What do you think?
Rate this book
Lucas Davenport #31
Ocean Prey
An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family in the Atlantic just off south Florida when he sees, and then calls in, some suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed.
They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, Lucas Davenport of the U.S. Marshals Service gets a call. The case turns even more lethal and Davenport needs to bring in every asset he can find, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.
They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, Lucas Davenport of the U.S. Marshals Service gets a call. The case turns even more lethal and Davenport needs to bring in every asset he can find, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2021
3306 people are currently reading
5994 people want to read
About the author
John Sandford
234 books9,627 followersJohn 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,257 reviews
May 4, 2021
Ocean Prey 5-2021
Excellent read, loved this one. Sometimes a series can wane or diminish in story, character and voice, the author getting tired of writing the same old thing. The last few of Sanford have been good but not quite up to some of his really spectacular books. With Ocean Prey, Sanford is back, what a great read. But let me say I am a little biased, for this genre Sanford is my number one go-to. I’ve read all his of his Davenport and Virgil Flowers books multiple times. There is something about the unique structure, the voice that just pulls this reader in and doesn’t let go.
This book combines two of my favorite characters Davenport and Flowers. Early on in the story there is a dynamic scene, a shooting that I thought would be difficult to top in the ending or climax to the story. Not so, the ending overshadowed the shooting and more. If you enjoy police procedurals, this is one of the best ones in the genre. It’s a crime novel and not a whodunit. The crooks have their own points of view during the chase. I have to say (without spoiling the story) that the book tugged on some emotional heart strings in one particular killing that I saw coming. Not because of clues given by the author but because of MAR, motivation, action, reaction, the setup to the killing, I spotted the structure. Didn’t matter I still loved the story and I’m looking forward to the next one.
David Putnam Author of the Bruno Johnson series.
Excellent read, loved this one. Sometimes a series can wane or diminish in story, character and voice, the author getting tired of writing the same old thing. The last few of Sanford have been good but not quite up to some of his really spectacular books. With Ocean Prey, Sanford is back, what a great read. But let me say I am a little biased, for this genre Sanford is my number one go-to. I’ve read all his of his Davenport and Virgil Flowers books multiple times. There is something about the unique structure, the voice that just pulls this reader in and doesn’t let go.
This book combines two of my favorite characters Davenport and Flowers. Early on in the story there is a dynamic scene, a shooting that I thought would be difficult to top in the ending or climax to the story. Not so, the ending overshadowed the shooting and more. If you enjoy police procedurals, this is one of the best ones in the genre. It’s a crime novel and not a whodunit. The crooks have their own points of view during the chase. I have to say (without spoiling the story) that the book tugged on some emotional heart strings in one particular killing that I saw coming. Not because of clues given by the author but because of MAR, motivation, action, reaction, the setup to the killing, I spotted the structure. Didn’t matter I still loved the story and I’m looking forward to the next one.
David Putnam Author of the Bruno Johnson series.
May 10, 2021
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley for review.
Ocean Spray? What kind of a name is that for a book? What’s it about? The history of the drink? Or is it a biography of the guy who made the viral video of him skateboarding and drinking Ocean Spray while he lip synced that Fleetwood Mac song? I mean, that was cool and all, but how are you gonnna do a whole book about… What’s that? It’s not Ocean SPRAY, but instead it’s Ocean PREY? Well, that sounds like a John Sandford title. Oh. It is a John Sandford novel.
That makes a lot more sense.
A Coast Guard patrol runs across what appears to be drug runners doing a pick-up of previously submerged dope out of the ocean using a scuba diver off the coast of Miami. A shootout ensues that leaves several Coast Guard guys dead while the bad guys got away. Months later the FBI and local cops still have no clue as to who was behind it, and the prevailing theory is that there’s still a fortune in drugs waiting to be picked up once the heat dies down.
US Marshal Lucas Davenport gets asked to join the investigation by one of his political patrons in DC, and he quickly starts leaning on local dealers trying to get a lead on who might have been involved with the drug ring. As usual in a Davenport case, things start to get sticky, and when Lucas needs more help he turns to his old buddy, Virgil Flowers (a/k/a That fuckin’ Flowers.) to help him crack the case.
I’ve written so many Sandford reviews that I can’t think of a single new thing to say about why this one is another great crime thriller from one of my favorites in the genre. As usual, there’s solid plotting and tension mixed with just enough real world verisimilitude regarding police work and the political factors behind it to make it feel grounded and believable despite a plot that could easily turn into an action movie from the ‘80s. All the things I love about Sandford’s novels are on display here.
However, there are some very different things in this one. For one, ever since Sandford shifted Davenport from a Minnesota state cop to a US Marshal, he’s been sending Lucas on assignments across the country, and that has enabled him to do some different things with this series while still sticking to the parts that made it popular to begin with. Moving from typically land locked Midwestern settings to a Florida one that has a lot to do with boats and scuba diving makes it feel like Sandford is doing new things rather than just repeating himself.
That’s just the window dressing though, and the biggest difference from previous Prey novels comes in the structure itself. In the past, Lucas was the star of the these books, and then there was the spin-off series featuring Virgil Flowers as the lead. They existed in the same universe with some crossover between them, but generally one of the characters was the focus with the other being a supporting player. However, in this Lucas is the focus in the first third with Virgil taking over the next part, and the last act shifts between them both.
I assume that this is because Sandford has said that he’s only going to do one book a year from now on*, and it seems like he folded Virgil into Davenport’s story much like Robert Crais began splitting time between Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in his novels. That gives this book a hybrid feel in that it doesn’t entirely seem like a Davenport novel, and yet it’s not exactly Virgil’s book either.
It’s a little odd. Not bad, just different. Sandford is in his late 70s now, and he’s written about 50 novels after a career as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. If he had decided to retire completely, he’d have more than earned the right to do so at this point. So if I can get some more of his stories because he’s cutting his work load and figuring out a way to combine his two most popular characters, you won’t hear me complaining about it.
Aside from all that, if someone had never read another Sandford book and just picked this one up, I think they’d find it an entertaining crime novel with some great twists as well as an interesting premise with the angle of the bad guys trying to find a way to retrieve a fortune in drugs from the ocean.
*Correction: I originally said that Sandford would only be doing the Davenport series from now on, but apparently plan is for him to scale book to one book a year while alternating the Prey and Virgil Flowers books.
Ocean Spray? What kind of a name is that for a book? What’s it about? The history of the drink? Or is it a biography of the guy who made the viral video of him skateboarding and drinking Ocean Spray while he lip synced that Fleetwood Mac song? I mean, that was cool and all, but how are you gonnna do a whole book about… What’s that? It’s not Ocean SPRAY, but instead it’s Ocean PREY? Well, that sounds like a John Sandford title. Oh. It is a John Sandford novel.
That makes a lot more sense.
A Coast Guard patrol runs across what appears to be drug runners doing a pick-up of previously submerged dope out of the ocean using a scuba diver off the coast of Miami. A shootout ensues that leaves several Coast Guard guys dead while the bad guys got away. Months later the FBI and local cops still have no clue as to who was behind it, and the prevailing theory is that there’s still a fortune in drugs waiting to be picked up once the heat dies down.
US Marshal Lucas Davenport gets asked to join the investigation by one of his political patrons in DC, and he quickly starts leaning on local dealers trying to get a lead on who might have been involved with the drug ring. As usual in a Davenport case, things start to get sticky, and when Lucas needs more help he turns to his old buddy, Virgil Flowers (a/k/a That fuckin’ Flowers.) to help him crack the case.
I’ve written so many Sandford reviews that I can’t think of a single new thing to say about why this one is another great crime thriller from one of my favorites in the genre. As usual, there’s solid plotting and tension mixed with just enough real world verisimilitude regarding police work and the political factors behind it to make it feel grounded and believable despite a plot that could easily turn into an action movie from the ‘80s. All the things I love about Sandford’s novels are on display here.
