Certain Prey: Lucas Davenport 10

Lucas Davenport #10

by John Sandford

A Lucas Davenport thriller by internationally bestselling novelist John Sandford"Don't worry, I'm just a sociopath. Like you. I'm not psychopath or anything." "How do you know I'm not a psychopath?" Attorney Carmel Loan is beautiful, intelligent, ambitious - and used to getting what she wants. When she becomes infatuated with fellow barrister Hale Allen, she isn't going to let a little thing like his being married get in the way. Through the contacts of an ex-client, she hires professional killer Clara Rinker to get rid of Allen's wife. Smart, attractive Rinker is the best hitwoman in the business - but things go wrong, and the shooting of a witness, a cop, brings DI Lucas Davenport onto the case. Carmel Loan and Clara Rinker must team up to clean up the loose ends - which includes getting Davenport off their backs by any means necessary...***READERS LOVE THE PREY SERIES*** 'John Sandford knows all there is to know about detonating the gut-level shocks of a good thriller' The New York Times Book Review  ​ 'The best Lucas Davenport story so far. The man has a fine touch for outlaws' Stephen King on Golden Prey 'Sandford’s trademark blend of rough humor and deadly action keeps the pages turning until the smile-inducing wrap-up, which reveals the fates of a number of his quirky, memorable characters' Publishers Weekly on Golden Prey 'It appears there is no limit to John Sandford’s ability to keep new breath and blood flowing into his Lucas Davenport series. This is a series you must be reading if you are not already' Bookreporter.com 'Sandford has always been at the top of any list of great mystery writers. His writing and the appeal of his lead character are as fresh as ever' The Huffington Post 'Sandford is consistently brilliant' Cleveland Plain Dealer

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 1999

About the author

John Sandford is the pen name of John Roswell Camp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author known for his gripping thrillers and popular crime series. After earning degrees in history, literature, and journalism from the University of Iowa, Camp began his writing career as a reporter, first at The Miami Herald and later at The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, where he earned critical acclaim for in-depth series on Native American communities and American farm life. His work won him the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1986.
In 1989, Camp transitioned into fiction, publishing two novels: The Fool's Run under his real name and Rules of Prey under the pseudonym John Sandford. The latter launched the long-running “Prey” series, starring Lucas Davenport, a sharp, fearless investigator navigating politically sensitive crimes across Minnesota and beyond. The series grew to include spin-offs and crossovers, notably featuring characters like Virgil Flowers, a laid-back BCA agent with a sharp wit, and Letty Davenport, Lucas's equally determined daughter, who stars in her own series starting in 2022.
Sandford’s books have consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with over two dozen debuting at number one. Known for his dynamic storytelling, fast pacing, and keen attention to detail, Sandford combines his journalistic roots with a gift for character-driven narratives. He remains an avid reader and outdoorsman, and continues to write compelling fiction that resonates with readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers grounded in realism and driven by memorable protagonists.

Reviews

[James Thane · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a handful of books lately that didn't really meet my expectations, I decided to take no chances and read (again) a book I knew I'd love. This is the third time I've read Certain Prey and I enjoyed it even more this time around. My original review follows:

This is probably my favorite book in John Sandford's Prey series, featuring Lucas Davenport of the Minneapolis P.D. and, later, of the Minnesota State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Sandford is famous for creating terrific villains and the main antagonist here, Clara Rinker, is perhaps his best. Actually, Lucas is up against two great antagonists in this story: Rinker, who is a particularly deadly professional hitwoman and Carmel Loan, a man-eating, ass-kicking Minneapolis criminal attorney.

As the story opens, Carmel Loan has fallen madly for Hale Allen, a sexy but rather dimwitted attorney who also works in her firm. The problem is that Allen is married and thus, for the moment at least, unavailable. Carmel has kept her desire for Allen a secret and, through the intercession of a drug dealer she successfully defended, she hires Carla Rinker to kill Allen's wife, Barbara. Once Barbara is out of the way, Carmel figures to help Hale get over his loss ASAP.

Rinker arrives in Minneapolis and smoothly dispatches Barbara Allen. She then collects her money and returns to her home base in Wichita, Kansas, where she owns a bar. But then, everything turns to crap on a variety of fronts when Carmel's ex-client tries to blackmail her over the hit. Rinker returns to the Twin Cities and together, she and Carmel attempt to tie up the loose ends.

Davenport and his team are on the case, but as the bodies continue to pile up, there's precious little evidence pointing toward the killer or killers. Davenport, though, is one of those detectives who works by inspiration as much as anything else, and when he gets a sense of what might be going on, the fun really begins.

