Rating: 
Summary: Wheels within wheels...
Review: For those of you keeping track, this is the fourteenth book in the Prey series, and Sandford continues the tradition of mounting suspense, brilliant characterizations, and plot twists that on occasion require five different colors of magic markers and scores of boxes and arrows pointing to the list of suspects. As the book jacket says, Davenport is now employed by the governor's office, and as a result the spotlight here is focused upon Davenport and Del Capslock; the second-stringers are all local cops, a few "feds," and, of course, the well-written Letty West.
West is the young girl who discovers the corpses of Deon Cash and Jane Warr hanging from a tree. Immediately, the word "lynching" is tossed out, creating a stir of old racial prejudices. However, there is more at play than drug dealing and small-town prejudice; in the small town of Broderick, there is a web spreading from Minnesota to Kansas City, a web with something nasty lurking at the center, a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to protect their skin.
The characterization is taut, we see Lucas's eyes wander a couple of times, and we also get to see Lucas meet his caustic match in the twelve year-old Letty. Weather, Rose Marie, and the Big New House are all tossed into the story with exquisite precision, and the novel lives up to the editorial and critical praise that always seems premature: it truly is the best Prey novel to date, and the only thing worse than realizing that the novel is over so quickly is the realization that we have another year to wait before Davenport returns.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Prey Ever
Review: I never gave Sanford's book more than 3 stars and I did not read any of the Prey Series for a few years. Mr. Sandford really improved with age: all the recent entries (Hidden Prey, Mortal Prey and Certain Prey) are way better than the rest.
This "prey" definitely deserves 4 stars despite a few traditional weaknesses. First, villains are "pretty normal criminals" not traditional monsters, this is really nice for a change. Second, there are several side-plots, which add to the mystery. Third, there are quite a few very good and very interesting characters.
Rating:
Summary: More of the best from Sandford
Review: I own and have read every book in the "Prey" series and this one is as good or better than all that've come before it. Sandford has become my favorite author and I look forward to each new book. I got a little behind in my reading so I just read Chosen Prey, Mortal Prey and Hidden Prey, back-to-back-to-back, in a week. I've enjoyed the changes in Davenport's life, including job and spouse, and it serves to keep the series fresh. My only problem is, I'm getting into Camps head and some of the plots are getting too predictable. Still a great read and a very enjoyable writing style.
Rating:
Summary: This Series is Still Strong
Review: I've read each of the books in the Prey Series by John Sandford. Although recent ones have felt a little tired, "Naked Prey" brings the series back stronger than ever. Lucas Davenport seems more animated, more involved. Sandford has added a new character: Letty West, the pre-teen trapper with the mind of an adult. She's feisty, independent, and is like a breath of fresh air. Great series, great book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: John Sandford is an awsome writer and Naked Prey is a great book. It took me about 3 days to read and I found it hard to put down. Lucas Davenport is a fabulous character and I hope Sandford continues adding to his "Prey" series of books. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated Plot Comes Together Towards The End
Review: Lucas Davenport and his partner, Del Capslock, go to northern Minnesota to investigate the hanging death of a black man and a white woman. In the small rural town they find themselves in, they discover not only murder, but kidnapping and a car theft ring. The plot seems a little scattered at first, but comes together by the end of the book. Sandford's writing style and sparkling dialog carries the story when the plot seems to loose direction. The second half of the book was worth waiting for. Lots of action and surprising twists. Overall, a very good read.
Rating: 
Summary: A weak entry in the Davenport series.
Review: Lucas Davenport is enjoying the change in his life...he is recently married, and the proud father of a new baby, but Lucas knows the peace and solitude comes at a high price. The bodies were found naked, and hanging from a tree. The victims are Deon Cash and Jane Warr, a black man and a white woman, and they were lynched. Lucas gets the call to investigate the double murder and bring a killer to justice, but soon he realizes the murders are not exactly what they appear to be, and far worse is about to happen. 'Naked Prey' is not the best entry in the Prey series. While Davenport's character remains strong and interesting, and the creepy back-woods setting sustains an eerie presence, the plot becomes confusing veering off into many different directions, and the large cast of characters becomes too tedious to keep track of. John Sandford continues his Prey series with original plots, and smooth writing style, but there hasn't been a tension-filled plot since 'Mind Prey'. Fans of this series will surely rush out to read this, and there's no doubt it will be a bestseller, but it's one of the weaker entries. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: we need more
Review: Lucas Davenport returns to do what he does best: clean up potential crises for his political bosses.
