Shadow Prey (Lucas Davenport, #2) 4 of 5 stars ⭐ An easy, and entertaining read…

An easy, and entertaining read…

Shadow Prey (Lucas Davenport, #2) 4 of 5 stars ⭐ 

By John Sanford 

The early Prey books by John Sandford are some of my favorites in the genre. [I am always looking for new serials, so please feel free to recommend others in the comments below].

They are an easy to read, entertaining series. As I reread these books, I remember why my ex-husband, a cop, liked these so much. It wasn't for the stereotypical bad guys, or for the main character's over the top lifestyle. He liked them because the cop's behavior and interactions are believable.

Lucas Davenport, the protagonist, is a good guy. He's also a hard ass. He takes no shit from anybody, and is not above line stepping when the situation calls for it. Right or wrong, Davenport does what he has to do, and the "right" guys go down. That doesn't mean he's super human. (When Lucas is held hostage, he suffers significant psychological trauma. It doesn't last long, mainly because he's not introspective. There's what has to be done, anything else is an indulgence.)

This series does not have the elegant prose, and thoughtful characters that James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series has. It's just not as deep, or (in my opinion) as good. That doesn't mean these aren't enjoyable. They have a main character you root for, and that alone makes for an entertaining ride.

Not so believable:

-Davenport is a game designer

-Davenport is a successful game designer

-Davenport drives a Porsche

-Davenport beds every woman he sees

-Davenport is allowed work, unsupervised, from a Mulder style basement office

-Davenport has killed six people and is still on the force

Believable:

-The departmental politics

-The pressure from the press to close important cases

-The anger and violence from both the cops, and the street

-Cops protecting each other

-The sex scenes

-Accurate about weapons