Certain Prey

Every great detective needs their Moriarty, and in "Certain Prey" Lucas Davenport finds her. This is the introduction to Clara Rinker. Clara and Lucas go toe to toe (though he doesn't realize it) when Lucas and his group start looking into what looks like a professional hit on a rich socialite with a not very bright husband (seriously you guys, it hurt to read this guy talking). When the FBI lets Lucas know this may be connected to a hit woman that has been doing this for years that has never been caught, Lucas wonders if he has her and someone else in the cross-hairs. The ending was a surprise to me, especially since Sanford usually writes his bad guys as truly evil and no redeeming value, I won't be surprised if many people out there show more won't end up liking Clara.

Lucas is doing a bit better now that things between him and ex-girlfriend Weather are very much over. What he needs is a new case to sink his teeth into. When a rich socialite is found murdered, Lucas starts to wonder who out there would want her dead. When all signs points to a professional hit with the FBI giving him tips here and there, Lucas starts to narrow down who would want this woman dead.

First off, Sandford does a great job of developing Clara. We get her backstory and we get to see what moves her. When you get to see her interacting with her client who ordered the hit, you can see why she ended up liking this person. However, Sandford shows you that Clara has a code, and the person who hired her 100 percent does not.

The person who ordered the hit was a surprise. The why behind it was madness too. I kind of loved it though because of what happens in the end (no spoilers). Talk about be careful what you wish for. And this person I thought was developed nicely by Sandford too.

Lucas in this one was much more focused (thank goodness) and when he figures out what is going on, does what he has to in order to bring at least one of the guilty parties to justice. I know that many readers don't like Lucas's methods, but it didn't really bother me in this one. Especially when you see the rampage the killers get up to. Lucas ended things with his detective and they are now friends, but still circling each other. I hate it when Sandford does that no one can resist Lucas thing, but it taps down on it in this and the preceding books. What until the next book though, it was hot garbage there.

The writing was much tighter and the flow was great. I rank this book as number two in the series with "Winter Prey" as number one.

The ending left things up in the air with our Moriarty and I for one, could not be happier. show less

Carmel Loan was a young, beautiful, intelligent and ambitious attorney when she began an affair with co-worker Hale Allen. She begins pressuring him to leave his wife Barbara but Hale is only in it for the adventure not the long haul. So what if he's married? Professor killer Clara Rinker can be hired to solve that little problem. Clara thinks one day job, easy money - but things start to go wrong from the start. Another excellent Davanport mystery.

I have a rule of thumb for watching television - no doctors, no lawyers, no cops. It's different with books. I was given a copy of "Certain Prey," and decided to give it a shot. There's a lot to like in this book - the protagonist, Lucas Davenport, is a well-regarded cop. Attractive, but not too attractive; smart, but not too smart; determined, but willing to take time off to go fishing. There's a streak of independence that befits his status as a deputy chief, but he's not a Dirty Harry flouter of the rules. You can't help but like Davenport and his fellow cops. I also liked the assassin, Clara Rinker, he and the FBI are chasing. She's not a stock character - for one thing, she's a woman. On one hand, she's reacting to a traumatic show more past; on the other, she's a shrewd businesswoman, doing very well what she does best.

The plot revolves around Rinker being hired to kill the wife of Minneapolis attorney Hale Allen. Why? Seems the woman who hired Rinker, high-powered Minneapolis attorney Carmen Loan, is fatally infatuated with Allen and hopes, with his wife out of the way, to become the second Mrs. Allen. The character of Carmen Loan is clearly the weakest element of the book - a highly intelligent, successful, ruthless nutjob in the mode of "Fatal Attraction"'s Alex Forrest. She has better taste in clothes than in men, attracted to Allen for the shallowest reasons and willing to engage in many more murders to cover her tracks. By contrast, Clara Rinker, while generally dispassionate about her job (though she will not murder a child witness), is generally clear-headed and highly professional. Her loneliness as a free-lance executioner with mob ties, causes her to bond with Carmen as a BFF, and that throws a serious kink into her business model.

This book really is a procedural - how and why do Rinker and Loan plan their murders and subsequent actions to deflect the police and FBI away from them; and do how the cops, led by Davenport, track them down. In the end, Carmen follows her lunatic plans right down the line; Clara Rinker, not so much, and that's another good thing about "Certain Prey."

I wonder whether the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce has a love/hate relationship with John Sandford. He brings attention to the city and shines a glowing light on its law enforcement professionals. He also avoids the "Fargo" cliches about Minnesotans (yes, I loved the movie). But he also amps up the murder rate in Minneapolis beyond what would seem believable. If you can suspend reality on that, and if you can swallow Carmen Loan as a character, this is a book to enjoy. I did. show less

As a teenager, Clara Rinker ran away from home and an abusive stepfather. While working as a dancer in a strip club, Clara is raped but plots her vengeance and kills the man who assaulted her. This begins a long career for Clara as a hired killer. Carmel Loan is a successful defense attorney in Minneapolis, a woman who is used to getting what she wants. And she wants Hale Allen, but standing in her way is Allen’s wife. Through a third-party, Carmel hires Clara to kill Allen’s wife, at which point, Lucas Davenport steps into the picture. Before Clara can enjoy her new relationship with Allen, the liaison she used to contact Clara tries to blackmail Carmel, so Carmel hires Clara personally to take care of this matter. From this point, show more things begin to unravel, which requires Clara and Carmel to team up and commit more murders. All the while, Davenport and his crew are one step behind the two killers, with no evidence to tie either one to any of the murders.

This is the tenth book in the Prey series by John Sandford, which remains as fresh at this point as at the beginning. Lucas Davenport is an engaging character, an intelligent and intense investigator who enjoys his career chasing killers. Although there is no actual mystery to figure out here, which marks this as more of a thriller, the chase by Davenport and several strong secondary characters is fine-tuned and all the more enjoyable to follow. show less

The 10th Lucas Davenport novel is one of his most popular because, I believe, it is a study of opposites and contrasts. Davenport crosses more than a few lines in pursuit of a murderer and professional killer she’s hired. Meanwhile the assassin is an extremely sympathetic character. When a complication arises that may trace back to the hired killer, the instigator arranges a meeting and is surprised that the killer is a woman. As each complication is removed, another grows; and the developing friendship between the women is yet another contrast. The thriller aspect becomes almost secondary as the book races to its conclusion.

Probably the biggest disappointment in a Sandford book I have ever read. I realize Sandford is a formula writer - and is sucking up to a certain audience. Nevertheless, he is a great writer and handles dialogue about as well as any one. BUT - Certain Prey not only hits a new low in terms of language and sexual descriptions - but the plot was absolutely ridiculous. Is this what his fans really crave? A stripper-contract killer-whore and a highly regarded lawyer-whore partnering up in an out-of-control killing spree? C'mon, Sandford!

"Certain Prey" is one of the best-written books in the Prey series. You like the killer, Clara Rinker. The story is tight with good flow. It is amazing how is such a short time you can get connected with the characters. The book left me wanting more.

Still, there was no Winter.