Synopses & Reviews
The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner.
If you havent read Sandford yet, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.”Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas Davenports going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.
A Minnesota political fixer has hit the jackpotor so he thinks. Hired to take down the incumbent U.S. senator with a vicious smear, to open the way for an ambitious, take-no-prisoners heiress who sees the Senate as merely a stepping-stone, he decides his payoff should be larger. The blackmail demand should yield some pretty large numbers, he thinks.
Instead, he gets only a small one9 millimeters, to be exact. In the heart.
Davenport is investigating the smear when the trail leads to the mans disappearance, thenvery troublinglyto the Minneapolis police department, thenmost troublingly of allto a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness, and sheer will to make it happen.
No matter who gets in the way.
Filled with John Sandfords trademark razor-sharp plotting and some of the best characters in suspense fiction, Silken Prey is further evidence for why the Cleveland Plain Dealer called the Davenport novels a perfect series,” and Suspense Magazine wrote, If you havent read any of the Prey series, you need to jump on board right this second.”
Review
andldquo;If you havenandrsquo;t read Sandford, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.andnbsp; Lucas Davenport, the policeman hero of the Prey novels, is a hard dude . . . but not without a sense of humor, and that makes him special.andnbsp; Sandford writes real-guy novels, butandmdash;judging by my wife and her sistersandmdash;real girls like him too.andrdquo;andmdash;Stephen King
Review
andldquo;Sandfordandrsquo;s ability to sustain this perfect series [. . .] must be a cause of envy to other writers, but grateful readers greet the annual appearance of Minnesota cop Lucas Davenport with joy, then plan for a sleepless, page-turning night.andrdquo;andmdash;
Cleveland Plain-DealerReview
andldquo;Sandfordandrsquo;s talent is such that this series never grows stale, or boring, or forgettable.andnbsp; As author and hero age, readers can hope that the best is yet to be.andrdquo;andmdash;
Richmond Times-DispatchReview
Praise for STOLEN PREY: “Sandford at his brilliant best.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The climax will have you holding your breath—and the book’s very last line will leave you hoping for more.”—St. Louis Post–Dispatch
Review
Praise for SILKEN PREY
“Dirty political tricksters give Lucas Davenport his most satisfying case in years . . . Sandford keeps every stage of the investigation clear, compelling and suspenseful while peeling back layer after layer of a world in which “everybody was hot, everybody was rich."”—Kirkus (starred review)
“Sandfords Davenport novels are always very good, and this is the best one in a long time. Its suspenseful, witty, and wise in the ways of modern politics. And the conclusion is darkly unforgettable. A superb thriller.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Sandford expertly ratchets up the suspense and delivers some nifty surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for STOLEN PREY
“Sandford at his brilliant best.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The climax will have you holding your breath—and the books very last line will leave you hoping for more.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“The twenty-second Prey novel is the usual Sandford mix of tight plotting, gallows humor, and explosive action.”—Booklist
“Sandford smoothly blends action and suspense with a soupcon of humor.”—Publishers Weekly
“The master is at it yet again…Pure Sandford, the action never stops, and just when you think youve got it all figured out…surprise! Youre not even close.”—Suspense Magazine
Review
Praise for Storm Front
“One of the best in that series so far . . . [it is] exciting, complex and funny . . . The beauty of Sanford's writing is that the narrative of the book is told in perfect harmony with Flowers' personality. The descriptions of the plot and the locale of the story have the same laconic quality as Virgil's tone and speaking habits. You seem to be in Virgil's mind and thoughts as the narrative unfolds . . . STORM FRONT is an enjoyable and relaxing read. Sandford knows his characters, his locale and his plot. There are no missteps. It is entertaining reading all the way.”—Huffington Post
“With another gritty storyline and appealing characters, Sandford has penned another winner, one sure to shoot to the top of the best-seller lists.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Clever, quirky . . . unusually good-natured intrigue distinguishes this outing.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for Mad River
“The best entry in a stellar series” - Booklist (starred review)
“A high-octane thrill ride. Virgil pulls out all the stops.” - Publishers Weekly
“Wonderfully entertaining” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Very strong. Sandford is one of Americas ace mystery authors.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The greatest strength of Mad River lies in Flowers himself. Its hard to think of a more balanced and genial investigative hero, yet hes still able to keep cops and bad guys alike in line. The killers motivations and dynamic remain riveting until the final pages.” - Shelf Awareness
“There are few events more welcome in the literary world than the appearance of another John Sandford book. Mad River is shot through with dark humor from all sides [and] the violence that is the driving force of the book ratchets up the suspense to an almost excruciating degree.” - Bookreporter.com
