Judgment Prey is better with Lucas and Virgil working together. This one and the last book were much improved over the several before that. I have read all of the Prey series and the Virgil series and love combining the two. They work well together. Thank you John Sandford for stepping up your game. It was floundering before Lucas started working with Virgil. Recommend this book.

The author continues the adventures in crime solving of Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers. The book covers two cases that could possible interlink. One is about a charity ripoff scheme and the other deals with a pedophile. It is a fast paced and quick read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

I always love a John Sandford book with both Davenport & Flowers, and this one has lots of both! More murder, more police work, and more antics from the duo. After 33 prey novels, you would think you’d get sick of them, but I never do. Always fun to read and fly by with an action packed plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up in John Sandford's latest novel, Judgment Prey. They make a great team. The details can be found in the dust jacket. Suffice it to say that Sandford has one of his best novels here and I highly recommend it!
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

When I get tired of books that require too much concentration and effort I go to books and authors that write purely for reader enjoyment.. John Sandford is one of those authors and his series featuring Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers never disappoint. His writing is my ice cream sundae on a hot day. The dialog alone is masterful. Second guessing the plot twists is almost impossible. I just love these books.
In Judgment Prey, Davenport is not even completely healed from being nearly fatally wounded when he is called upon to assist Flowers in solving the cold blooded murder of a very wealthy federal judge and his two young sons. No one is beyond suspicion, especially his widow, who has some surprising secrets. As usual, Sandford’s depth of character portrayal is superb.
As the two detectives work to unravel the complicated mystery, I felt swept along on a wild on an ever changing road. Some prior knowledge is given to the reader and yet unexpected revelations continue until the end.
Five stars for, John Sandford, the king of his genre. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group/ Putnam for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Another great read. I like the combining of characters. Lots of numerous interaction among the characters. Interesting plot.

Sandford does it again with another Davenport thriller. You won't want to put this down til you get to the very last page!

Lucas Davenport is recovering from multiple injuries in a shootout. He's gimpy and bored. So it's great when he's pulled back into service, this time with Virgil Flowers, his loyal sidekick. A wealthy federal judge and his two young teen sons have been brutally murdered. The list of possible suspects is long and interesting, starting with the judge's wife and her very, very best friend. I was interested from start to finish, but this wasn't my favorite. For one thing, Mrs. judge didn't have much emotion, either about her dead family or her remaining infant daughter. It seemed unrealistic, although Sandford might have been trying to make a point--that her emotional weirdness didn't mean she was a criminal, and we also should reserve judgment a bit. The ending was good but it fell off a cliff. Lastly, the banter between Virgil and Lucas has lost something...it's less clever, more adolescent and mean. I did like the fact that Lucas is aging, and his physical challenges are realistic. I just felt that Sandford's heart wasn't in this one. His last two, though, featuring Letty Davenport, were killer, so I know he's still got it.

This is another winner in the Prey series. Lucas and Virgil team up to solve the horrific murder of a father and his two sons. The plot quickly propels forward and as always, I enjoyed the banter between Lucas and Virgil. This Prey is full of interesting secondary characters. I’d gladly recommend this thriller to my customers!

John Sanford is one of my comfort reads – and a Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers book even more so.

And this was one excellent read!

While Davenport and Flowers are on point, and our mystery is a seriously suspenseful one, the absolute delight of this book was Maggie. Seriously, she’s iconic and I want to be her lol.

The reason behind everything will leave you heartsick, but you’ll also love how things are…handled.

A fabulous read and I can’t wait for the next book!

• ARV via Publisher

John Sandford has written an awesome book again, I love reading Davenport and Flowers working together, and I would love to see Letty join them sometime. John Sandford has written alot of great story lines, I would tell friends to read his boooks, I have enjoyed all the ones I hacve read.

Love Virgil ans Lucas together. They don't need anyone else to solve a crime and get the bad guys. This is a great novel. fast paced good read

In John Sandford's Judgment Prey, Book 33 of the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Prey series (G.P. Putnam's Sons 2023), Lucas and Virgil "F****** Flowers (as he is known by friends--fill in the astericks) are called to investigate the murder of a federal judge and his two children. An infant is left alive at the murder scene as well as the victim's wife who was absent during the killings. Video shows a hoodied person wearing a COVID mask  who shot nine rounds to kill the three unarmed family members (not a pro). His absent wife is left a wealthy widow, distraught over the deaths and committed to finding the killer. There are few clues despite the video and the heinous nature of the crime so Lucas and Virgil are called in to provide fresh eyes. With the help of a female lawyer friend, they tap into privileged information, follow the investigation, and begin to make decisions about what to do if/when legal avenues are exhausted (I am purposely being circumspect so I don't give anything away). The clues take Lucas and Virgil to a charity which the husband was considering supporting. Unexpectedly, several involved in that group are also killed. Suspicious, but still no proof.

