I’ve been reading John Sandford’s “Prey” installments featuring Lucas Davenport since Thee Rules of. Prey. I’ve enjoyed Lucas Davenport’s lone wolf style of investigating murders, driving his Porsche at high speeds, his money made as a game designer; but, this book involving Davenport as a US Marshall looking into the monitoring of the children of influential Washington politicians just didn’t pull me into story. Davenport doesn’t belong in the DC area. It didn’t feel right. I’ve always found like I was reading about old friends when I picked up a book featuring Lucas Davenport. But this installment seemed like a Washington DC formulaic book about the type of people I dislike....any Washington politicians these days. There was no ‘escapism’; too much like the evening news....which I no longer watch.

can never go wrong with the Prey series. Although not as good since he has become a federal officer because you lose the great sense of place the older books had. but i do like the new characters on Lucas' team. easy four star book in this incredible series.

G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Masked Prey. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Author John Sandford takes on the alt-right, social media, and the internet in one fell swoop, showing how perception can change based on the way you look at things. As it always does, life turns dangerous for Lucas when he puts himself in harm's way.

Those who are unfamiliar with Lucas Davenport and the Prey series should definitely not start with Masked Prey. Lucas is settling into his relatively new job, taking chances and flouting the rules as he sees fit. The charm of the character is gone, leaving readers with a story that is too long and somewhat predictable. I have read all of the books in the Prey series, though I have, admittedly skipped some of the latest Virgil Flowers offerings. The series has become formulaic, predictable and tired, so I definitely would not recommend Masked Prey to other readers.

Masked Prey is the 30th (!!!) Lucas Davenport novel by John Sandford. Released 14th April 2020 by Penguin on their G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint, it's 406 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This book is compellingly written and grabbed me from the first page. The format is honestly much the same: Davenport lives his life, interacts with the folks around him, solves a weird series of potential crimes which are currently baffling the mainstream investigation (this time inciting alt-right-lunatic-fringe wingnuts in the USA to violence against the children of high profile politicians). Sandford is such a gifted author technically and stylistically that it works very well.

I've seen other reviewers suggest that Sandford is failing to maintain his objectivity, or that he's pandering to the "social justice warriors" and I can see how they've come to that conclusion. The alt-right wingnuts are painted in the book as dangerously unstable and are shown in an unflattering light. I submit in rebuttal that those thankfully small portions of the American population *are* significantly shifting the bar of accepted social interaction and destabilizing the ground rules of congenial interaction by insisting on their "free-dumbs" at the cost of life and safety. Virtue signalling? Maybe, but also shining a light onto an increasingly distressing and dangerous problem. The current pandemic has shown quite clearly the difference in world societies' reactions to control the outfall of this crisis and the results are crystal clear comparing the USA to the rest of the world. I'm not sure what Mr. Sandford's lead time for plotting and writing a novel is, I can't imagine it's less than 6 months (he's averaged 3 books per annum for the last 30 years, but much of the total is short fiction). I don't find the timing of this book, or its themes, suspect. The people who are giving this book 1 star reviews are, I suspect, reacting to the unpleasant feeling of looking into a mirror and not liking what they see reflected there.

In a current climate of -so- much uncertainty, doubt, fear, and unpleasantness, knowing that Davenport is going to figure it out and (mostly) fix it in the next 390 pages is unquestionably escapist, but it's so therapeutic. Long live Davenport & co. Although it's the 30th book in the series, the quality of the writing, plotting, story arc, tension, and denouement are up to the series' general standard. It works fine as a standalone, new readers needn't be intimidated by the thought of needing to read the previous books.

Four stars. Enjoyable thriller from a master at the top of his game. (I'm not a professional literary critic, but I didn't notice anything to suggest that this was ghost written in any manner - and I have read all his other extant work - he seems to be perfectly willing to acknowledge when he's collaborating (c.f. Virgil Flowers series)).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Another great book in the Lucas a series. I adore John Sandford and will read anything he writes! This book was no exception to the crazy situations that Davenport has to investigate. Really enjoyed that all of the same ol characters were back in this book. Our library will definitely be purchasing. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

As usual., Lucas Davenport keeps you wanting to turn the page. He draws the reader in with in creative ways to solve mysteries. His personal touches about his own life make him likable.

