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| | Description | The brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.
"Sandford's track record as a bestselling author is amazing, but it's not an accident," wrote Booklist of Wicked Prey. "His plotting is sharp, his villains are extraordinarily layered, and his good guys are always evolving.
And this time, there's a storm brewing...Very early, 4:45, on a bitterly cold Minnesota morning, three big men burst through the door of a hospital pharmacy, duct-tape the hands, feet, mouth, and eyes of two pharmacy workers, and clean the place out. But then things swiftly go bad, one of the workers dies, and the robbers hustle out to their truck-and find themselves for just one second face-to-face with a blond woman in the garage: Weather Karkinnen, surgeon, wife of an investigator named Lucas Davenport.
Did she see enough? Can she identify them? Gnawing it over later, it seems to them there is only one thing they can do: Find out who she is, and eliminate the only possible witness... | |
| | Product Details | | Author: | John Sandford | | Hardcover: | 416 pages | | Publisher: | Putnam Adult | | Publication Date: | May 18, 2010 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0399156496 | | Product Length: | 9.0 inches | | Product Width: | 6.2 inches | | Product Height: | 1.5 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.4 pounds | | Package Length: | 9.1 inches | | Package Width: | 6.4 inches | | Package Height: | 1.7 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 163 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 163 customer reviews )
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121 of 124 found the following review helpful:
 Another Fun "Prey" Novel, but.... Apr 30, 2010
By Brian Baker
A gang of bumbling bikers have robbed the hospital's pharmacy - accidentally killing the pharmacist while doing so - at the direction of a drug-addled hospital insider. Lucas Davenport and his crew are drawn into the investigation, and Lucas has a personal stake in the outcome as his physician wife Weather works at the hospital, and may be a witness able to identify at least one of the perps.
"Storm Prey" is Sanford's twentieth novel in the Lucas Davenport series. First, the good news.
The story rocks along in an engaging manner, involving the reader not only in the crime that Lucas is on course to solve, but also in the fates of a pair of twins conjoined at the head at birth whom Lucas's wife Weather is trying to surgically separate.
The two plot lines progress in tandem, and are great counterpoints to each other. We also see the protagonist of one of Sanford's other series - Virgil Flowers - involved in this story in a peripheral role, yet another fun element.
The bad guys are a mixed bag of bumblers, druggies, and a sociopathic stone killer wandering through the story, bumping into each other with conflicting motivations and goals. The investigation almost solves itself for Lucas as these dimwits try to outsmart each other in avoiding capture, and getting away with the loot.
The "Prey" novels are always a fun ride through the roller-coaster criminal landscape, and this book is no exception.
BUT... and now the bad news. In a couple of scenes, Lucas thinks back to cases earlier in his career which were actually the stories of the earliest Davenport novels, and that reminded me - a fan from the first book lo so many years ago - that the early Davenport was actually a much darker, more complex character who faced much more challenging foes. Those early novels were complex thrillers with heavy undertones and psychological shadings, all of which are missing from the series nowadays. It's transformed into more of a procedural along the lines of the Ed McBain 87th Precinct books.
So, still four stars, because it's fun for what it is. But I do remember when the "Prey" series was solid five star material, and I miss that level of achievement.
99 of 111 found the following review helpful:
 After 20, I still look forward to the next one... Apr 20, 2010
By Kristi
"all my facts come from fiction"
This is the 20th of John Sandford's "Prey" novels, featuring Minnesota cop Lucas Davenport and his band of merry, lethal, smart men. Perhaps it's fitting then, that this book is a marathon rather than a sprint... a down-to-earth, detailed police procedural rather than the edge-of-your-seat tension that you sometimes get with the Sandford books.
But that's part of the draw of this series... it's not just the same book over and over. I can actually remember the plots from these books, and how the characters have matured and changed. That's a good thing.
For me, the most appealing thing about the Prey series -- heck, all of the Sandford books -- is that the protagonists are smart and they catch the bad guys because the bad guys are dumb. No criminal master-minds here. Sure, things get pretty violent sometimes, but Davenport and his crew generally manage to avoid a lot of brawn by using brain. For me, the best line of the book was when Virgil Flowers tells Davenport that it's good Davenport's state squad is barging in on a Minneapolis investigation. "The point remains," Virgil said. "Never hurts to have a little more IQ on the job." Sometimes, it seems like the world wants to completely ignore the tremendous truth there is in that statement.
Sandford's dialogue is nitty and gritty and rings absolutely true, and his prose enfolds it so seamlessly that it's entirely possible to sit down with one of his books and find that you've finished it four hours later, without really knowing just how that happened. After those four hours, I finished this book feeling better about the world, and that's not something you can say about most novels, either. It feels good to remember that men and women like the ones in this book do exist -- courageous, dutiful, scatalogical, funny, determined and smart.
Can't wait for the next one!
