TWISTED PREY by John Sandford

TWISTED PREY

by

John Sandford

            Twisted Prey is the twenty-eighth book in John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport series. In this book, Davenport continues his work as a U.S. Marshal.

            U.S. Senator Porter Smalls was in a car accident in which his companion died. Investigators concluded it was an accident; Smalls insists it was attempted murder. So, Smalls calls the one investigator he trusts, Lucas Davenport. Marshal Davenport travels to Washington D.C. to investigate. Both Smalls and Davenport suspect that Senator Taryn Grant was once again behind the plot against Smalls. In addition to the appearance of Davenport’s nemesis, some old friends also appear in the book, such as Rae and Bob, the marshals we met in Golden Prey.

            Anyone who may have followed my reviews of Sandford’s books knows of my ambivalence toward them. Although some of the more recent books in the series have been decent, there were a few books before those that were mediocre. I love Davenport and Virgil Flowers, so I continue to read those series – but then I am faced with this frustration when I attempt to review the books.

            And, that frustration continues with Twisted Prey. The writing leaves a lot to be desired. For example, the dialogue is choppy – it feels rushed, as if it is in outline form and needs to be fleshed out. As I was reading Twisted Prey, I kept thinking “if only Sandford would hire me to help with the writing….” Twisted Prey is decent, but it could be great. While reading this book (only 28 books into this series), I started to suspect that Sandford does not care. He has some good characters, and his plots are usually solid – I get the feeling that the writing itself is not that important to him.

            So, once again, my opinion is mixed. Davenport is a great character, and Twisted Prey contains a solid Sandford plot; the writing is mediocre. I will continue to read the Davenport series – though I think it is a shame that he is publishing decent, mediocre books when they could be great.