Prey

by Ken Goddard

Harry Lightstone, Fish and Game Department undercover cop, never thought he'd have to fight a guerilla war single-handedly. The enemy - a secret cadre of international financiers, industrialists and paid assassins - is sworn to destroy the environmental movement at any cost. While infiltrating a gang of illegal big-game hunters, Lightstone stumbles onto this junta, and the powerful conspiracy vows to silence him forever. Stalked by the world's most sophisticated hit men, abandoned by his friends and government, Lightstone and his girlfriend find themselves on a desperate flight across America's vast wilderness, from Yellowstone to the Everglades to Alaska's arctic wastes. Brilliantly crafted, tautly plotted, Prey has the authenticity of Day of the Jackal and the poetic fury of Deliverance.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Adventure

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Ken Goddard describes himself as "a crime scene investigator, forensic scientist, wildlife crime lab director, husband, father, grandfather, supposed cattle rancher, and more to the point, a fiction author who writes fiction novels about professional terrorists, underground chemists, demented burglars and malicious poachers for any number of reasons."

Reviews

[Robertroofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this if you are an animal lover.

[Walter Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes for fun re-reading after 25 years

First of Henry Lightstone series involving special agents of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. First read by me around 1993, and recently purchased (entire Henry Lightstone series) for Kindle after becoming aware that a second series by Goddard – CSI Colin Cellars – which started with First Evidence, had two more following novels. All of these thrillers made a huge impression on me at the time, and almost all of them were no longer available through my local library. Nostalgia can be a strong motivator.
At the time, Ken Goddard was referred to in reviews as the “Tom Clancy of Fish and Wildlife”.
Technology is dated (i.e. modems), but not a major issue. All of the “agents” are physically impressive; well-muscled and well-versed in a variety of martial arts. Hit by bullets, suffering broken legs and wrists and concussions, they all forge onward to their objectives.
Basic plot is innovative, but text shows a lack of good editing. One character – first name Paul – is referred to as McNulty (192 times) an also as MeNulty (51 times). Transitions from settings and characters within chapters take place with absolutely no inserts to indicate that this has happened, resulting in the loss of reading momentum as one tries to figure out why a series of paragraphs do not fit with the preceding paragraphs.
I look forward to re-reading the rest of the series, warts and all, but new readers are likely to become frustrated, and motivated to check out alternatives by other authors.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read involving the Fish and Wildlife department. There are quite a few characters to keep track of. While there is violence (against humans and animals) it is not excessively graphic but rather factually stated.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t remember where I got this book and I never read anything before by this author. Pretty good story, although I didn’t quite get why these elite trained commandos were killing wildlife. That part was difficult to read

[Claudia Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast action

This book starts moving and never slows down. Good plot and plausible story keeps you interested - hard to put down.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1992. The protagonist Henry Lightstone investigates an illegal big game hunting operation in Africa.

[Marc T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended.

An author out of the blue (for me) who wrote a well crafted, action adventure with grit and realistic overtones. I have re read this one a number of times.

[Mark Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the ending paragraph. Fun romp with a lot of guns and crazy characters, really crazy.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Goddard is the director of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, which might explain his overly conspiratorial view of the world. Nevertheless, he has a unique style and writes rousingly entertaining yarns featuring Henry Lightstone, an undercover special agent for the Department of the Interior.

This is the second I have read, and in each, the undercover teams must battle unscrupulous and powerfully rich people just dying to blow away endangered species like grizzlies and golden eagles. Lightstone's Bravo team stumbles into a massive conspiracy to destroy the radical environmental movement in Prey. Seeking to cover up their participation in an illegal hunt that Bravo team was about to close in on, the conspirators, high-ranking bureaucrats in the pay of some wealthy corporations, arrogantly try to suppress the agents' knowledge of their presence by using unseemly bureaucratic pressure. It starts to unravel and they decide they need to adopt more permanent measures to assure anonymity, but they haven't counted on the loyalty and dedication of the wildlife special agents.

Goddard writes with humor, and the books have an almost keystone cops feel as almost everything goes wrong that can but the good guys manage to pull it off regardless. Much fun and hard to put down.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this when it came out for a literature class I took in college--in Ashland where Goddard works at the animal forensics lab. He even came to class for an author's appearance. The class was taught by Lawson Inada--Oregon's current poet laureate. In this class, I first read Toni Morrison--Jazz--and that sent me in a wonderful new literary direction. For that, I am ever grateful to Lawson.
I am not grateful, however, that we had to read this ridiculous, cliche-laden, paint-by-numbers action/mystery/thriller. It is not good at all.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Author Ken Goddard. The plot twists and turns make this a page-turner.

My only problem with this story is in the final Chapter: ends too sudden and should had at least one more concluding Chapter to had fleshed out the novel a little bit more fully. As in ie: the final meeting of the few survivors at the funerals for their slain co-workers?

Would had given a full five-stars if the novel did not end as it did.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading Ken Goddard. I think I found it at a used book store. It was a fun easy read which I enjoyed. After just finishing a historical novel it was nice to let the story take me for a ride.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

An environmental thriller with loads of violence and an intriguing side plot that never truly gets developed. Worth a look.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast reading, a different twist to most good guy/ bad guy books

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

WISH I COULD GIVE IT TEN STARS.

[Booknblues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action/Adventure, good guys vs bad guys, green vs those who would ruthlessly destroy the planet, big bucks vs environmentalists.
Good quick read.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

way too many grisly descriptions of animal slaughter.