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Lucas Davenport #5
Winter Prey
Winter Prey is John Sandford's suspense masterpiece! Following the international success of Shadow Prey and Silent Prey, Winter Prey creates another heart-pounding chapter in the career of Lucas Davenport, the brilliant, hard-bitten detective from the Twin Cities.
The Iceman is Lucas Davenport's most determined foe - a serial killer driven to cover his brutal tracks with blood. Sandford again creates almost unbearable suspense as we wait for the Ice Man's razor-sharp corn knife to strike.
Winter Prey unfolds in the cold and driving snow of the north country, the perfect setting for the chilling terror caused by the Ice Man, a killer who knows Lucas' every move - a coldly brilliant madman who can't be stopped. Turn up the heat and listen as Lucas Davenport faces his most dangerous challenge.
The Iceman is Lucas Davenport's most determined foe - a serial killer driven to cover his brutal tracks with blood. Sandford again creates almost unbearable suspense as we wait for the Ice Man's razor-sharp corn knife to strike.
Winter Prey unfolds in the cold and driving snow of the north country, the perfect setting for the chilling terror caused by the Ice Man, a killer who knows Lucas' every move - a coldly brilliant madman who can't be stopped. Turn up the heat and listen as Lucas Davenport faces his most dangerous challenge.
403 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 1993
1785 people are currently reading
8152 people want to read
About the author
John Sandford
237 books9,660 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 973 reviews
January 7, 2022
Lucas's books have some really evil antagonists and maybe this is due to how the chapters contain the villains' parts so as a reader I witness the crimes being committed, and also hear their thoughts.
It's downtime for Lucas and he's spending the winter at his cabin in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. When a killer in Grant murdered a family and torched their home, Lucas was asked to help. Hiding in plain sight, "Iceman" is truly vile. He would torture and kill anyone and I mean anyone to bury his secret. A new recurring character is introduced, a surgeon, Dr. Weather Karkinnen who helps with the investigation.
A chilling crime thriller, in cat and mouse fashion. Great setting during subzero winter in rural Wisconsin. Winter Prey is a perfect read right now while it's snowing outside!
It's downtime for Lucas and he's spending the winter at his cabin in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. When a killer in Grant murdered a family and torched their home, Lucas was asked to help. Hiding in plain sight, "Iceman" is truly vile. He would torture and kill anyone and I mean anyone to bury his secret. A new recurring character is introduced, a surgeon, Dr. Weather Karkinnen who helps with the investigation.
A chilling crime thriller, in cat and mouse fashion. Great setting during subzero winter in rural Wisconsin. Winter Prey is a perfect read right now while it's snowing outside!
November 8, 2024
The first of Elmore Leonard's famous ten rules for writing is, "Never open a book with weather." In Winter Prey, the fifth book in John Sandford's excellent Prey series, the author ignores the rule and opens the book with a blistering winter storm. Indeed, the severe weather that permeates the novel virtually becomes a character in and of itself, to the point that the reader might well want to be sitting in front of a blazing fire with a snifter of fine Brandy close at hand.
The book finds Sandford's protagonist, Lucas Davenport, separated from the Minneapolis PD and virtually hiding out in his Wisconsin cabin. Then a family is brutally murdered and their house is torched in a neighboring county. The small town sheriff knows that he is in way over his head and appeals to Davenport for help. Lucas is growing restless and agrees to take the lead in the investigation after he is sworn in as a deputy.
From the opening scene, the book takes off like a shot. The antagonist, "The Iceman," has a secret that he is determined to keep, no matter how many bodies might fall in the process and regardless of how many innocent people may be hurt. And the bodies do keep falling as the Iceman becomes increasingly desperate. Davenport is initially stumped and what precious little evidence there is points him in a puzzling direction. Happily, though, in the course of the investigation, Lucas meets a local doctor, Weather Karkinnen. "Is that Weather, like 'Stormy Weather'?" Lucas asks. "'Exactly,' the doctor said." Little does Lucas know...
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there are a number of nasty characters in addition to the Iceman in this small town and some pretty nasty secrets as well. Lucas will naturally do his best to sort it out, but it turns out that this tiny town may hold more of a threat to Davenport than any he ever faced in the Big City.
This is another very compelling entry in this series, compete with the plot twists, engaging characters and black humor that Sandford's fans have come to expect. A great read for any cold winter night, but keep the Brandy close at hand; it's really, really cold out there.
James L. Thane
Author of A Shot to the Heart
The book finds Sandford's protagonist, Lucas Davenport, separated from the Minneapolis PD and virtually hiding out in his Wisconsin cabin. Then a family is brutally murdered and their house is torched in a neighboring county. The small town sheriff knows that he is in way over his head and appeals to Davenport for help. Lucas is growing restless and agrees to take the lead in the investigation after he is sworn in as a deputy.
From the opening scene, the book takes off like a shot. The antagonist, "The Iceman," has a secret that he is determined to keep, no matter how many bodies might fall in the process and regardless of how many innocent people may be hurt. And the bodies do keep falling as the Iceman becomes increasingly desperate. Davenport is initially stumped and what precious little evidence there is points him in a puzzling direction. Happily, though, in the course of the investigation, Lucas meets a local doctor, Weather Karkinnen. "Is that Weather, like 'Stormy Weather'?" Lucas asks. "'Exactly,' the doctor said." Little does Lucas know...
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there are a number of nasty characters in addition to the Iceman in this small town and some pretty nasty secrets as well. Lucas will naturally do his best to sort it out, but it turns out that this tiny town may hold more of a threat to Davenport than any he ever faced in the Big City.
This is another very compelling entry in this series, compete with the plot twists, engaging characters and black humor that Sandford's fans have come to expect. A great read for any cold winter night, but keep the Brandy close at hand; it's really, really cold out there.
James L. Thane
Author of A Shot to the Heart
February 18, 2016
Since his New York adventure from the last book was wrapped up, Lucas Davenport is again bored and at loose ends. With nothing better to do, Lucas is riding out a long winter in his cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. Once again it’s the murder of innocent people that will give Davenport something to occupy his time. The guy really needs a hobby…
A vicious killer who thinks of himself as the Iceman is desperate to stop a compromising photograph becoming public so he butchers a family and burns their house down to try and destroy it. With the town’s priest implicated in the crime and the small community terrified, the overwhelmed sheriff asks Davenport for help. As Lucas tries to track him down the Iceman grows ever more desperate and violent.
The Prey series has such a generally consistent level of quality that it’s hard to pick a high point for the series, but I’d name this one as my favorite. Having Lucas work with a bunch of small town cops was a new wrinkle to the formula, especially since the last book had Davenport in New York so it really felt like a change of pace.
The Iceman was one of the nastier and more memorable killers in the long list of villains the series has had, and Sandford did a great job of showing us his point of view while disguising his identity so that when he’s finally revealed it’s a very satisfying answer. This one is also a turning point for the series with the introduction of Weather Karkinnen, the doctor who’d become a very important figure in Lucas’s life.
