Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $11.29
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 40
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0399155007
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155000
ASIN: 0399155007
Publication Date: May 6, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Lucas Davenport has had disturbing cases before but never one quite like this, in the shocking new Prey novel from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author.
John Sandfords most recent Davenport novel, Invisible Prey, was hailed as one of his best books in recent memory (The Washington Post); as fresh and entertaining as ever (Chicago Sun-Times); and rivetingly readable (Richmond Times-Dispatch). But this time, hes got something quite special in store.
A widow comes home to her large house in a wealthy, exclusive suburb to find blood everywhere, no bodyand her collegeaged daughter missing. Shes always known that her daughter ran with a bad bunch. What did she call themGoths? Freaks is more like it, running around with all that makeup and black clothing, listening to that awful music, so attracted to death. And now this.
But the police cant find the girl, alive or dead, and when a second Goth is found slashed to death in Minneapolis, the widow truly panics. Theres someone she knows, a surgeon named Weather Davenport, whose husband is a big deal with the police, and she implores Weather to get him directly involved. Lucas begins to investigate only reluctantlybut then when a third Goth is slashed in what is now looking like a Jackthe- Ripper series of killings, he starts working it hard. The clues dont seem to add up, though. And then theres the young Goth who keeps appearing and disappearing: Who is she? Where does she come from and, more important, where does she vanish to? And why does Lucas keep getting the sneaking suspicion that there is something else going on here . . . something very, very bad indeed?
Filled with his brilliant trademark suspense and some of the most interesting characters in thriller fiction, Phantom Prey is further proof that Sandford is in a class of his own (The Orlando Sentinel).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Ghost Writer?????? May 17, 2008
I have avidly read all of John Sandford's Lucas Davenport books. In fact, I've read them all a dozen times. This one is slightly weird though. It has all the bells and whistles, but there's something slightly off--I think at least part of it is ghost written--and by a woman. Either that or Weather has him so whipped he's turning into a woman. Other than that, it's a page turner.
(3.5) "It might be chaotic, but there were threads in the chaos." May 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Sandford takes a detour in Phantom Prey, our favorite Twin Cities detective, Lucas Davenport, uniquely challenged by a case that delves into the counter culture for clues to a young woman's disappearance, possibly her violent death. When Alyssa Austin returns home late one night, she experiences an eerie sensation. Something is amiss in her upscale home- either there is an intruder or some other menace, so unsettling that Mrs. Austin carries a loaded handgun while she searches the darkened rooms. No one is there after all, but blood-spatter on the wallpaper, almost invisible against the design, suggests recent violence. Since there is no body, Austin can only speculate on the fate of her daughter, Frances. When the police investigation yields little information, Austin turns to her friend, Weather Davenport, hoping Weather's husband, Detective Davenport can find some answers for her.
With little to go on, Davenport begins one of his most frustrating investigations, tracking the daughter's latest activities and her flirtation with the Goth community. Contrary to the social status of the wealthy Austin family, the Goths represent the opposite of the success and privilege that defines Frances' world, at least on the surface. Unwilling to believe her daughter is dead, the widow Austin, CEO of a fitness empire, provides Lucas with a list of names, a slender thread to her daughter's rebellious affiliations. Armed with only this short list, Davenport's job becomes more critical when certain individuals, all Goths, are savagely murdered, an unfamiliar "fairy" (attractive female Goth) appearing shortly before each of the deliberate killings. Determined to untangle this knotted web of dark intentions, Lucas is somewhat diverted by another investigation, the long term surveillance of an attractive young woman married to a career criminal of particular interest to the police.
While Davenport applies himself enthusiastically to the surveillance case, he also pursues the enigmatic society of Goths, most of whom tend to surface after hours at particular clubs, arrayed in black clothing, a stark contrast to the usual club familiars. Wherever he goes, Davenport just misses the tantalizing fairy, the unknown element in a mystery that includes theft, murder and the bizarre activities of a behind-the-scenes player. Juxtaposing the two cases, Lucas methodically traces Frances' acquaintances, sensing a terrible pattern that yields shocking consequences. As always, Davenport is a man of many talents, although this particular plot doesn't deliver the punch of the earlier "Prey" series. But after eighteen mysteries, Sanford can be forgiven going out on a limb in search of new material. Some unusual twists surface, albeit without much meat left on the bone for real fans. Luan Gaines/2008.
 Disappointed May 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I, like many other avid Sanford readers found this book sorely lacking. It really did seemed forced. I was really looking forward to reading this book until the "weirdness" (I won't spoil it...) and the excessive use of unnecessary profanity and talking about females in such a vulgar way. I am no prude by any stretch, but it seemed Sanford was pushing boundries just to see if he could.
If you are new to the "Prey" books I would NOT start with this one.
 Couldn't Wait May 15, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I couldn't wait for the new Sandford to come out. I'd read the others and enjoyed every one. Finally, it comes in and I start reading. Then I couldn't wait to get to the end. Not because of suspense or great characters or deep plot. Just so I didn't miss something that would redeem this book from dull, boring and flat out weird.
Not bad, but a little tired May 12, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I get the feeling that Sandford is going through the motions here. Time for the next Davenport. Now let's see...Oh, well, I'll come up with something. And so he has. It's not a bad book. The characters are as usual well done. The dialogue is witty and true to life. The only problem here is the villain, whose motivations and general situation are simply too over the top to be believable. What's worse, it was pretty obvious (but pretty hard to accept) who the villain was early in the book, and when my preconceptions were finally confirmed, I could only shake my head. I've been reading this series for a long time and this is the only really weak link. Here's hoping the next one is better.
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