Avid Series Reader's Reviews > Field of Prey

Field of Prey by John Sandford is the 24th book of the Lucas Davenport mystery series, set in contemporary Minnesota. A young blonde attractive single woman goes out drinking, is abducted, raped and tortured, finally killed. Her mutilated body is dropped into an abandoned cistern on a farm. The scenario repeats for years. No one catches on that all those missing women are victims of a serial killer. Finally teenagers notice an awful smell in a cornfield, and the bodies are discovered.

Due to the high publicity, Lucas Davenport is assigned by the governor to assist the local sheriff with her investigation. Dozens of body parts; difficult to identify due to decomposition. As the body count rises, the murders continue.

In thriller style, chapters alternate between Lucas and the killer's point of view. The pressure to solve the case and stop the murders gets ever more intense. Davenport's regular crew of crack investigators are busy with other cases - and facing their own peril.

A veteran detective sees a connection, goes on his own to investigate a suspect, and is killed (the reader knows long before Davenport does). Lucas is incredibly frustrated not to see the clue the other detective had seen - clearly, it had led him straight to the killer.

The story illustrates the many avenues and dead ends that must be explored in a murder case (however tedious) in order to do a thorough investigation. Meanwhile the killer takes a liking to the feisty female sheriff, and decides she'll be his next victim.

Finally, Lucas also gets the connection the other detective saw. He knows who the murderer is - and he doesn't wait for backup. It's a tense violent confrontation, with a satisfying outcome.

The series never fails to provide gripping scenes, humor, interesting characters, surprise plot twists. I especially enjoy listening to the audio versions narrated by Richard Ferrone.