Another aspect that sets this one apart is the backdrop of an absolutely brutal winter. Blizzards and temperatures well below freezing have made simply going outside incredibly dangerous. Sandford has a talent for making you feel the wind chill, and the way he describes a frozen wasteland creates a bleak mood that perfectly matches the crimes that drive the story. This one is Sandford at his best.
Next: Lucas vs. the psycho cat burglar in Night Prey.
A vicious killer who thinks of himself as the Iceman is desperate to stop a compromising photograph becoming public so he butchers a family and burns their house down to try and destroy it. With the town’s priest implicated in the crime and the small community terrified, the overwhelmed sheriff asks Davenport for help. As Lucas tries to track him down the Iceman grows ever more desperate and violent.
The Prey series has such a generally consistent level of quality that it’s hard to pick a high point for the series, but I’d name this one as my favorite. Having Lucas work with a bunch of small town cops was a new wrinkle to the formula, especially since the last book had Davenport in New York so it really felt like a change of pace.
The Iceman was one of the nastier and more memorable killers in the long list of villains the series has had, and Sandford did a great job of showing us his point of view while disguising his identity so that when he’s finally revealed it’s a very satisfying answer. This one is also a turning point for the series with the introduction of Weather Karkinnen, the doctor who’d become a very important figure in Lucas’s life.
Another aspect that sets this one apart is the backdrop of an absolutely brutal winter. Blizzards and temperatures well below freezing have made simply going outside incredibly dangerous. Sandford has a talent for making you feel the wind chill, and the way he describes a frozen wasteland creates a bleak mood that perfectly matches the crimes that drive the story. This one is Sandford at his best.
Next: Lucas vs. the psycho cat burglar in Night Prey.
July 19, 2023
I have decided I am not enthusiastic about books with endless cold and snowstorms, which was one of the reasons I gave up on Game of Thrones. However I managed to stay with Winter Prey despite the chill and ended up enjoying it four stars worth.
Lucas Davenport seemed to be in a fairly good place mentally, and he definitely enjoyed pitting his skills against a particularly nasty serial killer. He also managed to find a relationship
This was a good story with the usual (for Lucas) multiple dead bodies and near death experiences. It was really quite exciting, but all the snow made me feel like staying in bed with the electric blanket on. Looking forward to the next book and hoping it is set in Spring.
Lucas Davenport seemed to be in a fairly good place mentally, and he definitely enjoyed pitting his skills against a particularly nasty serial killer. He also managed to find a relationship
This was a good story with the usual (for Lucas) multiple dead bodies and near death experiences. It was really quite exciting, but all the snow made me feel like staying in bed with the electric blanket on. Looking forward to the next book and hoping it is set in Spring.
June 6, 2024
Solid mystery with a creepy villain and some dark crimes hiding within small Midwest USA.
It’s been awhile since I picked up a Davenport mystery but this one may have been the strongest yet in a series which is definitely improving!!
Despite the early ‘90s vibe— this started out strong and just kept going. I’m always slightly disturbed by an especially heinous villain— especially when you meet them in their mind first—long before the detective arrives on the scene.
I had forgotten that Davenport has moved on from being a cop to adjusting to retirement— albeit semi-retirement. But he gets back in the game pretty quickly.
He’s surrounded by a cast of small town characters who may or may not be who they seem— as Davenport quickly discovers… almost everyone is hiding a secret.
Some great cat and mouse action ends this novel. Definitely reserving the next one!!
(Reviewed 6/12/22)
It’s been awhile since I picked up a Davenport mystery but this one may have been the strongest yet in a series which is definitely improving!!
Despite the early ‘90s vibe— this started out strong and just kept going. I’m always slightly disturbed by an especially heinous villain— especially when you meet them in their mind first—long before the detective arrives on the scene.
I had forgotten that Davenport has moved on from being a cop to adjusting to retirement— albeit semi-retirement. But he gets back in the game pretty quickly.
He’s surrounded by a cast of small town characters who may or may not be who they seem— as Davenport quickly discovers… almost everyone is hiding a secret.
Some great cat and mouse action ends this novel. Definitely reserving the next one!!
(Reviewed 6/12/22)
January 23, 2018
This is excellent! My first book by John Sanford and I'll never forget it, just so crazy good!! A must for any John Sanford fans and any detective lovers!!
February 15, 2019
Vào một đêm đông lạnh giá, ở một thị trấn heo hút thuộc bang Wisconsin, gia đình nhà LaCourt gồm 3 người đã bị sát hại một cách dã man, toàn bộ ngôi nhà của họ bị phóng hỏa, chỉ vì kẻ giết người – Người Băng – muốn tìm ra và thủ tiêu một tấm ảnh tạp chí chụp cảnh hắn ta trần truồng trên giường với cậu bé Jim Harper – người được cho là đã bị giết hại không lâu trước đó. Thanh tra Lucas Davenport nổi tiếng vùng Twin Cities đã được điều động để điều tra vụ án này, và anh cùng các đồng sự không thể ngờ được rằng, vụ án mạng của nhà LaCourt chỉ mới là tấn thảm kịch đầu tiên được gây ra bởi bàn tay của Người Băng, kẻ sát nhân khát máu điên loạn, không từ bất cứ hành động nào để thủ tiêu và bịt đầu mối các nhân chứng có thể khai ra danh tính cũng như cả một đường dây quan hệ tình dục với trẻ vị thành niên bất hợp pháp của hắn và đồng bọn.
“Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” của tác giả John Sandford thực sự là một cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám Mỹ điển hình. Chúng ta có một vụ giết người man rợ để mở đầu câu chuyện, và nhiều vụ giết người khác cũng man rợ không kém phát sinh sau đó, giữa cái nền tuyết trắng xóa của một thị trấn vào thời điểm nhiệt độ luôn ở mức âm độ C (không hiểu sao mà mình rất thích đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám lấy bối cảnh ở mùa đông nha. Có lẽ vì cái lạnh lẽo âm u của thời tiết góp phần tôn thêm bầu không khí vốn đã đáng sợ, âm u và chết chóc của câu chuyện). Diễn tiến cuộc điều tra của thanh tra Davenport và đồng sự được miêu tả một cách liên tục; chuyện tình cảm mới chớm nở giữa thanh tra và cô bác sĩ Weather tài năng xinh đẹp cũng dự phần vào câu chuyện, nhưng hoàn toàn không làm lu mờ nội dung chính của tác phẩm, chính là quá trình tìm ra chân tướng đích thực của gã Người Băng.
Đoạn cuối khi cảnh sát và FBI hợp sức tìm cách bắt Người Băng được miêu tả đậm chất điện ảnh Mỹ, y như đang mình xem những thước phim hành động/điều tra phá án của Hollywood diễn ra trước mắt vậy đó, phê lắm. Cái kết dành cho Người Băng có lẽ chưa thực sự làm mình thỏa mãn, nhưng theo mình thì dẫu sao, hắn ta cũng nhận được quả báo đáng kiếp cho những gì hắn đã gây ra rồi.
