John Sandford Brings the Drama and the Humor in NEON PREY

NEON PREY by John Sandford

One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading is when you get what the author is trying to convey. And I get John Sandford. I get his meticulous plotting and I especially get his sense of humor. For years he has used humor in his Virgil Flowers series of stories but now it is beginning to creep into his Lucas Davenport books as well. This is especially true of his latest Lucas Davenport novel NEON PREY.

Lucas Davenport is a wealthy man. He likes fast cars and he likes good clothes. He doesn’t like criminals so he loves the chase to capture one, or more. That’s who he is and that’s what he does. He will go to any length to catch a bad person and when he gets on the trail of a really bad person like Clayton Deese he throws caution to the wind. This doesn’t sit well sometimes with his wife and children but chasing bad guys is what Davenport is compelled to do.

And believe me Clayton Deese is a bad guy. He kills people, and after he kills them he eats them. Yes Clayton Deese is a cannibal, and that makes Davenport mad. He is determined to capture Deese if he has to go to the ends of the earth. Luckily he only has to go to Vegas. Accompanying him on this chase are Bob and Rae, his two cohorts. He also brings along FBI Agent Sandro Tremanty, who looks a bit like Davenport – a younger version of Davenport.

This book is all about the chase, and the characters. It is a perfect blend of both these elements which means there is fun and excitement from start to finish. As an added treat while Davenport and company are searching for Deese they have a good bit of down time which allows Sandford to fill us in on more of their personal characteristics. It also allows for some good hearted jabbing at each other to occur and this is where the humor comes into play.

In one area of Vegas you have Deese and his gang while in another spot is Davenport and his crew. Now you know sooner or later these two groups are going to meet and battle it out. Still nothing is rushed in this story. The reader has to bide his/her time. Rest assured it is worth it and the final chapters of this book are amazing fun.

I like Sandford. I like his skills as a writer. I like the way he can create good plots filled with believable but insanely complicated characters. I also like his sense of humor. He inserts it in his stories in a subtle but effective way. All of this means that I really enjoyed NEON PREY and I think you will too.

NEON PREY is published by G P Putnam. It contains 400 pages and sells for $29.00.

Jackie K Cooper

www.jackiekcooper.com