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mvptp's review
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Love the characters but this book was slow and the case boring
yevolem's review against another edition
3.0
Phantom Prey is the second lowest rated in the series on Goodreads and it shows, relatively anyway. Based on the ratings that the rest of the books in the series have there may not be any other duds, though I expect there will be a few more yet to come.
This case has three investigations going on, though it's initially to believed to be two, hence the phantom title. One of the investigations is an irrelevant b-plot that's dropped in at intervals, seemingly only for sexual innuendo. I think it would've been better if it were omitted. The initial murder that starts the case is even less than that. The twists weren't as they should've been.
Aside from the protagonist, none of the characters were developed well this time. That's a shame, because they're usually at least amusing and interesting. I think there have been less and less recurring supporting characters. Davenport is an interesting character and makes for a good protagonist, but he's not even half of what I enjoy about the series. I'll have to eventually look at it more, but I'm almost certain that the main difference between how much I enjoy any one book in this series is based on how many developed supporting characters there are and how well developed the antagonist is.
I wonder why Sandford chose to do two books in a row with similarities in more than names, as the previous entry was Invisible Prey. The central conceit of both being, "What aren't we seeing?". In both cases the criminals were hidden in plain sight.
This seems to be another yet turning point for Lucas Davenport, or at least it's written that way. Whether it'll follow through is a different matter. After eighteen books and nearly being killed in a lot of them, and killing more than that, he begins to seriously wonder how many more times he can get lucky and whether he wants to push that luck any longer. His wife tells him that his survival goes beyond luck, though not in a religious way, which may be a nod to his plot armor.
In what I wrote about a previous book, I said that I was very surprised that a brief part of it took place in a location that I lived a town away from for a few years. Well, I was also born there, and went to University there, so it was a meaningful place. This one though offhandedly references an even smaller and more rural town that I'm extremely familiar with. After I finished reading I went back over the passage and realized that due to my familiarity with the area that I had misunderstood. The reference being made by the author was a couple years out of date, but that's understandable. I had thought the reference to a hundred years of purgatory was supposed to be a statement of contempt since that's the sort of place it is, rather than the more obvious allusion to the supermax prison that used to be there.
Starting from the next book I'll only be reading one entry each month, rather than the basically weekly as I've been doing. I should finish what's out of the series by the end of next year. I haven't been paying much attention to how many and often I've reading, so I'm somewhat surprised this is already the eighteenth. This isn't the longest series I've read, but it's certainly the quickest I've read of any series of similar length.
Rating: 2.5/5
This case has three investigations going on, though it's initially to believed to be two, hence the phantom title. One of the investigations is an irrelevant b-plot that's dropped in at intervals, seemingly only for sexual innuendo. I think it would've been better if it were omitted. The initial murder that starts the case is even less than that. The twists weren't as they should've been.
Aside from the protagonist, none of the characters were developed well this time. That's a shame, because they're usually at least amusing and interesting. I think there have been less and less recurring supporting characters. Davenport is an interesting character and makes for a good protagonist, but he's not even half of what I enjoy about the series. I'll have to eventually look at it more, but I'm almost certain that the main difference between how much I enjoy any one book in this series is based on how many developed supporting characters there are and how well developed the antagonist is.
I wonder why Sandford chose to do two books in a row with similarities in more than names, as the previous entry was Invisible Prey. The central conceit of both being, "What aren't we seeing?". In both cases the criminals were hidden in plain sight.
This seems to be another yet turning point for Lucas Davenport, or at least it's written that way. Whether it'll follow through is a different matter. After eighteen books and nearly being killed in a lot of them, and killing more than that, he begins to seriously wonder how many more times he can get lucky and whether he wants to push that luck any longer. His wife tells him that his survival goes beyond luck, though not in a religious way, which may be a nod to his plot armor.
In what I wrote about a previous book, I said that I was very surprised that a brief part of it took place in a location that I lived a town away from for a few years. Well, I was also born there, and went to University there, so it was a meaningful place. This one though offhandedly references an even smaller and more rural town that I'm extremely familiar with. After I finished reading I went back over the passage and realized that due to my familiarity with the area that I had misunderstood. The reference being made by the author was a couple years out of date, but that's understandable. I had thought the reference to a hundred years of purgatory was supposed to be a statement of contempt since that's the sort of place it is, rather than the more obvious allusion to the supermax prison that used to be there.
