Customer Reviews

Mortal Prey Abridged Cassette

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Most of John Sandford's "Prey" series work by identifying the killer early and then following the story on both the lines of Lucas Davenport and of the killer, as they plot and counterplot against one another. Sandford returns to the formula here, and it works well because Lucas's antagonist is Clara Rinker, the professional hitwoman from his earlier books. Sandford is careful not to make her a two-dimensional sociopath -- indeed, she is so well rounded that at times the reader can forget that many of the people she has killed in her career were completely innocent. For most of the book, this is not true as Rinker goes after the crime bosses for whom she has worked in the past. The book begins with Rinker almost getting killed, and her decision that the people she worked for (all mob connected) are behind it sets her off to eliminating them, none of whom is too sympathetic. It is a mistake to root for Rinker because a few innocent people are unfortunate enough to wander in to her way, and the result is not good for them.

Rinker is smart, and her killing of well protected hoods who know she is coming for them is for the most part plausible. Only one of the killings, involving a device that has been used in a well known real-life assasination, seems unlikely to have been successful. All in all, she is such a strong character that this book seems to be more hers than Davenport's.

Davenport is one of the few people to have seen Rinker and lived, and so the FBI brings him to St. Louis to help catch her. All but a few chapters take place outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, most of the familiar characters in the Davenport series aren't present, but Rinker more than makes up for them. Read closely, some of the deductions that Davenport comes up with are a little contrived -- all he does is show up from out of town, talk to a few local cops, and he is ahead of the FBI. However, the dialog is as well written as ever, and the dry humor still there. And there are a couple of nice twists in the plot at the end.

I found the last two books in the "Prey" series to be weak; I thought that Sandford may have run out of ideas of what to do with Davenport, and have read some interviews in which he expressed frustration with the series. Mortal Prey is a return to the stong, earlier novels. There is life in Davenport yet.

Loyal Lucas Davenport fans will remember Clara Rinker, the stone killer from 'Certain Prey.' After making her escape, she fled to Cancún, where she established a new identity, found a lover and became pregnant. Clara, now Cassie McLain, was on her way to a normal existence for the first time in her life. Then a hired gun from the States makes an attempt on her life killing her boyfriend and wounding her enough to lose her child. Clara recovers with one thing one her mind - cold, cold revenge. Clara's going home, with some very evil plans.

When the FBI realize that McLain was Rinker and has returned to the States, they call in Davenport, who is, after all, the only cop to ever even come close to catching her. Lucas, who is spending his time annoying builders and supervising his fiancée Weather's pregnancy, reluctantly agrees. Actually, the truth is that Weather tells him to go away and stop bothering her. What follows is a classical chase thriller where Rinker manages to keep killing one step ahead of her pursuers. In several cases, she even manages to rub Lucas's face in it.

If you are a sucker for tricks and wild plot devices, you are going to love 'Mortal Prey.' Rinker is smart and crazy. Each killing is detailed and jarring, full of the kind of twists that keep this from being yet another long chase. And while Clara is certainly over the top, Sandford manages to make her a sympathetic character all on her own. I found myself cheering for her time after time. She is after the Mafia men who put out the hit on her and she intends to get each and every one. That she is also capable of killing anyone in her way seems to become a matter of indifference.

Lucas and the FBI agents as well, repeatedly get left holding the bag. Malone and Mallard return, along with a host of camp followers. Davenport, true to his nature, runs his own investigation with the help of some St. Louis retired officers, and manages to keep finding almost enough clues. Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if they caught her too early, and the little glitches and tricks that keep her out of reach are novel enough to keep the action moving without any sign of tedium.

Oddly enough, Sandford does such a good job of making Rinker likeable that he winds up making Davenport look a bit of a jerk. One is tempted to think he is suffering from a bad case of premarital jitters, and that may very well be the case. I can't consider it a major defect, because the book itself is extremely well written. Certainly, it is a welcome return to Sandford's best form.

