Buried Prey (Lucas Davenport, Book 21) [Hardcover]

John Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 10, 2011

A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis-the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.

In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth.

Some secrets just can't stay buried, in the brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the number-one New York Times-bestselling author. 

"One of the best," said Kirkus Reviews of Storm Prey. "Razor-sharp dialogue, a tautly controlled pace and enough homicides for a miniseries. What more could fans want?"

Editorial Reviews

Review

 “Edgy and taut, inventive, and intense.”

(Richmond Times-Dispatch)

 "One of Sandford's best."

(Publishers Weekly) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Sandford is the author of twenty-two Prey novels, most recently Stolen Prey; the Virgil Flowers novels, most recently Shock Wave; and six other books. He lives in Minnesota.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1st edition (May 10, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399157387
• ISBN-13: 978-0399157387
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (302 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Sandford was born John 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 University of Iowa. He was in the U.S. Army from 1966-68, worked as a reporter for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian from 1968-1970, and went back to the University of Iowa from 1970-1971, where he received a master's degree in journalism. He was a reporter for The Miami Herald from 1971-78, and then a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer-Press from 1978-1990; in 1980, he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, and he won the Pulitzer in 1986 for a series of stories about a midwestern farm crisis. From 1990 to the present he has written thriller novels. He's also the author of two non-fiction books, one on plastic surgery and one on art. He is the principal financial backer of a major archaeological project in the Jordan Valley of Israel, with a website at www.rehov.org. In addition to archaeology, he is deeply interested in art (painting) and photography. He both hunts and fishes. He has two children, Roswell and Emily, and one grandson, Benjamin. His wife, Susan, died of metastasized breast cancer in May, 2007, and is greatly missed.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#78 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#19 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#21 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#24 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#29 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#30 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#19 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#21 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#24 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#29 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#30 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

306 of 314 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars (4.5 stars) "The image of the dead girls hung in his eyes." May 10, 2011

By Luan Gaines HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

There's nothing like Sandford's "Prey" series to get you out of the reading doldrums. In Buried Prey, Sandford is at the top of his game, featuring fan favorite Lucas Davenport. Over the years, Lucas has risen from patrol to detective, now a top investigator in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. And like every seasoned detective, one case has burdened Davenport's conscience, the abduction and assumed murder of two young girls that occurs just as Lucas is breaking out of patrol work, angling for detective. Davenport accepts his superior's resolution to the case in spite of serious reservations. Now, twenty-five years later, the bodies of the Jones sisters are discovered at a construction site and Lucas is reexamining the case that has haunted his career. How many other victims have died through his willingness to acquiesce to authority?

In an inspired plot device, Sandford reintroduces the young and ambitious Lucas Davenport ("Then"), walking him through the Jones investigation, his eagerness to advance and the political realities he has yet to appreciate. Unfortunately, lack of training and seniority hamper Lucas in a system that doesn't reward renegades. "Now" examines the consequences of Davenport's decision not to buck the system, the found bodies a grim reminder that the real killer has remained free. Balancing his personal life with the finely-honed instincts of a successful career, Lucas is not exempt from the risks in this particular investigation, nor immune to the violence that follows in the killer's wake.

Of all his characters, Lucas Davenport is the most iconic, Sandford developing his protagonist over time, his personal and professional life grist for the series. This novel is a skilled blend of personalities and circumstances, pitting the mind of a serial killer against the determination of a dedicated career detective. Once the chase is on and Davenport scents the killer, it's only a matter of time. As fans of this series know, getting there is the best part, from the outrageous crime to the final confrontation, a cold-blooded killer matching wits with a BCA agent who needs to close a painful period in his history and grieve a heartbreaking loss. Luan Gaines/2011.

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved seeing the early years of Davenport! May 10, 2011

By Luanne Ollivier TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

John Sandford is the author of a series I've followed for many, many years. His latest book in the Lucas Davenport series is Buried Prey. (Released today)

Davenport has been a cop in the Minneapolis area for many years, working his way up the ladder. He currently works for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA, often troubleshooting for the governor. But a case from the past is literally unearthed and Davenport is forced to confront the unthinkable. Was the wrong man convicted of the murder of two young girls? Has the real killer been preying on children for the last 25 years?

The disappearance of the Jones girls in 1985 marked the beginning of Lucas's career as a detective.

"In the first year as a cop, working patrol and then, briefly, as a dope guy, he'd felt that he was learning things at a ferocious rate: about the street, life, death, sex, love, hate, fear, stupidity, jealousy and accident, and all the other things that brought citizens in contact with the cops. Then the learning tailed off. Now investigating, the feeling was back. He was crude and he knew it, but it was interesting and he'd get better at it."

The first part of the book is set in 1985 and we get to see a young Davenport. It was so much fun to watch Lucas begin what we know is a long and colourful career. One of my favourite supporting characters has always been Del Capslock. In Buried Prey we are privy to the first pairing up of Lucas and Del. Their witty banter has continued to this day. The tone is set for what we know of Lucas today as well - his way with women, his obsession with clothes and his 'outside the box' methods.

"Lucas, on the other hand, was a poor leader. He simply wasn't interested in what he considered the time-wasting elements of operating in a bureaucracy. He was intuitive, harshly judgmental, and would occasionally wander into illegalities in the pursuit of what he saw as justice. In doing that, he preferred to work with one or two close friends who knew how to keep their mouths shut, didn't mind the occasional perjury in a good cause, and knew when to blow him off, if he got too manic and started shouting; and would shout back. Lucas's cops were outsiders, for the most part. The strange cops."

The case itself is excellent. Is the homeless man they're chasing innocent or are they being pointed in the wrong direction deliberately? And by whom? Cops? Part two of the book brings us to present day. Davenport is again working with his old team Capslock, Jenkins and Shrake. I always watch for the reference to Virgil Flowers - that f*****g Flowers - one of my favourite characters, who now has his own series. Lucas's personal life always provides a great second story line, but I'm still not sold on Letty -Davenport's adoped daughter.

Sandford has a winner with Buried Prey. The plot is excellent, the writing tight, the action non stop and best of all, I get to see a side of a character I've enjoyed for almost 20 years. Highly recommended.

80 of 86 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sanford Makes it Look Easy May 10, 2011

By Joseph Morse VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

Writing good modern fiction is a difficult thing to do--I should know because I've tried. Sanford makes it look easy in this 21st "Prey" book about detective Lucas Davenport. The plot is gripping, the characters and dialogue are entertaining, and the writing style is decent. After 20 of the 400 pages, you'll know what I mean.

The story is set up like this: Two mummified 25-year-old bodies turn up at a demolition site: the missing bodies from Davenport's first case as a detective. Through flashbacks, we see that Davenport had screwed up and the wrong man was charged with the girls' murders. Flash forward and Davenport wants justice done finally. A good mix of past/present plot combined with a recipe of high technology and Bruce Willis-esque rugged cop intuition push Davenport to the actual killer. But once the cop smells blood, he learns the criminal may not be done.

I haven't read the other books in the series, but this one stands alone fine. Sanford is very talented and "Buried Prey" is an excellent read for this genre.