Rules of Prey

A Lucas Davenport Novel

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The "maddog" murderer who is terrorizing the Twin Cities is two things: insane and extremely intelligent. He kills for the pleasure of it and thoroughly enjoys placing elaborate obstacles to keep police befuddled. Each clever move he makes is another point of pride. But when the brilliant Lieutenant Lucas Davenport, a dedicated cop and a serial killer's worst nightmare, is brought in to take up the investigation, the maddog suddenly has an adversary worthy of his genius.

©1989 John Sandford (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A police procedural as effective as it is brutal." (Publishers Weekly)
"Sleek and nasty...a big, scary suspenseful read." (Stephen King)

Interesting

I liked the book but didn’t like the descriptive rapes. I didn’t really like the main character Lucas Davenport either. He was shallow, couldn’t be faithful to even one women. And supposedly both women were ok with this—right. I. An tell it wasn’t written by a woman. It was more like wishful male thinking. The plot kept my interest and I finished it. So all in all more good than bad.

The first prey book

My parents wanted me to start the Prey books so I started at the beginning. It's very well written. The narrator is awesome. However, the story is violent and weird at times so be prepared for that. Lucas Davenport is a neat character - worth listening to just to meet him. It's good.

The first in the Prey series and for me, the best.

I actually bought this not knowing it was the first one. I had read it when it first came out and totally enjoyed listening to it. Th email characters are mostly still in his current books and it was fun to compare them. All in all, an excellent book - you can't go wrong.

Great start to an older series

I went into this series hoping to find a good crime, murder mystery series. I was absolutely not disappointed. The conclusion although obvious left me very fulfilled. Worth your credit and I absolutely getting the next installment.

Mixed feelings....

Good plot but somehow I found the main charector abrasive. He supposed to be the good guy .
Maybe because I'm a woman , the way he treats women bugs me.
I know it's just a book and after hearing the authors note at end understand where he was coming from.
I have read the other series books and remember the man charector being less of an ass.
I will still read his books so not enough to keep me away.

Enjoyable

Liked the story and even the narration, however the recording quality was not the best. You could hear the narrator's breathing which at times became distracting, but the book is worth that minor annoyance.

Good story...but should have a R rating

Would you listen to Rules of Prey again? Why?

Yes, I will definitely listen to this book again. I enjoyed the story and I enjoy Sandford's writing style. He has a gritty style that reminds me of the old Bogart and Cagney movies. His langauge is a little hard to take but didn't detract from the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucas Davenport, of course. He doesn't take any flak from those he works with and for but can't stand up to the women in his life. Sanford said he wanted to make him bigger than life and I think he acheived his goal.

Have you listened to any of Richard Ferrone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I really like to listen to Richard Ferrone because he has a great voice and really conveys the emotion of the story. The only problem I had with this story was that I had just finished listening a couple of his

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was a little taken back by the language. It had been a long time since I had read or listened to a Sanford work and I had forgotten how vulgar he could be.

Debut starts off with a BANG! Headed to #2.

What did you love best about Rules of Prey?

For a first novel of a series, it was chock full of action, suspense and realistic characters.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes , most definitely. There were plenty of twists and turns that made ones thoughts go one way and then you grab on to another clue and figure it out again. Didn't really figure it out till the end which is rare for me.

What does Richard Ferrone bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He seems to capture the characters personalities, especially all their little quirks that make each one special.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, not laughing or crying really.. Perhaps a few smiles at sarcasm and witty comments, but mostly I enjoyed the plot.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy listening to audiobooks as I go to sleep, it's relaxing and keeps my mind off other things that may distract me and prevent me from sleeping. The stories help me focus on the book and nothing else. Perhaps it's like you're parents reading to you when you were little. I'm a voracious reader anyway and ths is a nice way of reading that also puts me to sleep. Therefore, the narrator has to catch it just right, which I feel Mr. Ferrone does well.

Great story.

Wish I had read this series before the Flower's series. Both excellent but Flowers has more humor. Love the humor. I like the spice in Davenport series (his love of the ladies). All things considered they are both well worth the read. Can't wait to get to the next book.

Outstanding

I am a diehard Michael Connelly fan, in fact it’s hard for me to listen to anything else. This is an outstanding work. I couldn’t stop listening. Fabulous story. Outstanding character development. Fast paced and engaging. Can’t wait for the next one!