Neon Prey: Lucas Davenport 29

By John Sandford

Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in this nail-biter by internationally bestselling author John Sandford

At first, Clayton Deese seems like your run-of-the-mill criminal – a gun for hire that keeps the boss from the cops. But after he skips bail following a job gone wrong, the U.S. Marshals see that he could be the key to the whole operation’s undoing.

As marshals begin the search of Deese’s place, they find something far darker than they ever expected. There are countless graves lining the back of the house, trophies from a score of killings. Deese may have seemed small-time but the evidence says otherwise – they are dealing with a frenzied and prolific serial killer.

Now Lucas Davenport must find him – after all, that’s what he does best. But Deese is ruthless, has an endless network of allies and – as Davenport will come to find – he is also full of surprises . . .

***READERS LOVE THE PREY SERIES***

'John Sandford knows all there is to know about detonating the gut-level shocks of a good thriller' The New York Times Book Review 
​
'The best Lucas Davenport story so far. The man has a fine touch for outlaws' Stephen King on Golden Prey

'Sandford’s trademark blend of rough humor and deadly action keeps the pages turning until the smile-inducing wrap-up, which reveals the fates of a number of his quirky, memorable characters' Publishers Weekly on Golden Prey

'Sandford has always been at the top of any list of great mystery writers. His writing and the appeal of his lead character are as fresh as ever' The Huffington Post

'Sandford is consistently brilliant' Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Apr 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781471184406

John Sandford

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of thirty Prey novels, four Kidd novels, twelve Virgil Flowers novels, and six other books, including three YA novels coauthored with his wife Michele Cook.

Reviews for Neon Prey

[paulagalvan-323293 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucas, Bob, and Rae chase after Clayton Deese, a hardcore killer who eats his victims in this crime thriller. Traveling to L.A. and Las Vegas, the U. S. Marshals have several shootouts with Deese and his gang, but they always seem to get away - until they don't. Lucas suffers in this one but recovers well. Neon Prey is good action interlaced with humor—another winner for John Sandford.

[Jeannine Gama Hubbard · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Does John Sandford not have a proofreader for his books before they go to print? The amount of typos in this one just screams amateur, and with all his experience, he is better than that. I try not to be a grammar Nazi, but come on.

The plot itself kept my interest, but was pretty dark, and hearing him explain towns he isn’t familiar with is amusing when he gets the local lingo wrong, particularly in Los Angeles.

That being said, I have my next Lucas Davenport novel ready to go when I finish this one!

[dgrachel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cannibal and a home invasion gang lead Lucas, Bob, and Rae on a hunt from Louisiana to California to Nevada. Classic Sandford - witty banter, near misses, plenty of swearing, lots of action, but not my favorite of the series. Something happens fairly early on that just got under my skin and I was never able to shake it off, so it colored the rest of the book. Mind you, it won't stop me from grabbing the next Flowers book out later this year, or the next Prey book, which should hopefully come out next Spring.

[lewilliams-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A non stop thriller from the first page to the last. Davenport and his fellow Marshals are joined by other law enforcement as they track down a serial killer and cannibal.

[tatoosh-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deese, A ruthless, unsophisticated enforcer for a New Orleans loan shark, is injured and photographed while beating a victim. That leads to his easy identification and arrest. Upon making bail Deese heads to Los Angeles to join his half brother, the leader of a home invasion gang. The U. S. Marshall’s Office is asked to apprehend Deese and Lucas Davenport and his team (Bob Matees and Rae Givens) take the assignment. They begin by searching Deese’s property for information that might point to where he is hiding and discover a burial ground with over a dozen bodies. Some have had been partially “butchered” and tests of Deese’s barbeque grill reveal human DNA. The popular media label Deese, “The Cannibal.” Davenport’s team quickly traces Deese to Los Angeles and determines where the invasion gang is living. However, Davenport manages to get himself shot during a SWAT team assault on the house and most of gang escapes to Las Vegas. After his recovery, Davenport, Givens, and Matees again set out on the trail of Deese and the home invasion gang.Neon Prey gets off to a slow start but in fairness I have to mention that this is the first ebook I have read. Part of my reaction may be due to my getting used to reading on an iPad. Another factor may be that Davenport is not introduced until page 21 and his meaningful involvement in the case does not begin until somewhat later. Like bookends, the end of the book again tails off over ten pages after the primary story concludes.It is interesting that some typos still appear in this edition of the book: a double “a” in one place for instance. I encountered a couple other similar proofreading errors along the way but did not think to make note of them until the final instance.Despite the slow beginning, prolonged end, and imperfect proofing, this is a solid addition to the Lucas Davenport series.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good but not his best

