Rating: 
Summary: "This is boring my g.d. brains out!" - apt quote from E.P.
Review: Another quote from the book:"Fall back on your cliches." Both of these quotes aptly describe this latest Lucas Davenport so-called detective novel. I have read them all.
The first few (common to the publishing world) were great.
Then the guy got popular and his publishers stopped edtiting him. Do not read this book if you care Whodunnit. The killer is sprung on us at the end of the book - and it's nobody you
would have thought - or cared - about. The killer suddenly appears out of nowhere, with no history except what the author fills in quickly...like he didn't have a satisfactory villain and had to come up with one suddenly. However, do read this book if you like to hang around with the most boring bunch of law enforcement officials in the world. Well, I guess you can't expect too much from Minneapolis. The favorite expressions of Davenport and his gang are: "Cheez," "Oh, man" and "Sure." One of the most irritating things about the book is that everybody sounds alike - maybe that's what it's like in
Minneapolis, after all. But as a woman, I know a female journalist doesn't say to a detective she barely knows, "Am I gonna haveta blow you to do this?" I have a headache from ploughing through this piece of you-know-what. I will never read another of this man's books again. He just does it for the money now, take my word for it. One piece of advice: Keep it simple, Sandford. You don't have to twist yourself into a pretzel to have an interesting detective story. But if you do, give it up now...it's going nowhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly less than 5 stars on the Sandford scale
Review: I may have an advantage over a lot of Sandford fans... I was introduced to him earlier this year. I have had 13 completed novels all lined up to read in rapid succession. One episode after the other. Each episode differs, some more fun than others, but each one is a faultless delivery which wins Sandford five stars every time. Sandford is such a rewarding read. He anticipates the reader's thoughts and flawlessly adds information that confirms those thoughts with impeccable timing. I'm not saying that Sandford is at all predictable. He simply involves you in the story, gets you thinking with the characters, and then rewards you by affirming your awareness. For example, Davenport is called out of bed at 5:00 AM. Thirty pages later, the scene is mid morning in Chief Rose Marie Roux's office. I, the reader, am thinking, "Davenport is running on 3 hours of sleep. He's gotta be tired". Not only that, I know Davenport is not an early riser. Chief Roux, in conversation with Lucas, pulls her cheeks back and makes mention of a face lift just as the Mayor walks through the door. "What?" the mayor says. And here we get a most memorable and beautifully crafted paragraph capping a brilliant scene... '"Face lift." Lucas said. He yawned; he liked late nights, but not early mornings.' (P. 42) To plot out and deliver a story is one thing and, considering the majority of failures that make it to publication, a very difficult thing. But an author that can not only wrap a story, but ties together the thoughts of the reader throughout each scene of the book and does so with characters that have become so familiar that you actually know their fictional thoughts, is beyond amazing. Don't try to mislead me to one of your 'surprise' endings Sidney Sheldon. I can't enjoy good writing when the plot/subplots aren't held together, Mr. Kellerman. Sandford makes it seem too easy. Be smooth. Connect the big dots to make a cohesive plot and add a few small lines for detail, fun and consistency in between. Here's another one... Lucas is slipping along Minnesota back roads and, on arrival at the crime scene, Sloan asks the same thing I, the reader, have been wondering. Sloan anxiously: "What did you drive out here? ...I'm driving back."
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Outing for Lucas Davenport
Review: I've read and enjoyed many of John Sandford's books but I found this one quite disappointing. The opening, a fashion shoot on a disabled barge, is quite stunning. The author quickly introduces an interesting cast of characters, many of them connected with either the art world or the wealthy who patronise the arts. An intriguing murder occurs at a party following the shoot, the situation is set up to bring in Davenport, an intricate set of relationships is revealed, then-- nothing. Davenport meets old flames, lusts, wonders about what might have been, meets another old flame, lusts some more, etc. It's like the back of a shampoo bottle. Lather, rinse, repeat. Meeting are held, proactive strategies decided on, press conferences held. Lather, rinse, repeat. Meanwhile the bodies are stacking up as death after death occurs. I found myself skimming Davenport's rather boring personal angst-- poor fellow too many women lusting after him while he lusts after them-- while I followed the twists and turns of the plot. Finally I closed the book thoroughly mad. How dare Sandford do something so cheap? No sense of closure. No feeling of having been outwitted by the author or satisfaction of having outwitted the author. This was a total waste of paper and ink. It may be time for Lucas Davenport to retire and write computer games full time if Sandford is going to let the series peter out this way. It would be kinder to the character and his fans to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Quality, as one expects from Mr. Sandford
Review: The joys of the Prey series are not to be found in complex mysteries, dazzling detective work, or ridiculously grotesque bad guys. Their appeal is rather more subtle, and difficult to define, but it is based squarely on the appeal of the leading characters, and the credability and humour of the dialogue. The leading characters including Lucas Davenport and cronies are all people that you can't help liking and indentifying with - the reader is drawn into caring about them - and to draw such characters is a rare talent.
