Sudden Prey [Hardcover]

John Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Series: Prey | Publication Date: May 7, 1996

After a vicious female bank robber named Candy dies in a shootout with police, her violent associates vow revenge, targeting the loved ones of the police officers involved, and it is up to Lucas Davenport to stop the nightmarish killings. By the author of Mind Prey.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Revenge is the engine which powers Sanford's seventh "Prey" thriller starring superslick Minnesota cop Lucas Davenport. When a dangerous female bank robber is killed in a shootout, her even more dangerous husband escapes from prison and begins a campaign of retribution against the families of Davenport and his team. As always with Sandford, excellent writing is the icing on an enjoyable cake. (Other Sandford "Prey" books: Eyes of Prey, Mind Prey, Night Prey, Rules of Prey, Silent Prey, Winter Prey.)

From Publishers Weekly

The title tells it true, and applies not only to myriad characters in Sandford's electrifying eighth "Prey" thriller, but also to the novel's readers. From the opening scene, in which series hero, Minneapolis cop Lucas Davenport, and his team stalk and kill a female bank robber, the story will clamp down like a bear trap on all who open its covers. That robber is Davenport's prey, but those beloved by the cop and his men become prey in turn when the slain thief's husband, Dick LaChaise, and his two sidekicks, all ex-bikers with militia mentalities, vow revenge unto death. Davenport, who in his spare time designs computer games that have made him wealthy, soon learns two disturbing facts: that suicidal enemies are close to unstoppable, and that his addiction to this real-life "game" is powerful enough to put even his loved ones at risk. Further problems ensue from the dangerous presence of a crooked cop, and from the refusal by Davenport's lover, a dedicated surgeon, to take up Davenport's offer to seclude her safely. The stakes are high, the characters rich, the action relentless-here's a thriller that will make your hair stand on end. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and Mystery Guild main selections; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 305 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1ST edition (May 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399141383
• ISBN-13: 978-0399141386
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,034 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

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revenge is a B- - - - h, July 26, 2004

By 

J. Lewis "Bookworm and Music Lover" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sudden Prey (Hardcover)

In this "Prey" installment by Sandford, Davenport and his team are faced with a cold-blooded killer who has one thing on his mind. Revenge. After his sister and wife are killed in a foiled bank robbery attempt, an extreme right-winged government hating milita member seeks revenge on the policemen who are responsible. After he escapes from prison, he enlists a few members, including a dirty cop, seeking vengeance against those responsible for his sister and wife's deaths.

A very tense thriller with non-stop action and excitement. I had a hard time putting this one down. Sudden Prey could rank as one of Sandford's best novels.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wasn't a "detective" book reader -- until I met Sandford, April 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sudden Prey (Hardcover)

I love great literature, and once-upon-a-time, I tried to focus on the National Book Award winners, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and other international authors who could tell a good story in an interesting way. For variety, I read the earlier Stephen King books, and some "hard" science fiction, like Bob Forward. In a funk, and bored with several wonderful books I was plodding through, I heard an advertisement for "Mind Prey" (the previous "Lucas Davenport" novel) by 'John Sandford.' In a moment of -- for me -- consumer frenzy, I saw it at a local drugstore and bought it. Wow! I researched the author, and began to get his "Prey" books and read them from first (Rules of Prey) to last (Sudden Prey). 'Sandford' really knows how to tell a story; his characters are interesting and believable, and while there's plenty of "blood and guts," its all in the context of solid, you-are-there plotting. Sudden Prey, as usual, made me stop in the middle of a chapter, and say aloud, "no, no: that can't happen!" Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, and I give all the credit in the world to 'John Sandford' for getting me involved enough to care about the characters he creates. And, I still enjoy the National Book Award-type "good" literature I once thought was the only thing "intelligent" people should read. I'll read everything this guy puts out. If Sudden Prey is your first Sandford book, you'll go back and read the rest -- and I recommend them all. Jack Flynn

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start at the beginning of the Series, June 3, 2005

By 

Stephen McLin (Lafayette, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sudden Prey (Audio Cassette)

As a typical amazoner looking for good books to read, I rely heavily on the reader reviews. After great enjoyment of my first Sandford "prey" book, I went to the beginning of the series --- used paperbacks cost about $3.00 net with shipping on Amazon -- and have worked my way through.

This is the best so far. A terribly bad "bad guy." Totally realistic (and often incorrect) cop behavior. The hero Lucas makes believable mistakes. He is not a superhero.

Great suspense. Super "cat and mouse" book. Violence abounds, but is credible.

If you like "cop mysteries" you will like this series.