When a spring thaw disinters the body of a young woman who's been missing for over a year, Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport doesn't have much to go on except the victim's rumored connection with an unnamed man, who may be an artist and also, perhaps, a priest. But then the deserted property where her body was discovered turns out to be a killing field full of other young blondes last seen in the company of a man with a nasty habit of superimposing their faces on pornographic drawings. Davenport begins to close in on a serial killer whose perverted hobby provides the clues Davenport needs to stop him in his bloody tracks. James Qatar isn't a priest, and he's not really an artist, but he's definitely a monster, one who's met his match in Davenport.

Davenport is a smart, thoughtful cop whose girlfriend is pressuring him to make a commitment to parenthood and whose boss is about to lose her job in a political turnover. While the search for the killer is handled in author John Sandford's usual, crisp, procedural style, it almost seems to be a pretext for exploring the evolution of Davenport's relationship with Dr. Weather Karkinnen. This 12th adventure in the author's popular Prey series will undoubtedly rocket to the top of the bestseller list, though it's not a standout. The novel displays the solid craftsmanship and narrative drive Sandford's known for, but his hero seems a little dispirited and out of sorts. Perhaps fatherhood will give Davenport a new lease on life. In the meantime, check out Sandford's backlist featuring his other hero, Kidd (The Fool's Run, The Empress File, The Devil's Code), who has a nice little walk-on here in which he begins a romance with Davenport's partner Marcy Sherrill. --Jane Adams

The #1 bestselling novelist returns with his most harrowing Prey of all: the story of a congenial man with a decidedly uncongenial hobby.

"Masterful," wrote the Los Angeles Times about Easy Prey. "Secrets explode, bullets fly, bodies fall, and the ground keeps shifting. You won't want to miss it." True words-but the best is yet to come.

He desired women. All kinds, all shapes, all sizes. He would fix on a woman and build imaginary stories around her. Some of the women he knew well, others not at all. Most of them faded quickly. Only a few became objects of desire.

An art history professor and writer and cheerful pervert, James Qatar had a hobby: he took secret photographs of women and turned them into highly sexual drawings. One day, he took the hobby a step further and . . . well, one thing led to another, and he had to kill her. A man in his position couldn't be too careful, after all. And you know something? He liked it.

Already faced with a welter of confusion in his personal life, Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport decides to take this case himself, hoping that some straightforward police work will clear his head, but as the trail begins to take some unexpected turns, it soon becomes clear that nothing is straightforward about this killer. The man is learning as he goes, Lucas realizes, taking great strides forward with each murder. He is becoming a monster-and Lucas may have no choice but to walk right into his lair.

Filled with the rich characterization and detail that distinguish all of Sandford's work, Chosen Prey is a masterpiece of suspense.

I had heard such great things about the 'prey' series and thought I'd give it a try, well I'm sorry I did. I got about 100 pages in and still nothing had happened, no action, no nothing. It started out good the first 3 pages or so kinda grabbed me, but after that I felt like I was reading just for the purpose of reading. A boring book and I won't be looking into any of the other 'prey' novels.

It all began with a drawing that was turned in to the police; a woman who was walking found a nude drawing with her face on it posted in several locations in and around the University of Minnesota. When the police run a newscast, several more women come forward with similar pictures. Then someone discovers that a missing girl had a picture like this as well. Eventually, a mass graveyard is discovered. Eight bodies are pulled out.

Lucas Davenport is called in and he has help from the uncle of one of the murder victims, who is a cop from Wisconsin (the uncle, not the murder victim) - and who was in a large part responsible for breaking open the case and putting the murders together with the pictures. The trouble is, no one has any idea who could be doing the killings, or the pictures - and it is just a matter of time before he kills again.

A suspense novel, rather than a mystery, the reader is kept more or less aware of the villain's activities throughout the story along with the activities of the police; however, that doesn't stop Sanford from keeping the tension ratcheted up as high as it will go. I somehow managed to get my hands on a UK version of this book (used book store - gotta love 'em), but as far as I can tell, there are no real differences outside of cosmetic. This is also the book where Lucas and Winter finally get back together. A recommend from me!

I found this book in the discount bin at the library.. and now I'm hooked on John Sandford novels. Chosen Prey was an fast read, and Lucas Davenport's character as a detective is fantastic. The plot chases a small time art professor whose lessons go a bit to far, and its up to Davenport and his crew from Minnesota to find the source of the murders. Beware of this book... Sandford's novels are addicting!

I enjoyed this fast paced story and I am a big fan of Lucas Davenport. I missed this book in the Prey novels, so I'm doing a little catch up. I found I got to visit with the usual characters and a few new characters. I thought that the characters were described extremely well and the plot kept me guessing throughout the book. This book is a real thriller and I always look forward to Mr. Sandford's new books. Highly recommend.

What a book,Its a lot of reading(of course I dont get much time to read).But the book was very suspencefull and lots of mystery.Why didnt I rate it a 5 star Book? I didnt like it when james Quarter went and killed his own mother,I thought that was very morbid and a terrible thing to have done.This Book however saves the who done it to very,very end. So don,t read the last page before reading this Book.Its not a bad book,But certianly not the best book Ive Read....