Rating: 
Summary: Good action and plot but Lucas is very flawed
Review:
The action and plot was good in this book but Lucas just disgusted me with his acitivities with women. I've read several others in the Prey series, so i know he tends to sleep with a lot of women in these novels, but in this book he outdid himself.. he nearly slept with THREE (Jennifer, his g/f, Carla and nearly added McGowan into the mix). He just can't seem to keep his pants zipped ! Thank God he resisted sleeping with McGowan, but just the fact he was CONSIDERING it, a little after he'd learned Jennifer was carrying his child, is very tacky ! I did like his character in the other books, but he has become a little too dishonorable for me. I don't like Jennifer, either. She's crude, rude, foul-mouthed and, at times, sick, but i can completely sympathize with her frustration over Lucas and his inability to stay away from women, despite the fact they will be having a child together.
I will probably have to take a break from this series of books. There's just too much dirty stuff going on, including the language.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucas Davenport's debut
Review: John Sandford has written more than a dozen cop-thrillers featuring Lucas Davenport. "Rules Of Prey" was the first and I didn't get to it until I read a half-dozen or so of the later "Prey" titles.
I've never been a fan of police procedurals and still am not. But I am definitely a fan of Lucas Davenport and John Sandford.
Lucas Davenport is an experienced, tough and street-smart Minnesota cop. He begins working for the Minneapolis Police Department, but later switches over to a Minnesota state law enforcement agency.
Davenport is no ordinary cop - but he's no super-hero either. Luck, good and bad, plays a part in Davenport's life. People do die while he tries to put the pieces together and figure out who the murderer is. Bad guys get hurt, good guys get hurt, even Davenport gets hurt.
There is a wonderful grittiness to Sandford's "Prey" novels. They feel real. (Having lived in Minnesota probably helps because Sandford weaves in a lot of Minnesota color.)
In this debut novel, Davenport tracks down a serial killer who has rules: never carry a weapon after it has been used and so on. The killer is smart and devious. But Davenport, without any happy miracles, tracks him down.
Sandford's "Prey" novels are engrossing and Davenport is a magnificent creation.
Jerry
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book! Lucas is a dog!
Review: This was a great suspense! It was one of those I couldn't put down. The story is about a very intelligent, very careful serial killer. He is a lawyer and he is hungry for killing. Lucas has a tough time figuring him out. When he finally gets his first break, there are wild circumstances that get in the way of the catch. Eventually luck swings in the right direction and the killer is caught but with a big stretch of the law.
Lucas has a way with women. I think Jennifer is a wench. The only one I really had respect for was Carla.
Anyway, this is a good read. Looking forward to the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. The Maddog rocks.
Review: This was a marvelous debut to an excellent series. Crime fiction of this type is by far my favorite genre, because not only do you spend time with the protagonist (in this case, the indomitable Lucas Davenport) but you also spend equal amounts of time with the antagonist, the vicious serial killer Louis "Maddog" Vullion, who is one of the most engaging villians in recent years. Davenport is a great character who just so happens to be in bed with a different woman half the time, but it's not annoying -- it's an integral part of his character. Plus, like the Bond girls, the femmes in the Prey series are often great characters and take on a life of their own. The Maddog just so happens to have his scopes set on one of these women, and you get an excellent glimpse into the shattered psyche of a serial murderer. Sandford is amazing when it comes to exploring evil, and I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of crime fiction and/or white-knuckle suspense. You won't be disappointed, and soon enough you'll want to read the entire Prey series...because it just keeps getting better.
Rating:
Summary: Could have used more character development
Review: I liked this book, though I am a little lukewarm with the hero, Lucas Davenport. I liked the bouncing from villain to hero perspective. I liked setting every thing in Minneapolis, a great city. I liked Davenport being a flawed hero, not all good, but not a bad guy: he's a gambler, he's willing to plant evidence in order to get the bad guy, he's morally ambiguous in sleeping with a news reporter he leaks crime details to and sleeping with a near murder victim. In general, I like flawed characters, but I think I found Davenport a little to over the top.
The villain being a lawyer was genius on Sandford's part I think. However, I think he would have been more terrifying if he had been more likable. Other than being ugly, we have no reason not to like him and his being rejected by women seems to be the sole drive for his killing urges. There are some flashbacks to a female figure that seems to be the basis of his corrupted psyche, but it is never explored. By the end of the book, we still have no idea what made Louis Vullion tick.
The book is a fun read with good tempo. I could break away from the book no problem, but I looked forward to picking it up. The ending was good. I'm not convinced I would try another Prey book. If I did it would be to see if Sandford adds any depth of character to his characters. Maybe I will try The Night Crew instead.
For more details, go to aj.huff.org. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: 1st in a series - very promising
Review: RULES OF PREY introduces Minneapolis cop Lucas Davenport, on the trail of a brutal serial killer known as the "maddog". Davenport, like so many fictional detectives, is a driven lone wolf who's work puts strain on his personal relationships. He's also a creator of elaborate role-playing games and a lover of (many, in this book) women. The case proceeds through the usual twists and turns, and the maddog (who gets some POV time in the narrative), is a frighteningly capapable adversary. Sandford never resorts to shock or violence, the narrative logic is impeccable, and this is, literally, a page turner. Sandford's been writing a long time, where have I been? I look forward to reading more. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch - intense and clever - will not dissappoint.
Review: This book is one of a kind. Enter Lucas Davenport. He's a clever rogue cop whos network of informants includes all the people he should be arresting. He makes deals to keep cops off of the crack dealers for the time being in exchange for information. He's a womanizer - sleeps with a lot of women. He also manipulates people like it's his job. He's a guy that earned my respect, though in a semi-strange way. You'll understand. The plot line is simple enough - the antagonist serial killer versus the Minneapolis Police Squad. Then it become personal as the two brilliant characters (serial killer and Davenport) get wrapped up in the mind games involved with the chase. It's almost cat and mouse, except Davenport doesn't know who the killer is and blindly makes guesses that seem to have some relevence. This book is intense and fast paced. I couldn't put it down. It picks up at the beginning and doesn't let down until the final showdown. The only problem was the last two or three pages were a big drag because everything had pretty much been resolved in a high impact, hard hitting scene. Oh well though, character development I guess. You will not be dissappointed.
|
