“Field of Prey” by John Sandford – An Early Betrayal

Field of Prey by John Sandford is yet another addition to the Lucas Davenport detective series, this time following the investigator on a rather unsettling affair. In the town of Red Wing, Minnesota, a cop ends up discovering a body stuffed down the cistern of an abandoned farm.

Upon closer investigation, it is discovered that there are corpses to be pulled out, and by the time Davenport makes his way there, the count is up to fifteen.

Each of the victim’s deaths is timed more or less exactly one year apart, meaning that not only was a killer living in the midst of the peaceful community, but he has been there for some time, working hard and going under the radar while doing his macabre deeds.

For those who are familiar with Sandford’s other words, there really is no surprise here: it is yet another solid and well-written murder mystery that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. The main mystery itself is of course the driving force of this novel, and virtually everything that happens relates to it in one way or another.

There are plenty of false leads, promising clues, eye-catching suspects as well as twists and turns, leading to a climactic finale where, as is always the case, Sandford delivers an unforgettable conclusion.

When it comes to the other aspects of the novel, apart from the main case, you’ll still find that the novel has a fair bit of substance. To begin with, it is written in a simple and yet eloquent style, one that conveys precisely what the author wants to all while making it easy for the reader to burn through the pages.

The characters, for the most part at least, are entertaining or captivating in their own ways, and though I do believe that there are some unnecessary subplots in here, they don’t do much in terms of detracting from the rest of the book, unless, of course, your time is precious as gold.

The dynamic between Davenport and his new mismatch of a partner, Catrin Mattsson, adds a certain amount of lightness and humor to the novel, something very welcome considering the macabre nature of it all.

With all being said and done, Field of Prey is another classic Sandford novel, being a worthwhile detective story in every sense of the word; if you enjoy murder mysteries of any kind, then you are certainly going to get your money and time’s worth for this book… I highly recommend it.

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John Sandford Personal site John Sandford is an American novelist and Journalist who has a Bachelor’s degree in American History as well as a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Iowa. He is best-known for writing novel series, with his most acclaimed ones being the Prey and Kidd series.