There aren’t many authors whose latest book I eagerly await, and who maintain a consistently high level in terms of plot, character, and entertainment value. John Sandford has been one of those (along with Michael Connelly, Michael Robotham, Robert Crais, and Elizaeth George (OK, a few clunkers in the Lynley series, but overall still a fave). I was a bit surprised to realize that his latest, Neon Prey, is #29 in the Lucas Davenport series. I’m pretty sure I have read them all, and over the years I’ve come to know and love Lucas and some of his cronies, so I was happy to receive a copy of Neon Prey from Penguin Group/G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Lucas is now working for the U.S. Marshals Service, based in Washington, D.C., although he continues to live with his wife Weather, a plastic surgeon, in Minneapolis. He’s still got a boatload of money along with political clout and connections in various law enforcement agencies across the country. He also still has his buddy Virgil Flowers, although Virgil isn’t a major character this time around. The Marshals get involved in a search for a hired killer named Clayton Deese, and when they get to Deese’s place in the Louisiana bayou, they start finding graves filled with dead bodies. Evidence shows Deese, a truly disgusting man, has a Hannial Lecter streak, and the feds want him both because he is a nasty cannibalistic serial killer and even more because he works for a long-time target of theirs named Roger Smith. Deese is basically a creepy guy: “When a normal law-abiding citizen looked at Clayton Deese, his first thought was that Deese belonged in jail. Not that Deese ran into many normal citizens.” In addition to Bob and Rae, characters from previous books, Lucas works with various LEOs in LA and Las Vegas as well as Louisiana as they all hunt for Smith and Deese.
I’ve spent time in both LA and Vegas, and I loved Sandford’s descriptions of both places. In Vegas, Lucas and crew wander through some of the big casinos on the Strip, including Caesars, where they find themselves in the Forum shops. “The Forum was an absurd place, gigantic statues of big-breasted nude Roman women and Greek gods with fountains spraying water over them. Tourists wandered around, taking selfies and eating crap.” PERFECTLY SUMS IT UP!!
No spoilers, but the chase is fairly long and full of action with some classic Sandford humor thrown in. Solid recommendation! Four solid stars.