At the end of "Certain Prey" three years ago, Clara Rinker took a shot at Lucas Davenport, missed and called him on the phone to chat about it. You knew then there'd be a sequel, and it's as good as the first - even better.

"Mortal Prey" begins in Cancun when sniper Izzy Cohen fires at Clara killing her lover Paulo Mejia and their unborn child, wounding her. Determined to settle the score, Clara takes off before Paulo's powerful family finds out she was the real target and the St. Louis mob realizes she's still alive. Her hit list includes four "businessmen" led by Nanny Dichter, pioneer of the St. Louis cocaine business, and John Ross who got Clara started as a contract killer and is still one nasty guy. The first hit comes quickly with a lot of little arrows that will point to Clara when the cops, the Feds and Ross start following them, but she'll always be a step or two ahead.

The FBI is holding her younger brother Gene on a trumped up drug charge, so Clara calls Lucas to lay down the ground rules. The lively if unrealistic banter between maverick lawman and outlaw sets the tone for the chase to come. Ten pages later Sandford repeats the conversation as Davenport heard it, capturing the gut level connection between them while their two minds work at warp speed toward opposite ends.

There's a steady flow of great action with Lucas and his unofficial partner ex-cop Mickey Andreno working the streets and Agents Mallard, Malone and the rest of the FBI providing high tech back up and firepower. Through page 350 the story follows a somewhat structured outline, moving from one showdown to the next. Then Sandford gives us three quick closing chapters. He provides a sufficient degree of closure to this saga but leaves enough loose ends and surviving old and new characters that I would bet on, hope for, future St. Louis based / Rinker related Prey stories.

One thought for Sandford's next effort: Certain Easy Rules of the Mind in the Eyes of a Secret Chosen Mortal turn Silent in the Sudden Shadow of the Winter Night.

Translated: The Prey series has been great, but don't let the 90s Lucas wear us down. Keep the stories coming, but trade in the Porsche.

Clara Rinker shares almost all the great qualities of many leading ladies we're fond of except one: she's the villain! Rinker is back (from Certain Prey) and this time is out for total revenge for the single bullet that killed her lover, her unborn baby, and laid her up for a month or two. It doesn't take her long to return from Mexico to St. Louis where she systematically and cleverly, amidst a huge FBI team watching her every movement, proceeds to knock off her human targets.

Enter our hero of this 13th Prey series offering, Lucas Davenport, a deputy police chief, independently wealthy and working here with the FBI since he almost killed Rinker in his hometown Minneapolis in the earlier book. Cleverly hooking up with some retired ex-cops, Lucas takes to the streets and beats the horde of FBI-types with clues and ideas at every turn. Does he get Rinker this time??

We're surprised at the mixed reaction of the audience to this one. We've read the whole series (plus the three Kidd books by Sandford), and we think not only is this one of the best, but indeed one of the best books we've read in the last year. The story is good, the pace is better, and Sandford can actually write a 10-or-15-page chapter unlike some newer authors that can barely muster up three pages without changing sets. Most of all, we care a lot about Lucas (and his fiancée) and truthfully found ourselves growing fonder of Rinker herself with every passing scene. If only she weren't a murderer, she'd be quite a catch (no pun intended). Best of all, Sandford maintains suspense without shoving our face into a million sub-plots and detailed blood and guts; and when we can barely wait to race to the finish, that's a compelling read! Get it and enjoy it!

M ost satisfying book, yet again, by John Sandford.
O ld enemy is reintroduced in the form of Clara Rinker.
R inker narrowly escapes an attempt on her life
T he FBI wants to find her and recruits Lucas Davenport.
A ll the while, Rinker's plans for revenge gather pace.
L ucas jumps at the chance to lock horns with an old foe.

P urposeful and ruthless, Rinker is a formidable enemy
R equiring Lucas to be at his most resourceful best.
E xtremely enjoyable story that focuses on the thrill of the hunt
Y et offsets it with Lucas' upcoming wedding plans.

