Dark of the Moon: a novel by John Sandford

Lucas Davenport missing **** January 30, 2007

After many Prey novels featuring Lucas Davenport, Sandford this time features a character introduced in the previous Prey novel, Virgil Flowers. Lucas makes only an occasional appearance via phone conversations with Flowers but Sandford has spun another intriguing tale.

From Booklist, "Headed to rural Bluestem to assist local law enforcement with the seemingly motiveless murder of an elderly couple, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers happens upon a raging house fire on the edge of town. The house's owner, Bill Judd, killed in the blaze, was an elderly recluse who, back in the day, ran an elaborate pyramid scheme and simultaneously bedded half the women in town. He escaped conviction on the fraud charge, and the money was never recovered. There have been no murders in Bluestem for a half-century, and now there are three in a couple weeks. Virgil is not an advocate of coincidence and so begins digging for a connection between the victims. Complicating matters is his affair with the sister of the local police chief. Sandford's plotting and dialogue are as crisp as ever, and the emergence of Virgil Flowers gives the author another idiosyncratic, thoroughly ingratiating hero to alternate with the ever-popular Lucas Davenport. Flowers, who made his debut as a secondary character in the Davenport thriller Invisible Prey (2007), is a low-key loose cannon whose wardrobe consists of alternative-rock t-shirts carefully chosen to match his agenda of the day. The appeal of the Davenport series is mainly tied to the hero's wit and self-deprecating humor, but this first Flowers entry is more about action: an adrenaline rush peppered with laugh-out-loud moments. Lukowsky, Wes"

Invisible Prey: a novel by John Sandford

Superb writing***** June 30, 2007

Lucas Davenport is back in the 17th Prey novel. He is involved in the investigation of a state politician who appears to have had sexual relations with a minor, the daughter of a woman he has been involved with. Lucas is assigned to deal with this situation sensitively. But at the same time he is called to the scene of an heinous murder of a weathy old lady and her maid. It appears that it may have been a robbery gone wrong but some valuable antiques are missing. Lucas turns up a series of other similar murders that appear to be related to antiques. He cleverly figures out who the killers are. They are hiding in plain sight. Sandford weaves a very smooth story well-plotted and with clearly drawn characters. This is one of his best.