Shadow Prey [Paperback]

John Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2004

A #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A terrorist conspiracy, masterminded by a small group of Native Americans, embarks on a series of ritualistic murders, offing public officials known for their record of prejudice against Indians, in Sandford's ( Rules of Prey ) second Lucas Davenport thriller. Dakota medicine men Sam and Aaron Crow recruit killers whom they arm with obsidian knives on leather thongs and send out to cut the throats of victims in Minnesota, Oklahoma and New York--for starters. Both Sam and Aaron act as fathers to young Shadow Love (since each has been his mother's lover); Shadow Love is, in fact, a psychopath who will use the Indian murder mission to fulfill his own agenda. When Minneapolis police lieutenant Davenport gets on the case, assisted by statuesque, tough-talking policewoman Lily Rothenburg, the "sulky, dark-haired madonna" dispatched from New York to observe the investigation, the story crackles with romance and suspense, especially when Lucas and Lily become the killers' prey. Lucas's personality is the novel's most nuanced: he is a rugged lover of women--including his old friend Elle, psychologist and Sister of Mercy--he fathers his live-in girlfriend's baby and spends nights inventing board games. Other characters, like Sandford's dialogue, are only serviceable, but plenty of gore and action drives the plot forward. 75,000 first printing; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

The pace is relentless...a classic...(Boston Globe) A big, scary, suspenseful read. (Stephen King)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425126064
• ISBN-13: 978-0425126066
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,160 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second "Prey" thriller delivers solid police action and tension-filled story, October 4, 2006

By 

Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Prey (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed "Rules of Prey", the first entry in Mr. Sandford's long-running "Prey" series, so I happily picked up this follow-up title. This was very good, too: lots of tension, good banter between the cops, a challenging case, and some interesting fringe stuff involving Lucas Davenport's newest lady love and his other domestic challenges.

As far as cop thrillers go, there's nothing particularly earth shattering or ground breaking here, but I think that's the point: Mr. Sandford knows what a good cop thriller should be and delivers it, not worrying about throwing in gimmicky plot contrivances to set it apart from other thrillers. The entertainment comes from solid craftmanship, Sandford's eye for detail, a dozen or so engaging characters, and a good thriller story.

I also liked the shades of grey that complicate the proceedings in several areas. For example, one can't really blame the criminal antagonists here for wanting to accomplish their goals, which is to draw attention to the injustices against American Indians and exact revenge for one particular injustice. But things quickly spiral out of control when the antagonists use new violence to respond to old violence. And things are further complicated because one of the antagonists really likes doing violence, with "the cause" only being a convenient excuse to undertake it.

Like the new edition of "Rules of Prey" that I recently read, this new edition of "Shadow Prey" features a brief but illuminating new introduction by the author, where he discusses the challenges of coming up with a good follow up to a successful debut thriller.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Motive Might Be Other Than You Think, August 21, 2000

By 

Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Prey (Paperback)

The head of the FBI is targeted for death by a group of Indians bent on getting personal revenge for something the FBI man did early in his career. However, in planning to get to him, they make it appear as if a war is called on the white man¹s sins against the Indian people. John Sandford creates an excellent story, set in the context of the Native American people living in Minnesota. Deputy Chief of Police Lucas Davenport investigates the murders along with New York City Detective Lily Rosenthal. An interesting addition to Sandford's Prey series.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save Your Money!!!!!, June 3, 1999

By 

Andrea Kianes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Prey (Paperback)

I am a big fan of this author, however, I have to tell it like it is.

This book is absolutely "Awful". It dragged and dragged. There were too many characters and the plot was senseless. The only redeeming factor in the story is the relationship between Lucas & Lily.

Save your money, this one was a loser!