Thực ra cuốn này không có plot twist gì nhiều hết, vì các hành động của Người Băng được miêu tả song song với bước đường điều tra của cảnh sát, nên hắn làm gì thì độc giả cũng biết rồi, biết trước cả cảnh sát luôn. Với lại người đọc hoàn toàn có thể đưa ra 1 hay 2 suy đoán về danh tính của Người Băng, dựa trên tiết lộ về nghề nghiệp của gã ở đoạn đầu. Điều làm nên một “Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” hấp dẫn, theo mình chính là ở cách kể chuyện của tác giả, từng bước lột trần một Người Băng điên loạn và không từ thủ đoạn nào, cùng sự tởm lợm đến kinh hoàng của đường dây quan hệ tình dục với trẻ vị thành niên mà hắn là một phần trong đó (có cả quan hệ threesome, hoặc là một thằng quan hệ một thằng đứng nhìn nữa, tởm thật…). Những đoạn miêu tả sự âm u, bí hiểm của cảnh trí và khu rừng bao bọc bởi tuyết tại nơi diễn ra vụ án cũng góp phần làm nên một câu chuyện điều tra án mạng vô cùng đặc sắc và hấp dẫn.
Theo lời tác giả John Sandford ở đầu quyển sách thì đây là cuốn tiểu thuyết ông xem là hay nhất trong series tiểu thuyết trinh thám xoay quanh nhân vật điều tra viên Lucas Davenport mà ông viết. Chả trách mà cuốn này là cuốn đầu tiên trong series được Bách Việt xuất bản, mặc dù thứ tự của nó trong series là tập 5 chứ không phải tập 1. Vì vậy, trong “Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” có một số chi tiết liên quan đến đời sống, công việc của thanh tra Davenport ở các tập trước đó thì phải, đọc có vẻ hơi khó theo dõi một chút.
“Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” của tác giả John Sandford thực sự là một cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám Mỹ điển hình. Chúng ta có một vụ giết người man rợ để mở đầu câu chuyện, và nhiều vụ giết người khác cũng man rợ không kém phát sinh sau đó, giữa cái nền tuyết trắng xóa của một thị trấn vào thời điểm nhiệt độ luôn ở mức âm độ C (không hiểu sao mà mình rất thích đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám lấy bối cảnh ở mùa đông nha. Có lẽ vì cái lạnh lẽo âm u của thời tiết góp phần tôn thêm bầu không khí vốn đã đáng sợ, âm u và chết chóc của câu chuyện). Diễn tiến cuộc điều tra của thanh tra Davenport và đồng sự được miêu tả một cách liên tục; chuyện tình cảm mới chớm nở giữa thanh tra và cô bác sĩ Weather tài năng xinh đẹp cũng dự phần vào câu chuyện, nhưng hoàn toàn không làm lu mờ nội dung chính của tác phẩm, chính là quá trình tìm ra chân tướng đích thực của gã Người Băng.
Đoạn cuối khi cảnh sát và FBI hợp sức tìm cách bắt Người Băng được miêu tả đậm chất điện ảnh Mỹ, y như đang mình xem những thước phim hành động/điều tra phá án của Hollywood diễn ra trước mắt vậy đó, phê lắm. Cái kết dành cho Người Băng có lẽ chưa thực sự làm mình thỏa mãn, nhưng theo mình thì dẫu sao, hắn ta cũng nhận được quả báo đáng kiếp cho những gì hắn đã gây ra rồi.
Thực ra cuốn này không có plot twist gì nhiều hết, vì các hành động của Người Băng được miêu tả song song với bước đường điều tra của cảnh sát, nên hắn làm gì thì độc giả cũng biết rồi, biết trước cả cảnh sát luôn. Với lại người đọc hoàn toàn có thể đưa ra 1 hay 2 suy đoán về danh tính của Người Băng, dựa trên tiết lộ về nghề nghiệp của gã ở đoạn đầu. Điều làm nên một “Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” hấp dẫn, theo mình chính là ở cách kể chuyện của tác giả, từng bước lột trần một Người Băng điên loạn và không từ thủ đoạn nào, cùng sự tởm lợm đến kinh hoàng của đường dây quan hệ tình dục với trẻ vị thành niên mà hắn là một phần trong đó (có cả quan hệ threesome, hoặc là một thằng quan hệ một thằng đứng nhìn nữa, tởm thật…). Những đoạn miêu tả sự âm u, bí hiểm của cảnh trí và khu rừng bao bọc bởi tuyết tại nơi diễn ra vụ án cũng góp phần làm nên một câu chuyện điều tra án mạng vô cùng đặc sắc và hấp dẫn.
Theo lời tác giả John Sandford ở đầu quyển sách thì đây là cuốn tiểu thuyết ông xem là hay nhất trong series tiểu thuyết trinh thám xoay quanh nhân vật điều tra viên Lucas Davenport mà ông viết. Chả trách mà cuốn này là cuốn đầu tiên trong series được Bách Việt xuất bản, mặc dù thứ tự của nó trong series là tập 5 chứ không phải tập 1. Vì vậy, trong “Cuộc thanh trừng mùa đông” có một số chi tiết liên quan đến đời sống, công việc của thanh tra Davenport ở các tập trước đó thì phải, đọc có vẻ hơi khó theo dõi một chút.
January 2, 2020
“Is that Weather, like ‘Stormy Weather’?”
In Winter Prey, we have Lucas Davenport assisting the police with a murder case during a terrible winter in Wisconsin.
A family has been murdered and their house has been burnt. A photograph of a man and underage high school kid points to the reason for their demise. When the local Sheriff calls Lucas for help, he can't resist. Lucas is bored and his video games and life at the cabin are not enough to entertain him.
The baddie on this one goes by the name of the "Iceman". A cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing until he can save himself from being discovered.
Lucas Davenport keeps on growing on me. He can be petulant, but he can be funny too. I love how in this one, Lucas meets a woman, Weather Karkinnen who seemed to be one step ahead of Lucas with her comebacks and sarcasm.
I also enjoyed (from the warmth of my home) how John Sandford makes winter a character in itself with freezing temperatures and winter storms making the chase for the killer even a more difficult one.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
September 27, 2017
8.5
The best of this fine series so far. The title is apt, winter really is at the forefront of everything. The chill factor of reading about The Iceman pales in comparison to the chills provided by the ongoing wintry conditions Lucas faces.
What really made this one stand apart was the complete shift in direction to the last book where Lucas is now helping a small town hunt down a serial killer and work out who the chuff it is. The added claustrophobia added by the wintry storm gives it a real unique feel.
The Iceman is a good antagonist without ever being completely memorable, I imagine in another 5 books time I may have forgot the majority of his actions. But you're left guessing as to who it is and the reveal was satisfying and not what I was expecting.