Starting from the next book I'll only be reading one entry each month, rather than the basically weekly as I've been doing. I should finish what's out of the series by the end of next year. I haven't been paying much attention to how many and often I've reading, so I'm somewhat surprised this is already the eighteenth. This isn't the longest series I've read, but it's certainly the quickest I've read of any series of similar length.
Rating: 2.5/5
wondernikel's review against another edition
5.0
4.5! Mental Health issues at its finest! Lucas...So much going on! I love how you get to follow him through his process with him! I have missed his guardian angel the last two novels! And in this one her expertise was needed, greatly! Del's wife being pregnant...DUH! Sometimes men are so very dense!
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Eighteenth in the Lucas Davenport mystery detective series and revolving around Lucas, a not-quite-legal, focused-on-true-justice cop.
My Take
I do love the off-the-wall characters, and Sanderson does a lovely job of integrating an "info dump" with Lucas thinking about how to explain his men in their personnel evaluations. I do like it when authors come up with these creative ways of imparting background info, lol. This one gives us insight into Lucas as well in how he reacts to his thoughts.
There's a reality to Lucas' character and the people with whom he works. How they really think. It's one of the things I do enjoy about this series, as Sanderson gets into the nitty-gritty of the manipulation, humor, viciousness, and the real worries of cops, lawyers, and politicians. The "realness" pours over into Lucas' relationship with his wife. He acknowledges (in his head where it's safer) that he needs to cater to his wife while his wife definitely wears the pants in this family, *more laughter*. I do love Lucas' reasons for not wanting to die, lol.
Crack me up… "The Minneapolis City Hall … squats … like a wart poking through a diamond necklace."
What I did not enjoy was trying to figure out Fairy. Yeah, I know that it's supposed to heighten the tension and all that, and it sure kept me reading as I needed to know who Fairy was and her motivations. But that ending felt like a loose thread. A whole nest of snarled, loose threads. Deep in my subconscious I put it together, but I wanted it all laid out. Wahh. *eye roll* I know, I know, it's stupid. Authors are not required to tie up every little bit. *Excuse me while I go off and pout*
Throughout the story, I kept wanting to hit them over the head. Can't they see? Have they no conscience? How can you kill when you're not even sure!?! I thought of the people the victims were leaving behind. The ones who would mourn their deaths, and I wanted to cry and hit out. And, yeah, I know, they're characters in a book fer gosh sakes! That's when you know you've got that part of your story nailed.
That business plan for test marketing advertising sounds pretty clever. I don't like the people behind it, but then I suppose ya gotta be cold to be successful.
I had read some time ago that Sandford saw Lucas as a sociopath, and it's made me more aware of his behavior and reactions. And yes, more interested in those comments in the story. It only confirms what I think about Lucas being a sociopath. That he's not.
Then there's the sideshow of Heather Toms. Oh, boy, *even more laughter*.
I cannot resist one of Sandford's books. It's the perfect combination of suspense, mystery, reality, and laughter. Yeah, who knew a mystery could be this much fun to read?
The Story
It's a mother's nightmare. A missing child and no clues. Luckily for Alyssa Austin, she has pull and can push to intensify the search for her daughter.
The Characters
Lucas Davenport is a troubleshooter for the governor and keeps his razor edge by playing winter ball in a cops-and-bureaucrats league. Dr. Weather Karkinnen is a plastic surgeon and Lucas' wife. Letty is the teenager they adopted from Naked Prey, 14. She's got an internship at Channel 3. Sam is their baby. Ellen is their housekeeper. Elle is an old friend of Lucas', a nun, and a psychologist.
The Office of Regional Research at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has…
…Rose Marie Roux as its director (and Lucas' boss), although she seems rather distracted by her work on the security committee for the Republican National Convention. She's adding to that impressive résumé: street cop, state representative, state senator, Minneapolis police chief, and now director. Del Capslock (of the slogan'd sweatshirts; this one says "underwear not included"; Cheryl is a nurse and his wife), Virgil "that fuckin" Flowers uses his fishing hobby to write articles and meditate on the crimes, Jenkins and Shrake really like their leather saps, and Jim Benson is the new guy, poor sap; all of them work for the department and Lucas. Carol is Lucas' scary secretary; Sandy is a student intern who does a helluva job. Dan Jackson is their photographer.
