I was very excited to see Judgement Prey by John Sandford pop up for review that I let it leap-frog over a heap of other books. And I'm even blessing it with a review on my much-esteemed website (;-)) rather than just on Goodreads even though I only had an electronic copy. Because I freakin' loved this book. I'm almost tempted to give it 4.5 stars except I was a smidge disappointed by the actual 'who' part of the whodunnit. It wasn't left-field but let's just say we weren't given some of the clues we needed earlier and I do prefer an even playing field when it comes to the big reveal / finger-pointing thing.

It's wonderful to see Lucas and Virgil (Davenport and Flowers) pairing up again. I was a bit critical of one of Sandford's novels a few years ago (despite usually enjoying both men's series) but the last couple I've read have been great and this one most certainly is. Lucas and Virgil have come a long way since their creation and I think Sandford's developed a really good balance between their personal lives and their work lives. Their work and their jobs don't exist in a vacuum but neither are their personal lives so messy or consuming that the case gets lost amidst the noise. And I read A LOT of series and am conscious that balance is not always easy to navigate. 

Lucas is not yet officially back on duty with the US Marshalls (after being shot) when he's asked to take a look at a case. On that note I have to say it was jarring but probably important that Sandford introduces us very briefly to the judge and his two sons before the opening murders. The utter waste of life really hit home for me.

There's a lot happening but Sandford doesn't overly complicate things so the main plot (and justice for our victims) doesn't get lost.

The judge has obviously made some enemies over his lifetime so there are a few suspects, there's an overenthusiastic charity pressuring Maggie to meet or better the huge financial commitment her husband had made to them, and then there's Maggie's obsessive desire to make the killer pay. 

Obviously I'm a fan of both detectives here and have been for some time. I like that they're being written in a way that they recognise each other's strengths but still take the piss out of each other at times. There's no competitiveness and one would certainly let the other know if they overstep or are out of line. There's a reason Lucas and Virgil have been around for 33 and 15 adventures respectively.