As is always the case in this series, the action moves rapidly. There's a great deal of humor, and it's great fun to watch Lucas and his usual cast of characters at work. It's especially fun to watch the by-play between Lucas and Carmel Loan, and Clara Rinker is an inspiration. On the one hand, she's a truly bad person who's killed a couple of dozen people just for the money. On the other hand, though, you can't help but love her, just as you can't help rooting for Lawrence Block's great professional hitman, Keller.

This book does depend on at least one pretty amazing coincidence, but by the time it occurs, you really don't care. You're having so much fun by that point that you're perfectly willing to suspend disbelief and happily go along for the rest of the ride. This is a great read.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in Lucas Davenport's world, two women are going to make his life quite interesting.

The assassination of attorney Hale Allen's wife and subsequent police officer's death will bring Lucas and his squad to dig deeper. At first, everything points to Hale Allen but there is just one problem, the man is too dumb to have planned it.

Allens wife's murder is a perfectly executed hit with a 22 by Clara Rinker, a professional hitwoman and when the FBI comes calling and wanting a piece of the action, Lucas knows this case is bigger than he thought. He also suspects that attorney Carmel Loan is involved in all this and he will do everything in his power to prove it. Although this time, the brains and the beauty might get away with it.

I have come to enjoy Lucas et al. Yes, he breaks the law and does dubious things and might be a psychopath himself but he entertains me throughout. The secondary characters are by now so well known to me that is like visiting family. I want to know what they are up to since the last book.

I love seeing how Lucas's mind works, how he unfolds the mystery for the reader to follow. As for his personal life, he's a mess. He's still a womanizer but I have come to terms with his douchery.

My thoughts on the ladies: Carmel was not very likable but she was all sorts of smart. On the other hand, I really liked Clara. She was a perfect antagonist. Too bad she can be a Lucas' love interest since he might not last long with such a professional next to him and also there is the little issue of her having killed quite a few people already. Pfft.

On to the next....

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

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[John Culuris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 10th Lucas Davenport novel is one of his most popular because, I believe, it is a study of opposites and contrasts. Davenport crosses more than a few lines in pursuit of a murderer and the professional killer she’s hired. Meanwhile the assassin is an extremely sympathetic character. When a complication arises that may trace back to the hired killer, the instigator arranges a meeting and is surprised that the killer is a woman. As each complication is removed, another grows; and the developing friendship between the women is yet another contrast. The thriller aspect becomes almost secondary as the book races to its conclusion.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucas Davenport has always had a way with the ladies, but he’ll need a lot more than charm to deal with Carmel Loan and Clara Rinker.

Carmel is a pit-bull of a criminal defense lawyer who gets what she wants, and what she wants includes her handsome and married co-worker Hale Allen. So Carmel reaches out to a drug dealing client to hook her up with a hit man to kill Hale’s wife so she can step in. However, the hit man turns out to be a hit woman. Clara Rinker has killed over two dozen people while earning a lethal reputation, and she spends her spare time running her bar in Wichita, Kansas.

Clara pulls off the hit on Hale’s wife, but when complications arise she and Carmel begin working together to cover their tracks. Their partnership turns into a bizarre friendship with the two women able to share sides of themselves with each other that they’ve had to keep hidden from others. This apparently proves that torture and murder are just as effective at facilitating female bonding as a pitcher of margaritas.

Lucas quickly gets an inkling that Carmel was involved with the death of Allen’s wife, but he has to be extremely careful when investigating her because of the legal hell she could rain down on the police department. He’ll also work with the FBI on trying to track down the elusive hit woman they’ve been chasing for years. Facing a professional killer and a lawyer who knows exactly how to work the system means that Lucas will have to pull a couple of dirty tricks of his own in order to catch Carmel and Clara.

This is among the best of the Prey novels mainly because it’s got two great villains at the heart of it. Either Carmel or Clara would worthy of a novel by themselves, but teaming them up was a great idea. With Carmel being a big city lawyer and Clara being a former nudie dancer turned paid killer/ bar owner, you wouldn’t think they’d have a lot to talk about, but the two of them both have a tough pragmatic streak they admire about each other.

Even their differences are interesting with Carmel featuring a nihilistic philosophy of believing that since nothing really matters there’s no point in not doing almost anything whereas Clara sees herself more in a role of delivering karmic justice to those who deserve it. Their odd couple friendship also generates some black humor like one scene where the two ditch a couple of guns they’ve used to murder someone and then start planning a joint vacation to Mexico to hang out some more.

It’s also notable that a couple of weird events are at the heart of this one. The Prey books usually feature a tightly plotted war of wits, but in this case Lucas makes a deductive leap that seems reasonable and leads to an important clue. We later find out that his reasoning was completely wrong so a mistake led to a major breakthrough. Then a freakish coincidence winds up driving the plot through the second half of the book. In other crime fiction, this could seem ridiculous, but that’s a change from how Sandford usually does business and so throwing a few odd events at Lucas doesn’t seem like cheating.