The governor is Elmer Henderson of the Minnesota Hendersons; the family never thought he'd amount to anything. Neil Mitford is the governor's chief weasel. Tony Mose is a public defender.
Minneapolis PD
Lieutenant Whistler is in charge of Homicide. Detective Harold Anson is working the Ford murder. Les Cooper got beaten up by Antsy — and she's the niece of a BCA agent out of Bemidji.
Feeney is the Hennepin County assistant medical examiner who works at Hennepin County Medical Center where Weather does a lot of her surgeries.
St. Paul PD
Officer Janice Loomis-Smith knows Lucas from the tool mark symposium. She finds Xai Xiong's former Honda Prelude.
Dakota County Sheriff's Department
Dick Pratt is an investigator.
San Francisco PD
Luther Wane says they don't want him if they have to pay to come get him.
Ignace Ruffe is a cut-throat reporter with the Star Tribune; he's willing to work with Lucas. Odd Angstrom owns Odd's Tow and Wrecking; Linda works at the front desk. Jerry and Ricky are two of their drivers. Emily Wau is a manager at the Maplewood branch bank.
Alyssa Austin is a good-hearted woman, a modern woman who runs a chain of high-end athletic clubs, and has an interest in both the practical and the metaphysical. Frances is her missing daughter, a Goth. Hunter is Alyssa's neat and tidy but deceased husband. Helen Sobotny is her housekeeper; Ricky Davis is Helen's boyfriend.
AusTech was…
…Hunter's company. Martina Trenoff is the assistant anxious to succeed. A little too eager. Ann Coates is head of Human Resources. Tara Laughlin is vice president for legal affairs. They finally dish on Martina.
Alyssa's clubs
Frank Willett is a trainer at Alyssa's clubs. Gina Nassif works Human Resources. Dalles Burger is a lawyer with Stone & Kaufmann and a client at Austin's health club.
The Goth group includes…
…the murdered Dick Ford, a bartender at the A1, whom Charlene Mobry (she works in cosmetics) was sorta dating. Karl "Lurch" Lageson was a friend of his. Jerry is another bartender. Roy Carter, he works at Mike's a liquor store in Dinkytown, might have seen the Fairy. Jean Brandt is a Goth neighbor of Roy's. Greg, Dave, Sharon, and Wanda "Wolfie" had seen Ron and the Fairy together. Darrell. Richard Trane, Judy McBride, and Brad Francetta were some of the people in the photograph Karen Slade took.
Patricia Shockley was a friend of Frances' from kindergarten through college. Leigh Price is Patricia's roommate and a witch who works at 3M. She's also interested in Virgil. Mark McGuire and Denise Robinson are trying to get a unique business up and running. Bob George was one of Shockley-Price's neighbors.
Fairy, a.k.a., Mary Janson, is dark, obsessed with revenge for Frances.
Loren is her partner, in every way.
Loren Whiteside-O'Keefe teaches drama at Augsburg. Loren Doyle was killed in a jet boat accident.
Heather Anderson Toms is fashion-conscious and Siggy's wife. Sigitas "Siggy" Toms is the largest-volume cocaine dealer in the Twin Cities. The cops busted him, jailed him, and the courts let him out on bail despite his being a flight risk. Antanas "Antsy" Toms is his brother and his enforcer. That's all he had brains for. The Tomses' mother sounds like a nightmare.
Louis is a shoplifter. George William Boyd is selling assault vests and Mini-14 Ranch Rifles along with Kevlar helmets. Oops.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark — dark, dark green with a narrow band of night-vision green slicing through the center illuminating a grove of trees scattered along the band. The author's name is slightly bigger than the title and in an embossed yellow while the title is beneath it in an embossed white.
The title is about Lucas' Phantom Prey. A fairy everyone sees, but no one knows.