This is the first book in the series I've not listened to on audiobook and I enjoyed reading it more than listening so I may stick with reading this series (especially as my library doesn't have the next few in the series). I look forward to the next in the series and where things head from here.
The best of this fine series so far. The title is apt, winter really is at the forefront of everything. The chill factor of reading about The Iceman pales in comparison to the chills provided by the ongoing wintry conditions Lucas faces.
What really made this one stand apart was the complete shift in direction to the last book where Lucas is now helping a small town hunt down a serial killer and work out who the chuff it is. The added claustrophobia added by the wintry storm gives it a real unique feel.
The Iceman is a good antagonist without ever being completely memorable, I imagine in another 5 books time I may have forgot the majority of his actions. But you're left guessing as to who it is and the reveal was satisfying and not what I was expecting.
This is the first book in the series I've not listened to on audiobook and I enjoyed reading it more than listening so I may stick with reading this series (especially as my library doesn't have the next few in the series). I look forward to the next in the series and where things head from here.
May 1, 2024
It’s been around 23 years since I read a book in this series (which was actually the 6th book, Night Prey), but I’ve given myself a jolt and have picked up another. Not really sure why I stopped to be honest because this type of psychological thriller is kinda up my alley and, only a quarter of the way into Winter Prey, I remembered why I was a fan of Lucas Davenport and his straight ahead attitude.
Winter Prey, the 5th book in the Lucas Davenport series, opens with a shocking multiple murder which we know was perpetrated by a man known as The Iceman. Clearly, this is going to be a character who will be known to us during the course of the investigation by their real name, but to us is hidden behind the mysterious moniker.
Davenport has been prised out of self-imposed isolation in his Wisconsin cabin by the local small town sheriff’s department to provide his homicide investigation experience and, for expediency, is deputised and ready for duty.
By regularly checking back with The Iceman we know that the reason for the slaying is an attempt to keep his identity a secret. He’ll go to any lengths to keep that secret with the obvious problem being that, the more determined he becomes to keep the secret, the more reckless the violence and the greater the danger of it spinning out of control.
Davenport, with the help of the local sheriff’s department, some friends from Minneapolis and the local doctor, gels nicely to put together a small but quite capable team. Naturally, their work simply puts them all on The Iceman’s radar creating the inevitable high-tension showdown.
An obvious feature of this particular entry in the Prey series is the freezing conditions in which it’s set. The subzero temperatures play an important role in the course of the investigation, as do specifics such as noting tracks in the snow and vehicular access and options. Racing outside in a bid to catch someone without donning the appropriate clothing was a really dumb option and created an added sense of danger.
The story unfolds at a solid pace from a hectic start and there’s a lot to like about the methods Davenport uses to unmask the killer. It’s a compelling story that confirms my memories of the earlier books in the series and, once again, makes me wonder why I took such a long hiatus from reading them. I certainly won’t be hanging around so long to read the next one, that’s for sure.
Winter Prey, the 5th book in the Lucas Davenport series, opens with a shocking multiple murder which we know was perpetrated by a man known as The Iceman. Clearly, this is going to be a character who will be known to us during the course of the investigation by their real name, but to us is hidden behind the mysterious moniker.
Davenport has been prised out of self-imposed isolation in his Wisconsin cabin by the local small town sheriff’s department to provide his homicide investigation experience and, for expediency, is deputised and ready for duty.
By regularly checking back with The Iceman we know that the reason for the slaying is an attempt to keep his identity a secret. He’ll go to any lengths to keep that secret with the obvious problem being that, the more determined he becomes to keep the secret, the more reckless the violence and the greater the danger of it spinning out of control.
Davenport, with the help of the local sheriff’s department, some friends from Minneapolis and the local doctor, gels nicely to put together a small but quite capable team. Naturally, their work simply puts them all on The Iceman’s radar creating the inevitable high-tension showdown.
An obvious feature of this particular entry in the Prey series is the freezing conditions in which it’s set. The subzero temperatures play an important role in the course of the investigation, as do specifics such as noting tracks in the snow and vehicular access and options. Racing outside in a bid to catch someone without donning the appropriate clothing was a really dumb option and created an added sense of danger.
The story unfolds at a solid pace from a hectic start and there’s a lot to like about the methods Davenport uses to unmask the killer. It’s a compelling story that confirms my memories of the earlier books in the series and, once again, makes me wonder why I took such a long hiatus from reading them. I certainly won’t be hanging around so long to read the next one, that’s for sure.
July 18, 2025
I hate snow. Which sucks for me, since I live in northern Ohio, in the Cleveland area, which is notorious for getting bombarded some winters with record-breaking snow drifts. Luckily, I live in an area that gets what local experts call “the lake effect”, a protective band of warmth off of Lake Erie that occasionally staves off the really bad stuff, the stuff that tends to hit southern Cleveland and the east side much harder. Some winters, though, the lake effect acts like it doesn’t exist.
It could be worse: I could live in Wisconsin. When you have to wear snowshoes, ten-inch-thick parkas, and drive snowmobiles to get anywhere, life sucks. Now, imagine a serial killer stalking the woods during snowstorms and in eight-foot drifts to get to your cabin in the middle of nowhere, cutting your phone lines and electricity.
John Sandford, in the fifth book to feature his detective Lucas Davenport, “Winter Prey” (published in 1993), creates a nightmare scenario for people like me.
Someone murdered a perfectly normal family of three in a small town. The killer tried to hide the fact by blowing up the house, but the forensics proved that the mother and father were murdered first, and the young girl in the back bedroom was tortured to death.
Davenport is called in from the city to be a consultant. When the podunk sheriff of the small town admits that he doesn’t have a clue what to do in this situation, Davenport becomes deputized and lead investigator.
He immediately discovers that this may not be a random murder. A strange bit of evidence found at the scene leads him to believe that the killer targeted the family for a reason. The piece of evidence eventually leads him to a bevy of suspects but none that he can actually prove for the murder.
More bodies begin to pile up, and the investigation begins to heat up, ironically just as the world around him begins to get colder and colder.
Sandford ratchets up the suspense in this one. His use of geography and weather to add to the already-chilly atmosphere is quite efficient. One can actually feel the ice-cold chill of the Wisconsin wind and snow in his writing. I had to put a sweater on reading it. (To be fair, it’s pretty damn cold this time of year in Cleveland.)
Davenport’s character has grown on me. In the first couple books, I didn’t like him at all, but he has gradually evolved into a well-rounded albeit extremely flawed but likable guy. Real.
But the book certainly makes me hate snow even more now…
A word of warning: This book, at some point, does touch upon the very triggering subject matter of pedophelia. Some readers, I know, are very sensitive about this issue and don't like to read about it, so be forewarned...
It could be worse: I could live in Wisconsin. When you have to wear snowshoes, ten-inch-thick parkas, and drive snowmobiles to get anywhere, life sucks. Now, imagine a serial killer stalking the woods during snowstorms and in eight-foot drifts to get to your cabin in the middle of nowhere, cutting your phone lines and electricity.