With Carmel and Clara featured so prominently Lucas doesn’t really have any personal subplots this time other than a running joke about him toting around a giant report as part of a diversity commission he got roped into serving on. However, there’s the usual dynamic of Davenport pulling some shady moves and more than a few mind games. This one deserves its reputation as one of the best of the Prey novels.

Random trivia: The USA Network made a TV movie based on this a few years back starring Mark Harmon as Lucas. It wasn’t particularly good or memorable, but it did have a nice performance by Tatiana Maslany as Clara. She'd go on to get a lot of attention for her outstanding work on Orphan Black.

Next: Lucas gets fashionable while trying to find the killer of a supermodel in Easy Prey.

[Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note, April 1, 2015: I updated this review slightly just now, to correct a typo (misspelled word).

This tenth novel in Sandford's popular Prey series is my first experience with his work; usually, I prefer to read a series in order, but the friend who recommended this one felt (probably correctly) that it can be read just as well as a stand-alone, or out of order. Series sleuth Lucas Davenport, a Minneapolis homicide detective (who, by the time of this novel, is actually a deputy police chief) isn't really the protagonist here; structurally, at least for much of the book, the co-protagonists are the villains, and Davenport is the antagonist, albeit one who's on the side of good, much like Holmes in John Gardner's Moriarity novels. And although I classified it as a mystery, the who-done-it, why and how of the contract killing here isn't a mystery to the reader; we're shown the personae, planning, and execution (literally) of the crime at the outset. As in the old Columbo TV series (and often on Monk as well), the element of detection is in seeing how the forces of justice will prove what we already know. And this time, it won't be easy.

The Internet pen pal who recommended this novel to me told me that when he was reading it, he was reminded of the story collection The Smoking Gun Sisterhood, which both of us had read. The dissimilarities, though, IMO, are fairly marked: besides the bad language and sexual content noted below, the gun-toting females in this book won't be winding up on anyone's "action heroines" shelf anytime. (Action villainesses shelf, maybe!) But I did think it was a read that earned three stars.

On the plus side, Sandford does a very effective job of creating a really involving, page-turning read, with excellent plotting that throws curves into the story which you often don't see coming, but which are completely logical outgrowths of the situation and never forced. He hooked me early and hard, to the point where I knew I would finish the book no matter what; and while the adjectives "thriller" and "pulse-pounding" are advertising hype, there are places with a good deal of genuine suspense and tension here. (Readers familiar with the Twin Cities would probably say that he does a good job of incorporating their real-life geography into the book as well; but though I was born in Minneapolis, I wasn't raised there and have hardly ever been back, so that element was pretty much lost on me.)

His other outstanding feat here is the sheer virtuosity with which he creates his villainesses, the above-mentioned (in the Goodreads description) Clara and her employer, millionaire criminal-defense attorney Carmel Loan, who's hired the former to kill the wife of a fellow lawyer for whom she's in lust. Obviously, neither of these are one bit likable as characters (a likable villain is pretty much an oxymoron, anyway :-)). "Don't worry, I'm just a sociopath. Like you. I'm not a psychopath or anything," Carmel assures Clara at one point, but her claim to the contrary, she's both: she not only has a fixed determination to have anything she wants when she wants it, regardless of how much harm she has to do to anybody else in the process, but she derives a warped excitement and enjoyment from inflicting pain and death. Clara doesn't, as such (for her, killing is just a good-paying job), and some of Carmel's actions bother even her; but she's almost (though not quite) without a conscience or normal human empathy, like one of Philip K. Dick's androids. But they ARE fully alive, vital, three-dimensional and understandable as characters, and come across as (very flawed) human beings, not just cardboard incarnations of evil --though they do both happen to be evil, in their different ways. And they're strong, dominating, formidable characters, who hold your full attention and stay in your memory; like all well-drawn villains, they fascinate, in various ways and at various psychological levels. Sandford also excels at depicting the nuanced, fragile bond that grows between the pair, whose misguided life choices and defective personalities have prevented them from ever knowing real friendship, though there's a buried part of their psyches that's starving for it. And in keeping with the necessities of a good mystery plot, they're very worthy opponents for any detective; they're both smart, cunning and pretty ruthless (Carmel totally so); Clara's had years of practice covering her tracks, while Carmel knows rules of evidence and police procedure from the inside and her wealth and political connections make her almost untouchable. Grading just on the strength of his plotting and sharp characterizations of these two women, I'd give Sandford four or five stars here.