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'll listen to just about anything read by Richard Ferrone and he's perfectly matched to Sandford's books. Neon Prey is the 29th in the Lucas Davenport series, which, I thought for a while was beginning to get stale, unlike his Virgil Flowers series that I run, not walk, to buy, but Sandford has written into this one that same insouciance and repartee that's so endearing of the Flowers character.Davenport is now a U.S. Marshal who has managed to work out a deal with Washington that permits him to more or less have some control over the cases he works on. The cases themselves I find less interesting; this one involves a particularly depraved hoodlum with cannibalistic tendencies. It's the interaction of characters that's appealing, and this is a good one even though the bad guys consume themselves without much assistance from the cops.Be that as it may, it's difficult not to like any book read by Richard Ferrone who always does a super job

[alanteder · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Only half of a book, and a repulsive one at thatReview of the Audible Audio edition (2019) narrated by Richard FerroneI’m not going to bury the lead here. This book mostly consists of several set pieces where Lucas Davenport and the U.S. Marshals with occasional other police forces are closing in on/and or confronting the villains. These scenes are then completely repeated from the other point of view i.e. first we get the police side in its entirety and then the entire scene is retold from the point of view of the criminals. This technique might be useful if some sort of intriguing insight was revealed, but that is rarely the case. It just begins to feel like padding, a technique to double the length of the material.The fact that the criminal side is more repulsive than usual just adds to the repellant nature of the results.I usually find Sandford’s annual Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers crime mysteries to be reliable sources of entertainment with their often engaging banter between the detectives and crafty foes to be detected and defeated. This one just felt off and cheap.The narration by series regular Richard Ferrone was still excellent though.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You would think that after 29 books...all two-word title with one of those words being "Prey"... that John Sandford would have run out of situations to write about that puts Minnesota cop turned U.S. Marshall...Lucas Davenport... in the path of all this prey...but seemingly this hasn't happened. I for one, hope that it never does. From book 1 Lucas has been one of my favorite fictional detectives. He has been joined in this venture by two fellow Marshalls... Rae Givens and Bob Matees...who would make wonderful additions to the already great team. This time not only are they hunting the usual serial killer but a serial killer with a taste for cannibalism. Lucas needs all the help he can get. Keep'em Lucas.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

20 minutes after I'm done reading, I've usually forgotten the plot which doesn't change the fact that I like Sandford's Davenport novels. Quick and easy, not complicated suspense stories. This time US Marshall Davenport is hunting down the cannibal killer Clayton Deese. From New Orleans to LA to Las Vegas, the game of cat and mouse is on.

[1randal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How does Sandford do it?I mean, book after book, he continues to make Lucas Davenport, (or, in his other series, Virgil Flowers), interesting and intriguing. This edition is no different. Davenport is hunting another BAD guy, this time a serial killing psycho, who, by the way, just happens to be a cannibal also! The buildup is great, and the action scenes exciting. You feel like you're riding in the car with the main character as he builds his case. I'm not going to give away the plot, it would spoil the book for you. Suffice it to say, if you liked Sandford's previous Prey novels, you will love this one too!I don't know how many more Prey books the author has in him, but I will continue reading them until he stops. Hopefully, that day is far away!Bravo!

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With a very violent hitman, rape, violent home invasions; what,more would you want? How about cannibalism? Lucus and his U.S Marshall sidekicks are off on a chase that takes them from New Orleans through LA and finally to Las Vegas. Swap teams abound be for the chase ends suitably under a scruffy desert trailer.

[andy_dimartino · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another page turner!!! Love that Davenport!!!

[norinrad10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's May and for the last nearly 30 yeaers that has translated into another visit with Lucas Davenport. Hard to believe it'sbeen that long.At this point Davenport and crew seem as realistic as family. This is a series that started off uniquely strong. Set in the Twin Cities, Davenport was a charismatic protagonist on par with the greats of literacy. Over the years the quality of the series has ebbed and flowed,while never quite reaching the exalted levels of those first 5 books.There was a period that it felt to me like Sandford's grasp of Davenport had slipped, and he focused more on his other serial series's protagonist Virgil Flowers. Flowers often appears in both books. Gone were the days that found Davenport wrestling with depression and always teetering on the edge of violence. What saved the series during that time was the strong supporting characters. Many of whom have since fallen to the wayside to be replaced by new less interesting characters. The good news is that Neon Prey's Lucas is a little more Lucas-like, the bad news is that the supporting characters in Neon Prey are the extremly less interesting Bob and Rae instead of Shrake and crew. The weak supporting characters coupled with some weak plotting, results in a less satisfying visit with Davenport. In the end the book is still better than most and I'm already markingthe calander for next May. But can Davenport please bring his old friends along?

[terran_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still enjoy the Lucas Davenport series, but the last couple of entries have been a bit more gruesome and crude than usual. I like the repartee among the characters but some of the regular cast of characters were missing. Lucas and his U.S. Marshall's sidekicks, Bob and Rae, follow bad guy Clayton Deese from New Orleans to Los Angeles to Las Vegas and beyond. They always seem to be one step behind until the very end, but besides that there isn't much suspense.