John Sandford, in the fifth book to feature his detective Lucas Davenport, “Winter Prey” (published in 1993), creates a nightmare scenario for people like me.
Someone murdered a perfectly normal family of three in a small town. The killer tried to hide the fact by blowing up the house, but the forensics proved that the mother and father were murdered first, and the young girl in the back bedroom was tortured to death.
Davenport is called in from the city to be a consultant. When the podunk sheriff of the small town admits that he doesn’t have a clue what to do in this situation, Davenport becomes deputized and lead investigator.
He immediately discovers that this may not be a random murder. A strange bit of evidence found at the scene leads him to believe that the killer targeted the family for a reason. The piece of evidence eventually leads him to a bevy of suspects but none that he can actually prove for the murder.
More bodies begin to pile up, and the investigation begins to heat up, ironically just as the world around him begins to get colder and colder.
Sandford ratchets up the suspense in this one. His use of geography and weather to add to the already-chilly atmosphere is quite efficient. One can actually feel the ice-cold chill of the Wisconsin wind and snow in his writing. I had to put a sweater on reading it. (To be fair, it’s pretty damn cold this time of year in Cleveland.)
Davenport’s character has grown on me. In the first couple books, I didn’t like him at all, but he has gradually evolved into a well-rounded albeit extremely flawed but likable guy. Real.
But the book certainly makes me hate snow even more now…
A word of warning: This book, at some point, does touch upon the very triggering subject matter of pedophelia. Some readers, I know, are very sensitive about this issue and don't like to read about it, so be forewarned...
February 14, 2020
Quão assustador é, alguém como o Homem do Gelo existir numa comunidade, abusar e assassinar pessoas sem ser apanhado? Gostei da sensação de claustrofobia que existe na história.
No meio de um inverno difícil, todos se deslocam pela cidade num 4 × 4 ou em motas de neve. Um verdadeiro cenário gélido, a preto e branco (branco da neve e preto do escuro da noite). Aquela leitura que Apetece ser feita em frente à lareira e com um copo de um bom vinho tinto na mão.
A tempestade enfurece e a brancura da neve é a única coisa que as pessoas veem todas as noites. Enquanto o assassino e Davenport (responsável pela sua captura) brincam ao gato e rato, a claustrofobia adensa-se, aumentando o suspense.
Nesta leitura, tornou-se fácil visualizar as cenas, sendo mesmo um enredo bastante cinematográfico.
Uma constante atmosfera de suspense, em quem em alguns níveis chega a ser sombrio e até perturbador.
O autor criou um mistério fantástico que, para quem gosta do género, não quererá perder.
No meio de um inverno difícil, todos se deslocam pela cidade num 4 × 4 ou em motas de neve. Um verdadeiro cenário gélido, a preto e branco (branco da neve e preto do escuro da noite). Aquela leitura que Apetece ser feita em frente à lareira e com um copo de um bom vinho tinto na mão.
A tempestade enfurece e a brancura da neve é a única coisa que as pessoas veem todas as noites. Enquanto o assassino e Davenport (responsável pela sua captura) brincam ao gato e rato, a claustrofobia adensa-se, aumentando o suspense.
Nesta leitura, tornou-se fácil visualizar as cenas, sendo mesmo um enredo bastante cinematográfico.
Uma constante atmosfera de suspense, em quem em alguns níveis chega a ser sombrio e até perturbador.
O autor criou um mistério fantástico que, para quem gosta do género, não quererá perder.
May 30, 2018
It's in the high eighties here this summer, and the best air conditioning is John Sandford's description of a brutal rural Minnesota winter.
Once again, Lucas Davenport finds himself shuttled in to consult on a particularly brutal case. This time, it's in a small town where the sheriff is mostly too devout to swear, whispers and rumors can drive a man out of town, and everyone knows everyone else's business... or so they think. It's the worry that everyone knows each other that drives the Iceman, this book's especially brutal and pragmatic killer, to open the novel by slaughtering the LaCourt family in their home. The LaCourts have a newsprint copy of a photo of the Iceman in bed with a local teenage boy who was recently found dead, and the Iceman really, really needs it back. Even though his face isn't in the picture, he knows that someone in town will be able to identify him from it. And the clock is ticking.
Winter Prey is great. As in Silent Prey, Sandford gets a good setup out of bringing Lucas into a community he's unfamiliar with. This gives him some advantages--he's the only person willing or able to come up with unorthodox, potentially scandalous ideas like an alibi timeline discrepancy being caused by a priest covering up a gay affair--but also some disadvantages--he doesn't know the landscape and he doesn't know the community. He does things that would be unobtrusive in a bigger area, like pull a kid out of school, that wind up attracting a ton of attention. He can't always be sure of the impact he's having, good or bad. When he hooks up with the awesome and awesomely-named Weather Karkinnen, the town doctor and coroner, and someone sprays her house with bullets, is it to kill her or him? He's the out-of-town bogeyman, the big cop who has been brought in and deputized especially to solve the case, but she's the one who really knows the suspects.
I appreciate Sandford not wringing every drop of horror he can out of the sex ring. It's the kind of thing that understandably shows up a lot in crime novels and it's easily exploited for cheap revulsion. Sandford has a good eye for the tellingly awful detail, like the Iceman grooming a middle-school girl to love him by training her on the right and wrong forks to use before taking her to a nearby Holiday Inn for a "fancy" dinner, but he doesn't rub the reader's face in unrelenting awfulness. Ultimately, that makes the picture all the sadder, in its grimy realism: these are kids who go along with what's happening to them, sometimes even enthusiastically, because their lives are so hopeless that a little bit of affection seems like the best they can get. It's abuse rather than Grand Guignol horror, and that makes it plausible as something that could fly under the radar, and particularly horrifying as a tragedy that no one can seem to derail.
Series notes: Lucas and Weather make a good couple, at least for now, and I really like the early awkwardness of their relationship, where she keeps trying to flirt with him and keeps coming across as strangely rude instead. Lucas is bored with only designing games and is starting to realize that he's probably not going to be able to patch together enough adrenaline just by waiting to get invited to consult on various cases. Lily has been promoted. Lucas offers a hilarious and probably spot-on justification of why he drives a Porsche.
Once again, Lucas Davenport finds himself shuttled in to consult on a particularly brutal case. This time, it's in a small town where the sheriff is mostly too devout to swear, whispers and rumors can drive a man out of town, and everyone knows everyone else's business... or so they think. It's the worry that everyone knows each other that drives the Iceman, this book's especially brutal and pragmatic killer, to open the novel by slaughtering the LaCourt family in their home. The LaCourts have a newsprint copy of a photo of the Iceman in bed with a local teenage boy who was recently found dead, and the Iceman really, really needs it back. Even though his face isn't in the picture, he knows that someone in town will be able to identify him from it. And the clock is ticking.