There are negatives to the book, though, that drag its rating down. I don't expect villains to be likable; but none of the characters here are particularly so, including Davenport. Many aren't drawn in enough depth to be either likable or unlikable, as if the author exhausted his resources on his protagonists. We don't even get much sense of knowing Davenport from the inside, though Sandford does bring out his phobia of flying in planes, and his liking for escaping job stress by fishing in the North Woods. (Of course, Sandford probably develops his character more in the earlier novels of the series --which does suggest one possible advantage of reading the books in sequence.) He has some unappealing traits, though, including a willingness to cut corners on legal restraints (he was temporarily kicked off the force for brutality some years before). I also don't think he's outstanding as a detective --he can be intuitive, and has a good memory for details, but he often doesn't recognize verbal clues or faces until long after the optimum time for doing so has passed, and he blabs one detail of the investigation to a civilian in a way that even I (with no police training!) recognized as really irresponsible. Many of the characters here have the sexual attitudes (and often the practices) of rutting warthogs, though there's no explicit sex; and there's a lot of bad language here, including a hefty seasoning of obscenities. These aren't used to distinguish one character's (or group of characters') speech from another, or to suggest differences of setting and milieu; they're just thrown in everywhere, indiscriminately and gratuitously. The stock excuse that this just "reflects" the incredible coarsening of American speech in the past generation in some quarters (though, as my next door neighbor, a Veterans Administration executive, noted, "I don't know anybody who talks that way!") is, I think, disingenuous --it also actively promotes, encourages and seeks to legitimate it.

All told, I got enough entertainment out of the book, in balance, that I don't regret reading it, and it earned its stars fairly. But I have no intention of seeking out other books in the series [Note: I did subsequently read Mortal Prey]; there are other heroes in the genre that I would find more congenial than Davenport.

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story 4.5/5
Narration 5/5

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Sandford and it was pretty much just about ok. I was expecting a lot more given the fantastic average rating of above 4. The plot starts off with the murder of Barbara Allen, wife of a property dealer Hale Allen. The killer is a professional hit-woman Clara Rinker hired by a hot-shot criminal lawyer Carmel Loan. The plot gets murky with more mindless killings. The protagonist is a cop Lucas Davenport who is assigned the job of solving the crime. In fact, this is not a whodunnit but howdunnit as the cop tries to piece together evidence to tie in the suspects to the crime, often by means bordering on illegal.

Purely for the fact that the book is about how the cop crosses the line for trapping the suspects put me off. Moreover, I felt that too many coincidences, like finding the slug in the suspect's room, spoilt the joy of reading a thriller.

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better the second time!

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every great detective needs their Moriarty, and in "Certain Prey" Lucas Davenport finds her. This is the introduction to Clara Rinker. Clara and Lucas go toe to toe (though he doesn't realize it) when Lucas and his group start looking into what looks like a professional hit on a rich socialite with a not very bright husband (seriously you guys, it hurt to read this guy talking). When the FBI lets Lucas know this may be connected to a hit woman that has been doing this for years that has never been caught, Lucas wonders if he has her and someone else in the cross-hairs. The ending was a surprise to me, especially since Sanford usually writes his bad guys as truly evil and no redeeming value, I won't be surprised if many people out there won't end up liking Clara.

Lucas is doing a bit better now that things between him and ex-girlfriend Weather are very much over. What he needs is a new case to sink his teeth into. When a rich socialite is found murdered, Lucas starts to wonder who out there would want her dead. When all signs points to a professional hit with the FBI giving him tips here and there, Lucas starts to narrow down who would want this woman dead.

First off, Sandford does a great job of developing Clara. We get her backstory and we get to see what moves her. When you get to see her interacting with her client who ordered the hit, you can see why she ended up liking this person. However, Sandford shows you that Clara has a code, and the person who hired her 100 percent does not.

The person who ordered the hit was a surprise. The why behind it was madness too. I kind of loved it though because of what happens in the end (no spoilers). Talk about be careful what you wish for. And this person I thought was developed nicely by Sandford too.

Lucas in this one was much more focused (thank goodness) and when he figures out what is going on, does what he has to in order to bring at least one of the guilty parties to justice. I know that many readers don't like Lucas's methods, but it didn't really bother me in this one. Especially when you see the rampage the killers get up to. Lucas ended things with his detective and they are now friends, but still circling each other. I hate it when Sandford does that no one can resist Lucas thing, but it taps down on it in this and the preceding books. What until the next book though, it was hot garbage there.

The writing was much tighter and the flow was great. I rank this book as number two in the series with "Winter Prey" as number one.