Easy Prey isn't the best in the series - the plot (the fall-out surrounding the murder of a supermodel)is slightly far-fetched, rather more convuluted than seems absolutely necessary, and the denouement all a little too pat. But this is criticism based on the extremely high standard of the previous books. It still stands head and shoulders above most of what passes for crime fiction at the current time.
Like its precursors, there is no single selling point for it - it doesn't reach for the flashy but insubstantial and untimately unrewarding traps of the "most grimly realistic setting", "most damaged hero", or "most screwball plot" awards. But what there is here is pared and polished, until it shines like the diamond it is.
Whole-heartedly recommended for anyone with an interest in modern crime fiction.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing Sandford
Review: Some elements of good crime fiction lacking in Easy Prey
(all of these need not be present) : mystery - not knowing what happened, buy being able to
make an educated guess : Easy Prey fails; there are insufficient
clues for even the head-slapping "I should have seen that!"
reaction one often gets from a good mystery. suspense - not knowing what will happen, but being able to
make an educated guess : again it fails; events seem capricious,
random. insight - offering insight into the crime process, etc :
more failure. For example, no mention was ever made of fingerprints,
even though the nature of the initial crimes was such that it
seems unlikely gloves were used. Forensics in general were
only given the very lightest consideration. character development : this is the book's strongest point,
the only thing which makes it wortwhile to fans of the series.
Yet even this isn't exceptional. Neither as a standalone work, nor as an element in the series,
does Easy Prey do much for the reader. I came away from
the book with that terrible empty feeling that I'd invested
my interest in something which had provided little return.
Rating:
Summary: John Sandford is not Agatha Christie
Review: John Sandford novels are not the puzzle mysteries that Dame Agatha fashioned so well. Mr. Sandford's stories contain gore, violence, humor and sex. He tells his stories well, but don't buy a Sandford novel expecting to find a "fair" mystery with all of the clues set out in a way that the reader can unscramble. In Easy Prey, the 11th book in the Prey series, Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Lucas Davenport goes after the murderer of a beautiful fashion model. Suspicion falls on lovers, drug dealers and others. The deaths mount as the hunt continues.
Rating:
Summary: Complex Enough to make this a not so good book
Review: First of all,This book should be not so simple and not so complex,just normal like Eyes of prey.But Sandford change his style here.We got too many characteres,and also lot's of sub-themes: Drugs,Lesbianism,Obsession..The end was a big problem here,first becowse sandford introduce to us,a new character that haven't nothing to do in the whole story context(this one was just a stupid psycho-obsessed).The other one,well,i won't say but i didn't undestand very well why sandford use the word:'dishwater' two times....Overall,not a nice book if you don't like to Guess and thinking a lot about the characters relationship PS: Sorry for my english
Rating: 
Summary: The good,... and the bad
Review: Easy prey was the first of the Prey series I have read. I really enjoyed the humor and, although it took me a while to sort out the characters, the author held my interest long enough to keep me reading. However, the solution was a *REAL* disappointment. One of the things I love about a good mystery is when the author "tells" you who the murder is, but you don't know it until the very end. Agatha Christie was one of the best at doing this. I always found myself going back to the point in the story and thinking "How did I miss this?" That the author of Easy Prey concocted the murderer virtually out of thin air seemed like he was cheating--or didn't trust his readers. The one hint does not rate the honor of being called a clue. I went back to that point in Easy Prey and thought, "You've got to be kidding?!" All that said, I found myself looking to see if there were other stories featuring Lucas Davenport. I am very encouraged from the reviews that those are much better. I look forward to finding out for myself.
Rating:
Summary: EASY PREY NOT EASY TO READ!!!!
Review: I have read all the Prey books that are out. I guess I liked this one least of all. Alie'e Maison is murdered and the town goes wild. She is so famous, but Sandy Lansing is murdered at the same time. Who really was the killer after? Many more, and I mean many more are killed. [...] It got very confusing with so many people and really two stories going on at the same time. Lucus was having trouble with which [...], I could do without that. I guess in this book he things he is a gift to women. The ending was strange, came out of nowhere. Sandford has done much better, in my openion. Will try one more and if like this will move on to something else.
Rating: 
Summary: too difficult to listen to
Review: I usually enjoy John Sanford's books and looked forward to listening to this one on tape. However, I gave up after struggling through cassette one. I thought that maybe it would make more sense if I could read and reread the passages in the printed version. But after reading the other customer reviews, I don't think that would have helped. I will just skip this one and hope John Sandford gets back on track.
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