107 of 121 found the following review helpful:
 A bit disappointing Apr 24, 2010
By M. S. Butch
As a long-time Lucas Davenport devotee, I am always happy to drop in on him and his family and associates. I was particularly looking forward to "Storm Prey" which was described as "superb" by one pre-publication reviewer. The actual book was a let-down. Don't get me wrong -- I admire the consistent quality of Sandford's work, and the fact that he has not moved into that "I don't have to make any effort anymore" space so common with bestselling authors (see, DeMille's "Wildfire" for a horrible example). But this time it all seemed to much the same to me. Some baddies do something bad. We know who they are but Davenport does not, at first. We know the story will begin thus, but in the past it has been Davenport's path to identifying the criminals that made the story fascinating (that and the regular characters, who remain fascinating). But here the "puzzle" part is too easy and the baddies too uninteresting. It really takes Davenport no time at all to identify the malefactors, and it's all luck. Where's the fun in that? the "Aha" moments? In addition, I would really enjoy a villain who is neither an unraveling psychopath nor a big dumb psychopath. You know, someone who might challenge Davenport, rather than being caught because he leaves an ever-widening swath of blood behind him.
All of the above does not mean I did not enjoy "Storm Prey" -- I did. But I would not call it "superb" by any means, or anywhere near Sandford's best work.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Another Great Lucas D. Apr 28, 2010
By Richard A. Mitchell
"Rick Mitchell"
Anytime you review a book like this - another in a long series - it must be rated against all other mystery/thrillers and against all other Lucas Davenport books. On both counts STORM PREY comes up roses. Sandford has a unique ability to keep his characters fresh and developing so the series does not become dull or redudant.
In this twentieth book of the line, Weather (Mrs. Davenport) is faced with the stressful separation surgery of conjoined twins. On the day the operation is to go, the hospital pharmacy is robbed and a worker murdered. Unbeknownst to her at the time, she has seen two of the participants and the chase is on. The surgery starts and stops over days and days as they try to keep both of the twins alive. This sug-saga adds terrific and unique tension to a murder thriller. Unlike what one might think if you've read prior books, Weather does not take the strong independent route. She is focused on the operation so she lets "the men do their stuff while she does hers". The rest of the plot is classic Sandford reverse mystery. We watch the bad guys as we watch Lucas, Virgil, Shrake, et al try to catch up with them. The criminals have to eliminate one of their members because he gave up DNA at the robbery. That leads to more eliminations as the nefarious goings on expand. The bad guys are constantly looking over their shoulders at each other while looking over their other shoulders watching the cops. The book tracks both the courses of the good guys and the bad - another level of depth and mystery that Sandford uses to keep the pages turning.
As usual, all the characters all have depth. Even the robbers/murderers are given personalities. The dialogue among Lucas and his colleagues is believeable and at times witty. You want to be with them. The mystery constantly twists and turns bringing in new people and factors. It is Sandford at his usual excellence.
If you have read Davenport novels before, this will not disappoint. I think it is as good as any other I have read. If you have not read any of this series before, do not dispair. This book easily stands alone. One caution for newbies. If you read this one, you will feel compelled to go back and read the other nineteen. Once you start, you will see a character(s) who developes, grows and continues to evolve. Sandford fans have been able to watch Davenport's life unfold from young cowboy womanizing tough with a hidden deep side to responsible husband and father still having the steel of the tough cop.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
A Gripping Thriller from the First to Last Page! May 02, 2010
By Tom McGee
"Tom"
Storm Prey is my first exposure to bestselling author John Sandford, but it definitely will not be my last. This author is a master story teller who knows how to keep the reader interested as he weaves a tale of escalating violence while criminals become entangled in brambles of their own making.
Modern day sociopathic Lebanese cocaine addicted Doctor Alain Barakat has lived a privileged life as a result of his wealthy father's generous stipend and tutelage by indentured fellow countryman Shaheen who helped him cheat his way through medical school to become a practicing doctor in Minnesota's Medical Research Center (MMRC). His ever increasing dependence keeps him broke, associating with criminal elements and leads to him being the inside mastermind behind the robbery of the hospital's pharmacy that results in the death of a pharmacy employee.
Skilled MMRC surgeon Weather Karkinnen is a key player in a rare, complicated and much publicized operation to separate the heads of 18 month old conjoined twins Sara and Ellen Raynes.
Unfortunately, Weather arrives in the hospital parking garage at the exact moment the cars full of robbers are leaving. Weather and one of the criminals briefly make eye contact--an event that makes her a loose end targeted for death. Her husband, Minnesota State Police Investigator Lucas Davenport, et al do all they can to prevent that from happening.
Sandford keeps the reader riveted, ripping through the pages of this exciting 408-page thriller in record time showcasing an intriguing cast with exceptional character development and a spellbinding view into dark and unsavory minds and the webs they weave.
If you are looking for an action packed suspense thriller that will keep you glued to the story, THIS IS IT!
See all 163 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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