and you watch them being tracked down, but there's no clue as to why the Russian was killed or how the espionage angle (which is very big in the story) figures in. Since you don't learn the "why" until very close to the end, I tended to lose some interest in the whole story. I was getting close to a "who cares" point. I'd probably give this a 3.5 stars if I could do half ratings, but since I can't I'll error on the up side.

This is worse than Easy Prey. And not because Lucas is an old married man but because he seems to have lost all of his detecting ability. What happened to the logical, game playing brain? Where are the brilliant leaps of intuitive insight? Where is the sex appeal? Where is the intensity? Where is Lucas Davenport?!!!

Aside from the character being less than exciting, I found the the plot development to be lacking. When the reader knows from the beginning "who done it", the author must engage your attention with the clever ways in which the hero figures it out.