This is Sandford's usual excellent plotting, clever unraveling of clues, and great character development I have come to expect from the prior thirty-two novels (though the last book in the Virgil Flowers series seemed off Sandford's game and too close to political topics usually resolved with nasty name calling). I debated skipping it (because of the prior book), got a free ARC through NetGalley, and enjoyed the return to politics-free story line. Highly recommended for fans of the Prey series.

Sandford has moved his characters of Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers into the buddy novel sphere. Both men are recovering from the shooting that occurred at the end of "Righteous Prey.." Davenport incurred more injuries and is recovering slowly. Six months after the shooting he's still taking Vicodin for pain. (Huh? No competent doctor would still be prescribing Vicodin for that long of time.) When a Federal judge and his two sons are shot in their home Davenport and Flowers are brought in to informally investigate despite the fact that the St. Paul cops, BCA and FBI are already working on the case. In typical fashion, Davenport and Flowers drive around the cities and countryside trying to figure out who killed the judge and his kids by talking to people. In the meantime the judge's wife, Maggie Copper figures out who killed her family and sets out to get her own revenge.

The beginning of the book starts slow with too many characters and an unnecessary scene about Davenport's wife. The story picks up but includes too much detail on whether or not Davenport or Flowers are driving. When Davenport and Flowers are talking about Maggie Copper between themselves they refer to her as Cooper.. The use of the last name causes confusion as Davenport and Flowers use last names only when referring to other cops. Sandford has written much better books.

It is October as Judgement Prey by John Sandford opens and Lucas Davenport is still dealing with the aftermath of the violent events of earlier in the year. He still has some pain from his various injuries. The bigger issue is the nightmares of the shootout that killed FBI agents, wounded others, and damn near killed Virgil Flowers and himself. The pain is worse at night, as is depression, but he is making slow progress. Getting back physically is slightly ahead of getting back mentally. When he is not trying to exercise, he spends his days reading or watching way too much tv while thinking about how close he and Virgil came. Everything could have easily ended that night. It very well might have been his closest call yet in his long law enforcement career.

Then U.S. Marshal for the Minnesota District, Eddie Lamb, calls and claims that she is just checking on how he is doing. They both know that is not at all why she called. What she really wants to know is if Lucas can work. She wants him to take a look at a murder scene nearby. Lamb is out of town or she would probably do it herself. A federal judge who she very much liked and respected is dead and she is mad.

Federal Judge Alex Sands and his two sons were murdered a few hours ago in their home. The only reason his wife and newborn daughter are also not dead is because they were not home. Unfortunately, they were also the first to discover the bodies.

St. Paul Police, The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the FBI are all there at the scene, among others. It is a bad deal and Lamb is sure that the various members of the assembled law enforcement still have no idea who did it or why. She gets that Lucas is in no shape yet to be actively chasing a fugitive. All she wants is for him to get out of the house, go over to the nearby crime scene, and take a look while making the presence and interest of the U. S. Marshal Service known to all. The FBI is the lead agency and they have the case. He may see something or suggest something they are not coming up with and can show the flag. The plan is for him to be present in an advisory capacity and nothing further.

Lucas is bored as things stand and is immediately interested in the case. Long time readers know that when Lucas is interested in a case, he always stays involved. It isn’t long after he reviews the scene that he is actively working it, alongside Virgil Flowers, and back doing what he does so well--- hunting killers.

What follows is a complicated and fast-moving thriller that works well in all areas. While, as with any other series it is best to read in order, if you don’t mind knowing major details of the last book-- Righteous Prey – via the extensive recap in the first pages here, then you could start with this read. It is a solidly good one and recommended.


My reading copy came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Another super John Sandford book starring both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers! Judgement Prey follows Righteous Prey but could easily be read as a standalone. Non-stop action, multiple crimes to be solved and lots of fun humor from this dynamic duo make for an excellent addition to the ongoing Prey series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC.

This was a mixed installment in the Prey series. I still stand by my opinion that Davenport and Virgil are better as characters in separate serieses and when they are together they steal each other's oxygen. This book was heavier on the Davenport by far and Virgil could have probably been a side character in it. Beyond that, this book was a solid example of some old school Prey series. It felt like a book that could have probably been written ten books ago. We are back in only Minnesota and that definitely gave some extra legs to a more basic plot than the last few Prey books. Ultimately, it was a lot of fun but I think Virgil and Davenport need to go back to having their separate serieses.

Thanks to John Sandford, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a long-time fan of John Sandford’s books and of the Prey series. I like that this book picked up where Righteous Prey left off, which had Lucas and Virgil recovering from wounds. The dialog is excellent and the rapport between Virgil and Lucas throughout. Worthy addition to the series and recommended.

I'm a huge fan of Sandford's writing and especially this series. A brutal murder leads to Lucas and that f-in' Flowers working together to solve it. Love the relationship between these two. Highly recommend.

Sanford brings back the duo of Davenport and Flowers recovering from serious injuries received after the last novel. Oreo and little to but recover both are asked to look into the death of a federal judge that was murdered along with their two sons in St. Paul.

As a.ways Sanford rips the pages apart. Don’t on an easy put down, this edition will keep you thinking and turning the pages. A very high octane read. Fabulous.