However, there are some very different things in this one. For one, ever since Sandford shifted Davenport from a Minnesota state cop to a US Marshal, he’s been sending Lucas on assignments across the country, and that has enabled him to do some different things with this series while still sticking to the parts that made it popular to begin with. Moving from typically land locked Midwestern settings to a Florida one that has a lot to do with boats and scuba diving makes it feel like Sandford is doing new things rather than just repeating himself.
That’s just the window dressing though, and the biggest difference from previous Prey novels comes in the structure itself. In the past, Lucas was the star of the these books, and then there was the spin-off series featuring Virgil Flowers as the lead. They existed in the same universe with some crossover between them, but generally one of the characters was the focus with the other being a supporting player. However, in this Lucas is the focus in the first third with Virgil taking over the next part, and the last act shifts between them both.
I assume that this is because Sandford has said that he’s only going to do one book a year from now on*, and it seems like he folded Virgil into Davenport’s story much like Robert Crais began splitting time between Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in his novels. That gives this book a hybrid feel in that it doesn’t entirely seem like a Davenport novel, and yet it’s not exactly Virgil’s book either.
It’s a little odd. Not bad, just different. Sandford is in his late 70s now, and he’s written about 50 novels after a career as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. If he had decided to retire completely, he’d have more than earned the right to do so at this point. So if I can get some more of his stories because he’s cutting his work load and figuring out a way to combine his two most popular characters, you won’t hear me complaining about it.
Aside from all that, if someone had never read another Sandford book and just picked this one up, I think they’d find it an entertaining crime novel with some great twists as well as an interesting premise with the angle of the bad guys trying to find a way to retrieve a fortune in drugs from the ocean.
*Correction: I originally said that Sandford would only be doing the Davenport series from now on, but apparently plan is for him to scale book to one book a year while alternating the Prey and Virgil Flowers books.
April 25, 2021
Rae said “You sounded . . . smart . . . up there. In the meeting.
Like a smart cop. With a hard nose. Giving shit to the feds.”
“Why not? I am smart,” Virgil said.
“You hide it well."
😂 Love this series and even more so with Virgil's (from Virgil Flowers Series) help to take down the bad guys.
Ocean Prey takes place in South Florida with drug smuggling plot. Lucas, a US Marshal was called in after three coast guards were killed. Lucas gets a great deal of support from his old friends and it makes this thriller more satisfying. As for being book #31, PREY is still a strong series with good story, action, humorous and snarky dialogue, but sometimes this comes with tragic events. 4.5⭐
Like a smart cop. With a hard nose. Giving shit to the feds.”
“Why not? I am smart,” Virgil said.
“You hide it well."
😂 Love this series and even more so with Virgil's (from Virgil Flowers Series) help to take down the bad guys.
Ocean Prey takes place in South Florida with drug smuggling plot. Lucas, a US Marshal was called in after three coast guards were killed. Lucas gets a great deal of support from his old friends and it makes this thriller more satisfying. As for being book #31, PREY is still a strong series with good story, action, humorous and snarky dialogue, but sometimes this comes with tragic events. 4.5⭐
June 14, 2021
A slow start is not enough to derail the rousing end and short author notes after. These are some reasons John Sanford, like Prince is best in craft. 9 of 10 stars!
January 2, 2022
John Sanford brings investigation, action, surveillance, and suspense to the latest book in the Prey series. An off-duty Coast Guardsman, Barney Hall, and his family are fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale when he calls in suspicious activity to the watch officer. A boat appears to be picking up a lone diver in the middle of the ocean. When the three guardsmen sent to investigate are killed, the FBI is called in. However, when its investigation stalls, a U.S. Senator from Florida convinces Lucas Davenport, a U.S. Marshall, to become part of the task force and resolve it. Lucas partners will Bob Matees, another Marshall, to assist the investigation. Later on, Virgil Flowers, who used to work for Lucas at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, joins the task force as well. What were the diver and the men in the boat that murdered the guardsmen doing?
Two fantastic characters come together when Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up. Their personalities and approaches to an investigation are very different. However, both have depth. Lucas is a character whose methods I sometimes disagree with. He has plenty of good qualities and always tries to do the right thing. Virgil pursues a legal solution and he also has the ability to think like a criminal.
The story is part investigation and part action thriller. The opening is strong, intriguing, and impactful. This disturbing event hooked me and immediately drew me into the novel. A suspenseful narrative provides plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. The first dive scene was especially impactful, visual, and somewhat nerve-racking. The story takes readers from Florida, New Jersey, and Washington D.C.
Sandford’s writing is always great, but his world-building in the dive scenes in this novel was fantastic. He’s a superb storyteller who kept me on the edge of seat as the investigation and action unfolded. The dialogue deepened the conflict and pulled this reader into the inner world of the characters. There was a strong sense of place causing me to feel transported, as though living the events alongside the characters. The final action scenes are riveting and high-powered, and the epilogue does a great job of tying up the loose ends.
Overall, this was suspenseful and action packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. It’s a great series and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in both this series and the Virgil Flowers series.
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and John Sandford provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for April 13, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
-----------------------
My 4 star review will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Two fantastic characters come together when Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up. Their personalities and approaches to an investigation are very different. However, both have depth. Lucas is a character whose methods I sometimes disagree with. He has plenty of good qualities and always tries to do the right thing. Virgil pursues a legal solution and he also has the ability to think like a criminal.
The story is part investigation and part action thriller. The opening is strong, intriguing, and impactful. This disturbing event hooked me and immediately drew me into the novel. A suspenseful narrative provides plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. The first dive scene was especially impactful, visual, and somewhat nerve-racking. The story takes readers from Florida, New Jersey, and Washington D.C.
Sandford’s writing is always great, but his world-building in the dive scenes in this novel was fantastic. He’s a superb storyteller who kept me on the edge of seat as the investigation and action unfolded. The dialogue deepened the conflict and pulled this reader into the inner world of the characters. There was a strong sense of place causing me to feel transported, as though living the events alongside the characters. The final action scenes are riveting and high-powered, and the epilogue does a great job of tying up the loose ends.
Overall, this was suspenseful and action packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. It’s a great series and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in both this series and the Virgil Flowers series.
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and John Sandford provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for April 13, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
-----------------------
My 4 star review will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
May 29, 2021
I’m a big fan of Lucas Davenport. This is #31 of his books and I have loved them all. I grew up with him as a detective in Minnesota to his current job as a US Marshall. He only takes cases he wants to. He is a tough guy and does as he pleases. He made his money early in software, but loves to hunt…criminals that is…
Lucas dresses well. He keeps in shape. But that is a lot easier when your wife is an eye surgeon and you have made money early on. It’s a lot easier to eat well if you have a chef…
I don’t care for Rae, another US Marshall that he partners with on occasion. She is a little bit too ghetto for me. But I guess she is portraying that type of character.
I loved it back when Lucas was with the Minnesota police. I guess we all have to get promoted however. A lot of politics the last few years…
A wonderful series with superb dialogue. Always sets a smile on my face…
4 out of 5 stars
December 10, 2022
I first started listening to John Sandford’s Prey series of books some ten years ago, I would say that JS provided my introduction to audiobooks as my local library seemed to stock a whole bunch of his titles. The front man is a smooth but tough Minnesota lawman called Lucas Davenport who is equally likely to admire your English leather shoes or punch you in the gut – whichever takes his fancy. This is the 43rd book in the series (if you include books featuring his sidekick Virgil Flowers) and you might expect it all to start feeling tired by now. But Sandford has managed to keep it fresh by regularly updating the cast of support characters, by expanding the role of Lucas – so that now he operates across the whole of the United States rather than just statewide – and finally by keeping each story largely standalone he allows easy access to the series without the incumbrance of having to know (or learn) a whole bunch of carry-over baggage.
