ROUGH COUNTY

by John Sandford



"While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of northern Minnesota, [Virgil Flowers] gets a call from Lucas Davenport to investigate a murder at a nearby resort, where a woman has been shot while kayaking. . . . [A]s he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer. The more he digs, the more he discovers the arrows of suspicion that point in many directions, encompassing a multitude of motivations: jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger, fear." (From Amazon.com)

I understand that this is terribly judgemental of me, but it bothers me that an male author who has created notoriously womanizing characters for his two series (Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers), has decided to write a book for one of them that features a whole bunch of lesbians, complete with bi-sexual swingers and cat fights in the bar. There is something icky about the feel of it, the undercurrent of crude "guy fantasy" and cartoonish stereotyping, and it severely tainted my enjoyment of the book. Don't get me wrong. I've got no problem with the topic, just the ridiculous and seemingly gratuitous way it was presented.

That little rant aside, once Sandford gets done attempting to shock the reader with his "edginess" and starts doing what he does best, writing an actual mystery, Rough Country turns out to be pretty good. The second half of the book is much more enjoyable than the first. If you've never read Sandford before, I would not start here, but for fans of his it will hold you over until the next one.

WICKED PREY

by John Sandford



"In the nineteenth installment of the Prey series, Minnesota investigator Lucas Davenport struggles to protect his daughter Letty from a vengeful psychopathic pimp who blames Davenport for his handicap. All the while, a professional thief plans to rob the city of Minneapolis blind right before the Republican National Convention. Can Davenport protect his daughter and ensure the security of Minneapolis?" (From the CD container)

If you've read any of John Sandford's Prey series, you know exactly what you're getting in Wicked Prey, and that's not a bad thing. When you need a book you know is going to be entertaining, but you don't want to think hard about deep messages, this is a good series to turn to. It's your basic bad guys versus the justice system with lots of personal drama and guns. And a hotel fire. And the Republican National Convention. And a gunman from Oklahoma. And a paraplegic pimp. And those aren't even the main story!

Two things stood out for me in this installment: First, I liked that it didn't end all clean and tidy but not in an "obviously setting up for a sequel" kind of way. Second, I'm starting to suspect that Sandford has plans for Lucas Davenport's ward, Letty. She plays a big part in this book, and although she is only fourteen at this point, Lucas is aging and Sandford could be testing the waters regarding a future series with Letty as the main character when she gets older. It could be my imagination, but that's what it felt like. With as spirited and intelligent as Letty is, I think it might be really great if I'm right!



Other Prey books I've written about:

Phantom Prey

HEAT LIGHTNING

by John Sandford



In Heat Lightning, the second book featuring Virgil Flowers, Virgil is under pressure to solve a series of murders of Vietnam vets before the Republican National Convention descends upon the Twin Cities.

Those readers of Sandford's "Prey" series who are a bit tired of the annoying sexism of Lucas Davenport will not get any respite from the new series featuring Virgil Flowers. Virgil is a younger, four-times married version of Davenport at whom apparently no woman can wait to throw herself. If you can overlook that, which I can after a hardy roll of my eyeballs, this new series is quite good. The cases are nothing stunningly original, but when you're looking for a quick and entertaining murder mystery, these are, so far, a dependable choice.

Virgil Flowers made his debut in one of the "Prey" books -- I forget which one -- but he was a strong enough character to carry his own stories. Lucas is a secondary character in both novels and lends the feeling of community to this spin off. That is what makes it appealing to me. It has made Sandford's fictional world larger and more believable. And I liked the touch of referring to the RNC Convention being here. As a resident of the Twin Cities, it's always fun to read about events that actually happened here and places I'm familiar with in Sandford's books.

Want to start at the beginning? The first Virgil Flowers novel is Dark of the Moon.

PHANTOM PREY

by John Sandford



In Phantom Prey, the 18th book in Sandford's "Prey" series, Lucas Davenport encounters the Minneapolis goth culture when the disappearance of a wealthy widow's daughter leads him to a series of gruesome murders of her daughter's goth friends.

As with any series of this length, there are good installments and bad installments. This one lies somewhere in the middle, leaning toward one of the good ones. I listened to it on audio, though, and I have to say this is the first time the reader annoyed me to the point of distraction. His voices for the female characters were like nails down a chalkboard. The story itself, however, was enjoyable.

I saw that Kara at The World According To Books recently posted her review of Rules of Prey, the first "Prey" book, and Joy (from Thoughts of Joy) commented that she enjoyed Rules of Prey but remembered wanting to slap Lucas Davenport. I assured her, and now all of you, that I have read or listened to all eighteen "Prey" novels, and that feeling never goes away. :-) Good thing Lucas gets involved in such interesting cases, or I'd have to dump him and his "women as pretty objects" chauvinism.