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 Goth It Is July 5, 2008
Lucas Davenport investigates the disappearence of a young woman (suspected of being murdered) and some murdered young people who are involved in the Goth ( Adam's Family)fashion style. The murderers appear to be one thing but are in fact something entirely different. Think schizophrenia. Davenport is also doing surveillance on the sexy wife of a lowlife criminal. There is some fun in that too.This is a interesting story with many surprizes and is fun.
 Phantom Prey July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As always John Sandfor's Lucas Davenport books are great. Look forward to another one.
 Farfetched, but Davenport is always a treat July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sandford's 18th Prey novel finds his dapper Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator, Lucas Davenport, agreeing to look into a case for his surgeon wife, Weather.
Weather's friend, Alyssa Austin, a wealthy widow and owner of a chain of exclusive fitness emporiums, came home one evening to find her heiress daughter Frances' blood in her house, but no trace of the girl. She has never been found and is presumed dead. Now Frances' friends are dying too, victims of a knife-wielding fairy.
A fairy, Davenport learns, is a Goth term for a small, waiflike young Goth woman. The reader has already met her and her partner, another Goth named Loren, and the two are enjoying the killings a little more each time. Threading his way through the Goth milieu Davenport is hot on the fairy's trail when he catches a bullet in the leg - but the shooter is definitely male.
Recuperation slows down the murder investigation but gives Davenport plenty of time to participate in the ongoing surveillance of Heather Toms, an attractive young mom and the wife of a murderous bail-jumping crime boss. Heather is partial to open blinds and skimpy outfits and it's a detail all the cops enjoy.
Sandford's cops are good-natured and seldom crude and the peeping Tom aspects are pure comic relief with a dash of suspense while the main plot rather plods along. Still, Sandford's writing is clever, engaging and visual and Davenport's happy, wealthy, unpretentious home life is a pleasure.
Bone Chilling suspense July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The evidence of the crime was all but wiped clean. If not for Alyssa Austin's nagging sense of unease, Frances Austin's disappearance would not have been noted for days, weeks, or even months after her death.
Frances Austin was dead, the cops were reasonably sure about that. So they didn't have the body, a suspect, or a motive. The amount of blood mopped up the night of her disappearance made it a good bet.
Alyssa, Frances's mother wasn't convinced. Frances couldn't be dead. The police needed to get out there and look for her. Desperate, she turned to her friend Weather, Lucas Davenport's wife, asking her to intercede on her behalf. Lucas Davenport was a good cop. He would get to the bottom of it.
Luke didn't want to get involved. He was a BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) Agent, not a local cop. Besides, Alyssa Austin gave him the willies. She planned her days with the use of her astrology chart, and was one Tarot card short of a full deck.
Luke conceded to Alyssa's begging and Weather's insistence, but his current case would take precedence. Siggy Toms, a notorious drug dealer, was on the run, but was forced to leave his wife and child behind. Siggy was a devoted family man.
They took turns watching the apartment Heather Toms, Siggy's wife, moved into. Siggy would be back, but until then they would watch the show. Heather was a beautiful woman and rarely closed the blinds. She put a show on for them every night.
With the Siggy case temporarily on hold, Lucas turned his attention to Frances Austin's disappearance. Frances was a Goth, and shortly after he started asking questions, a bartender at one of Frances's favorite hangouts was stabbed to death. He was last seen with a "fairy." A few nights later another of Frances's friends died from multiple stab wounds. Why did the killer hide the first body but not the rest? Did the deaths have anything to do with the $50,000 missing from Frances's bank account?
Phantom Prey is the eighteenth novel in John Sandford's "Prey" series. It's a page turning thriller. There was a great deal of violence, some of it graphic, but it was balanced out with good ol' fashioned police work, compassionate insights, and comical repartee. I give it a 5 star rating and am looking forward to reading more of John Sandford's work.
Suspenseful! July 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)
Another great murder mystery to solve that will leave you guessing until the end.
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