Here Lucas and Virgil team up to hunt down a gang of drug smugglers who have shot and killed three Coast Guard Officers down in South Florida. In truth, the first half of this tale is somewhat lumbering as the groundwork is set for the action to come. I found myself crying out for Lucas to go and intimidate someone or maybe even shoot them – it’s what he really does best. But eventually it all takes off, and once the action starts it’s unremitting. I won’t go into the detail of it – why spoil the fun for future readers – but I will say that there’s a good deal of scuba diving (a new skill developed by Virgil), some great interplay between the undercover law enforcement officers and the criminals and finally the tension is racked up sky high as the inevitable climax approaches.
If I were new to this author I wouldn’t start here – it’s not actually his best book and it’s really worthwhile getting to know Lucas and Virgil when they were younger and a little greener – but equally it really is accessible as a first read. I enjoyed it, as I always do with this writer, and I’ll be definitely be dialling back in for book 44 in due course.
Here Lucas and Virgil team up to hunt down a gang of drug smugglers who have shot and killed three Coast Guard Officers down in South Florida. In truth, the first half of this tale is somewhat lumbering as the groundwork is set for the action to come. I found myself crying out for Lucas to go and intimidate someone or maybe even shoot them – it’s what he really does best. But eventually it all takes off, and once the action starts it’s unremitting. I won’t go into the detail of it – why spoil the fun for future readers – but I will say that there’s a good deal of scuba diving (a new skill developed by Virgil), some great interplay between the undercover law enforcement officers and the criminals and finally the tension is racked up sky high as the inevitable climax approaches.
If I were new to this author I wouldn’t start here – it’s not actually his best book and it’s really worthwhile getting to know Lucas and Virgil when they were younger and a little greener – but equally it really is accessible as a first read. I enjoyed it, as I always do with this writer, and I’ll be definitely be dialling back in for book 44 in due course.
September 9, 2022
This one had me worried. So much excitement at the end. Also, this one was heartbreaking.
Did I shed a tear or two...absolutely!
A Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he notices a suspicious boat. Since he is off duty, he calls it in. When three Guardsmen come to take a closer look, they are all murdered. The FBI starts an investigation but the trail fizzles out. So when the FBI can't find find anything, Lucas gets involved but he won't go in alone. Rae, Bob, Virgil, Jane Chase, and Louis Mallard all make an appearance. We also get new characters including Andres Devlin and Dale Weaver who were both a good addition to the cast.
Finally, after 3 years and 31 books, I'm finally caught up with this series just in time for Righteous Prey.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Did I shed a tear or two...absolutely!
A Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he notices a suspicious boat. Since he is off duty, he calls it in. When three Guardsmen come to take a closer look, they are all murdered. The FBI starts an investigation but the trail fizzles out. So when the FBI can't find find anything, Lucas gets involved but he won't go in alone. Rae, Bob, Virgil, Jane Chase, and Louis Mallard all make an appearance. We also get new characters including Andres Devlin and Dale Weaver who were both a good addition to the cast.
Finally, after 3 years and 31 books, I'm finally caught up with this series just in time for Righteous Prey.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
April 29, 2021
John Sandford is one of my favorite, predictably good authors. And his books are even better on audio. This time, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up to track down some drug smugglers that killed three Coast Guardsmen in Florida.
It’s hard to find anything new to say about Sandford. After all, this is the 31st book in the Davenport series. Suffice it to say, the series isn’t getting stale. The book has the strong story we expect. Unlike other action thrillers, Sandford’s stories always seem believable. Maybe it's because his characters are so enjoyable. The dialogue is always spot on and typically brings a chuckle.
Richard Ferrone has narrated so many of these books, I think I’d hear his voice even if I were reading them rather than listening.
If by some odd chance, you haven’t read any of the book series, rectify that error immediately! If you’re a fan like me, rest assured this book lives up to the high standards of the previous books I’m the series.
It’s hard to find anything new to say about Sandford. After all, this is the 31st book in the Davenport series. Suffice it to say, the series isn’t getting stale. The book has the strong story we expect. Unlike other action thrillers, Sandford’s stories always seem believable. Maybe it's because his characters are so enjoyable. The dialogue is always spot on and typically brings a chuckle.
Richard Ferrone has narrated so many of these books, I think I’d hear his voice even if I were reading them rather than listening.
If by some odd chance, you haven’t read any of the book series, rectify that error immediately! If you’re a fan like me, rest assured this book lives up to the high standards of the previous books I’m the series.
March 30, 2022
Ocean Prey is the thirty-first book in John Sandford's Lucas Davenport/Prey series. but this one differs from the earlier books in the series in that Sandford has included in the cast his other major series character, Virgil Flowers. In previous Davenport books, Virgil has sometimes played a small, walk-on part, and in previous Flowers books, Virgil has occasionally consulted Davenport. This book, though, is billed as "A Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Novel," and each of the characters gets equal time along with equal billing.
The story begins when an off-duty Coast Guardsman spots what appears to be a drug deal going down on a boat in the waters off the Florida coast. Three other Coast Guardsmen come out to investigate and are shot to death by the drug dealers. The drug dealers then race to their rendezvous on the coast, offload the drugs and take off, burning their boat in their wake so that they leave no evidence behind.
Several months pass and the trail has gone completely cold. An F.B.I. task force is investigating the crimes but is getting nowhere. Not only have the killers escaped, but the authorities believe that there still may be millions of dollars worth of drugs still sitting deep in the waters off the coast. At this point, U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport is invited into the case. The hope is that with his unorthodox methods, Davenport might be able to make headway where the other authorities have not.
In true Davenport fashion, Lucas will begin poking around and almost immediately he uncovers a couple of critical clues that the other investigators have missed. This revives the moribund investigation and gets Lucas involved in a cat-and-mouse game with some Seriously Nasty People. Along the way, he will invite Flowers, his old subordinate from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to join him on the hunt, along with Rae Givens, another marshal with whom Lucas has previously worked.
It's fun watching Lucas and Virgil work this closely together. As always in a Sandford novel, the plot is intriguing; it moves along swiftly and, especially with Davenport and Flowers working together, there's a fair amount of dark humor which never seems out of place.
I've complained in several previous reviews that, to my mind, this series has not been as good as it once was since Sandford took Davenport out of his familiar Minnesota surroundings, promoted him to U.S. Marshal, and began sending him around the country. I enjoyed this book more than the previous few because having Flowers on board made it at least feel like a "real" Lucas Davenport novel. I know that Sandford has said that he his going to be cutting back and will no longer be writing the Flowers series and I'll be anxious to see if Virgil plays a more prominent role in the Davenport novels going forward. This one, though, was a lot of fun.
The story begins when an off-duty Coast Guardsman spots what appears to be a drug deal going down on a boat in the waters off the Florida coast. Three other Coast Guardsmen come out to investigate and are shot to death by the drug dealers. The drug dealers then race to their rendezvous on the coast, offload the drugs and take off, burning their boat in their wake so that they leave no evidence behind.
Several months pass and the trail has gone completely cold. An F.B.I. task force is investigating the crimes but is getting nowhere. Not only have the killers escaped, but the authorities believe that there still may be millions of dollars worth of drugs still sitting deep in the waters off the coast. At this point, U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport is invited into the case. The hope is that with his unorthodox methods, Davenport might be able to make headway where the other authorities have not.
In true Davenport fashion, Lucas will begin poking around and almost immediately he uncovers a couple of critical clues that the other investigators have missed. This revives the moribund investigation and gets Lucas involved in a cat-and-mouse game with some Seriously Nasty People. Along the way, he will invite Flowers, his old subordinate from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to join him on the hunt, along with Rae Givens, another marshal with whom Lucas has previously worked.
It's fun watching Lucas and Virgil work this closely together. As always in a Sandford novel, the plot is intriguing; it moves along swiftly and, especially with Davenport and Flowers working together, there's a fair amount of dark humor which never seems out of place.
