Customer Reviews

Shadow Prey

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

In his second outing, Lucas Davenport hunts a family of disgruntled Native Americans who have big plans for a political bad guy (who really does deserve to die.) He also meets a new woman, and you may find yourself not liking him very much afterwards.

However, by introducing us to the many faults of Davenport, Sandford goes a long way in making him even more real. And, if you keep reading the Prey series (and you should) you will find yourself taking satisfaction in Lucas' maturation process as much as in his hunting down the bad guys.

Read this book, and keep reading the Prey series

SHADOW PREY is the second book in the "Lucas Davenport" series, and I personally believe it's one of the weakest ones.

The pacing of this novel is surprisingly slow in spots, and the villains are relatively dull. The book deals heavily with Native-American issues, but I don't feel that Sandford did a very good job of developing the Native-American characters. As he explains in his introduction, he had to rewrite this novel significantly to eliminate a lot of the social commentary that was contained in the first draft. The result is a novel that seems incomplete -- I didn't fully understand the killers and their motivations as well as I would have liked.

The romance in SHADOW PREY is also somewhat annoying. Davenport is a classic "bad boy" character who is more than happy to sleep with a married woman, and then go back home to his own girlfriend and child without a second thought. I know some readers like this wild aspect of Davenport's character, but I personally found it an unlikable characteristic, especially for a 41-year old man.

I like Sandford's writing style, but my advice is to skip this novel if you haven't read his books before. Start with RULES OF PREY instead.

The hot and bothered Lucas Davenport is back and at full speed in this second entry in the popular "Prey" series. The plot revolves around some killings being done by a band of Indians, out to wipe out a politician who years before had assaulted a Native American woman. And of course, Lucas falls for NYPD Lily Rothenberg, and spends much of the book trying to get into her illustrious pants!

I have to hand it to Sandford, though. His plots are compelling and you can't help but finish them. Fortunately, this series gets better with each installment. This is not one of the best, and it has a wooden ending, no pun intended.

Things get better with "Eyes of Prey" and "Silent Prey."

Stick with him if you haven't given up on him yet.

John Sandford's Shadow Prey is a suspenseful thriller that will keep the reader on the end of his seat. Sandford succeeds once again with this entry into his Prey series. The plot races along at a heart-thumping pace as Lucas Davenport, the protagonist, must solve a case involving a complex Indian conspiracy. A slumlord, a welfare supervisor, rising politician, and a federal judge are grisly murdered one by one. The killings are linked because each had his throat slashed with an Indian ceremonial knife. Lucas takes the case, and the body count continues to rise. He is partnered with Lily Rothenburg, a married detective from New York. Lucas tries to concentrate on the case at hand, but he cannot control his attraction to Lily. As their romance heats up, Lily struggles with the idea of infidelity but eventually succumbs to Davenport. Lucas and Lily strive to solve the case, but at every turn they find themselves one step behind the Indian conspirators. Lucas comes within seconds of losing his life, but he manages to escape with the knowledge that the next victim on the killers' list is the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Lucas' world is thrown upside down as Lily is shot and hospitalized, and he takes justice into his own hands. Lucas embarks on a dangerous crusade to protect the director and avenge his fallen lover, but he does not realize that seeking revenge could be even more perilous than it seems as he battles to stay alive and save the ones he loves. Sandford excels in crafting this fine suspense novel that is even more mesmerizing than his debut Rules of Prey. Sandford reaches new heights of excellence in his characterization of Lucas Davenport. Davenport oozes masculinity, and he solves cases in his own way, often with a shameless disregard for the law. Sandford's writing shines the brightest as he delves into the psyche of Lucas. The reader becomes undeniably aware of Lucas' latent brutality and inner turmoil. Lucas even struggles with the depths of his own cruelty as the reader reflects on his own capacity for evil. Sandford takes the reader on a journey through Lucas' mind as the novel progresses, and Lucas' emotional state becomes progressively more complicated. In one near death experience, Lucas nearly becomes irrevocably traumatized and is plagued by reoccurring flashbacks of his ordeal. Sandford peers into the nature of his disturbing memories and emotions, and the reader actually sympathizes with Lucas as he is pushed over the edge. The line between right and wrong is often blurred as Lucas seeks revenge, and the reader must ask himself if what Davenport is doing is acceptable. Also, his forbidden romance with a married woman clouds his mind and his sense of morality even further. His battle with his own lust is extremely intriguing as he and Lily fall prey to carnal pleasures. The characterization of Lily is solid but comes nowhere near rivaling the complexity of Lucas' character. The reader often sees Lily's frustration as she finds herself on an emotional roller coaster. She is faced with the decision of staying loyal to a husband she does not truly love or giving in to her desire to be with Lucas. This moral dilemma, however, is somewhat short lived. One thing that sets this suspense novel apart from most is the characterization of the antagonists. The conspirators have a proud cause, which they are driven to fight for despite the cost. They are not insane killers; they are men with a distinct purpose, which some within the Indian nation might consider honorable. The novel's main villain, Shadow Love, is a man who persistently pursues his objectives and lets nothing stand in his way. Sanford excels in portraying Shadow as a believable character through his thoughts and actions. In many ways, Shadow is a parallel to Lucas. Both are ruthless, determined, and intelligent. The plot of Shadow Prey is fast and furious. The story line progresses at a relentless pace, and the reader is hardly given time to catch his breath. However, Standford often focuses too much time on Lucas' desire to be with Lily instead of the case at hand, which may agitate some readers. The book's plot picks up speed as the book comes to an end. Shadow's battle of wits and instincts with Lucas in the novel's chilling conclusion provides the book's greatest thrill. Sandford grabs his reader and pulls him into a web of conspiracy, murder, and sex, and he refuses to let go until the final page. If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers that are hard to put down, this book comes highly recommended.

In this second "Prey" novel, the Crows and their son, Shadow Love, are out to settle an old score with the Director of the FBI for sins he committed years ago. Lucas Davenport, Minneapolis-St. Paul detective and new father, is assigned to work with attractive Lily Rothenberg, an NYPD detective, as they hunt a killer who uses an obsidian knife with special meaning and power to Native Americans. John Sandford creates a powerful, action-packed thriller that deftly combines the two plot lines as he continues to build the strong and complex character of Lucas Davenport in this second Prey novel and sequel to "Rules Of Prey". Highly recommended (especially if you've never read any of Sandford's or John Camp's earlier work).

The most interesting part of this episode is the relationship that developes between Davenport and the cop from New York. As for the villains, Davenport is at his best when he is dealing with a lone killer

John Sandford's Minneapolis cop, Lucas Davenport, can't decide if he wants to stay with news-woman Jennifer and their baby-girl Sarah. When politicians start to get killed by Native Americans, it soon becomes clear, that something more than "just" random killings is going on. When a high profile politician from New York is killed, and it looks like the killer is headed towards Minneapolis, female cop Lily Rothenburg is sent there to crack the case. Lucas Davenport quickly finds himself very attracted to Lily, and while they try to solve the case, and more people gets killed, they also start an affair.
In the shadows, throughout the book, lurks a scary Native American called Shadow Love, and his Fathers, the Crows, who are the masterminds behind the killings, which are parts of a much greater scheme.
The stpry does not flow as easily as the other books by John Sandford, and I was in fact a bit disappointed by this one. The last 150 pages are quite good, though, but it does take a while before the story gets going. The main plot, served already at the first pages, is however interesting, and it is hard not to develop some sort of sympathy with the Crows and their case, regardless of their methods. There is a lot of politics in this book, and that may have been why I wasn't that excited about it.