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Gathering Prey A Prey Novel John Sandford Books

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Gathering Prey A Prey Novel John Sandford Books

John Sandford has been my favorite author for years. This book is a big letdown - just not up to par with his outstanding Prey series. It felt during the reading like the author has perhaps tired of the Davenport entourage ( not meaning it as a spoiler but the ending then kind of justifies the feeling). This work has very little of the rich camaraderie and humor among the regular cast of characters who have populated past Prey novels. A few phone calls to the "regulars" inserted here and there are the only appearances of the colorful Davenport associates, other than Letty. The plot reaches far from Lucas' normal habitat that readers have enjoyed for so long. Gratuitous violence takes a front seat from rich dialogue and colorful byplay. I don't know what comes next for Lucas, if anything, but sure hope it is a return by Sandford to less gruesomeness, more byplay and more mystery. I am hoping that later this year there is another Virgil Flowers book on the horizon that will bring us fans back to the author's terrific fun read.


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Gathering Prey A Prey Novel John Sandford Books Reviews

I've been reading all of the Prey novels since they first appeared. I've read all of the Flowers series. I've enjoy them all to varying degrees. I'm slightly more than halfway thru Gathering Prey and I think I'll give up and bag it. This story was phoned in by the author. One dimensional characters that the reader cannot develop an emotional bond with or even a hatred. No psychological involvement like with the earlier Preys. Letty is not capable of carrying a story. Pure boredom. This may be the last Prey novel I buy. Virgil, it's up to you now.
I was looking for a new crime writer and bought this based on the reviews, I am shocked at the number of 5-star reviews this book has received. I stopped reading after 75 torturous pages. The entire initial premise, college girl from a wealthy family befriends (for no apparent reason) a couple of young drifters. After knowing each other for just a few hours she gives them her cell phone to call if they ever get to the area where her parents live. Really? And the college girl is that deeply connected to and concerned about one of the drifters after this brief encounter. Really? Poor dialogue, lousy plot, gratuitous violence. Normally I would give the book to charity, but I want to keep it on my shelf to make sure I never buy another Sandford book by mistake, and I certainly couldn't release this on the general public in good conscience.
Of late, the author seems enamored with West Coast cult leaders and young women gone commando. That may add color but not a thick enough coat to cover the flaws in this book.

In this variation of his recent theme, Davenport’s adopted daughter (Letty) befriends a nomadic homeless young woman who has run afoul of a lethal cult who has killed one of her companions. Her smartest move would be to disappear into the vastness of the continent, but she pursues the killers across the country. Letty allows herself to be drawn into this folly and she, in turn, entrains Lucas.

The rest of the book is his pursuit of the gang. That is short on surprises, cleverness, revelations or anything else that would hook your interest. It might pass muster for someone who hasn’t read the richer, earlier “Prey” books, but falls well short of the mark for the rest of us. It doesn’t ring like a true Sandford book.
This is the only Sanford book that was difficult to finish. I read them all. It seems like Sanford cannot expand upon his major character, Lucas Davenport, and keep him interesting. The book was dull, predictable and very boring. I expected more from Sanford. He seems to have fallen into the "Patterson Syndrome," who struggles to keep his money character, Dr. Cross, revelant. Both Sanford and Patterson need to step back and creatively expand the possibilities of grea characters. If they can't, kill them off. That would be the greatest tribute to both Alec Cross and Lucas Davenport.
First, let me qualify this by saying I'm a huge Greg Iles fan and a huge Nelson DeMille fan, so the bar for me in action/adventure/thriller novels is very high. This book is "okay," but I didn't really find any strong character development or amazing powers of description, or even a super strong plot line. Lots of things in the book could have been developed further to make the story more realistic, but the writer just drops the ball. Maybe the biggest problem is that it's more like reading a comic book than a novel. The hero takes over all law enforcement functions anywhere he goes, which is just poor research and poor attention to realistic detail. The daughter gets the story going, but actually her involvement makes no sense if you stop to think about it. The key here is not to think about it, because all the natural questions that pop into your head as you wish it were more realistic aren't going to be answered. I read the book to get it over with. The pace was good enough for that. Would I read another of this guy's books? Nope.
Lucas is drawn into a case by his adopted daughter who is attempting to help a young woman whom she met out in San Francisco when the woman was busking. Now the woman is worried about her male companion who went off to meet a group and disappeared. The group seem to be a strange religious cult, but think in terms of Manson (if you remember him). The group has a dangerous, possibly insane, charismatic leader who goes by the name Pilate. The plot moves through South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. People don't stay in place very long - usually just long enough to cause trouble.

The novel has violence ranging from gun fights to physical attacks. Expect some people to die. There are some unlikely heroes and heroines. In the Upper Peninsula, everyone has access to at least a rifle, and many have military training. You will get a lot of details about tracking and containing dangerous criminals. There is sexual content, mainly by discussion. I would give the novel an R rating, with motion picture potential. It has a surprise ending. I am not sure where the author intends to take the characters. Virgil Flowers makes a brief cameo appearance, but Lucas takes the lead on the law inforcement side, aided by various other people.
John Sandford has been my favorite author for years. This book is a big letdown - just not up to par with his outstanding Prey series. It felt during the reading like the author has perhaps tired of the Davenport entourage ( not meaning it as a spoiler but the ending then kind of justifies the feeling). This work has very little of the rich camaraderie and humor among the regular cast of characters who have populated past Prey novels. A few phone calls to the "regulars" inserted here and there are the only appearances of the colorful Davenport associates, other than Letty. The plot reaches far from Lucas' normal habitat that readers have enjoyed for so long. Gratuitous violence takes a front seat from rich dialogue and colorful byplay. I don't know what comes next for Lucas, if anything, but sure hope it is a return by Sandford to less gruesomeness, more byplay and more mystery. I am hoping that later this year there is another Virgil Flowers book on the horizon that will bring us fans back to the author's terrific fun read.