The ending left things up in the air with our Moriarty and I for one, could not be happier.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the series with a new set of bad 'guys' that are great women. It's not often that I read a book with a really good woman heavy & he manages 2 of them. They were a great match that led into a really satisfying ending.

Again, the way Davenport & his have to figure out what is going on is great. They don't always get it right, but even their blind alleys are interesting. As usual, Davenport shines, but only with the help of a great supporting cast. As usual, the narration by Ferone was great.

On to the next!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

They talked for a long time, nihilism and religion, guns and ammo, and that night, very late, as Carmel was dozing off, she smiled sleepily as she replayed the conversation. She'd gone to college with a lot of finance and law students. They'd stayed up nights studying, not talking.

This night, she thought, was like what a lot of people did in college, a few beers with friends, talk about God and death.

Carmel Loan is a sharp and completely unscrupulous defense attorney. She's ruthless, devious, and sexy; whatever Carmel wants, Carmel gets. And what Carmel wants, as Certain Prey opens, is Hale Allen, a man of startlingly good looks and the intellect of a golden retriever. There's only one problem. Hale is married, and his wife's incredible wealth makes divorce a less than appealing prospect. What's a girl in love to do except use one of her client's connections to hire a discreet hitman to eliminate the inconvenient wife?

Only the hitman in this case is a woman, Clara Rinker, a character so entirely charming--down-to-earth, professional, funny, and endearing--that she steals the book. Sure, she's killed many, many people, but who doesn't have flaws? She may be a pro, but she's neither as coldblooded as Carmel nor as cruel; killing is just something she does well and make a good, low-key living by. Whatever moral qualms she has about her business, she assuages them by believing in fate and telling herself that most of the people she kills are far from innocent. They're Mafia-connected hangers-on, after all.

Barbara Allen is an exception, and by Clara's own standards, maybe that's what swings fate, in the form of Lucas Davenport, to target her and Carmel. Because while the hit on Barbara is a relatively neat, quickly done task, the job itself won't stay dead. The client of Carmel's who connected her with Rinker turns around immediately and tries to blackmail her, and that's just the beginning of the complications that ensue. There's no solution that doesn't create a separate problem. And once Lucas learns--though dubious, inadmissible means--that Carmel is definitely involved, the pressure builds even more, because now he's not going to be shaken off the scent. And no matter how well Clara Rinker has hidden, Lucas might be the one person capable of finding her.

Rinker, like I said, steals the book, and her odd budding friendship with Carmel makes for a bizarre, funny, and strangely touching centerpiece--at least from Rinker's side of things. Her life is, by necessity, disconnected from long-term connections and emotional honesty, and in Carmel, she belatedly finds the camaraderie and girl-talk that she's spent her whole life without. And Carmel feels the same way: it's friendship at first sight, and as the bodies pile up around them, these two are planning vacations to Mexico and talking about renting movies for when they have to lay low.

But nothing is that simple, not when they're mired in complications and not when Lucas is on their tail, and Sandford keeps the reader's sympathies complicated by driving home repeatedly that Carmel, at least, is an out-and-out psychopath. She doesn't have Rinker's tragic backstory or minor scruples. She does have an electric drill that she's willing to use to torture a guy. (If the Mexico vacation doesn't work out, she might be able to find a time-share with the men from Hostel.) And if Carmel brings the sadism, Rinker brings the efficiency. The two of them make a pretty intimidating--and frightening--team.

This one is all about the antagonists for me. I loved all the behind-the-scenes looks at Rinker's career, from the routine wiping-down of hotel room faucets to the safety deposit box full of IDs to the little lies you tell to buy a wig without the store owner remembering you, and I loved the unnerving glimpses of the vacuous darkness beneath Carmel's pretty facade. Lucas's best scenes in the book are with the two of them--his little face-offs with Carmel, even the early amiable ones, are magnetic, and when Sandford somewhat stacks the deck to give Lucas a way to dance with Rinker, it's an improbable but entrancing moment that I could visualize perfectly. Never mind his flirtation with an FBI agent, he and Rinker and Carmel have the real sizzling chemistry.

[Marty Fried · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this one was a bit too violent at times. It was an interesting story, with an interesting ending, but after reading this one, I'm taking a breather and reading an Andy Carpenter book.

The book starts off fairly straightforward, with a hired assassin killing the wife of a man some lawyer likes. Pretty straightforward, right? A lawyer hiring someone to kill a rival? I mean, she's a lawyer, what can you expect? Well, with this lawyer, everyone gets a bit more than they expect. In fact, the assassin almost starts looking like a girl scout compared to the lawyer. But I'm not sure the torture scene was really necessary; it was a bit over the top and probably didn't need to be so brutal.