Winter Prey is great. As in Silent Prey, Sandford gets a good setup out of bringing Lucas into a community he's unfamiliar with. This gives him some advantages--he's the only person willing or able to come up with unorthodox, potentially scandalous ideas like an alibi timeline discrepancy being caused by a priest covering up a gay affair--but also some disadvantages--he doesn't know the landscape and he doesn't know the community. He does things that would be unobtrusive in a bigger area, like pull a kid out of school, that wind up attracting a ton of attention. He can't always be sure of the impact he's having, good or bad. When he hooks up with the awesome and awesomely-named Weather Karkinnen, the town doctor and coroner, and someone sprays her house with bullets, is it to kill her or him? He's the out-of-town bogeyman, the big cop who has been brought in and deputized especially to solve the case, but she's the one who really knows the suspects.
I appreciate Sandford not wringing every drop of horror he can out of the sex ring. It's the kind of thing that understandably shows up a lot in crime novels and it's easily exploited for cheap revulsion. Sandford has a good eye for the tellingly awful detail, like the Iceman grooming a middle-school girl to love him by training her on the right and wrong forks to use before taking her to a nearby Holiday Inn for a "fancy" dinner, but he doesn't rub the reader's face in unrelenting awfulness. Ultimately, that makes the picture all the sadder, in its grimy realism: these are kids who go along with what's happening to them, sometimes even enthusiastically, because their lives are so hopeless that a little bit of affection seems like the best they can get. It's abuse rather than Grand Guignol horror, and that makes it plausible as something that could fly under the radar, and particularly horrifying as a tragedy that no one can seem to derail.
Series notes: Lucas and Weather make a good couple, at least for now, and I really like the early awkwardness of their relationship, where she keeps trying to flirt with him and keeps coming across as strangely rude instead. Lucas is bored with only designing games and is starting to realize that he's probably not going to be able to patch together enough adrenaline just by waiting to get invited to consult on various cases. Lily has been promoted. Lucas offers a hilarious and probably spot-on justification of why he drives a Porsche.
March 9, 2022
Winter Prey by John Sandford is a chilling book. It is #5 in the Lucas Davenport series.
The Iceman is the kind of guy who if he doesn't want a picture shown around, a picture of an unidentified nude man from the shoulders down, he will kill everyone in the house to find it. You really don't want to cross his path. Unfortunately, the LaCourt family does. Lisa LaCourt finds a magazine picture and shows it to her friends on the school bus. The nude man was weird, but even more shocking was the nude boy with him. It is a kid they go to school with, Jim Harper. Once home, she shows her parents. Frank and Claudia can't agree on what to do with the picture, so they argue about it, off and on, as the snowy winter night gets colder. Claudia argues for doing nothing. This is a small town and the kid, Jim Harper, comes from one of the 'bad' families in Grant, Ojibway County. Before they have decided, the Iceman comes.
Sheriff Sheldon Carr, who's strongest epithet is 'gol-darn' on bad days, cannot accept how the LaCourts died. To him, the murder of three people in his town is as big as an impossibility as his priest being implicated, or that anyone in Grant would commit any crimes beyond drinking too much. Shell-shocked, he asks Lucas Davenport to step in since Davenport is vacationing at his cabin while trying to figure out what he is going to do now that he has resigned from his police job. Davenport smiles with barely concealed joy as he walks through several feet of snow towards the LaCourt house. He was getting bored.
Weather, that is, Doctor Weather Karkinnen, who comes to examine the dead bodies, is heating things up. So what if its 21 degrees below? She's not only the town's surgeon, she's beautiful. And when the Iceman tries to kill her, well naturally Davenport has to move into her house. For protection.
Then, a kid Davenport questioned at the school doesn't come home. Instead, his half-eaten body is found, murdered before the coyotes got at him. The kid told Lucas about the picture.
Davenport isn't feeling good anymore. In fact, he's feeling mean. 45 caliber mean.....
James Thane, a GR member, has the best review on this book. Check it out. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Iceman is the kind of guy who if he doesn't want a picture shown around, a picture of an unidentified nude man from the shoulders down, he will kill everyone in the house to find it. You really don't want to cross his path. Unfortunately, the LaCourt family does. Lisa LaCourt finds a magazine picture and shows it to her friends on the school bus. The nude man was weird, but even more shocking was the nude boy with him. It is a kid they go to school with, Jim Harper. Once home, she shows her parents. Frank and Claudia can't agree on what to do with the picture, so they argue about it, off and on, as the snowy winter night gets colder. Claudia argues for doing nothing. This is a small town and the kid, Jim Harper, comes from one of the 'bad' families in Grant, Ojibway County. Before they have decided, the Iceman comes.
Sheriff Sheldon Carr, who's strongest epithet is 'gol-darn' on bad days, cannot accept how the LaCourts died. To him, the murder of three people in his town is as big as an impossibility as his priest being implicated, or that anyone in Grant would commit any crimes beyond drinking too much. Shell-shocked, he asks Lucas Davenport to step in since Davenport is vacationing at his cabin while trying to figure out what he is going to do now that he has resigned from his police job. Davenport smiles with barely concealed joy as he walks through several feet of snow towards the LaCourt house. He was getting bored.
Weather, that is, Doctor Weather Karkinnen, who comes to examine the dead bodies, is heating things up. So what if its 21 degrees below? She's not only the town's surgeon, she's beautiful. And when the Iceman tries to kill her, well naturally Davenport has to move into her house. For protection.
Then, a kid Davenport questioned at the school doesn't come home. Instead, his half-eaten body is found, murdered before the coyotes got at him. The kid told Lucas about the picture.
Davenport isn't feeling good anymore. In fact, he's feeling mean. 45 caliber mean.....
James Thane, a GR member, has the best review on this book. Check it out. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 21, 2014
Finished Winter Prey the first day of summer. Although Davenport is finally able to piece together some aspects of the Iceman he is hunting, the story is a bit atypical for Lucas. That's all I will write without going into spoilers. 7 of 10 stars
August 15, 2018
The weather is brutally cold. Small town life where everyone knows everything about everyone else except one thing that is worth killing over. Lucas isn't too far away & the sheriff calls him in to help figure it out. Quite a good mystery with excellent characters & motivations. It really hung together well.
Lucas is a great main character. He's a tough, heroic type, but he's not invulnerable or perfect. He & the other police made some good deductions, but also quite a few that seemed reasonable & were completely wrong. Some things didn't get resolved either, but most did. It was satisfying without being completely wrapped up, so that gave it more of an air of reality. Excellent.
This is a great series. Highly recommended if read in order. I was discussing it with my dentist yesterday &, like me, he originally read a couple of books & liked them, but they weren't in order. Unless they are, they don't have their full impact.
Lucas is a great main character. He's a tough, heroic type, but he's not invulnerable or perfect. He & the other police made some good deductions, but also quite a few that seemed reasonable & were completely wrong. Some things didn't get resolved either, but most did. It was satisfying without being completely wrapped up, so that gave it more of an air of reality. Excellent.
