A review by ianbanks
Rules of Prey by John Sandford

5.0

Even when Mr Sandford’s books are terrible they are still great fun to read. This is by no means a bad book (a lot of the 1-star reviews here focus on the characters rather than the writing) and it is a total thrill. It introduces Davenport as a character and sets the tone for the rest of the series. Reading it from the perspective of a person who has read nearly everything written by Sandford’s, it’s interesting to see how he has progressed as a writer: there’s an immense confidence in the telling of this tale (he had been a reporter for many years prior to his debut) and it’s quite honestly fairly impressive to see just how much of the character of Davenport remains thirty books later despite the changes in other parts of his persona: the game designing has gone by the wayside; he’s had a few career changes; he’s gotten married and had kids; he no longer plays the horses… but the character - the confidence, street smarts, scheming and ability to make connections and act on them remains the same as it does in books written in the present day.

In his debut novel, Davenport goes up against a serial killer (already in 1989 a novelty that was starting to outstay its welcome) who is smart and ruthless but not as clever as he thinks he is. Cleverly, Davenport plays against his vanity and narcissism I order to fool him. Maddog (the killer) is smart and savvy but, thankfully, isn’t the superhuman genius we would see so so often in books and movies later, but a flawed human who almost but not quite manages to fit in with the people around him.

A great thriller on its own and a fantastic introduction to a terrific series.