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'Prey' Protagonist Chases Serial Killer

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By JERRY MAXWELL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2008

"Phantom Prey," by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, $26.95)
John Sandford keeps the "Prey" series alive and well with "Phantom Prey." The 18th book in the series will not disappoint the best-selling author's fans.

The series' protagonist, Lucas Davenport, continues to impress with solid investigative work while confronted with the human foibles that confound high-profile-criminal police work.

Pushed into a case by his wife's friendship with a wealthy, high-powered executive whose daughter is missing and presumed dead, Davenport searches the recesses of the Twin Cities' Goth subculture for clues while dealing with case-overload frustrations leading up to the Republican National Convention.

Readers will recognize the usual Sandford tongue-in-cheek wit as well as the Minneapolis-St. Paul geography as Davenport chases down leads wondering how fate has entered his view of a chaos theory world.

Frances Austen, the missing daughter, who is part of the Goth subculture, is the starting place in a chase to stop a Goth serial killer. The chase is frequently interrupted by a stakeout for an elusive cop killer and political interference in the preparation for the convention.

A twisting story line with clever dialogue and enough interesting characters to keep the reader engaged will satisfy police mystery buffs while Sandford engages us in another twist on the crazy world in which we live.

Jerry Maxwell of Crystal Beach is a freelance writer.

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