Secret Prey

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Stephen Lang

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

The company chairman lay on the cold ground of the woods, his eyes unseeing, his orange hunting jacket punctured by a rifle bullet at close range. Around him stood the four executives with whom he had been hunting, each with his or her own complicated agenda, each with a reason not to be sorrowful about the man's death.

There were currents running through this group, hints and whispers of something much greater than the murder of a single man. Lucas Davenport had felt this way not long before, sensed the curling of an indefinable evil, and not only had it nearly gotten him killed, it had lost him his fiance, who'd never been able to recover from the violence of the encounter. Sometime soon, unless he could stop it, there would be another death, and then still another, and Davenport couldn't help but wonder if maybe this time, the final death might not be his own.

Please note: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version is also available.

Hear Lucas Davenport on the case in more of John Sandford's Prey novels.

©1998 John Sandford (P)1998 Putnam Berkley Audio, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Full of smart suspense and deduction as well as explosive action." (Publishers Weekly) 

"A good plot, a great villain, and a realistic, flawed hero, combined with a great reading by Lang, all make this a very entertaining 'listen.'" (Library Journal) 

"Sandford has sustained his Prey thrillers by varying the premise with imaginative plotting; shifting points of view; a subtle, melancholy protagonist; and most of all, great villains. The ninth Prey novel may well be the best, and that's high praise in the context of such a consistently entertaining body of work." (Booklist)  

Another winner for Sandford

How does he do it? Sandford, I mean. He has turned out so many of these "Prey" novels, yet they are all different (even if related in some ways) and spectacular in terms of being true crime thrillers.

The reader is excellent. As I said, another winner for Sandford

Sometimes change is good...sometimes not

One of the things about listening to an audio series, or reading one for that matter, is that you begin to understand who the main character is that you are following through all these books. You may like that person, you may not, but the point is you have grown to understand and find some sort of comfort in the consistency of that. Richard Ferrone was the narrator for the previous Prey series and had developed the character of Lucas Davenport in a specific way. Over time the reader could distinguish between vocal tones, knowing what type of response Lucas was giving. With the switch to this new narrator, Lucas Davenport became a COMPLETELY different person. The narrator tried to hard to give emotion to a man who isn't supposed to express all that much emotion to begin with. His attemps at female voices are terrible and it completely takes away from the stories. Over the years I have become a BIG fan of the Prey series but I was unable to even get through this one. I highly recommend skipping this one and looking to see who is narrating. I didn't think it would make a big difference but the difference was actually huge.

Should have read Rachael's review first

Sure wish I had read Rachael's review before getting this one. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal since I am such a HUGE Prey series fan. Everything she said is absolutely right. The reader has totally changed the character of Lucas, Sloan sounds like an idiot, and his voices are almost comical. I think we could also do without all the sound effects especially when they over ride the readers voice and you can't hear what is being read. Prey fans,,,,skip this one or get it in written form.

not easy to predict- kept you guessing

I really enjoyed this audio book. As always, the suspense and humor were a great balance. highly recommend

Great prey story

This was another in a great prey series with a good story, suspense and intriguing action. I would recommend it for everyone.

The narrator is not as good as the prior books.

The narrator is not as good as the prior narrator. The audio never really captured my imagination. The length of the book was also a lot shorter. The story was good, but the detail was less leading to a shorter version.

The usual attention gripping story

I have to get used to voice of the narrator, but otherwise he was great.

The story is great because it touches on how illogical people believe they are logical. Their craziness makes sense as they do not know they are crazy. Abuse, victimization, murder, vengeance, psychosis... wrapped into one person. This could actually happen.

Always entertaining

Get this one (or any of the Prey books) they are great stories. If you have law enforcement background the banter is spot on.

Secret Prey Yes or No

Would you consider the audio edition of Secret Prey to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

What other book might you compare Secret Prey to and why?

I don't compare the Prey series to any other book because they are unique.

Which character ??? as performed by Stephen Lang ??? was your favorite?

Lucas Davenport

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not necessarily because the whole book is interesting.

Any additional comments?

The Prey series is addictive. All the characters in this series will make you laugh and also make you mad and sad. Stephen Lang is the best narrator of the series because he has a distinctive voice and can make you see what is happening.

Fantastic!

I love John Sandfords Prey Series. These books are captivating, exciting, and well written. This is one of my favorites in the series.