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May 08, 2019maucarden rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Neon Prey by John Sandford has easily passed my old lady reading test. I read a quarter of the book, put it down for two weeks, and then pick it back up to finish. The test: remembering everything I have read and not having go back to refresh my memory. Neon Prey was an easy A+, no going back to refresh my memory of the story or characters. Yes indeedy ladies and gentlemen step right up and read Neon Prey. You won’t be sorry, unless you don’t like graphic crime stories. There isn’t a crime I can think of that isn’t present in Neon Prey, and maybe one or two I wouldn’t have thought to include. This is just one more example of Sandford’s genius in keeping the Lucas Davenport series fresh. The other genius, making it possible to jump in anywhere in the series and read as a stand-alone. Be aware though, very aware that you will want to go back to read the prior twenty eight. If I were a new reader, by the end of this book I would be jumpin’ for joy. Davenport is now a deputy U.S. Marshall without portfolio, so to speak. He has some serious political pull, on both sides of the political aisle and is allowed to do pretty much what he wants. What he wants is to bring in serious killers. Rae Givens and Bob Matees, fellow deputy US Marshall’s bring Davenport just what he wants, a formerly unknown serial killer who is in the wind. Clayton Deese, has been arrested by the FBI, and has agreed to snitch on a New Orleans boss, Rodger Smith; a serious player in the swamp of New Orleans’s crime. Instead, Deese, has cut his ankle monitoring device and hightailed it from his south Louisiana property. When Bob and Rae, along with the FBI agent Sandro Tremanty, go to re- arrest Deese, they find buried bodies; lots of buried bodies. The chase for Deese lasts for months, collecting more cities, more criminals and more crimes. The writing as always is meticulous, taking you along on Mr.Toad’s wild ride At the same time the easy humor and dry wit makes you want to ante up a pocketful of quarters and ask for a seat at the table. Depravity, camaraderie, terror, warmth, distrust, humor are all present and accounted for in Neon Prey. There is a tender yet funny scene where Davenport meets with his eldest daughter who is pondering which path to take after college, a dream job or further education. He tells her he doesn’t like to talk about such things, but basically she is trust fund scum and money should never be a basis for her decisions. A lesson never learned by Deese and his partners. Sadly, Davenport’s coworkers from the earlier books are barely present. Never fear though, Virgil Flowers, with his usual sobriquet, is present a few times, just not often enough. Sorry Mr. Sandford, I’m sure you hear this complaint in every Davenport book. But ‘me and Mr. Davenport, we got a thing going on’ and that will never change. Flowers is just my backdoor hero. I have to admit to being intrigued by Deese's use of filé powder in his barbecue rub, but I would use a different meat source. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.