Hidden Prey

Synopsis: 'Homogeneously American on the surface—hardworking dads, dutiful soccer moms—this family of subversives, headed by a former KGB colonel, has been for 70 years secretly diligent on behalf of the Soviet Union, undeterred by the Soviet Union’s demise. At first, the murder of Oleg Moshalov seems unconnected to the group’s efforts, seems, in fact, fairly routine, a bit confusing as to motive, to be sure, but not much more so than homicides often are in the early stages of an investigation. Even after Oleg Moshalov is correctly identified as Rodion Oleshev, ex-KGB agent, the various antennae involved remain at rest. And then suddenly there are the Russians demanding action, clamoring for results, and flying a cop from Moscow show more to Duluth to make certain the Americans understand that they’re serious. All of which means that Lucas Davenport, still settling into his recent appointment as major-crimes troubleshooter for Minnesota Governor Elmer Henderson, is about to be activated. Russian cop? Well, not quite, Lucas decides almost at once (cops don’t flinch at the sight of corpses, though intelligence officers might). He manages to bear up under the deception, however, since Major Nadezhda Kalin—she of the delicious diastema between her two front teeth—turns out to be Ninotchka for the new century. To charm, smarts, and guts, add investigative flair, and what you’ve got is a matched pair, the Kalin-Davenport team, essential for coping with a crafty, resolute villain desperate to elude the denouement he really always knew was in store for him.' From Kirkus Review show less

I had some trouble reading this installment of the Lucas Davenport series. Mostly it was because of all the spy and espionage stuff...more details then I needed in order for the story to come together for me. I am not a bit spy type book reader so I think this is why I had this problem. With that being said, it was very well written and full of twists and turns. Kept me reading late into the night just like the other books in this series so far.

I loved how we, the readers knew from the start how the murder happened and how Lucas was getting it wrong based on the information he was missing.

I also loved the self-redemption story. Annabelle was so real to me I feel like she is still doing pro-bono work in her dad's spare office or maybe has gotten a practice of her own by now. I hope we see her again.

I think this may have been the shortest book by Sandford, yet took me the longest to read. Davenport is bored and I'm bored, and while I think it's a deliberate act, not an unintended consequence of Sandford's writing, something's gotta give. Lucas is not the stay home with the wife and kids kind of guy and although he's aging, his brain is craving something to challenge it. I hope, for both our sakes, he finds something soon.

Hidden Prey starts out with the murder of a Russian on the Duluth docks.

Detective Lucas Davenport of the Minnesota BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) is assigned the case. The Russian government sends their own investigator, Nadya Kalin, to work alongside Davenport. The plot concerns a group of Communist spies now living in Minnesota, and from the beginning, Davenport is suspicious of Kalin.

The reader knows upfront who killed the Russian. What we don't know is why? We find out as Davenport unearths the family trees and traces the collaborators to their origins. When Kalin herself becomes a target, Davenport must prevent certain aspects of the attempt on her life from reaching the ears of senior officials.

The relationship with Kalin show more and Davenport is interesting. She is a mystery to him, which makes the novel more humorous in parts. It's an unlikely plotline that seems for the most part to work, though the ending may leave some readers unenthusiastic and questioning whether there are actually any villains. While gruesome in parts, it is not dark or sadistic.

The pace is slow and focuses mostly on the investigation/interrogation of witnesses. As we know the identity of the killer, and the author tells us throughout who all the players in the crimes are, there is an overall lack of suspense, making it difficult to class this as a mystery or a thriller. However, it is an entertaining read, with good characters and good dialogue. 3.5 stars show less

If you've never read a Lucas Davenport crime novel, the good news is that you jump in anywhere you like. Each book is self-contained, with a relationships and politics spanning the series with little effect on the main stories. Hidden Prey is a great place to start.

It's a well driven plot, with twists and turns, great new characters and is compulsive reading. As ever, the body count rises and Lucas, our sarcastic and beloved hero, is clearly on form. If anyone throught the series was stale than this is a sign that Sandford knows how to reenergise an old formula and can inject life in to Lucas's aging bones yet. There are moments of great humour as well as suspense, a page turner until the end.

In Hidden Prey, teenager Carl Walther murders a Russian, who winds up at a dock in Duluth, Minnesota. Detective Lucas Davenport is given the task of escorting Nadya Kalin, an investigator sent from the Russian government to work on the case. The investigation leads to Carl’s elderly grandfather, who is a former KGB operative. There isn’t a big mystery as to who the killer is, since it is revealed pretty early. The novel follows both Carl and the investigation of the crime until they come to a head.

Although the book was fairly well written and had some decent intrigue to it, there is also a serious lack of believability to the novel. Much of it involves the presence of sleeper agents from the old Cold War days. That aspect of it was show more hard to swallow, and since there wasn’t much mystery to the murder, the novel falls a bit flat. Still there was a solid entertainment component to it. This isn’t a must read, but you could do worse.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street show less