[Joanne Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is easy to see why this is one if the most loved Prey books, it's now at the top of list. There are two amazing villains in the book and in a depature for Sandford a villain I actually liked.

Lucas finds himself on the hunt for a hit woman and the person that paid her. Lucas as per usual crosses the line and in a satisfying twist of karma literally bites him in the arse this time.

This books marks a turning point for Lucas as he slowly pulls himself back from the brink and he is making peace with his life and himself.

With his trade mark humor (keep and eye out for the gags about the report Lucas is reading) Sandford weaves and unforgettable tale once again. .

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. John Sandford keeps hitting them out of the ballpark. There's no baseball in this edition of the adventures of Lucas Davenport, but the words "home run" are applicable. It moves, it's full of un-certainty, it's taut, plus we meet a compelling villain, hitwoman Clara Rinker. The conversation between Chief Davenport and Rinker by phone near the end, meeting in person would have been too dangerous for both, is a highlight not only for this novel but the whole series. In reality, they do meet earlier in Kansas, but Davenport doesn't know who the attractive woman he's dancing with at a Wichita bar actually is. The reverse is not true. Rinker has seen Davenport's picture on TV in connection with her hit in Minneapolis which went wrong. She's aware that he's a real threat, but finds something interesting about him. Rinker was hired by high-profile criminal attorney Carmel Loan to eliminate Barbara Allen, the main obstacle to Carmel's desires, the handsome and sexy Hale Allen. When, for the first time in Rinker's criminal career, there's a witness to her hit, Carmel and Clara must team up to eliminate loose ends. One of them is Davenport. It's a rush. (June 2022)

[RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.
🇺🇸📚

[Amanda McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Certain Prey more than the recent Davenport novels I have read lately. I enjoyed Carmel Loan and Clara Rinker, but was shaking my head at the mistakes that they would make in order to clean up after themselves.

I wish there was more of a mystery. From the first few chapters (and even from the description of the book) you know who the killer is and why they killed Barbara Allen. I find it boring when the reader already knows the who, what, where, when and why. The novel was about how Davenport would put together the pieces that we already knew and how he would catch the killers.

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lucas Davenport! A story that I enjoyed, even though it was a bit far fetched at times. Book number 10 in the series, and going strong - I'm probably the only one who has not yet finished the series- but I started in order and I'm still enjoying it. I know I won't be 'happy' further along , for to me--- well Lucas should be a man who 'plays the field' with a few different love interests. But I'm pretty sure, I'll love the story lines anyway!!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carmel Loan is a high powered defense attorney who's used to winning. She becomes infatuated with fellow lawyer Hale - the only problem is he's married. Solution? Use her former client's drug contacts to hire a killer.
The story sounds preposterous, and it is, but also highly entertaining. The hired killer turns out to be a female and the two women develop a blossoming friendship.

[Cindy Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Prey book probably has the most engaging villain of them all--Clara Rinker. I haven't read this in years, but I did remember her! Another winner by Sandford!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genesis of understanding the why of disrespectful 'lawyer jokes'.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this 10th book in John Sandford's "Lucas Davenport" series!

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Sandford took a big chance in 'Certain Prey', but he pulls it off, just. It teeters into too-silly pulp territory, and probably some readers would be justified in complaining the book falls over. I gave it a four star rating because I think Sandford works it, but I can also see how one could argue that it failed. There are some plot contrivances that seem improbable, but not impossible. Lucky discoveries happen in police work all of the time, despite the emphasis on legal proofs in the courtroom and those of us who prefer to believe in a logical human universe. Jaded adult serial killers could feel a simpatico friendship, albeit one with each new friend having plans to murder the other if the need comes up. Humans, especially females, might possibly spend time analyzing their killing tendencies along with their favorite stores to shop, but inevitably, listening in to such a conversation might feel so surreal as to turn into a Saturday Night skit. But again, I could see it really happening, too, people being people.

It's unfortunate how tawdry real life relationships which end up in criminal acts sound in print and on television. Check out the Jerry Springer and Maury television shows, or the crime or weird news sections of any newspapers, or 20/20 and 48 Hours true crime TV shows. (I realize the Jerry Springer show producers and others of the same ilk actually use website registries of low life professionals to program a five-day-a-week show, but these show guests started out being for real, once.) People from all walks of life get overwhelmed by base emotions sometimes, and we all know people who live through their gonads all of the time. To create a novel around such people requires special handling. Obviously, if a person gossips on the cold hard facts of a gonad story you end reflex giggling. However, Sandford can do it genre-real, usually. (So can Jonathon Kellerman, as a sidebar.) Pulp fiction territory, in my opinion, requires honest talent and ability; the writer must create thriller tension and not become disrespectful of his characters, in spite of the natural comedy imbedded in such stories. Great mystery genre authors appear to do this with ease. Occasionally, though, there are so many pulp elements in the air spinning like plates on a stick, I can't help but hold my breath as I turn the page.