“The best thing about Sandfords writing is that it is still fresh. He writes with enthusiasm and never coasts on his merits or uses any tricks of the trade. Mad River is just as refreshing as the first novel he ever wrote.” - Huffington Post
“Sandford can be depended upon to create thrillers infused with page-turner plots, knifes-edge prose, and well-drawn portraits. What sets this series apart, though, is Flowers himself, a man of action but also one of contemplation. In Mad River, as in his entire body of work, Sandford sets out not only to thrill and entertain, but also to inspire thought.” - Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
Praise for John Sandford and the Lucas Davenport novels “If you havent read Sandford yet, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.”—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
“Relentlessly swift…genuinely suspenseful…excellent.”—Los Angeles Times
“Sandford is a writer in control of his craft.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Excellent…compelling…everything works.”—USA Today
“Grip-you-by-the-throat thrills…a hell of a ride.”—Houston Chronicle
“Crackling, page-turning tension…great scary fun.”—New York Daily News
“Sandford is a master.”—Detroit Free Press
And Praise for Silken Prey
“Sandfords...gallows humor and whip-smart dialogue seems fresher than ever in this tale of murder and political dirty tricks.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Dirty political tricksters give Lucas Davenport his most satisfying case in years… Sandford keeps every stage of the investigation clear, compelling and suspenseful.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Sandford expertly ratchets up the suspense and delivers some nifty surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for Field of Prey
“Sandford has always been at the top of any list of great mystery writers, and this book shows why. His writing and the appeal of his lead character are as fresh as ever.”—The Huffington Post
“There is no limit to John Sandfords ability to keep new breath and blood flowing into his Lucas Davenport novels. This is a series you must be reading if you are not already.”—Bookreporter.com
Synopsis
Lucas Davenport has seen many terrible murder scenes. This is one of the worst. In the small Minnesota town of Wayzata, an entire family has been killedandmdash;husband, wife, two daughters, dogs.
Thereandrsquo;s something about the scene that pokes at Lucasandrsquo;s cop instinctsandmdash;it looks an awful lot like the kind of scorched-earth retribution heandrsquo;s seen in drug killings sometimes. But this is a seriously upscale town, and the husband was an executive vice president at a big bank. It just doesnandrsquo;t seem to fit.
Until it does. And where it leads Lucas will take him into the darkest nightmare of his life.
Synopsis
The brilliant new Virgil Flowers thriller from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author. One late fall Sunday in southern Minnesota, a farmer brings a load of soybeans to a local grain elevator- and a young man hits him on the head with a steel bar, drops him into the grain bin, waits until he's sure he's dead, and then calls the sheriff to report the "accident." Suspicious, the sheriff calls in Virgil Flowers, who quickly breaks the kid down...and the next day the boy's found hanging in his cell. Remorse? Virgil isn't so sure, and as he investigates he begins to uncover a multigeneration, multifamily conspiracy-a series of crimes of such monstrosity that, though he's seen an awful lot in his life, even he has difficulty in comprehending it...and in figuring out what to do next.
Synopsis
The thrilling new Virgil Flowers novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.
The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands.
The first bomb goes off on the top floor of PyeMart's headquarters. The second one explodes at the construction site itself. The blasts are meant to inflict maximum damage-and they do. Who's behind the bombs, and how far will they go? It's Virgil Flowers's job to find out . . . before more people get killed.
Synopsis
The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner.
If you havent read Sandford yet, you have been missing one of the great summer-read novelists of all time.”Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas Davenports going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.
Very early one morning, a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell. The next thing he knows, hes waking up on the floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body wet with blood. When the car stops, a voice says, Hey, I think hes breathing,” and another voice says, Yeah? Give me the bat.” And thats the last thing he knows.
Davenport is investigating another case when the trail leads to the mans disappearance, thenvery troublinglyto the Minneapolis police department, thenmost troublingly of allto a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness, and sheer will to make it happen.
No matter who gets in the way.
Filled with John Sandfords trademark razor-sharp plotting and some of the best characters in suspense fiction, Silken Prey is further evidence for why the Cleveland Plain Dealer called the Davenport novels a perfect series,” and Suspense Magazine wrote, If you havent read any of the Prey series, you need to jump on board right this second.”
Synopsis
When a simple robbery turns deadly, the thieves close in on the only witness: Lucas Davenport's wife...
Synopsis
The brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times best-selling author.
"Sandford's track record as a best-selling author is amazing, but it's not an accident," wrote Booklist of Wicked Prey. "His plotting is sharp, his villains are extraordinarily layered, and his good guys are always evolving.