This is a great series. Highly recommended if read in order. I was discussing it with my dentist yesterday &, like me, he originally read a couple of books & liked them, but they weren't in order. Unless they are, they don't have their full impact.
December 26, 2018
Wow. It was like a light switch went on and the Prey series turned itself upside down. In the fifth book for once we have a more mature Lucas.
Lucas meets a surgeon, Weather that I really like. For once we didn't have a woman who seemed to debase herself to be with Lucas. She accepts him on her own terms and isn't running to have sex with him. Lucas cares about her and for once you see him actually having conversations with her.
And we also have Lucas showing what a good investigator he is. When he is asked to help out in Wisconsin when a family's home is torched and it shows that they were killed beforehand, he agrees. We see that Lucas misses being part of an investigation and tracking down people. The reason why I like the Harry Bosch series so much is that you know that Harry is good at his job. He makes sure that every case counts and doesn't care about political fallout. Up until now, the cases that Davenport investigates doesn't make it seem like he really cared about anything besides getting laid along the way. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
I also didn't guess the bad guy in this one. Sandford cleverly allows us to see this person's POV, but he calls himself the Iceman and until the reveal about who it is, you are left wondering.
The writing is a lot tighter in this one. We have a whole cast of characters who are affected by this family's murder. The flow was good. We stayed mostly on Lucas's third person point of view. We would go back and forth to the Iceman, but I liked how Sandford included him in the plot without revealing who it was.
The setting in this one is a small town in Wisconsin. We have many people saying over and over again that things like this just don't happen. And we see the fallout when Lucas starts to break the case wide open and we see what ugliness was going on beneath the surface of this sleepy little town.
The ending was really good and shocks you a bit. You are left wondering about how the events in this book are going to affect everyone that is left standing.
Lucas meets a surgeon, Weather that I really like. For once we didn't have a woman who seemed to debase herself to be with Lucas. She accepts him on her own terms and isn't running to have sex with him. Lucas cares about her and for once you see him actually having conversations with her.
And we also have Lucas showing what a good investigator he is. When he is asked to help out in Wisconsin when a family's home is torched and it shows that they were killed beforehand, he agrees. We see that Lucas misses being part of an investigation and tracking down people. The reason why I like the Harry Bosch series so much is that you know that Harry is good at his job. He makes sure that every case counts and doesn't care about political fallout. Up until now, the cases that Davenport investigates doesn't make it seem like he really cared about anything besides getting laid along the way. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
I also didn't guess the bad guy in this one. Sandford cleverly allows us to see this person's POV, but he calls himself the Iceman and until the reveal about who it is, you are left wondering.
The writing is a lot tighter in this one. We have a whole cast of characters who are affected by this family's murder. The flow was good. We stayed mostly on Lucas's third person point of view. We would go back and forth to the Iceman, but I liked how Sandford included him in the plot without revealing who it was.
The setting in this one is a small town in Wisconsin. We have many people saying over and over again that things like this just don't happen. And we see the fallout when Lucas starts to break the case wide open and we see what ugliness was going on beneath the surface of this sleepy little town.
The ending was really good and shocks you a bit. You are left wondering about how the events in this book are going to affect everyone that is left standing.
March 19, 2023
I read the first 3 books of this series, and was somewhat underwhelmed, so I skipped #4 and went for this one, which seemed like it might be a good choice; and it was. I liked this one a lot more, and now I'm beginning to look forward to more.
I correctly guessed the villain (The Iceman) before the reveal, but it didn't matter too much. The story maintained its excitement level even after we know for sure. The killer basically had no redeeming qualities at all, and was a a real psychopath that got his just desserts in the end without making anyone feel sorry for him in the least.
I correctly guessed the villain (The Iceman) before the reveal, but it didn't matter too much. The story maintained its excitement level even after we know for sure. The killer basically had no redeeming qualities at all, and was a a real psychopath that got his just desserts in the end without making anyone feel sorry for him in the least.
May 18, 2025
This is my third round of this episode in the crime-fighting series of Lucas Davenport. The story starts in the middle of a storm in Wisconsin and a figure who calls himself "The Iceman". He's looking for a picture a girl in the high school has of him in a compromising situation.
Lucas is in-between jobs after his dismissal in the Minneapolis crime bureau. The local sheriff asks for help in a triple homicide by our antagonist. I enjoy this particular story, especially the local characters Davenport meets, including his future love interest, Doc Weather. Here's a great passage:
Weather: Why don't you go in and lay in some hot water? I'll put together a snack.
Lucas: Terrific
He half-filled it, fooled with a control panel until he got the whirlpool jets working, then eased himself into it.
The door opened and Weather walked in, wearing a robe, carrying a bottle of wine. Lucas, embarrassed, sat up, but she pulled off the robe. Naked, she tested the water with her foot.
"Hot," she said, stepping into the far end of the tub. She might have been blushing or it might have been the hot water.
"What about the snack?" Lucas asked.
"You're looking at it, honey," she said.
Lucas is in-between jobs after his dismissal in the Minneapolis crime bureau. The local sheriff asks for help in a triple homicide by our antagonist. I enjoy this particular story, especially the local characters Davenport meets, including his future love interest, Doc Weather. Here's a great passage:
Weather: Why don't you go in and lay in some hot water? I'll put together a snack.
Lucas: Terrific
He half-filled it, fooled with a control panel until he got the whirlpool jets working, then eased himself into it.
The door opened and Weather walked in, wearing a robe, carrying a bottle of wine. Lucas, embarrassed, sat up, but she pulled off the robe. Naked, she tested the water with her foot.
"Hot," she said, stepping into the far end of the tub. She might have been blushing or it might have been the hot water.
"What about the snack?" Lucas asked.
"You're looking at it, honey," she said.
March 23, 2017
My thoughts on this entertaining thriller are divided. One one level I loved it and thought it was a gripping suspense crime novel. On another level I was underwhelmed by it.
The killer, the Iceman, perpetrator of such evil crimes, is a genuinely sinister and mysterious character. He seems to have planned his actions with exquisite care, indicating a highly organised and intelligent person who can pass unnoticed in ordinary society. Without giving away any of the finale, I must say that, for me, when the author reveals the killer's identity, he came over as less than brilliant, not a tight fit with that sinister person I'd been envisaging for so long.
For me, the main male character, Lucas Davenport, is rather thinly drawn. I wonder if my reading suffered from the fact that I was reading instalment #5 in a series, and did not know much of Lucas's back story.