In this 10th Lucas Davenport novel, Sandford introduces us to two very interesting serial killers: Clara Tinker, hit man for the mob (it makes me giggle to type that!), and Carmel Loan, top defense lawyer in the Twin Cities, but also a closeted psychopathic murderer. Loan falls in lust with a male beauty, a lawyer, Hale Allen, who, unfortunately for everybody, is married to Barbara. Calling certain contacts, Loan hires Tinker to kill Barbara. Events spiral, and soon Davenport is facing down two of the most deadly and scary people he may ever have met. When insane people know where you live, a lot of dumb luck is better than a big gun.

Although I'd call this more of an interesting fun read rather than a thriller mystery, perhaps a twisted chick lit label suits it the best. Whatever. Davenport responds in his usual full metal jacket manner. The running gag throughout the story about the 'alternative lifestyles and diversity' seminar manual was definitely an overkill insult response to someone leaning on Sandford in real life, I think, but if Davenport's Neanderthal, but reasonable, nature offended me, I'd have stopped reading awhile ago.

[RJ Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked it. I am slow to hook up to the Prey series by Sandford. Just starting to read again and not sure it's good for me as I tend to read at 1am when I get up to pee and with thrillers it's hard to get back to sleep! I really like the Lucas Davenport character. Trying to remember now all that I have read in this series. Rules of Prey was first.

I've read Silent Prey, Bekker in NYC. Then Winter Prey where he meets Winter. Mind Prey which had the villain John Mail and the victim Andi Manette.

According to my notes I've read Hidden Prey but I don't recall the characters.

This one, Certain Prey, had the aggressive good lookin lawyer Carmel Loan and then the female assassin Clara Rinker, both really good characters.

Sometimes it bothers me that there's so much blood and gore and violence in these books and I wonder why I'm using my remaining time on earth reading about this crap but then I want to know how Sandford is going to solve the problem, how the characters are going to develop, what kind of plot holes I see in the book, and so forth. Sometimes it gets really exciting like you want a thriller to be. For me I thought this was one of the best of the Preys. Also liked Winter very much. Wish I had gotten in on the ground floor so I could see the development of the characters. Seemed to have missed when Lucas first met Officer Marcy Sherrill. Which book was that?

Trying to mix reading thrillers with reading American history and progressive politics. Picked up Greg Isles and Robert Parker and Kellerman from the newly re-opened Mission Viejo public library, now greatly reduced in size, but only 3 minutes from my house!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I have a new favorite in the series after reading this installment! This story brings together a young mob hit woman, the killer-in-the-making who hires her, and a greedy middleman. Clara Ringer is the hired killer that I actually found myself liking. I could at least understand why she is in the line of work. Carmel Loan is the woman that hires her. She is a balls-to-the-wall criminal attorney at the top of her game. She thinks like a criminal from defending them so successfully. It also helps that she has a psychotic personality, which will reveal itself as the book progresses. Rolo is the dumb middleman that actually lays the foundation of the whole book. This is full of twists and turns as Lucas and the gang try to figure out exactly what is going on. You will be glued to the pages as you’re taken on a wild ride. The phone conversation at the end was perfect! Highly recommend!

[Luke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Straight up bad. Totally unbelievable plot, characters, ending. Terrible.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought book 9 and its villain was my favorite... and then I read this one!

Sandford creates the best villains -- smart, bad, clever, horrifying, and believable villains. But Clara Rinker is definitely my favorite. She is a professional hitwoman, and in this book she has partnered with a female criminal attorney named Carmel Loan.

Carmel Loan is in love with a very attractive, but not very intelligent, attorney named Hale Allen. Unfortunately he is married. Carmel asks a criminal she successfully defended on drug charges to help her find someone to kill Allen's wife. Enter, Clara Rinker. The murder happens and Rinker returns to her Kansas home.

However, nobody said crime is easy to cover, and the criminal who helped Carmel locate Rinker now blackmails her. This brings Rinker back to Minneapolis to help Carmel get rid of the drug dealer. And the bodies continue to multiply.

Davenport and his team face a crime that has very little evidence.

