Rules of Prey is the first Lucas Davenport book written by John Sandford, a pseudonym for writer John Camp, who was initially a reporter. Given that the job entailed having to face a great deal of ugliness in human nature over and over again, Camp ended up getting burnt out. As a result, he quit reporting and started writing novels instead. To make things even more fun, he invented a smooth detective called Lucas Davenport.
Davenport is not the gritty, down-to-earth type usually featured on cop shows; he's more a James Bond kind of hero, with impeccable clothes, a Porsche and beautiful women at his beck and call. Like Bond, he's not above doing something a little unethical if it's for the greater good. He's also independently wealthy, having created a computer game that closely resembles Dungeons and Dragons. Part nerd and part man of the world, he is eminently likable despite the fact that he doesn't really work that well with people.
In Rules of Prey, Davenport gets on the trail of a serial killer who is attacking women in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. This killer calls himself "maddog" and leaves notes on the victims detailing his rules when it comes to killing. He writes, "Never kill anyone you know," "Never carry a weapon after it has been used," "Beware of leaving physical evidence" etc. To this killer, who takes on the persona of a regular guy when he's not killing, the murders are a game that he must win and he's cocky about his ability to outwit the police.
However, Davenport, as we know, has invented a computer game himself; he also tends to treat life as a grand diversion. Davenport's a player, so it's easy for him to slip into the mindset of the killer and eventually catch him, using his wits and his unofficial set of contacts around the city.
This is a thrilling psychological novel with an irreverent, attractive protagonist. It will keep you moving inexorably from one page to the next until the killer is found.
Download Rules of Prey and follow the investigation conducted by this charismatic protagonist as he attempts to get into the mind of a serial killer.
John Sandford is the pen name of writer John Camp who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and went to school at the University of Iowa, earning a Bachelor's in American Studies and a Master's in Journalism. He then started writing for The Miami Herald and later moved to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for a series of stories titled "Life on the Land: An American Farm Family" which followed a typical Minnesota farming family for an entire year during the Midwest farm crisis. Later, he left journalism and started writing novels, including the Kidd series and the Prey series. He was married to Susan Lee Jones who passed away in 2007. He has two children and three grandchildren.
"I was shopping in B&N and just browsing really when I came across this book. I read the cover and thought I would give it a chance. I could not put this book down. I read it in 2 days and could not wait to start the next one. As soon as John Sandfords next Prey book came out I was there to get it. I think that this style of book and writing really hooked me. Enjoyed all the books in the prey series."
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Candi (5 out of 5 stars)