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| Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $4.25
You Save: $22.70 (84%)
New (91) Used (117) Collectible (8) from $4.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  102 reviews
Sales Rank: 2086
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0399155007
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155000
ASIN: 0399155007
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Don't you think it's a little bogus May 11, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
Don't you think it's a little bogus to give a one star rating to a book you have not read merely because the author/publisher has not yet made it available in your preferred format--particularly when the format is one developed by this site in which they might be said to have a special interest? If you are too 'thrifty' to buy a hardcover book at a very nice discount, then you have the option to wait for a year for the Kindle edition (or paperback) or go to the library. Libraries are free and green. When you've read it, your opinion might be interesting. For the record, I'm a fan of Sandford's writing (don't know the man), especially the Lucas Davenport thrillers, and I'd say this is one of the better books in the series. It amazes me that he can keep up the pace.
 (3.5) "It might be chaotic, but there were threads in the chaos." May 17, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Sandford takes a detour in Phantom Prey, our favorite Twin Cities detective, Lucas Davenport, uniquely challenged by a case that delves into the counter culture for clues to a young woman's disappearance, possibly her violent death. When Alyssa Austin returns home late one night, she experiences an eerie sensation. Something is amiss in her upscale home- either there is an intruder or some other menace, so unsettling that Mrs. Austin carries a loaded handgun while she searches the darkened rooms. No one is there after all, but blood-spatter on the wallpaper, almost invisible against the design, suggests recent violence. Since there is no body, Austin can only speculate on the fate of her daughter, Frances. When the police investigation yields little information, Austin turns to her friend, Weather Davenport, hoping Weather's husband, Detective Davenport can find some answers for her.
With little to go on, Davenport begins one of his most frustrating investigations, tracking the daughter's latest activities and her flirtation with the Goth community. Contrary to the social status of the wealthy Austin family, the Goths represent the opposite of the success and privilege that defines Frances' world, at least on the surface. Unwilling to believe her daughter is dead, the widow Austin, CEO of a fitness empire, provides Lucas with a list of names, a slender thread to her daughter's rebellious affiliations. Armed with only this short list, Davenport's job becomes more critical when certain individuals, all Goths, are savagely murdered, an unfamiliar "fairy" (attractive female Goth) appearing shortly before each of the deliberate killings. Determined to untangle this knotted web of dark intentions, Lucas is somewhat diverted by another investigation, the long term surveillance of an attractive young woman married to a career criminal of particular interest to the police.
While Davenport applies himself enthusiastically to the surveillance case, he also pursues the enigmatic society of Goths, most of whom tend to surface after hours at particular clubs, arrayed in black clothing, a stark contrast to the usual club familiars. Wherever he goes, Davenport just misses the tantalizing fairy, the unknown element in a mystery that includes theft, murder and the bizarre activities of a behind-the-scenes player. Juxtaposing the two cases, Lucas methodically traces Frances' acquaintances, sensing a terrible pattern that yields shocking consequences. As always, Davenport is a man of many talents, although this particular plot doesn't deliver the punch of the earlier "Prey" series. But after eighteen mysteries, Sanford can be forgiven going out on a limb in search of new material. Some unusual twists surface, albeit without much meat left on the bone for real fans. Luan Gaines/2008.
Our "literary crapshooter" John Sandford has rolled a seven instead of snake eyes! May 11, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Phantom Prey, the 18th novel in Sanford's "Prey" series, marks the return of Lucas Davenport, a state investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. This action-packed yarn of a serial killer roaming loose in the Twin Cities is one of author's best.
When a wealthy widow, Alyssa Austin, returns home and finds blood splattered on the wall, she fears the worst, for her college-age daughter, Frances, is missing. Davenport's wife, Weather, one of Alyssa's friends, persuades him to help find the missing girl.
Four murders occur and the chief suspect is a mysterious, elusive "fairy Goth," a diminutive but athletic young woman who apparently has joined the Goths--people who walk around in dark clothes and have a morbid fascination with darkness and death.
The serial killer is both highly intelligent and a "certified" schizophrenic--a deadly combination. Other than Davenport himself, Sanford has never before created a more fascinating, albeit chilling, character.
The novel contains a lot of foul language, and a sub-plot featuring a low-life hood named Siggy and his paramour Heather gives Sanford an opportunity to indulge in prurient voyeurism.
The good news is that Phantom Prey, featuring snappy dialogue, memorable characters, humorous repartee and bloody carnage, is a page-turner. Our literary crapshooter has rolled a seven instead of snake eyes.
 Phantom Prey, Phantom Storyline, Phantom Sense.... May 18, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Such a disappointment. I have read all of John Sandford's novels and can only remember one other book that was so unfulfilling. His stories are usually so interesting and such good reads.
This book had such a different 'feel' to it. I certainly hope John Sandford is not going the way of James Patterson who has subordinates do the actual writing of the books for him. This book was actually OK for about the first half. It was slow and did not really hold my interest as I had hoped, but it was OK. Then it took such a downward turn as the killer and associates were described in detail. It turned into such a silly and nonsensical story after that.
I can deal with a clinker/klunker book by John Sandford every once in a while. I sure hope this is the last novel of such poor, uneven quality for a long time. I look forward to his next good book....
Not the greatest Sandford novel-I was disappointed May 11, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have read all of the Sandford/Davenport novels and I have only been disappointed once--that was with "Easy Prey." (Too complicated with all the characters he put in the plot gave me a headache) Now I was disappointed again with Sandford's "Phantom Prey."
I read Sandford because he is humorous, crafty, and quirky and the characters throughout the books have grown on me and I have learned to care about them--especially if you read the Davenport series in order, up to the marriage of Weather and Davenport, the baby Sam and the ward, Letty.
This plot was boring-not the usual substance that Sandford offers his fans.
The book to me wasn't based on the "Goth" sub-society, but about a schizophrenic character that likes to kill and a sub plot that has to do with a pregnant flasher that throughout the entire book is waiting for her drug running boyfriend to travel from Miami to Minnesota to see her and the baby.
I have to admit though that some of the book just made me laugh my head off-I will give it 3 stars for the entertainment quality.
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