This book is fast paced, full of action, shocking, twisty, and sometimes very funny. Lucas' interactions with the two antagonists are fun. The women are smart, and at times you find yourself rooting for them. Rinker, in particular, is entertaining and almost likable despite being quite evil.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast and furious. The tenth Lucas Davenport novel from author John Sandford, "Certain Prey", is relentless by it's pursuit of a female hit woman. In probably Lucas Davenport's toughest case ever with the Minneapolis P.D. one wrong move could get himself killed. Davenport's most worthy adversary Clara Rinker fears and hates Davenport equally as this suspense thriller flies along at warp speed. Knockout beautiful defense attorney Carmel Loan is in love with Hale Allen. Allen is a property and real estate attorney who is also married to Barbara. Barbara comes from old time money so where Hale likes to play around on Barbara, he will never leave her. As a top notch defense attorney Carmel makes over $1 Million per year as a partner in her law firm. Carmel decides she needs to go another route to make Hale her own. Hiring a hit woman via the mob in St. Louis to take out Barbara. Rinker is a real pro with dozens of kills and doesn't even show up as a bleep on law enforcement radar. Rinker comes to Minneapolis from Wichita and kills Barbara. However in the process of the hit a local patrol man Bailey Dobbs wanders into the scene and Rinker shoots him. As Davenport and his team hone in on the case it's pretty clear Carmel is somehow involved. What Davenport doesn't see at first is Carmel and Clara becoming best friends and both enjoy killing. At just over 360 quick reading pages this one keeps the suspense building chapter after chapter. "Certain Prey", gets five stars out of five stars possible. This one is probably author John Sanford's strongest Lucas Davenport to date. This is one very do not miss book from a very do not miss series.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this particular book off the leasing shelf on a whim, began it in the station waiting for the train and could not put it down. Apparently, Sandford writes a series of novels that would be difficult to classify as either mysteries or thrillers. They all have the word “prey” in the title, and Lucas Davenport as protagonist. In this latest work, Davenport is a deputy chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Clara Rinker is a hitwoman. Raped after working one evening as a stripper at a nudie bar, she arranges with her bosses to have the man who raped her brought back to the bar so she can his hands. Deciding that wasn’t enough, she kills him, and the bar owners, impressed by her passion and lack of remorse, enlist her as a part-time hitperson for the St. Louis mob. She’s also very smart, but lonely, a fact that leads to some difficulties when she is hired by Carmel Loan, a successful lawyer in Minneapolis, to kill the wife of the man Carmel has the lust for. The killing succeeds but everything gets really complicated when she also has to shoot a policeman surreptitiously on his way for a hamburger. The cop is not killed and the complication arises that he might be able to identify her. Then Carmel learns that the love of her life has been having an affair with a secretary, and to make things worse, the drug dealer she hired to put her in contact with the hitman — notice how I’ve cleverly used all the appropriate endings to satisfy everyone – has sent a blackmail note revealing he kept a videotape of their conversation that recorded Loan requesting the hit. The denouement is quite satisfying. Lucas is an interesting character, albeit not as well developed perhaps as one would like, perhaps because he has been explained more in previous novels. He makes some very funny comments about a six-hundred-page report he has to read entitled “The Mayor’s Select Commission on Cultural Diversity, Alternative Lifestyles, and Other Ableness in the Minneapolis Police Department: A Preliminary Approach to Divergent Modalities” [Executive Summary] — otherwise known as the Perfection Report, or The Wellness Thing, or the Wholeness Report or the Otherness Report. It’s a very thick report that literally saves Lucas’s bacon — well, maybe not his bacon.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager, Clara Rinker ran away from home and an abusive stepfather. While working as a dancer in a strip club, Clara is raped but plots her vengeance and kills the man who assaulted her. This begins a long career for Clara as a hired killer. Carmel Loan is a successful defense attorney in Minneapolis, a woman who is used to getting what she wants. And she wants Hale Allen, but standing in her way is Allen’s wife. Through a third-party, Carmel hires Clara to kill Allen’s wife, at which point, Lucas Davenport steps into the picture. Before Clara can enjoy her new relationship with Allen, the liaison she used to contact Clara tries to blackmail Carmel, so Carmel hires Clara personally to take care of this matter. From this point, things begin to unravel, which requires Clara and Carmel to team up and commit more murders. All the while, Davenport and his crew are one step behind the two killers, with no evidence to tie either one to any of the murders.

This is the tenth book in the Prey series by John Sandford, which remains as fresh at this point as at the beginning. Lucas Davenport is an engaging character, an intelligent and intense investigator who enjoys his career chasing killers. Although there is no actual mystery to figure out here, which marks this as more of a thriller, the chase by Davenport and several strong secondary characters is fine-tuned and all the more enjoyable to follow.

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This is one of the Lucas Davenport books I missed my first time through the series. I wanted to read it because - a) Lucas was honestly a much more fun character when he was single and a man-slut; and b) two crazy-ass female characters, one a hit-woman, and the other a garden variety psycho killer. What's not to love there in a read? ;-)