SUMMER FICTION READING LIST

Let's start with a mystery and a talented writer. We'll try and stay with the talented theme as we go. John Sandford has a 14-book Prey series going, witha theme detective, Lucas Davenport. Descriptions of his books often sound cliched, but it's usually all weaved together finely.

Publisher's Weekly - Naked on Top

He's finally done it--John Sandford's 15th Lucas Davenport novel, Naked Prey, becomes the author's first to debut in the #1 spot on PW's fiction list. (Three previous Prey books jumped on at #2, and two had brief runs in the top spot--but not right out of the gate.) Sandford's latest, which has garnered glowing reviews, is a main selection of BOMC, Mystery Guild and Literary Guild; Putnam proudly proclaims 403,000 copies in print. The author's 20-city tour kicked off on pub date ...

Book Loons- Review by Martina Bexte

Small rural towns often hide a myriad of secrets. Such a town is Broderick, Minnesota, suddenly cast into the media spotlight when two locals, a white woman and a black man, are found lynched out in the middle of nowhere. Minnesota's new governor is shocked by the crime and knows that if it's not handled properly the murders could besmirch his state and his career. ... The governor wastes no time in calling in Lucas Davenport, newly installed head of the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The Best Reviews - Taught, Suspenseful Mystery

Sandford's latest finds his hero Lucas Davenport working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with his long-time boss Rose Marie Roux working as the head of the state's Department of Public Safety. ... The small town of Broderick, Minnesota, has secrets of its own, with many of the residents very close-mouthed about the operations of the very successful local auto body garage and the charitable "nuns" who make frequent trips across the Canadian border.

Mystery Ink Online - by John Montgomery

When the last book in the series (Mortal Prey) ended, Lucas Davenport was undergoing some serious life changes. Newly married with his wife expecting their first child, Lucas found himself out of work when Minneapolis elected a new mayor who wanted to put his own people in place at the police department.

Fortunately, Lucas always seems to land on his feet, and as Naked Prey opens, he has restored order to his life. He's now the proud papa to a baby boy, his marriage is going well, and he has followed his old chief to a new job with the state Department of Public Safety.