Shadow Prey

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Shadow Prey, the crackling sequel to Rules of Prey, Twin Cities sleuth Lucas Davenport teams up with NYPD Lieutenant Lily Rothenberg to track down an elusive killer known only as Shadow Love. Among the victims are a Minneapolis slumlord, a judge from Oklahoma City, and a Manhattan politician. The murder weapon is a Native American ceremonial knife.

©1990 John Sandford (P)2012 Recorded Books

Top 3 out of his 23 Davenport Novels

All the Davenport Novels are worth a read, this particular book is great because it revolves around a younger, crazier, slutty, always manipulative Lucas, a group of fugitives that are both interesting & dangerous, & many of Davenports close friends in the future are cementing they're loyalties from these earlier novels. For some reason I read so many of the other Prey novels before I came back & read this one which is technically the 2nd in the series... It was worth it almost to the point I wish I read it earlier. But all his books are great & the development of Lucas & his family all take place throughout the series but this book is still in the stages before he had to worry about another woman, kids, politics, & future responsibilities I ended up reading at almost the same time because I was reading Silken Prey shorty after....

Highly recommend this book... LUCAS is establishing why he is such a bada$* & has the reputation he does....

Richard Ferrone is Perfect!

Lucas Davenport and his friends continue to develop well. We see glimpses of the future relationships in this early novel. What I liked best was how perfectly Ferrone and Sandford sync. It is as though Sandford wrote his books with Ferrone in mind. He builds the suspense perfectly and allows the darkness of the mystery to settle upon the listener.

Great book

GREAT BOOK right from the start drew Mr in. I'd storyline takes more than two chapters I am usually gone This one will get you from the very first chapter.

Narrator, not actor.

Would've preferred the narrator acted a bit more instead of just reading it. I think I would've been more engaged in the story had the narrator actually put some life into the characters other than that it's a solid thriller.

Distasteful language a distraction

I would have enjoyed the book without the over use of vulgar language. There’s just way too much when a little would have been more tolerable. I also cringed every time I heard Our Lord’s name used in such such deplorable ways; almost like the author was trying to upset the reader.

Lucas Davenport = Great

If you could sum up Shadow Prey in three words, what would they be?

Davenport, suspenseful, exciting

Who was your favorite character and why?

While I guess Davenport but another character, it would be Lily. I enjoy the whole cast of characters in the Prey novels though.

Any additional comments?

I have read most of the Prey series and love it. Am going back and listening to them in order. This is his second book. The narration is excellent. Does not disappoint. I highly recommend this series.

Sandford and Ferrone - Match Made in Heaven

Is it possible to fall in love with an author/narrator/protagonist combo? Yes, indeed. Sandford, Ferrone and that sometimes naughty Davenport rock the story.

John Sandford used incredibly good judgment choosing Richard Ferrone. Long live authors who "listen" to their own books being read!

ALWAYS GREAT

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes; the writing is wonderful, stories are intricate, plausible, and a little humor never hurts.

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

All of the John Sanford books are great; I look forward to each new one as it comes out,. My favorite author, right along with Michael Connelly.

Which scene was your favorite?

None in particular. All are good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I made myself savor it.

Social Commentary or Thriller?

As I listened to this book I was struck by the moral ambiguity running through the main story line. The good guys did some pretty bad stuff and the bad guys had a theme of righteous vindication. In the meantime the thrills, and sometime chills, came frequently. This book has pace and action worked together very skillfully.

The characters are outlined clearly enough that you know what they're about and understand their actions and reactions. They are, however, without much depth. The narrator can be hard to get used to as you start the book but pretty quickly becomes the spirit and appropriate characterization for all the nuances contained in this story.

The author's final comments at the end of the story made it all clear (at least to me). This was his 2nd book and the 2nd in an intended series. As he wrote it he became torn between writing a thriller vs writing a social commentary. The commentary is based in large part on the victimization of native Americans over time in this country. A plight that is still quite relevant today. Once he finished the book he realized that he couldn't have it both ways, tore it apart, and rewrote it to be a thriller. From this listener's perspective the social commentary theme is still in the underlying tone of the story. Therefore my sense of moral ambiguity.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and would love to give this book 5 stars across the board. My 4 stars on the story are strictly based on the unresolved ambiguity...no neat bows were offered to wrap it all up. That's ok by me, I'm on to the next story in the series.

If you like cop/detective thrillers, then this series is for you!

Decent second prey book

If you are like me, I like the prey books as decent, suspenseful, quick reads, not unlike one of Robert Parker's Spencer novels. Entertaining and enjoyable. I missed a few of the early ones, so am picking them back up on audio here and there.

Sandford's Prey series is superb except this one

The Prey series is a truly wonderful collection of books. Davenport is a complex character in the best of ways. He is a dodgy, reckless, self made rich guy with some unpleasant traits but he sure is fun. Intelligent friends and fellow cops add more humour and insight into the dark situations the barking mad criminals create. The descriptive writing is beautiful and thoughtful too, never jumping to simplistic assumptions about the forces that drive human beings.
The audiobooks are just as they should be - unabridged and most importantly, read by the same excellent reader. When you have such a rich collection of characters as this you obviously form ideas and images about them. Changing the reader of a series is unbelievably stupid. It ruins continuity, and the rhythm and pace of the entire book. It is like turning the TV on to watch Inspector Morse and finding that he's played by an unknown actor.

So, what is wrong with this one? It is the second Prey book and was the only one not recorded at the time. Perhaps because is was no good? It is drawn out with a weak storyline, a tedious sexual affair and unfocused baddies. All the things that John Sandford's Prey books are not, usually.

Please don't judge the Prey series by this one. The best in the series in my opinion are two of the best books I have ever heard, the two Rinker books, Certain and Mortal Prey. There's not enough room or time here to do them justice. Perhaps it is best to start at the begining with Rules of Prey and omit this one.