In the Naked Prey, he attempts to solve the murder of Jane Warr and Deon Carr, a couple who were found hanging on a tree. When the case is solved, the cops realize it's just the beginning, not the end.
John Sandford does well to suprise us with the familiar i.e., the serial murders, the corrupt cop, the politician in damage control mode. Moreover, he gives us a satisfactory, though expected ending.
Notwithstanding there is a lack of ingenuity which keeps this plot firmly on the ground. It seems Sandford has finally lost the ability to shock his readers.
Naked Prey is still a good novel; which doesn't say much for a writer in Sandford's league.
Rating:
Summary: Great new character keeps the prey series fresh
Review: Lucas heads off to Northern Minnesota to do damage control for the Governor when a black man and white woman are found lynched, naked, in a very small all white town. It turns out the racial aspect is a total red herring--it has nothing to do with the crime or the plot. Unfortunately, Sanford uses it as an opportunity to introduce a wholly gratuitous race baiting black activist (who I suppose is a cross between Jessie and Johniie Cochran??) Once he gets that off his chest, the plot settles down into a typical prey book. A criminal drug smuggling conspiracy of nuns, an international ring of chop-shops, and a series of child murder-kidnappings, all come unraveled as Lucas unwinds the lynching. In the midst of all, is Sanford's newest character--Lettie West. An 11 year old girl, who is also a trapper, who (as Lucas says) has a functioning age of about 42), and is not the least bit afraid to stand up to Lucas' bullying. Wise cracks abound, love grows. We should see more of her in future books!
Rating:
Summary: A great thriller with a few holes
Review: Naked Prey is an exciting thriller full of evil bad guys, twists and turns and police pursuits. Yet it also has a few plot holes and structural flaws. I listened to the book on audio tape and at times wonder if I missed a side of tape.
The story opens with the gruesome murder of Jane Warr and Dion Cash. They are kidnapped and drug out into the middle of nowhere and hung. Their naked bodies are found and Lucas Davenport and Del are called in to find out what happened in order to avoid a racial incendent (Jane was white and Dion was black)
Sandford then gives the details of the small town where Cash and Warr lived, and where they worked, Kalb's body shop. Early on, we get the details of Kalb running an illegal operation of stealing old Toyotas and selling them as new in Canada. Also, a group of Catholic nuns are running a drug operation by driving Kalb's cars to and from Canada.
Davenport and Del befriend a little girl named Lettie West who becomes a key part of the story. The investigation quickly finds the identity of the killer, a man named Hale Sorrell. Sorrell's daughter was kidnapped a few months ago and apparently Sorrel discovered who did it and then killed them. So, Lucas assumes Cash and Warr were the kidnappers. But then another murder happens and Davenport and Dell return to the small town and discover many new crimes.
Sandford also tells the story from the true kidnappers. The brief scenes where Sandford describes how the kidnapped girls were killed are chilling. Yet not enough time is spent on the kidnappings and how and why those occurred.
I saw a few other problems with the story. Kalb is established as a criminal early on and the entire small town seems to revolve around his auto body business. Yet Lucas and Del never really look into the activities there beyond a few cursury interviews.
The biggest problem I saw was when a main character was shot and seriously wounded. Lucas and Del easily surmised that the killer was trying to silence her. Yet Lucas and Del allow this character to return to the small town without any type of protection, leaving her vulnerable to get attacked again.
This is only my second Sandford book. My favorite part has to be the investigations by Del and Lucas. They seem to discover the evidence in real time. Nothing is sped up for the sake of the plot (although there are many other story sacrifices made for the sake of the plot.) In this book, the evil and the crime keep coming, and there are several twists, including one surprising one about the nuns.
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