Naked Prey is another great addition to the Lucas Davenport series. Lucas proves again that despite his flexible interpretation of the law, he acts on the side of good. Letty was a great addition to the cast, and Del again provides a great foil to Lucas. I’m grateful for the 5 book bundle so I can dive right into the next book.
Book Information
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Imprint: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
First Published: May 13 2003
Format: ebook
Source: Library
Genre: Mystery
Series: Lucas Davenport #14
Letty, a character who reminded me a lot of Rose from Ozark, was a testament to Sandford’s skillful character development. She is dealt a bad hand, does her best to thrive, and has to grow up early. I really admire the way Sandford writes about interactions between Lucas and children. The intelligence of kids is never underestimated, and it doesn’t make them annoyingly precocious. The banter and impromptu competition at a rural dump was absolutely hilarious, a testament to Sandford’s wit.
The glimpses of everyday domestic life between Weather and Lucas add so much to make Lucas a well-rounded protagonist. It’s not the focus of the books, but the small snippets are funny, deep and important. It’s good to see that Lucas isn’t a one-person island. Weather does a great job of keeping Lucas on his toes, and I enjoyed the crap out of his surprise.
I didn’t know how this one was going to end. There was a lot of driving back and forth, multiple layers to the crime, and criminals who were actually doing the right thing. I like that the plots are still so diverse and engaging, even in book fourteen. The motivation for the crime is clearly explained as you move through the plot, but for most of Naked Prey, I was left wondering if there was another gross shoe yet to be dropped.
As Naked Prey introduces Letty, I’m pretty confident it will be one of my favourites. I hope she gets to play a role in future books!
Links
John Sandford Reviews
Lucas Davenport Series
#11 – Easy Prey
#12 – Chosen Prey
#13 – Mortal Prey
#14 – Naked Prey
#15 – Hidden Prey
#16 – Broken Prey
#17 – Invisible Prey
#18 – Phantom Prey
#19 – Wicked Prey
#20 – Storm Prey