I've complained in several previous reviews that, to my mind, this series has not been as good as it once was since Sandford took Davenport out of his familiar Minnesota surroundings, promoted him to U.S. Marshal, and began sending him around the country. I enjoyed this book more than the previous few because having Flowers on board made it at least feel like a "real" Lucas Davenport novel. I know that Sandford has said that he his going to be cutting back and will no longer be writing the Flowers series and I'll be anxious to see if Virgil plays a more prominent role in the Davenport novels going forward. This one, though, was a lot of fun.
January 20, 2021
Ocean Prey
By John Sandford
Pages: 432
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on April 13, 2021.
This is the 31st book in the Lucas Davenport series and the 13th book in the Virgil Flowers series. Virgil doesn't take an active role until midway through the book.
The book starts off fast and furious with unknown characters in a boat off Florida, getting a diver and something heavy out of the water. An off duty Coast Guard calls in the suspicious group. The Coast Guards then try to bring the boat to a halt, they are met with gunfire and lives are lost. The killers get away, later torching the boat, leaving no trace of evidence.
The FBI is called in and find nothing, no leads at all. They expand and have other departments help and that's when our US Marshals come in. Lucas and Bob start finding leads and witnesses. Things seem to be going too good. The danger is real when working with drug gangs and possibly the Mafia. Sandford shows the reader enough of the criminal's heinous deeds to fear for our Marshals but not enough to know the criminal's plan. Later, Virgil and Rae are brought in to help out too.
This is a genuine nail-biter! Things are unpredictable, situations change rapidly, and there are so many degrees of criminals! The ones they are after are truly ruthless. Things seem to go the Marshal's way but are they being set up? There are so many dubious characters I doubted everything!
Sandford knows how to make the characters real! I could picture each character in my mind right down to how they would walk! The maritime background he really made come alive. The was a lot of diving and this was all related like a pro! Besides the diving knowledge, he had tremendous knowledge about boats, Coast Guards, waterways, and more. All of the story seemed so plausible it made the suspense and tensions more substantial. There is a very sober scene in here too.
There were social issues that were discussed between the Marshals. Things that are pertinent in today's policing policies. The dialogue seemed authentic with the criminals, cop talk, or between the Marshal friends also.
I really enjoyed the mental exercise this book gave me and the satisfying ending. I want to thank the publisher for the chance to read this arc. The review is voluntary and are all my own opinions.
By John Sandford
Pages: 432
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on April 13, 2021.
This is the 31st book in the Lucas Davenport series and the 13th book in the Virgil Flowers series. Virgil doesn't take an active role until midway through the book.
The book starts off fast and furious with unknown characters in a boat off Florida, getting a diver and something heavy out of the water. An off duty Coast Guard calls in the suspicious group. The Coast Guards then try to bring the boat to a halt, they are met with gunfire and lives are lost. The killers get away, later torching the boat, leaving no trace of evidence.
The FBI is called in and find nothing, no leads at all. They expand and have other departments help and that's when our US Marshals come in. Lucas and Bob start finding leads and witnesses. Things seem to be going too good. The danger is real when working with drug gangs and possibly the Mafia. Sandford shows the reader enough of the criminal's heinous deeds to fear for our Marshals but not enough to know the criminal's plan. Later, Virgil and Rae are brought in to help out too.
This is a genuine nail-biter! Things are unpredictable, situations change rapidly, and there are so many degrees of criminals! The ones they are after are truly ruthless. Things seem to go the Marshal's way but are they being set up? There are so many dubious characters I doubted everything!
Sandford knows how to make the characters real! I could picture each character in my mind right down to how they would walk! The maritime background he really made come alive. The was a lot of diving and this was all related like a pro! Besides the diving knowledge, he had tremendous knowledge about boats, Coast Guards, waterways, and more. All of the story seemed so plausible it made the suspense and tensions more substantial. There is a very sober scene in here too.
There were social issues that were discussed between the Marshals. Things that are pertinent in today's policing policies. The dialogue seemed authentic with the criminals, cop talk, or between the Marshal friends also.
I really enjoyed the mental exercise this book gave me and the satisfying ending. I want to thank the publisher for the chance to read this arc. The review is voluntary and are all my own opinions.
July 28, 2024
Overall, a good police detective novel featuring Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers, evidently recurring characters separately in series by the author, together in this one.
[Warning: some spoilers possibly]
The book caught my interest since it involved an effort to solve a case involving the deaths of 3 Coast Guardsmen during a counter narcotics vessel boarding gone awry.
After months of a Federal task force fruitless in their efforts to solve the crime and bring the murderers to justice, Davenport and Flowers are brought in at the request of one of Florida’s senators.
Since this novel is one in the middle of a series of them involving both characters, it doesn’t go much into detail on their backgrounds, assuming readers are already familiar with them. Not a barrier to enjoying this book, but, for example, both seem to be from the Minnesota Department of Investigations, a state agency yet both are quickly deputized as US Marshals to join the task force. Seems odd, but there’s probably a back story to this that’s not explained in the novel.
The first third of the book gets a little slow as Davenport and associates do the less glamorous work of investigation and evidence gathering. From there , it picks up as he finds leads in the investigation that eventually lead to introducing Flowers and another Marshal, Rae, a black woman, to work undercover as lowlifes on the wrong side of the law with Flowers having unique skills needed as a professional diver desired by the Mafia to recover contraband lost during the repelled Coast Guard boarding.
I thought the character, Rae, was an interesting one. In reality, a proficient Federal LE agent, she artfully played upon the bad guys’ premises about black women from hood, speaking in its vernacular and building a back story that gets them to lower their guard around her, allowing her to extract important information from them leading to cracking the case. She would eventually use this act to save both her and Flowers’ lives when her mafia counterparts are ordered to kill them.
As a retired Coast Guardsman, since the case revolves around the murders of some of my colleagues, I’d have liked it if Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) could have been more involved in the plot since these have jurisdiction in such a situation. There’s some but it’s fairly peripheral. However, given the number of characters already in the plot, it’s understandable that not more are introduced .
Overall, a good detective novel. I recommend it for those who enjoy this genre.
[Warning: some spoilers possibly]
The book caught my interest since it involved an effort to solve a case involving the deaths of 3 Coast Guardsmen during a counter narcotics vessel boarding gone awry.
After months of a Federal task force fruitless in their efforts to solve the crime and bring the murderers to justice, Davenport and Flowers are brought in at the request of one of Florida’s senators.
Since this novel is one in the middle of a series of them involving both characters, it doesn’t go much into detail on their backgrounds, assuming readers are already familiar with them. Not a barrier to enjoying this book, but, for example, both seem to be from the Minnesota Department of Investigations, a state agency yet both are quickly deputized as US Marshals to join the task force. Seems odd, but there’s probably a back story to this that’s not explained in the novel.
The first third of the book gets a little slow as Davenport and associates do the less glamorous work of investigation and evidence gathering. From there , it picks up as he finds leads in the investigation that eventually lead to introducing Flowers and another Marshal, Rae, a black woman, to work undercover as lowlifes on the wrong side of the law with Flowers having unique skills needed as a professional diver desired by the Mafia to recover contraband lost during the repelled Coast Guard boarding.
I thought the character, Rae, was an interesting one. In reality, a proficient Federal LE agent, she artfully played upon the bad guys’ premises about black women from hood, speaking in its vernacular and building a back story that gets them to lower their guard around her, allowing her to extract important information from them leading to cracking the case. She would eventually use this act to save both her and Flowers’ lives when her mafia counterparts are ordered to kill them.
As a retired Coast Guardsman, since the case revolves around the murders of some of my colleagues, I’d have liked it if Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) could have been more involved in the plot since these have jurisdiction in such a situation. There’s some but it’s fairly peripheral. However, given the number of characters already in the plot, it’s understandable that not more are introduced .
Overall, a good detective novel. I recommend it for those who enjoy this genre.
December 4, 2022
One of the most boring books I’ve read. A textbook with dialogue. I’ve given it two stars because it’s well written and follows Sandford’s basic plotting system — i.e., the reader knows who the criminals are from the beginning, and the cops do too. There is no mystery. The story is in the chase.