My Take
I do love the off-the-wall characters, and Sanderson does a lovely job of integrating an "info dump" with Lucas thinking about how to explain his men in their personnel evaluations. I do like it when authors come up with these creative ways of imparting background info, lol. This one gives us insight into Lucas as well in how he reacts to his thoughts.
There's a reality to Lucas' character and the people with whom he works. How they really think. It's one of the things I do enjoy about this series, as Sanderson gets into the nitty-gritty of the manipulation, humor, viciousness, and the real worries of cops, lawyers, and politicians. The "realness" pours over into Lucas' relationship with his wife. He acknowledges (in his head where it's safer) that he needs to cater to his wife while his wife definitely wears the pants in this family, *more laughter*. I do love Lucas' reasons for not wanting to die, lol.
More of that realistic humor Sandford includes is that bit about the gravel in the driveway…oh, man…too true. Lucas' worries that Alyssa will veer off into astrology and the planets. There may even be, dare I say it?, chicken guts! That scene at the liquor store? Oh, lol. Then there's that realism, ahem, that makes me wish I had "way more money than" I needed. Wouldn't it be fun if you could make just one thing true for yourself out of a novel…Lucas has this obsession with beautiful clothes (seems the governor has some good advice on socks and pjs):
"'If you get assassinated this week, can I have those socks?'
'No. We pass these down through the generations, to the oldest sons.'"
Crack me up… "The Minneapolis City Hall … squats … like a wart poking through a diamond necklace."
What I did not enjoy was trying to figure out Fairy. Yeah, I know that it's supposed to heighten the tension and all that, and it sure kept me reading as I needed to know who Fairy was and her motivations. But that ending felt like a loose thread. A whole nest of snarled, loose threads. Deep in my subconscious I put it together, but I wanted it all laid out. Wahh. *eye roll* I know, I know, it's stupid. Authors are not required to tie up every little bit. *Excuse me while I go off and pout*
Throughout the story, I kept wanting to hit them over the head. Can't they see? Have they no conscience? How can you kill when you're not even sure!?! I thought of the people the victims were leaving behind. The ones who would mourn their deaths, and I wanted to cry and hit out. And, yeah, I know, they're characters in a book fer gosh sakes! That's when you know you've got that part of your story nailed.
That business plan for test marketing advertising sounds pretty clever. I don't like the people behind it, but then I suppose ya gotta be cold to be successful.
I had read some time ago that Sandford saw Lucas as a sociopath, and it's made me more aware of his behavior and reactions. And yes, more interested in those comments in the story. It only confirms what I think about Lucas being a sociopath. That he's not.
Then there's the sideshow of Heather Toms. Oh, boy, *even more laughter*.
I cannot resist one of Sandford's books. It's the perfect combination of suspense, mystery, reality, and laughter. Yeah, who knew a mystery could be this much fun to read?
The Story
It's a mother's nightmare. A missing child and no clues. Luckily for Alyssa Austin, she has pull and can push to intensify the search for her daughter.
The Characters
Lucas Davenport is a troubleshooter for the governor and keeps his razor edge by playing winter ball in a cops-and-bureaucrats league. Dr. Weather Karkinnen is a plastic surgeon and Lucas' wife. Letty is the teenager they adopted from Naked Prey, 14. She's got an internship at Channel 3. Sam is their baby. Ellen is their housekeeper. Elle is an old friend of Lucas', a nun, and a psychologist.
The Office of Regional Research at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has…
…Rose Marie Roux as its director (and Lucas' boss), although she seems rather distracted by her work on the security committee for the Republican National Convention. She's adding to that impressive résumé: street cop, state representative, state senator, Minneapolis police chief, and now director. Del Capslock (of the slogan'd sweatshirts; this one says "underwear not included"; Cheryl is a nurse and his wife), Virgil "that fuckin" Flowers uses his fishing hobby to write articles and meditate on the crimes, Jenkins and Shrake really like their leather saps, and Jim Benson is the new guy, poor sap; all of them work for the department and Lucas. Carol is Lucas' scary secretary; Sandy is a student intern who does a helluva job. Dan Jackson is their photographer.
