Eyes Of Prey (Lucas Davenport, #3) 2 of 5 stars ⭐ You have to read it, but you may wish you could skip it

You have to read it, but you may wish you could skip it…

Eyes Of Prey (Lucas Davenport, #3) 2 of 5 stars ⭐

By John Sanford 

Let me start by saying, I love Lucas Davenport. I love the Prey books, but that doesn't mean I won't give Sanford the business if I think he screwed up. And man, did he screw up here. It's not that this book is unreadable, but it has major WTF problems. Sanford's Prey books have to be read in order, so it's not like you can skip this one. But there are certainly places and characters in this book worth skipping. And since one of those is the main antagonist, there are problems here.

The main character, Lucas Davenport, is suffering. He's in a serious depression from recent losses, and since he has no introspection, it's a recipe for disaster. Quentin Daniel, the Chief of Police, and friend to Davenport, is sure that working on another serial killer case is just what the doctor ordered. It doesn't hurt that Lucas has the street wired. His network of snitches and informants is unmatched. DAVENPORT CLOSES CASES, and that's all that matters. If Davenport bends the rules to get this done, nobody cares. We're three books into the series now, and understand how Davenport's world works. He's allowed special privileges because he gets the job done. No Chief of Police is going to let that go, not without a significant reason. Daniel fucks Davenport over, and I'm still wondering why? Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's supposed to be protecting himself, but how is fucking Davenport over protecting himself? How does that hide his secret? Wouldn't that just give Davenport a motive for revenge? Daniel has covered Davenport's ass many a time, so why does he assume Davenport wouldn't return the favor now? NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE! I can forgive a lot from this series, but not this.

It doesn't help matters that there are other problems with this book. The serial killer, Michael Bekkar, is absurd. His MO is so cliche, it's trite. He takes people's eyes, so the dead can't watch him. WTF? Really? Am I watching an '80's movie of the week? Sometimes, while reading this book, I wished I was. Bekkar's other behavior is laughable, rather than scary. His drug use is NOT believable. With the amount of drugs he's taking, he would have been dead, or caught long ago. I don't know many people who can go to work on methamphetamine and PCP. His repeated drug fueled naked jig dancing got on my nerves. Again, not scary! 

(I actually wrote down, "no more penis flops". A sentence I should never have to write while reviewing a book. But during his jigs, his penis flops...a lot. Oh brother...)

I came to dread the scenes with Bekkar, and wish for more with the second killer, Carlo Druze. There's a bit of his back story in the beginning, but then it all focuses on Bekkar. Too bad. 

There are parts of this book that are enjoyable. But overall, it is a let down, and not nearly as good as Shadow Prey.

Here's hoping the next one is better.