But I remember John Sandford’s earlier books as being ironic — full of wit. In this one, except for a bit of banter between Virgil and Rae, there was no humour. I remember the crooks being dumb and getting caught because they were greedy. These Mafia criminals are not dumb. They are eventually caught due to collaboration among major U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The story was so boring that I read a few other book between chapters. I just couldn’t continue without major stops. And one of those books that I perused was The Best American Mystery Stories of 2020 (still haven’t read all of it). Behold, in this short story book was one by John Sandford — Girl with an Ax — one of the best stories in it. Great. Classic Sandford.
So what went wrong with “Ocean Prey”? Is Sandford tired of the series and/or characters? In a couple of places, he writes that Davenport looks old for his age, and Davenport is Sandford’s alter ego. Was Ocean Prey ghost-written?
But I remember John Sandford’s earlier books as being ironic — full of wit. In this one, except for a bit of banter between Virgil and Rae, there was no humour. I remember the crooks being dumb and getting caught because they were greedy. These Mafia criminals are not dumb. They are eventually caught due to collaboration among major U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The story was so boring that I read a few other book between chapters. I just couldn’t continue without major stops. And one of those books that I perused was The Best American Mystery Stories of 2020 (still haven’t read all of it). Behold, in this short story book was one by John Sandford — Girl with an Ax — one of the best stories in it. Great. Classic Sandford.
So what went wrong with “Ocean Prey”? Is Sandford tired of the series and/or characters? In a couple of places, he writes that Davenport looks old for his age, and Davenport is Sandford’s alter ego. Was Ocean Prey ghost-written?
April 23, 2021
As always, Sandford delivers an engrossing and entertaining book. Having read all of the books in the Prey series and the Virgil Flowers series, I feel like I am deeply acquainted with each of the characters and have a vested interest in their lives. You would expect at some point that the stories would become rote or redundant, but not at all. Very enjoyable read.
February 14, 2021
Two of my favorite characters in the same book? No way this one won't be a winner, I said to myself as I happily opened it on my Kindle. And in no way was I disappointed.
Well, maybe a titch in one respect; mostly because of asthma and a little bit of claustrophobia, I'm not a fan of putting my head under water at all - not even in the shower. So, the mere thought of scuba diving gives me hives. That's a big part of this story, so I was on the edge of my seat throughout, trying not to hold my breath and hoping that no human would be harmed in the process (close calls, however, not only are acceptable, but expected).
The two characters are Lucas Davenport, now with the U.S. Marshal's Service, and his buddy Virgil Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota Department of Criminal Apprehension. They've had books all to themselves for years (with the occasional cameo appearance by one in the other's), and I'm pretty sure I've read them all. This time out, the balance of power gives a slight edge to Lucas, but Virgil certainly makes his often irreverent presence known. The story begins in Florida, after three National Guardsmen are murdered by what appear to be drug smugglers. Lucas gets called in, agrees to investigate, and convinces Virgil to join his team of expert cohorts. That leads to some serious confrontations, at least one of which doesn't turn out well.
The trail leads from Florida to New Jersey and back again, putting both Lucas and Virgil on dangerous ground (well, in Virgil's case, that would be in water). In between are the usual quips and one-liners that never fail to make me chuckle - here, it's double the fun - and plenty of excitement as the rush is on to identify and catch the bad guys before they get away. All told, another great adventure with double the usual appeal - highly recommended! Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
Well, maybe a titch in one respect; mostly because of asthma and a little bit of claustrophobia, I'm not a fan of putting my head under water at all - not even in the shower. So, the mere thought of scuba diving gives me hives. That's a big part of this story, so I was on the edge of my seat throughout, trying not to hold my breath and hoping that no human would be harmed in the process (close calls, however, not only are acceptable, but expected).
The two characters are Lucas Davenport, now with the U.S. Marshal's Service, and his buddy Virgil Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota Department of Criminal Apprehension. They've had books all to themselves for years (with the occasional cameo appearance by one in the other's), and I'm pretty sure I've read them all. This time out, the balance of power gives a slight edge to Lucas, but Virgil certainly makes his often irreverent presence known. The story begins in Florida, after three National Guardsmen are murdered by what appear to be drug smugglers. Lucas gets called in, agrees to investigate, and convinces Virgil to join his team of expert cohorts. That leads to some serious confrontations, at least one of which doesn't turn out well.
The trail leads from Florida to New Jersey and back again, putting both Lucas and Virgil on dangerous ground (well, in Virgil's case, that would be in water). In between are the usual quips and one-liners that never fail to make me chuckle - here, it's double the fun - and plenty of excitement as the rush is on to identify and catch the bad guys before they get away. All told, another great adventure with double the usual appeal - highly recommended! Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
June 22, 2021
Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are back together on the same case! The result is a terrific story filled with action and John Sandford's dark humor.
An off duty Coast Guardsman, Barney Hall, is out in his boat with his wife and son in Florida when he sees something suspicious. A high powered boat stops to pick up a diver who apparently was alone in the middle of the ocean. He radios the Coast Guard and when they send out a boat to investigate all three Coast Guardsman are shot and killed. The case is assigned to the FBI but after 3 months they have nothing. At that point a Florida senator asks Lucas if he can assist.
Lucas and another US Marshal, Bob Matees, head for Florida to begin their own investigation. Bringing their own skillset. They don't operate the same way as the FBI and in short time are able to come up with fresh leads. Then things go tragically wrong. Lucas heads back to Minnesota to regroup. He calls in Virgil Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota BCA, and someone he worked with until he moved on to the US Marshal Service. He is also a friend and someone that Lucas trusts.
Virgil and another US Marshal, Rae Givens, go undercover. Virgil plays the part of a stoner scuba diver. Rae is his girlfriend. Their mission is to infiltrate the drug smugglers, find the missing drugs, and hopefully identify who killed the three Coast Guardsman. Virgil is an outdoorsman and is often on a boat but that is when he is fishing. Scuba diving? Can he convince the drug smugglers he is an expert diver?
There is plenty of action. And violence. And some humor. One of my favorites was when Virgil is telling Lucas how he had to shoot a plane before it could take off and Lucas responded with "Well, Good. Finally found a target big enough for you to hit".
In the early Prey novels Virgil worked for Lucas. Then Lucas moved on to the US Marshal Service. Virgil might have a bit part in a Prey novel and Lucas might have a bit part in a Virgil Flowers story but that was about it. In this story they were together again and I was left wondering if Virgil will be following Lucas to the US Marshal's? If so what about his boat? When on a case for the BCA Virgil is known for putting his boat on a trailer and taking it with him. Can't see that happening if he is a US Marshal. Looking forward to the next Prey novel. Or Virgil Flowers? Or will it be both?
An off duty Coast Guardsman, Barney Hall, is out in his boat with his wife and son in Florida when he sees something suspicious. A high powered boat stops to pick up a diver who apparently was alone in the middle of the ocean. He radios the Coast Guard and when they send out a boat to investigate all three Coast Guardsman are shot and killed. The case is assigned to the FBI but after 3 months they have nothing. At that point a Florida senator asks Lucas if he can assist.
Lucas and another US Marshal, Bob Matees, head for Florida to begin their own investigation. Bringing their own skillset. They don't operate the same way as the FBI and in short time are able to come up with fresh leads. Then things go tragically wrong. Lucas heads back to Minnesota to regroup. He calls in Virgil Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota BCA, and someone he worked with until he moved on to the US Marshal Service. He is also a friend and someone that Lucas trusts.
Virgil and another US Marshal, Rae Givens, go undercover. Virgil plays the part of a stoner scuba diver. Rae is his girlfriend. Their mission is to infiltrate the drug smugglers, find the missing drugs, and hopefully identify who killed the three Coast Guardsman. Virgil is an outdoorsman and is often on a boat but that is when he is fishing. Scuba diving? Can he convince the drug smugglers he is an expert diver?
