John Sandford brings action, investigation, surveillance, and suspense to the first book in the Lucas Davenport Prey series, Rules of Prey. I’ve now read 20 out of the 34 books in this series and I’m hoping to fill in more gaps in my reading of it this year.
There’s a killer in Minneapolis who leaves notes with every woman he kills. These notes are his rules of murder. Lucas Davenport is a detective lieutenant with the Minneapolis police department who is determined to stop him.
Lucas is somewhat of a rebel and doesn’t always play by the rules of law. He’s controversial, smart, an inventor of games, has several commendations, and has killed five men in the line of duty. The killer is intelligent, careful, driven, controlled, and loves games.
The story switches points of view between Lucas and the killer. While readers eventually learn who the killer is, the police are still trying to identify him. Their investigation isn’t always by the book and the author talks about this in his introduction at the beginning of the novel.
The story is part investigation and part action thriller. The opening is strong, intriguing, and impactful. This disturbing event hooked me and immediately drew me into the novel. Humor is also sprinkled throughout the novel despite the dark theme of a serial killer. The book has great characterization and is suspenseful and full of action. While Lucas isn’t as likeable as many main characters, this novel does a great job of introducing him to readers.
Overall, this was unsettling, action-packed, and filled with exciting scenes with compelling characters.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date was July 24, 1989.
CinDa
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