The governor is Elmer Henderson of the Minnesota Hendersons; the family never thought he'd amount to anything. Neil Mitford is the governor's chief weasel. Tony Mose is a public defender.
Minneapolis PD
Lieutenant Whistler is in charge of Homicide. Detective Harold Anson is working the Ford murder. Les Cooper got beaten up by Antsy — and she's the niece of a BCA agent out of Bemidji.
Feeney is the Hennepin County assistant medical examiner who works at Hennepin County Medical Center where Weather does a lot of her surgeries.
St. Paul PD
Officer Janice Loomis-Smith knows Lucas from the tool mark symposium. She finds Xai Xiong's former Honda Prelude.
Dakota County Sheriff's Department
Dick Pratt is an investigator.
San Francisco PD
Luther Wane says they don't want him if they have to pay to come get him.
Ignace Ruffe is a cut-throat reporter with the Star Tribune; he's willing to work with Lucas. Odd Angstrom owns Odd's Tow and Wrecking; Linda works at the front desk. Jerry and Ricky are two of their drivers. Emily Wau is a manager at the Maplewood branch bank.
Alyssa Austin is a good-hearted woman, a modern woman who runs a chain of high-end athletic clubs, and has an interest in both the practical and the metaphysical. Frances is her missing daughter, a Goth. Hunter is Alyssa's neat and tidy but deceased husband. Helen Sobotny is her housekeeper; Ricky Davis is Helen's boyfriend.
AusTech was…
…Hunter's company. Martina Trenoff is the assistant anxious to succeed. A little too eager. Ann Coates is head of Human Resources. Tara Laughlin is vice president for legal affairs. They finally dish on Martina.
Alyssa's clubs
Frank Willett is a trainer at Alyssa's clubs. Gina Nassif works Human Resources. Dalles Burger is a lawyer with Stone & Kaufmann and a client at Austin's health club.
The Goth group includes…
…the murdered Dick Ford, a bartender at the A1, whom Charlene Mobry (she works in cosmetics) was sorta dating. Karl "Lurch" Lageson was a friend of his. Jerry is another bartender. Roy Carter, he works at Mike's a liquor store in Dinkytown, might have seen the Fairy. Jean Brandt is a Goth neighbor of Roy's. Greg, Dave, Sharon, and Wanda "Wolfie" had seen Ron and the Fairy together. Darrell. Richard Trane, Judy McBride, and Brad Francetta were some of the people in the photograph Karen Slade took.
Patricia Shockley was a friend of Frances' from kindergarten through college. Leigh Price is Patricia's roommate and a witch who works at 3M. She's also interested in Virgil. Mark McGuire and Denise Robinson are trying to get a unique business up and running. Bob George was one of Shockley-Price's neighbors.
Fairy, a.k.a., Mary Janson, is dark, obsessed with revenge for Frances.
Loren is her partner, in every way.
Loren Whiteside-O'Keefe teaches drama at Augsburg. Loren Doyle was killed in a jet boat accident.
Heather Anderson Toms is fashion-conscious and Siggy's wife. Sigitas "Siggy" Toms is the largest-volume cocaine dealer in the Twin Cities. The cops busted him, jailed him, and the courts let him out on bail despite his being a flight risk. Antanas "Antsy" Toms is his brother and his enforcer. That's all he had brains for. The Tomses' mother sounds like a nightmare.
Louis is a shoplifter. George William Boyd is selling assault vests and Mini-14 Ranch Rifles along with Kevlar helmets. Oops.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark — dark, dark green with a narrow band of night-vision green slicing through the center illuminating a grove of trees scattered along the band. The author's name is slightly bigger than the title and in an embossed yellow while the title is beneath it in an embossed white.
The title is about Lucas' Phantom Prey. A fairy everyone sees, but no one knows.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
Can I just say, I knew who the killer was from the beginning?
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
2.0
The best Prey novels are the ones where you are hooked from beginning to end. "Phantom Prey" was not one of those. I was so bored with it that by the time I got to the end where it actually got pretty good, I was long over it. Probably one of the worst of the series so far.
francijo's review against another edition
It took me all semester to finish this, but not because it wasn't good! Glad to be a little close to caught up in this series. (It's going to be a suspenseful summer!)