There is plenty of action. And violence. And some humor. One of my favorites was when Virgil is telling Lucas how he had to shoot a plane before it could take off and Lucas responded with "Well, Good. Finally found a target big enough for you to hit".
In the early Prey novels Virgil worked for Lucas. Then Lucas moved on to the US Marshal Service. Virgil might have a bit part in a Prey novel and Lucas might have a bit part in a Virgil Flowers story but that was about it. In this story they were together again and I was left wondering if Virgil will be following Lucas to the US Marshal's? If so what about his boat? When on a case for the BCA Virgil is known for putting his boat on a trailer and taking it with him. Can't see that happening if he is a US Marshal. Looking forward to the next Prey novel. Or Virgil Flowers? Or will it be both?
July 1, 2021
Think of having desert. Not just any desert, but your favorite desert: Strawberry Shortcake, or Apple Pie, or a Chocolate Sundae. That is how I think of a John Sandford book. This isn’t about nutrition; it is just for enjoyment. It is not like I learn anything or am inspired to anything. (Actually that would be rather scary given the plots of these books.) It is just simple enjoyment, or indulgence. These books are just to be enjoyed. Turn the pages and find out what happens next.
The Sandford books come in two series, one featuring Lucas Davenport and the other featuring Virgil Flowers. Both characters are based in Minnesota and occasionally their path cross, but in this book you get a double treat as both Davenport and Flowers are featured each with their own story line. Now that Davenport is a U.S. Marshall his investigations have taken him to other parts of the country. This one is set in Miami and involves drug smuggling. Flowers is recruited by Davenport to help with the investigation.
I recently read and reviewed a book about WWI and mentioned the horrific body counts after many of the battles. The body count in this book is not quite as high, but there are some people killed. It does pain me to say anything negative about a Sandford book, but some of these killings are of innocent people, and Davenport may have been the reason for their deaths. Davenport has been known to take justice into his own hands on occasion, and no one can object too much to a bad guy being killed. But here he is so focused on getting to the head of a drug ring that he ignores the danger that he is exposing to some of the people he questions.
The writing is sparse, almost Hemingwayesque and the tension is taut. It is one of those reads where you think, “Just one more chapter.” I missed two afternoon naps and read past my bedtime a few nights.
Almost everyone, I’m sure, has their favorite authors. Sandford is mine. My favorite desert is a Banana Split.
The Sandford books come in two series, one featuring Lucas Davenport and the other featuring Virgil Flowers. Both characters are based in Minnesota and occasionally their path cross, but in this book you get a double treat as both Davenport and Flowers are featured each with their own story line. Now that Davenport is a U.S. Marshall his investigations have taken him to other parts of the country. This one is set in Miami and involves drug smuggling. Flowers is recruited by Davenport to help with the investigation.
I recently read and reviewed a book about WWI and mentioned the horrific body counts after many of the battles. The body count in this book is not quite as high, but there are some people killed. It does pain me to say anything negative about a Sandford book, but some of these killings are of innocent people, and Davenport may have been the reason for their deaths. Davenport has been known to take justice into his own hands on occasion, and no one can object too much to a bad guy being killed. But here he is so focused on getting to the head of a drug ring that he ignores the danger that he is exposing to some of the people he questions.
The writing is sparse, almost Hemingwayesque and the tension is taut. It is one of those reads where you think, “Just one more chapter.” I missed two afternoon naps and read past my bedtime a few nights.
Almost everyone, I’m sure, has their favorite authors. Sandford is mine. My favorite desert is a Banana Split.
March 22, 2022
A Davenport and Flowers combo? Yes, yes, and yes. 'Ocean Prey' has an absolutely fantastic plot and listening to this audiobook is the first time I had the opportunity to truly understand and appreciate the depth of respect, intense bond and close friendship Lucas and Virgil have.
Narrator Richard Ferrone is (as always) is amazing.
Narrator Richard Ferrone is (as always) is amazing.
May 13, 2021
Wow. I am shocked at how good this one was. It's been a while for the Davenport series. I don't know if this was due to the addition of Virgil in this one and also changing up the dynamics or what. This read like some of the older Davenport stories with Lucas and others on a major case that takes a while to break. There are a lot of moving parts that I think worked. And there were some really hilarious scenes that I cracked up about (the one with the arrest/animals) and it just seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. There was also the ending of this book which shows us that Sandford plans on bringing COVID-19 in this series so will be interesting to see how Lucas and his family deal with that in this fictional series.
"Ocean Prey" follows 51 year old U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport. As readers know, Lucas may be supposedly a Marshal, but he pretty much does what he wants and works on high profile cases due to his connections. There has been some fall out from the last book with Lucas's usual duo of friends Bob and Rae being a little gun-shy around him. Shockingly enough, some people aren't cool with the whole justice/vengeance thing that Lucas is about. When the book opens we have Lucas in some kind of way and he actually pulls a gun on some men who were looking to mug him. We don't know what that's about before we switch gears to another character who realizes that a U.S. Coast Guard ship that stops a boat is in trouble. And before he knows it, the men on board are murdered and the perpetrators on the other boat take off. The bad guys get away, and the FBI and others are coming up empty. Enter Lucas. Lucas is put on the case, but is only really able to grab Bob to take with him while they travel to Florida to figure out the lay of the land down there and with the case. There's a lot of twists and turns and we can see how Lucas has lost a step here and there. There are going to be some repercussions for some characters we have known for a while too.
So Lucas, this time he's not bigger than life in this one. We follow him for about 50 percent of the story, before Virgil pops in (no spoilers). I think the second half with Virgil actually works better. And I honestly want to see Virgil again with the person he's paired up with in this one. The duo works great and I could happily read some side stories about them.
The writing was to the point more in this one I thought. We don't have pages and pages of Lucas pontificating on something with Sandford throwing in random history and you wanting to scream cause we are spending too much time with the bad guys. We do get some bad guy points of view, but they don't overwhelm the story like the last few books did IMHO.
The setting of Florida I think may be a new one for Davenport. I can't recall at this point if he's been there in any of the other stories, or maybe he has, but not for long. We get to see a seedy side to Florida and also how things move down there.
The ending was great and I liked that for once Sanford gives us an update on all of the bad guys as well as the good things. The ending as I said definitely shows that Sandford like a few mystery authors is planning on introducing COVID-19 to his fictional world. I should have realized since there's a few things mentioned here and there that makes you realize that Trump is President. Or someone that sounds like him is.
"Ocean Prey" follows 51 year old U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport. As readers know, Lucas may be supposedly a Marshal, but he pretty much does what he wants and works on high profile cases due to his connections. There has been some fall out from the last book with Lucas's usual duo of friends Bob and Rae being a little gun-shy around him. Shockingly enough, some people aren't cool with the whole justice/vengeance thing that Lucas is about. When the book opens we have Lucas in some kind of way and he actually pulls a gun on some men who were looking to mug him. We don't know what that's about before we switch gears to another character who realizes that a U.S. Coast Guard ship that stops a boat is in trouble. And before he knows it, the men on board are murdered and the perpetrators on the other boat take off. The bad guys get away, and the FBI and others are coming up empty. Enter Lucas. Lucas is put on the case, but is only really able to grab Bob to take with him while they travel to Florida to figure out the lay of the land down there and with the case. There's a lot of twists and turns and we can see how Lucas has lost a step here and there. There are going to be some repercussions for some characters we have known for a while too.
So Lucas, this time he's not bigger than life in this one. We follow him for about 50 percent of the story, before Virgil pops in (no spoilers). I think the second half with Virgil actually works better. And I honestly want to see Virgil again with the person he's paired up with in this one. The duo works great and I could happily read some side stories about them.
The writing was to the point more in this one I thought. We don't have pages and pages of Lucas pontificating on something with Sandford throwing in random history and you wanting to scream cause we are spending too much time with the bad guys. We do get some bad guy points of view, but they don't overwhelm the story like the last few books did IMHO.