And this time, there's a storm brewing...Very early, 4:45, on a bitterly cold Minnesota morning, three big men burst through the door of a hospital pharmacy, duct-tape the hands, feet, mouth, and eyes of two pharmacy workers, and clean the place out. But then things swiftly go bad, one of the workers dies, and the robbers hustle out to their truck-and find themselves for just one second face-to-face with a blond woman in the garage: Weather Karkinnen, surgeon, wife of an investigator named Lucas Davenport.
Did she see enough? Can she identify them? Gnawing it over later, it seems to them there is only one thing they can do: Find out who she is, and eliminate the only possible witness...
Synopsis
A savage psychopath is playing cat and mouse with Lucas Davenport. But both killer and detective find themselves at odds with a female investigator who has intensely personal reasons for catching the killer herself-and fast.
Synopsis
Lucas Davenport has met his match-a brilliant, wanton killer who knows more about mind games than Lucas himself. This man is more depraved and intelligent than anybody Lucas has tracked before-and with a female psychiatrist in his trap, he's already one step ahead of Lucas...
Synopsis
Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman . . . The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times– bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner. At 1:15 a.m., a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell. The next thing he knows, he’s waking up on the floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body wet with blood. When the car stops, a voice says, “Hey, I think he’s breathing,” and another voice says, “Yeah? Give me the bat.” And that’s the last thing he ever knows.
Lucas Davenport is investigating another case when the trail leads to the man’s disappearance, then—very troublingly—to the Minneapolis police department itself, and then—most troublingly of all—to a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness, and sheer will to make it happen.
No matter who gets in the way.
Synopsis
The thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Timesbestselling series. In Israel, a man clutching a backpack searches desperately for a boat. In Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a message from Lucas Davenport: Youre about to get a visitor. Its an Israeli cop, and shes tailing a man whos smuggled out an extraordinary relica copper scroll revealing startling details about the man known as King Solomon.
Wait a minute, laughs Virgil. Is this one of those Da Vinci Code deals? The secret scroll, the blockbuster revelation, the teams of murderous bad guys? Should I be boning up on my Bible verses?
He looks at the cop. Shes not laughing. As it turns out, there are very bad men chasing the relic, and they dont care whos in the way or what they have to do to get it. Maybe Virgil should start praying.
Synopsis
Murder. Scandal. Politics. And one billionaire heiress so dangerous in so many ways.
Its the explosive new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.
All hell has broken loose in the capital. An influential state senator has been caught with something very, very nasty on his office computer. The governor cant believe itthe senators way too smart for that, even if he is from the other party. Somethings not right.
As Davenport investigates, the trail leads to a political fixer who has disappeared, thentroublinglyto the Minneapolis police department itself, and most unsettling of all, to a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons in manipulation. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should workalong with the money, ruthlessness, and cold-blooded will to make it happen.
Synopsis
The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from #1 New York Timesbestselling author and Pulitzer Prizewinner John Sandford.
They call them Travelers. They move from city to city, panhandling, committing no crimesthey just like to stay on the move. And now somebody is killing them.
Lucas Davenports adopted daughter, Letty, is home from college when she gets a phone call from a woman Traveler shed befriended in San Francisco. The woman thinks somebodys killing her friends, shes afraid she knows who it is, and now her male companion has gone missing. Shes hiding out in North Dakota, and she doesnt know what to do.
Letty tells Lucas shes going to get her, and, though he suspects Lettys getting played, he volunteers to go with her. When he hears the womans story, though, he begins to think theres something in it. Little does he know. In the days to come, he will embark upon an odyssey through a subculture unlike any he has ever seen, a trip that will not only put the two of them in dangerbut just may change the course of his life.
Synopsis
The thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Timesbestselling series. In Israel, a man clutching a backpack searches desperately for a boat. In Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a message from Lucas Davenport: Youre about to get a visitor. Its an Israeli cop, and shes tailing a man whos smuggled out an extraordinary relica copper scroll revealing startling details about the man known as King Solomon.
Wait a minute, laughs Virgil. Is this one of those Da Vinci Code deals? The secret scroll, the blockbuster revelation, the teams of murderous bad guys? Should I be boning up on my Bible verses?
He looks at the cop. Shes not laughing. As it turns out, there are very bad men chasing the relic, and they dont care whos in the way or what they have to do to get it. Maybe Virgil should start praying.
About the Author
John Sandford is the pseudonym of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of the Prey novels, the Kidd novels, the Virgil Flowers novels, The Night Crew, and Dead Watch. He lives in New Mexico.