Rating: 
Summary: my first from sandford, but not my last...
Review: John Sandford has a talent to write, definitely. He writes in ways that newcomers do not need to read his previous Davenport novels to understand CHOSEN PREY. This is my first from him, but certainly it will not be my last.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Sanfords best in the Prey Series
Review: Chosen Prey picks up in progression to the other Prey novels. Bringing back all the usual characters and a few we have not heard from in a while. The characters are depicted well and the plot keeps you guessing throughout the book. A real thriller in the strictest sense. For those following Lucas Davenport,( the central character) this is one of the top 2-3 books in a series full of real good stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Same old story
Review: Let me begin by saying I am a fan of the Prey books. However, this one was old and tired. I was surprised that no mention was made to how Davenport got his fortune (it was made reference to with something like 'you have more money than god'). The Weather relationship should have become more of a story, or left out all together. I found myself looking forward to the hints about the next book, where Davenport may be at a higher ranking and can pick and choose his assignments.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Humor - Sandford Style
Review: James Qater is not your average monster. Well educated, from a loving family and happy in his professional life-what could go wrong?? Apparently, a great deal. James was born bad and develops from an evil little boy into a kinky, self-congratulatory serial killer.This is Sandford's funniest novel in the darkest sense. Love interest Weather is using our hero Lucas Davenport for her own personal sperm bank. She is brisk, unsentimental and awash with one-liners. Lucas is somewhat baffled, pride a little battered, but still willing. Discussing the falling crime rate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Lucas and a fellow detective worry about their job security as homicide rates decline. After some thought, the St. Paul detective notes that "rape is holding up nicely, wouldn't you say?" This is Sandford's charm, if you enjoy very hard-boiled, deadpan humor. Only Sandford would make a victim-to-be so sexually curious and active that our exhausted serial killer is almost worn out by her never-ending demands and seriously thinks of abandoning her for a more passive type. This isn't the best of the "Prey" series. There are a few dead spots and some dangling loose ends. But as always, it's quite a ride and well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good, If a Bit Predicatable...
Review: By now visiting with Lucas and company is like catching up with old friends. Having read the entire series (if you are just starting, try to read them in order as they refer back alot) and enjoyed it, I found this one fun, if a bit predictable. The plot was fast moving, the old friends fun to see, the new people interesting. I didn't like the fact that you know who the murderer is from the first page though. I rather liked the guessing involved in previous books like "Winter Prey" when I'm thinking "oh must be him" and then "no maybe it's him". It's not terrible, just not as much fun in my opinion to know "whodunit" from the get-go. Being a mom of three though, I think the "baby" idea is a bad one. Nothing will make your life more mundane than kids LOL! I can't picture Lucas changing dirty dipes either. I look forward to the next book in this ever interesting series.
Rating:
Summary: Usual fast read from Sandford re: Lucas Davenport
Review: I enjoyed this fast paced story re: the murders of blonde women by James Qatar. I'm a huge fan of Lucas Davenport, but could do without the baby making part of the story. I liked how we knew who dunnit right from the start and saw how Lucas figured it out. Was happy with the ending even though it was predictable. I always look forward to Sandford's new books and will continue to do so.
Rating:
Summary: Where oh where....
Review: is the Lucas we all know and love? Qatar was one of the worst villans I ever read in the Prey series. And, although I like "Weather," this bit about him impregnating her was BORING! Hope the next one brings Davenport back WITH his edge!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Dramatic Game of Cat and Mouse
Review: After reading “Easy Prey” last year, I suspected that John Sandford’s interest in his series about Lucas Davenport, the Minneapolis Deputy Chief of Police, was flagging. While by no means a bad novel, “Easy Prey” lacked the excitement and vigor that I was so used to Sandford delivering. I am pleased to announce that any perceivable waning of Sandford’s interest or writing abilities was purely a temporary aberration. “Chosen Prey” is both a fine police procedural and a great serial killer read. Sandford reveals the killer right at the beginning of the novel, which is not my favorite plot device. But he pulls it off in notable fashion, somehow creating enough space between the killer’s tale and Davenport’s efforts to solve the crime so that both stories unfold without detracting from each other. Lucas Davenport first becomes involved in the case when a strangling victim is accidentally discovered, and Qatar’s drawings of the victim are connected to several cases where similar drawings have been used as harassment. Smelling trouble, he pursues the lead and discovers that the drawings have turned up elsewhere. He connects with a detective from nearby Dunn County and they discover that the gravesite of the first victim was only one of a field of graves. Davenport marshals his coworkers in a manhunt that always seems to be one step behind the deft moves of the killer. Lucas begins to suspect he has met his match. The two threads gracefully intertwine. As Qatar vacillates between fulfilling his desires and evading detection, Davenport’s investigation picks up or bogs down in frustrating red herrings. The little art historian is not particularly sympathetic, but he is a fascinating study. The silent cat-and-mouse game between Lucas and Qatar provides endless suspense. The reader is confronted with a case in which both opponents make perfect moves. Will this be a deadly stalemate? Is it possible that James Qatar will walk away? John Sandford plays his hands perfectly, giving no hint of the resolution until it unfolds before the reader. Prepare for a novel full of surprising turns. “Chosen Prey” is one of the best of this genre I’ve read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than Easy Prey
Review: If you are a Sanford fan you will want this book. Do not Fear it is much better than Easy Prey, though not quite as riviting as his earlier books. The book has two flaws. The first is that Sanford sometimes creates such a seamless trap that even Davenport cannot puncture it. This led to the unavoidable, but unsatisfying ending. The second flaw was that this ending was telegraphed halfway through the book: there was no other ending possible and the reader knew this long before the story wound down. Just finished another great thriller: "A Tourist in the Yucatan" something of an underground hit.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Well...
Review: Couldn't wait to read this Lucas Davenport story! But, I found this one a little flat. It just wasn't as suspensful as Sandford's other Prey novels. I thought the "villian," James Qatar, was kind of boring. Even the "will they, won't they have a baby" story-line between Lucas and Weather was dull. Hope the next novel is back to the old Prey ways!!!!!
| 