The setting of Florida I think may be a new one for Davenport. I can't recall at this point if he's been there in any of the other stories, or maybe he has, but not for long. We get to see a seedy side to Florida and also how things move down there.
The ending was great and I liked that for once Sanford gives us an update on all of the bad guys as well as the good things. The ending as I said definitely shows that Sandford like a few mystery authors is planning on introducing COVID-19 to his fictional world. I should have realized since there's a few things mentioned here and there that makes you realize that Trump is President. Or someone that sounds like him is.
February 8, 2021
Okay, a couple of confessions first.
1) I’m starting to like Virgil more than Lucas.
2) After this…I kind of want Virgil and Rae to get together and make beautiful babies. (Yes, I know…not the point, but still!)
So I have to admit that I wasn’t all into the crime in this one. While it was interesting enough, our baddies weren’t charismatic and the crime itself wasn’t a particularly exciting one. I need baddies you love to hate. These were…baddies I was apathetic about.
However, I did love our character interactions, found myself very curious about exactly how some of our characters would get out alive, and even had my heart broken in one particular scene.
While not my favorite book in the series, I did like it and will happily read the next book in the series (and the next and the next and the next). It’s a solid read, if not the most exciting for me.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
1) I’m starting to like Virgil more than Lucas.
2) After this…I kind of want Virgil and Rae to get together and make beautiful babies. (Yes, I know…not the point, but still!)
So I have to admit that I wasn’t all into the crime in this one. While it was interesting enough, our baddies weren’t charismatic and the crime itself wasn’t a particularly exciting one. I need baddies you love to hate. These were…baddies I was apathetic about.
However, I did love our character interactions, found myself very curious about exactly how some of our characters would get out alive, and even had my heart broken in one particular scene.
While not my favorite book in the series, I did like it and will happily read the next book in the series (and the next and the next and the next). It’s a solid read, if not the most exciting for me.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
April 21, 2021
3.5 stars
John Sandford always writes great dialogue, but this book has some of the very best in all his books. The way these guys (and some gals, too) trade playful insults and exaggerations feels authentic to me. And it's usually very funny. I can imagine people in various law enforcement professions talking this way to build camaraderie and release tension.
This story is masterfully plotted, complex and intricate. That complexity makes it feel realistic and exciting. But in this case it also meant there were way too many characters to keep track of, and I found myself confused a lot of the time. That's no reason to avoid it. I still thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience and the familiar characters I love. My slightly lower rating reflects my confusion, not the quality of the book.
It's fun now that Lucas is a federal marshal, because Sandford can take him all over the country. And this time Lucas drags his buddy Virgil Flowers along for the chaos, along with a couple of other marshals we've seen before. Hawaii, Florida, New York, and New Jersey this time around. Almost zero Minnesota. Keeps things fresh.
John Sandford has a great sense of humor, and it really shines through in this installment. There's one scene where they go in to bust some people and offer to put them in witness protection. Turns out there's a psychotic bird, a little dog, a feisty old lady and a crotchety old man, and things get truly comical. I wanted to clap for all of them!
April 24, 2021
I love Sanford and Davenport and Virgil and all of the rest of them. I loved this book. If you haven’t read the Prey books, start with the first one and keep going until you finish this one.
Great story and mystery. I think Sanford hurt himself badly enough (shoulder injury from some kind of accident) to make this combination book necessary and it worked great, even though we had a couple of sad events. The crime and criminals were well done. Can’t wait for the next ONES.
Great story and mystery. I think Sanford hurt himself badly enough (shoulder injury from some kind of accident) to make this combination book necessary and it worked great, even though we had a couple of sad events. The crime and criminals were well done. Can’t wait for the next ONES.
April 18, 2021
”Look. You guys do a mountain of research and you’re really good at that, but you do two kinds of arrests. One is, you send in a SWAT team, knock down all the doors, and pile on top of people; the other is more like a party. You all show up wearing your FBI vests and you seize all the file cabinets. And that’s fine, you do it well. Us Marshals arrest individual fugitives. That’s what this is going to be: we can’t have any excitement at all. Devlin and I will sort of amble up to him and ask for a light and tell him he’s under arrest and if he resists we’ll beat the shit out of him, in a hurry. Mug him. That’s what we do. That’s what we need in this situation.”
“Another episode in the growing legend of Virgil Flowers, Minnesota lawman.” And a hell of an episode it was. Except this was not just a Virgil book; this was a Lucas and Virgil book-finally combining their powers, with Virgil joining the Marshals to help with an enormous case.
I was excited for the release of this book for months, and it didn’t let me down. This one saw Virgil joining Lucas in coastal South Florida to catch some mob guys that have recently executed some Coast Guard guys who got in their way. It was a thrill to see Virgil leave the icy confines of Minnesota where he’s used to operating and take on something huge down in Florida, from the Keys to Miami. This book starts out as any Prey book might, but doesn’t take long to take some surprising and even shocking turns, especially if you’re familiar with the series and characters.
Sandford’s writing is perfectly on point as always. His writing is simple, but flows and works so well. He makes it look easy; it is definitely not. This book contains all the humor, camaraderie and fun Sandford readers are used to, with no shortage of blood and violence. And although he has ventured outside of Minnesota before, the setting on the ocean was largely new territory, and I loved it.
Overall, I’m glad I preordered this and it was more than worth the wait. John Sandford is backing it off to one book a year now, and the next one will be focused on Lucas’s adopted daughter, Letty, and while I’m excited to see what he has in store for us with that, I’m kind of bummed we won’t be seeing a Prey or, my favorite lately, a Virgil novel for quite some time. Either way, there’s plenty of back catalogue I’ve yet to read and I’ll definitely be dipping into Sandford’s books from time to time in the coming year.
Also, this was the first book I have read that has made mention of Covid-19. It was a little nod at where the world was headed and was a bit sobering as it’s now been going on long enough that we’re seeing it pop up in novels.
Solid 4/5
“Another episode in the growing legend of Virgil Flowers, Minnesota lawman.” And a hell of an episode it was. Except this was not just a Virgil book; this was a Lucas and Virgil book-finally combining their powers, with Virgil joining the Marshals to help with an enormous case.
I was excited for the release of this book for months, and it didn’t let me down. This one saw Virgil joining Lucas in coastal South Florida to catch some mob guys that have recently executed some Coast Guard guys who got in their way. It was a thrill to see Virgil leave the icy confines of Minnesota where he’s used to operating and take on something huge down in Florida, from the Keys to Miami. This book starts out as any Prey book might, but doesn’t take long to take some surprising and even shocking turns, especially if you’re familiar with the series and characters.
Sandford’s writing is perfectly on point as always. His writing is simple, but flows and works so well. He makes it look easy; it is definitely not. This book contains all the humor, camaraderie and fun Sandford readers are used to, with no shortage of blood and violence. And although he has ventured outside of Minnesota before, the setting on the ocean was largely new territory, and I loved it.
Overall, I’m glad I preordered this and it was more than worth the wait. John Sandford is backing it off to one book a year now, and the next one will be focused on Lucas’s adopted daughter, Letty, and while I’m excited to see what he has in store for us with that, I’m kind of bummed we won’t be seeing a Prey or, my favorite lately, a Virgil novel for quite some time. Either way, there’s plenty of back catalogue I’ve yet to read and I’ll definitely be dipping into Sandford’s books from time to time in the coming year.
Also, this was the first book I have read that has made mention of Covid-19. It was a little nod at where the world was headed and was a bit sobering as it’s now been going on long enough that we’re seeing it pop up in novels.
Solid 4/5
May 8, 2021
This book is getting 3-stars mainly because it is much better than the last Prey novel (Masked Prey) which I DNF and gave 1-star.
It is quite the accomplishment for an author to keep a character fresh after so many years – I think the first “Prey” novel came out in the 1980’s and I’ve read them all. Obviously the character has to progress as he gets older.
