Field of Prey

Lucas Davenport, Book 24

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from number-one New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize winner John Sandford.

The night after the fourth of July, Layton Carlson, Jr., of Red Wing, Minnesota, finally got lucky. And unlucky.

He’d picked the perfect spot to lose his virginity to his girlfriend, an abandoned farmyard in the middle of cornfields: nice, private, and quiet. The only problem was...something smelled bad - like, really bad. He mentioned it to a county deputy he knew, and when the cop took a look, he found a body stuffed down a cistern. And then another, and another.

By the time Lucas Davenport was called in, the police were up to 15 bodies and counting. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, when Lucas began to investigate, he made some disturbing discoveries of his own. The victims had been killed over a great many years, one every summer, regular as clockwork. How could this have happened without anybody noticing?

Because one thing was for sure: The killer had to live close by. He was probably even someone they saw every day....

©2014 John Sanford (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"One of [Sandford’s] best. His writing and the appeal of his lead character are as fresh as ever. This author is a master writer and he pulls out all the stops to tell the latest adventure.... For those who think they know everything they need to know about Lucas Davenport, this book proves them wrong. It also shows that Sanford still has some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to writing totally engrossing books. Sanford has always been at the top of any list of great mystery writers and this latest book shows why.... It is one of his best and that makes it something really special." (Huffington Post)

"Consistently brilliant, Sandford shows the methodical steps inherent in such a case, without sacrificing plot, pacing or character." (Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

"Sandford seems to top himself with each new installment; the latest is no exception to that rule.... It doesn’t get any better than Field of Prey.... This is a series you must be reading if you are not already." (bookreporter.com)

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

I have been reading/listening to the Prey novels since their beginning, back in the eighties, and for me, this was the most engrossing, the most maddening of them all. The whole novel felt like that exciting point that all the Lucas Davenport novels move toward, when all the figuring, all the questioning, all the digging suddenly starts to reveal what is what and who is who, and the action becomes a mad dash or avalanche towards the uncertain and usually pretty dicey ending. I guess one thing that made me feel that from the very beginning was the action of a very strong female character, responding to being attacked bound, and driven off into the night. I felt truly exhilarated by this beginning, and I rarely lost that sense of involvement, as the action and characters developed throughout, "Field of Prey."

I have always found that Sandford creates strong and complex women in his Prey books, and they are even stronger in this one. His daughter, Letty, in particular, is so enjoyable in this installment, that I am now hoping she completes her time at Stamford and comes back to the twin cities, to work with Lucas, a lot sooner than four years from now. I admit it, I have to remind myself, now and then, that these people are not real, I have been reading about them for so long. Yes, all the gang are here: Dell, Virgil, Sandy, Lucas's childhood friend, the psychologist nun, and of course, those responsible for something like twenty years worth of the disappearances and murders of young blonde women.The familiar voice of Richard Ferrone , with its tough guy edge, always adds to my enjoyment. Whoever chose him for the Prey series created a perfect marriage.

When I listen to the decisions Lucas makes, unaware of the big picture that Sandford shares with us, I feel like a kid at the matinee, wanting to shout out, "What the hell are you doing? Turn around; do not go home before you question that creep!" I say no more. No spoilers here. Oh yes, I loved this installment of Sandford's Prey series. What a great read!

Good listen

I have enjoyed all of John Sandford's book. This one was especially good. I liked having Virgil Flowers play a part, even though small. Really enjoy the narrator- Richard Ferrone.

Always good.

You can never go wrong with a John Sandford novel. I enjoy his unique style of telling who did it in the first chapter then allowing the reader to watch as the brilliant Lucas Davenport solves the crime. Virgil Flowers is also a favorite. If it's written by John Sanford it will be in my library.

Excellent from first paragraph to last!

Attention getter from front to back, hours of great listening while the miles wiz by, EXCELLENT. Great job John Sanford.

The twist at the end I didn't see coming

Although I prefer Eric Conger as the narrator of John Sanford books, I think that Richard Ferrone does a good job. With that said this book was another in a long line of great stories by John Sanford. The twist at the end I didn't see coming at all. Great listen and well worth the credit.

Field of Prey

Excellent as usual. I like the progression of the relationships in each story. Very unique story. I love the Prey series and am never disappointed.

could not stop listening

Richard ferrone has a way with the inflection and accents.
Sandford as always runs a loose circle around the long way home

Best

This is, in my opinion, the best book in the prey series. From start to finish its almost impossible to put down. Definitely a nail biter!

Excellent as usual

I've been reading his books since they first came out. Love the suspense and trying to figure who done it. Keep up the good work.
Faithful reader. Marcy

Lettie is taking off

I enjoyed this book more than the last. I figure Davenport will begin tying those up. Maybe allow his wife to fix his nose.