Mortal Prey features the return of two of Sandford's best characters: Lucas Davenport, one of the great detective personalities in modern mystery writing, and Clara Rinker, an assassin for the mob who is written with more complexity and intensity than ever before.

This novel is as complex as any Sandford has written. It begins with the murder of Rinker's boyfriend in Mexico. Being a member of the Mexican mafia, the man's family believes his death was simply a hit, but Rinker knows better - it was a botched attack on her. She travels back home to the United States both out of a desire for revenge and to protect her own life. Rinker knows not only that they will come after her again, but that if her boyfriend's Mexican mafia family realizes their son was killed during a hit on her, they'll come after her in retaliation.
Her return to the United States does not go unnoticed by the FBI. Davenport is called in to track her down, leading to a wonderful escape-suspense-pursuit story that keeps you turning the pages.

I like Sandford's writing and I read everything he writes featuring Davenport. For the uninitiated, Mortal Prey is a great place to begin reading in the `Prey' series. And of course, fans of the earlier books will enjoy this one.

Mortal Prey is one of the better books in this series. The story is pretty simple. Hit woman Clara Rinker is back is back in the U.S. nd looking to avenge the death of her mexican boyfriend. The FBI is hot on her trail and ask Lucas Davenport to help.
The great thing about this series is that the character's are continually changing, evolving. Davenport has gone from a fast talking ladies man to a dedicated father and husband, from homicide to detective to assistant police chief. And in the next book he ostly be a special investiator for the govenor. The other characters have grown right along with him. And Clara Rinker is the most likable villian I've ever seen. I almost hated to see what happened to her.
John Sandford's writing is consistly excellant. He grabs you on the first page and doesn't let up until the end. I'm already waiting for the next Prey novel!

Lucas Davenport is going through several changes in his life right now. Not only is he building his dream home, but also he and a pregnant Weather are planning their wedding with a new administration coming into office. Lucas, a political appointee, plans to follow his boss to state law enforcement. It almost comes as a relief when he learns that one of the perpetrators who once outwitted him is back in town.

Lucas throws himself head first into the apprehension of hit woman Clara Rinker. She was retired and living down in Mexico when her former syndicate employees order a hit on her but instead kill her lover and their unborn child. She intends to avenge the deaths and she won't let anyone stop her, including the relentless Lucas Davenport.

John Sanford does for police procedurals what John Grisham did for legal thrillers. The action starts on the very first page and continues at warp speed until the last page is turned. One watches the fascinating Clara Rinker, a black widow spider, totally enthralled yet repulsed at the same time. MORTAL PREY is definitely the best book in a strong and series.

Harriet Klausner

Your backache just won't give you a break, so you take a day off work. You have to lie down, but you don't want to fall asleep and be all rested at bedtime.

This is the time to listen to Mortal Prey.

The abridged audio version doesn't give you a chance to notice the passage of time or think about your pain. This story grabs you and doesn't let go. Eric Conger's delivery is superb. There could be more character development, but hey, you buy abridgements to avoid the fluff.

The killer is not pure evil. I found myself sympathetic through much of the story. She's bad, but there are reasons, and she has redeeming features as well. She was the most interesting character by far.

Worst thing about this book is that it ends. I wish it was longer! I'm primed for some more John Sanford.

In Mortal Prey, author John Sandford gives us another exciting and fast-paced story.

Detective Lucas Davenport is drafted by the FBI into helping them locate Clara Rinker, an attractive and intelligent young woman who also happens to be a very successful hired killer. Rinker had disappeared a few years back and had made an attempt to go straight, but when someone tries to kill her and succeeds in destroying her new life, Clara starts a killing spree of her own.

Years before, Lucas Davenport had encountered Clara when she was working as a hit woman and she had outwitted him and escaped. Now Lucas has another chance to put Clara in prison; however, his feelings are somewhat mixed because in some ways he liked Clara and felt sorry for her because of the physical and sexual abuse that she had endured as a child.

This author has a wonderful writing style and he keeps his characters fresh and interesting. The dialog and the jokes that the police detectives and FBI agents exchange are entertaining and ring true.