Buried Prey
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

When he was a young patrolman, Lucas Davenport insinuated himself into the case of two missing girls. He worked hard, and the result was the death of a troubled street person, which provided the case's official closure, despite the girls' bodies never being found. Davenport's contributions accelerated his career, but he was never quite satisfied that the street person was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the bodies are discovered, and Davenport, now heading Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, gets a second chance. He reviews the original case, reinterviews some original witnesses, and confirms his nagging suspicion that the real killer was never caught. The first half of the story is a prequel of sorts, providing readers a glimpse of the cocky young cop who would become the cocky veteran investigator. The contemporary case takes a dark turn when a key secondary character is killed, putting Davenport on the edge of vigilantism. The twenty-third Prey novel is one of the series' stronger recent entries, featuring the signature gallows humor, strong primary characters, and as always, an unforgettable villain. . HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Sandford's Prey series has had a devoted following for years and shows no signs of losing its momentum. The publicity campaign won't hurt, but Lucas Davenport fans need little prodding.--Lukowsky, We. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Sandford's outstanding 21st novel to feature Lucas Davenport of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (after Storm Prey) offers fans the chance to compare the young with the mature protagonist. In 1985, Davenport, then an eager patrol cop, made his bones as a homicide detective in an ugly kidnapping murder case. The present-day discovery of the mummified bodies of two girls wrapped in plastic, sisters Nancy and Mary Jones, leads Davenport to realize that he "messed up": the wrong man was credited with the crime and the real killer never caught. Cracking this very cold case becomes intensely personal for Davenport, who uses his own resources, including manipulating the media and pushing Marcy Sherrill, head of Minneapolis Homicide, to use all of her resources as well. A fusion of old-fashioned doggedness and modern technology pressures the killer into deadly action. Expert plotting and a riveting finish make this one of Sandford's best. Author tour. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Lucas Davenport was a promising rookie cop in Minneapolis, working the disappearance of two young sisters, the Jones girls. There was a blip in the case that one of his superiors convinced him to think of as a "loose end." The case closed without the girls being found, and Davenport quickly moved up the ranks. After 25 years, the girls' remains have literally and figuratively been unearthed-the "loose end" is back to bite Davenport in the backside. The novel is told through a series of detailed reveries as Davenport retraces his steps and makes a new, concerted effort to learn who killed the children. Verdict Wonderfully performed by Richard Ferrone and featuring a well-written, compelling, and quick-paced narrative, this entry in the Prey series stands on its own but will surely please series fans. ["Sandford fans as well as thriller buffs will appreciate the throbbing cadence of Sandford's prose and his crisp dialog," read the starred review of the New York Times best-selling Putnam hc, LJ 6/1/11.-Ed.]-Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A macabre discovery at a demolition site sends Lucas Davenport back to 1985, and his very first homicide.There's no proof at the time that the Jones girls are dead, only a plea from George and Gloria Jones to find them after they went missing, along with a raft of evidence that all points in one direction. When the need to follow every lead drags Lucas Davenport, the beat cop who first caught the call, into a very temporary assignment as a plainclothes homicide detective, he immediately shows the sleuthing instincts that will make him a star (Storm Prey, 2010, etc.). For his trouble, he's shunted off the case onto the infinitely more routine murder of gangbanger Billy Smith. Along the way, he manages to solve the fatal stabbing of Ronald Rice more or less on the fly. Meanwhile, a series of anonymous tips and circumstantial clues convince Lt. Quentin Daniel, who's running the Jones case, that his killer is schizophrenic panhandler Terry Scrape. When a manhunt leaves Scrape dead, Daniel closes the case over Lucas's protests. It's not until 25 years later, when a construction crew finds the two girls' bodies, that Lucas has a chance to reopen it. Much of his two investigations, past and present, amount to a slog, a procedural daisy chain of information that leads to more information, much of it unreliable. But when the killer commits a particularly brazen and atrocious crime in the present day, the pace picks up as Lucas vows to execute his quarry personally.Most interesting for its long look at the young Lucas, who's considerably more humorous, profane and loosely wrapped than the peerless agent of Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension he becomes.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

When he was a young patrolman, Lucas Davenport insinuated himself into the case of two missing girls. He worked hard, and the result was the death of a troubled street person, which provided the case's official closure, despite the girls' bodies never being found. Davenport's contributions accelerated his career, but he was never quite satisfied that the street person was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the bodies are discovered, and Davenport, now heading Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, gets a second chance. He reviews the original case, reinterviews some original witnesses, and confirms his nagging suspicion that the real killer was never caught. The first half of the story is a prequel of sorts, providing readers a glimpse of the cocky young cop who would become the cocky veteran investigator. The contemporary case takes a dark turn when a key secondary character is killed, putting Davenport on the edge of vigilantism. The twenty-third Prey novel is one of the series' stronger recent entries, featuring the signature gallows humor, strong primary characters, and as always, an unforgettable villain. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Sandford's Prey series has had a devoted following for years and shows no signs of losing its momentum. The publicity campaign won't hurt, but Lucas Davenport fans need little prodding. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

Back in 1985, two girls disappeared, and fledgling cop Lucas Davenport couldn't get over it, even when his boss declared the case closed. Now a house has been torn down, the bodies of two girls wrapped in plastic have been found, and Davenport is back on the case. Best seller Sandford is relentless.

Sandford's 21st razor-sharp thriller once again features Lucas Davenport from Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension-this one, however, reveals Davenport's evolution from a young and reckless rookie cop to a respected investigator. After demolition workers discover two plastic-wrapped bodies buried under a concrete floor, Lucas arrives and recognizes the mummified bodies from an unsolved case he worked back in 1985. In a lengthy flashback, Lucas recalls the details-a power-hungry chief investigator eager to cast blame; anonymous 911 calls targeting a schizophrenic street guy accidently killed by the cops; and intriguing coincidences involving a scary John Fell. Yet Lucas knew investigators "messed up" by pinning the murder on the homeless man. Now, he's determined to buck the bureaucracy and find the perverted killer who's been murdering more women over the past 25 years. Lucas engages the assistance of former and current colleagues in a fast-paced search using today's technology to probe for the truth. Verdict Sandford fans as well as thriller buffs will appreciate the throbbing cadence of Sandford's prose and his crisp dialog. Highly recommended as an engrossing summer read. [See Prepub Alert, 11/1/10.]-Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sandford's outstanding 21st novel to feature Lucas Davenport of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (after Storm Prey) offers fans the chance to compare the young with the mature protagonist. In 1985, Davenport, then an eager patrol cop, made his bones as a homicide detective in an ugly kidnapping murder case. The present-day discovery of the mummified bodies of two girls wrapped in plastic, sisters Nancy and Mary Jones, leads Davenport to realize that he "messed up": the wrong man was credited with the crime and the real killer never caught. Cracking this very cold case becomes intensely personal for Davenport, who uses his own resources, including manipulating the media and pushing Marcy Sherrill, head of Minneapolis Homicide, to use all of her resources as well. A fusion of old-fashioned doggedness and modern technology pressures the killer into deadly action. Expert plotting and a riveting finish make this one of Sandford's best. Author tour. (May)