I had a hard time getting through this one, but I think that is mostly my own fault as this isn't a genre I typically read. The book was well written (clearly Sandford is a talented author) and it was an intriguing plot I just am not a huge fan of books that go in depth into politics and government systems like this one.

I always look forward to a new Lucas Davenport book. John Sanford has kept this character true to his beginnings and always gives us an exciting adventure to ride along with Lucas and his diverse team of fellow enforcers of not just the law but justice when needed. This book finds them working to prevent a crime or crimes and close down an extremists group that is targeting family members of politicians that do not share their extreme ideas. From the first page to the last, Lucas takes us deep into an unorthodox trip to root out the bad guys. ALWAYS a good 5 star read.

MASKED PREY by author John Sandford is the 30th book in the “Lucas Davenport” series that is based on the tenacious and legendary detective, who has been successfully solving cases throughout his career that involve some of the most difficult killers to apprehend due to their unique characteristics.

Lucas, a former college hockey star, has been financially secure for quite sometime after successfully developing a company producing a successful RPG (and later law enforcement training software), then selling the company at a profit; yet his desire to capture criminals is something he isn’t able to walk away from; in spite of the accumulation of injuries, and the dangers placed on both and his family throughout the years.

Political figures are often prevalent in the cases Lucas and associates are assigned to, with this one being another that includes a senator’s daughter and others this time around.

Previously having been a police officer & detective, then a member of the Bureau of Apprehension, and currently is a U.S. Marshal, Lucas still manages to tweak the noses of his superiors while making some strange bedfellows along the way on both sides of the fence politically.

Seemingly by accident, a site is discovered that has posted pictures of the children of political figures with little else accompanied with them other than numbers that possibly symbolize the Nazis and white supremacy; yet this could also be a target list for those who wish to harm or kidnap the children of high profile officials.

Questions arise as to what group or individual could be behind this web page, and what exactly is the intended goal of the posting of the pictures on the site.

Lucas and crew investigate several radical groups who are politically motivated, but seem to wind up at a dead end after investigation rules each one of them out.

Doing what he usually does best, Lucas beats the bushes to flush out those with something to hide, yet while successfully finding those guilty of other things, they are cleared one by one as persons of interest in this case.

Can Lucas again track down and apprehend the individual(s) responsible for both the site and the murders that appear to be related to it?

John Sandford again successfully maintains Lucas being a formidable opponent for those he goes up against, and although aging and feeling the lasting effects of a career full of injuries and setbacks that would sideline most, still the fire burns within him that makes his presence on a murder case something that is unsettling to everyone he comes up against.

Recommended to all fans of the series, and anyone who enjoys hard-edged novels based on extreme and unusual investigation techniques involving someone who stops at nothing in preventing a murderer from fleeing justice.

4 stars.

Lucas Davenport is back. Yes, the wealthy, savvy, Minnesota Police detective is healthy and ready to solve the latest serious crime and -wait that's not exactly the scenario in Masked Prey.
Davenport is now a U.S. Marshall investigating an extreme website. Yes, he's investigating a website - not a robbery, not a kidnapping, not a murder - a website.
This website posts pictures of children of politicians with implications that killing them would influence government policy and action. Lucas needs to uncover the identity of the source before the theory is tested. His task is made more difficult when altright extremists discover the website.
With assistance of investigators Bob and Rae and FBI agent Chase, Lucas "handles the situation" while the threat is alleviated, the solution is questionable.
In Masked Prey, Lucas seemed to be channeling Virgil Flowers, the main character in Sanfords other series. Lucas was definitely different.
I can't say that I would tell friends to definitely read Masked Prey but I wouldn't tell them definitely not to read it.
I received an advance copy of this book from #NetGalley #MaskedPrey

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

Lots of politicking and Nazi alt-right groups in this Davenport outing. Lucas is still smarting from the bullet he took a few months ago, so when he gets a call from Washington demanding his presence, he is not all that eager to go. What he finds when he gets there is a twisted plot that takes nearly the entire book to resolve.