“Ocean Prey” deals with drug smuggling, the Mafia and scuba diving. The scuba diving is described in excruciating detail none of which is of interest to me.
Virgil only appears after the half-way mark in the story. By which point there are so many characters it gets confusing until I realized it wasn’t all that important to keep them all straight and I was able to skip along to get to the end.
It is quite the accomplishment for an author to keep a character fresh after so many years – I think the first “Prey” novel came out in the 1980’s and I’ve read them all. Obviously the character has to progress as he gets older.
“Ocean Prey” deals with drug smuggling, the Mafia and scuba diving. The scuba diving is described in excruciating detail none of which is of interest to me.
Virgil only appears after the half-way mark in the story. By which point there are so many characters it gets confusing until I realized it wasn’t all that important to keep them all straight and I was able to skip along to get to the end.
April 23, 2021
Another excellent entry in the Prey series as Lucas and Virgil take on organized crime from Florida to New York. Exciting, very well plotted and Rae adds a lot of interest to the story. Well done. Recommended.
May 14, 2021
I'm a big John Sandford fan. I love both his Prey series and his Virgil Flowers series. This book was exceptionally good for me because Sandford wove Virgil into this Prey story.
The novel starts off in Florida when an off-duty Coast Guardsman stumbles onto a drug smuggler picking up a supply of heroin out of the ocean. Realizing what's happening, he calls it in to the Coast Guard and follows the boat back to shore. Unfortunately, the drug smugglers kill the three Coast Guardsmen who attempt to arrest them. The FBI is called in to investigate the killings but when their investigation stalls, U. S. Marshal Lucas Davenport is enlisted to help them. He brings in Virgil Flowers to go undercover with Marshal Rae Givens to infiltrate the smuggling operation. The action then switches back and forth between a drug kingpin in New York and the undercover operation in Florida as Lucas and company try to find the killers but also bring down the kingpin.
The action never stops. Sandford is so skilled at writing thrillers that one tends to overlook his ability to create great dialogue. It is both snappy and humorous. This is another great book in this long-running series but enough character background is given that it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend this book.
The novel starts off in Florida when an off-duty Coast Guardsman stumbles onto a drug smuggler picking up a supply of heroin out of the ocean. Realizing what's happening, he calls it in to the Coast Guard and follows the boat back to shore. Unfortunately, the drug smugglers kill the three Coast Guardsmen who attempt to arrest them. The FBI is called in to investigate the killings but when their investigation stalls, U. S. Marshal Lucas Davenport is enlisted to help them. He brings in Virgil Flowers to go undercover with Marshal Rae Givens to infiltrate the smuggling operation. The action then switches back and forth between a drug kingpin in New York and the undercover operation in Florida as Lucas and company try to find the killers but also bring down the kingpin.
The action never stops. Sandford is so skilled at writing thrillers that one tends to overlook his ability to create great dialogue. It is both snappy and humorous. This is another great book in this long-running series but enough character background is given that it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend this book.
May 19, 2021
This book delivers believable though fantastical action in the world of law vs drug criminals, and we get to spend satisfying time with Lucas as well as Virgil - two great characters. I highlighted so many passages that I loved and was entertained by...maybe I could share a couple. Nope, I won't do that as I wouldn't wish to rob anyone of the pleasure of reading this book and finding their own favorite segments. Yes...somehow Marshalls are needed and wanted by the FBI - to work with, that is!
February 25, 2021
I'm not sure how Sandford continues to do this! This is the only and I repeat ONLY series I am still passionate about. Sandford's writing is like a very fine wine. He just keeps getting better with age and once you've tasted you're hard pressed to find anything that is nearly so nice elsewhere....
I have to say that, not for the first time, we somehow lose a beloved player in the Davenport world, but once again, when we should be angry with Sandford, you'll be hard pressed to do so. It is what it is. Stuff happens. Everything that happens before, during, and after reminds us much of Lucas' character, and just how far he's came since the start of the series over 30 books ago. That's all I'll say on that matter....READ....THE....BOOK.
As this novel ends, I am once again, sad that it's over and I have to hope for a new instalment for one of the series, hopefully in the fall, and yet, I am also very excited at the hint of wonderful things to come...I'm sure I Sandford won't disappoint, even if I am disappointed that things don't pan out as I hope!
I am one of those that start out a series with loads of enthusiasm, yet often wane after a few books, sometime I can make it to a dozen or more before my interest fades, but no more than that, except Sandford. I've followed his writing career from the beginning. Yes, that long...and if anything, I love him more now than ever before...It's one of the very few, if only author I read ASAP instead of just adding it to my huge list of books to read. I love how he continues to make Lucas and Virgil relevant, despite their ageing. So many authors fail to do that. Thank you Mr Sandford for always giving me a taste of of the Davenport World each year near my birthday, I swear, it's the best present every single year.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
I have to say that, not for the first time, we somehow lose a beloved player in the Davenport world, but once again, when we should be angry with Sandford, you'll be hard pressed to do so. It is what it is. Stuff happens. Everything that happens before, during, and after reminds us much of Lucas' character, and just how far he's came since the start of the series over 30 books ago. That's all I'll say on that matter....READ....THE....BOOK.
As this novel ends, I am once again, sad that it's over and I have to hope for a new instalment for one of the series, hopefully in the fall, and yet, I am also very excited at the hint of wonderful things to come...I'm sure I Sandford won't disappoint, even if I am disappointed that things don't pan out as I hope!
I am one of those that start out a series with loads of enthusiasm, yet often wane after a few books, sometime I can make it to a dozen or more before my interest fades, but no more than that, except Sandford. I've followed his writing career from the beginning. Yes, that long...and if anything, I love him more now than ever before...It's one of the very few, if only author I read ASAP instead of just adding it to my huge list of books to read. I love how he continues to make Lucas and Virgil relevant, despite their ageing. So many authors fail to do that. Thank you Mr Sandford for always giving me a taste of of the Davenport World each year near my birthday, I swear, it's the best present every single year.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
November 25, 2021
5 Stars. I was skeptical when opening page one. How could this be a joint Davenport, Flowers novel? It's a "Prey" title isn't it? I enjoy both, with a lean to Virgil, so I thought I'd probably love this new approach anyway. Having read it, Flowers and Davenport do deserve equal billing, and I loved it as expected. In baseball, batting one for two is a good day. Sandford goes two for two. Rather than #31 and #13, it truly is "Davenport & Flowers #1." We get right into it. An astute Coast Guard officer, Barney Hall, out fishing on his day off, spots something strange. A lone scuba diver far from shore suddenly gets picked up by a speedboat. After suggesting a boat inspection to the on-duty team, Hall watches in horror as three Coast Guard men are shot. Soon the FBI are all over the Miami / Port Everglades scene but results are meagre. These drug gangs are professional - modern Mafia out of New York and New Jersey. They make few mistakes. That's the case until Davenport and Flowers begin chipping away. Lucas first asks, "How much does a wet suit weigh?," and then Virgil gets serious about deep sea diving. Suspense galore. It's taut and tense. (May 2021)
May 14, 2021
Just when you thought Sandford had no where to go with this series he pulls Ocean Prey out of his - well you know where I am going with that.
Virgil and Lucas together in the one novel with a major shock that I was not expecting at all. This book had it all. Let's hope that rather than one book on alternative years for our boys we get more of them together.
The story itself was extremely compelling, and once I started listening I could not stop.
There is not much that I can say that I have not said before, I simply love these books and characters. If this is a series you have not read, or if it a series you have been waiting to start don't delay its more than worth it.
Virgil and Lucas together in the one novel with a major shock that I was not expecting at all. This book had it all. Let's hope that rather than one book on alternative years for our boys we get more of them together.
The story itself was extremely compelling, and once I started listening I could not stop.
There is not much that I can say that I have not said before, I simply love these books and characters. If this is a series you have not read, or if it a series you have been waiting to start don't delay its more than worth it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,257 reviews