In the meantime, we have favorite characters Bob and Rae, lots of dialogue which moves the book along, and more information about alt-right groups that you never wanted to know. The book shifts back and forth between multiple subplots, which makes the book a bit draggy in places. Towards the end the action ramps up so that the pages are turning a lot quicker.

Bob and Rae are solid as usual, cracking wise and kicking ass. The scenes in which they help Davenport are some of the most entertaining ones in the book. However, it seems that Lucas was affected by the shooting in which he was wounded, and it shows. He is more thoughtful and less raw. He’s not happy about dealing with the Washington crowd, but handles it with diplomatic aplomb. Is this the start of an older, wiser Lucas Davenport? According to Goodreads at the time of this writing, MASKED PREY was a solid 4 stars. I’m not sure why this book didn’t get that fifth star, unless it was the “new” Lucas.

I enjoyed the book well enough, but I’m going to give it four stars as well. There was a bit too much politics 20% into the book, when Davenport meets alt-right expert Charles Lang and his assistant Stephen Gibson. Lang reminded me a tiny bit of Hannibal Lecter, but without the shock factor and the gore. Lang seemed to thrive on information, and he was hungry for some all throughout the book. I found those interactions a bit creepy. Now that I think about it, both Lang and Gibson did need to be in the book under the guise of plot thickening, but I still don’t like Lang.

Davenport fans should enjoy this albeit a bit mildly. Hardcore readers will gobble this up and look for more, while first time readers may find it a bit dry. I fall between those groups…that said there is nothing like a good Prey novel to while away the hours. MASKED PREY filled a few hours for me, and I enjoyed it more than mildly….yet not 5 stars worth.

I am always surprised by how much I enjoy another novel featuring Lucas Davenport! I have read all 30 novels and am in especially impressed by way Sandford portrays the character as he ages and transitions between law enforcement professions. The crime is well thought out and the details kept me engaged, instead of bogging down the story. The elements of cyber crimes and social media grounded this story clearly in 2020. I liked the progression of the investigation, but was torn my the ending (no spoilers). I am looking forward to the next novel and am hoping for a Virgil Flowers story in between!

Luke Davenport is asked to look into some nazism that is on the internet. Children of political leaders are shown with nazi propaganda. It looks like someone is aiming to get political using children as their targets.
Luke uses his skills to try and uncover the plot. Senator's lives and possibly the lives of their families are in danger. The trigger person must be found and found quick!
Always a fan of Lucas Davenport!
Excellent read!

This book was extremely political which I found slightly annoying. While the story line was a good one I did not like the direction the author has Lucas moving in. It was out of character even for someone who tiptoes the line between legal and getting the job done. A disappointing end to an otherwise ok book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book for my honest review.

A good Davenport mystery, even though I figured it out pretty quickly. Regardless, it was a fun ride with a familiar character.

After reading the last Prey book, I thought that Lucas was finally going to have to hang it up so I was very excited that he's continuing. The way this book ended left me feeling disappointed. This isn't the Davenport that I have come to love so much. That being said, I did like most of this book and I'm hoping that the next one is back to the Lucas of old

Sand ford turns out another excellent book in this series and it appears Lucas Davenport is headed in a new direction in the future, more assassin than lawman. Intriguing change of pace.

Lucas Davenport comes up against the evils of online sites of dubious origin. The one that he's investigating involves the daughter of Senator Roberta Coil, whose daughter seems to have been targeted by a right wing site along with other children of political.

The teenagers are smart and a bit scary knowing how to manipulate the web and people, and the bad guys are neofascists with nary a clue amongst them.

A good read.

I always look forward to a Lucas Davenport novel and the chance to visit "old friends". Unfortunately this was too political for me at this moment. I still enjoy recommending this series, as well as Lucas Flowers to my customers!

It has been a while since I have read John Sandford. I used to like his Lucas davenport series. I must say that I found this one tedious and phoned. in. He spends 90% of his time just moving the players on his chess board. There is no emotional depth to any of the characters or their exchange. Cannot recommend.