Leaving these reservations aside, I must say the premise of the story is clever and relevant to modern society. The brutal slaying of a Wisconsin family is linked to a paedophile ring via a photograph, which would reveal the identity of The Iceman, a malevolent personality who is also a child abuser and a cold-blooded killer. The local police call in a specialist in solving complex murders, Lucas Davenport, an experienced bush man and brilliant detective. Arriving into the tiny community of Grant in the Chequamegon area of northern Wisconsin, Davenport builds strong relationships with the local sheriff, Sheldon "Shelly" Carr and the local coroner, Dr Weather Karkinnen. Their initial findings into the triple murder and arson at the LaCourt family home suggest that the putative timing of the events is way off, but they cannot figure out why. They pursue a number of leads and people which ultimately do not provide the answers they seek. Meantime the Iceman continues with his lethal activities while hiding in plain sight in the community. Sandford has constructed a particularly striking bad guy in this utterly loathsome and depraved character. While I was revolted by his calculated cruelty, he does grab the reader's attention and hold onto it tenaciously.
The Iceman is aptly named and situated within the landscape. Sandford has located this story in a tiny town in a remote, bleak region in the middle of winter. The snow, ice and blizzard winds are so vividly described, the weather almost takes on a persona. It is like an additional character in the book, something that everyone is conscious of, battles against and is injured by.
My edition was an audio book, and the narrator's voice did not thrill me. Although he read with great animation, his vocal tones did not appeal to my ear. I had three other issues, which are my personal bugbears with modern crime literature: firstly some of the descriptions of the crimes were a bit too grisly for my liking, and I wonder why novelists feel the need to be so graphic in their depictions of crime scenes. Secondly, I was dismayed by the amount of gratuitous swearing. I'm certainly not a prude, but to my mind the use of the f-word was definitely excessive and unnecessary. I had to smile, as Lucas swore so frequently while the God-fearing Sheriff Carr could only manage an occasional "Goldamn" as his personal blasphemy!
My third reservation about this book was what I perceived as an occasional imbalance in the sequencing of the events. It seemed to me that the descriptions of several vehicle races, in the deep snow and across rugged terrain, pursuits of others and attempts to intercept suspects, were excessively long and detailed. Maybe Sandford has an obsession with snow sports? These long passages irritated me and disengaged me from the otherwise compelling pace of the narrative.
For these various little bugbears, I've scored this book lower than the very high rating given by other GR readers. Many who take on this entertaining thriller will not be as picky as I've been. My rating: 3★s
The killer, the Iceman, perpetrator of such evil crimes, is a genuinely sinister and mysterious character. He seems to have planned his actions with exquisite care, indicating a highly organised and intelligent person who can pass unnoticed in ordinary society. Without giving away any of the finale, I must say that, for me, when the author reveals the killer's identity, he came over as less than brilliant, not a tight fit with that sinister person I'd been envisaging for so long.
For me, the main male character, Lucas Davenport, is rather thinly drawn. I wonder if my reading suffered from the fact that I was reading instalment #5 in a series, and did not know much of Lucas's back story.
Leaving these reservations aside, I must say the premise of the story is clever and relevant to modern society. The brutal slaying of a Wisconsin family is linked to a paedophile ring via a photograph, which would reveal the identity of The Iceman, a malevolent personality who is also a child abuser and a cold-blooded killer. The local police call in a specialist in solving complex murders, Lucas Davenport, an experienced bush man and brilliant detective. Arriving into the tiny community of Grant in the Chequamegon area of northern Wisconsin, Davenport builds strong relationships with the local sheriff, Sheldon "Shelly" Carr and the local coroner, Dr Weather Karkinnen. Their initial findings into the triple murder and arson at the LaCourt family home suggest that the putative timing of the events is way off, but they cannot figure out why. They pursue a number of leads and people which ultimately do not provide the answers they seek. Meantime the Iceman continues with his lethal activities while hiding in plain sight in the community. Sandford has constructed a particularly striking bad guy in this utterly loathsome and depraved character. While I was revolted by his calculated cruelty, he does grab the reader's attention and hold onto it tenaciously.
The Iceman is aptly named and situated within the landscape. Sandford has located this story in a tiny town in a remote, bleak region in the middle of winter. The snow, ice and blizzard winds are so vividly described, the weather almost takes on a persona. It is like an additional character in the book, something that everyone is conscious of, battles against and is injured by.
My edition was an audio book, and the narrator's voice did not thrill me. Although he read with great animation, his vocal tones did not appeal to my ear. I had three other issues, which are my personal bugbears with modern crime literature: firstly some of the descriptions of the crimes were a bit too grisly for my liking, and I wonder why novelists feel the need to be so graphic in their depictions of crime scenes. Secondly, I was dismayed by the amount of gratuitous swearing. I'm certainly not a prude, but to my mind the use of the f-word was definitely excessive and unnecessary. I had to smile, as Lucas swore so frequently while the God-fearing Sheriff Carr could only manage an occasional "Goldamn" as his personal blasphemy!
My third reservation about this book was what I perceived as an occasional imbalance in the sequencing of the events. It seemed to me that the descriptions of several vehicle races, in the deep snow and across rugged terrain, pursuits of others and attempts to intercept suspects, were excessively long and detailed. Maybe Sandford has an obsession with snow sports? These long passages irritated me and disengaged me from the otherwise compelling pace of the narrative.
For these various little bugbears, I've scored this book lower than the very high rating given by other GR readers. Many who take on this entertaining thriller will not be as picky as I've been. My rating: 3★s
May 11, 2020
This book was my introduction to the world of Lucas Davenport.
Lucas Davenport, a former police officer with the Minneapolis PD has retired to his cabin in the woods in semi-rural Wisconsin. He's just completed a grueling assignment in New York, and is looking for some time off. But Lucas ain't no ordinary ex-cop. No, sir! Lucas is a millionaire; Lucas has a way with the ladies (no surprises there); Lucas is a tough investigator who is not shy of using his weapon and Lucas has luck on his side. Sheldon Carr, Lincoln County Sheriff, doesn't know all this. He has, however, an idea of Davenport's reputation and rumored competence and so, invites Lucas to assist in the investigation into the grisly and shocking murder of Claudia LaCourt and her family. And so begins the cat and mouse game with the Iceman, one of the creepiest and most sadistic antagonists I've read about. Aw, whatever! He's a nasty old villain, pure and simple.
The situational premise of this book is what makes it a terrific thriller and mystery. The harsh and abnormally cold Wisconsin winter, the snowed-in houses, chases on frozen lakes. The Iceman is out to eviscerate all clues and people that would give the lawmen an inkling of his identity and begins to leave a trail of bodies in his wake. The point-of-view of the Iceman's chapters is suitably revolting and chilling in equal parts, and you're really batting for Lucas to get the Iceman. You're also kind of hoping that the Iceman doesn't show up at your doorstep.
This is a really taut thriller and the plot devices employed by the author are effective, so you really won't have an idea of the Iceman's identity until the author chooses to reveal it. The ending of the book is satisfying and loose ends are nicely tied up. As is usual with the rest of the Prey series, the supporting cast of characters are necessary and welcome additions and the introduction of Dr. Weather Karkinnen is a milestone in Lucas's life. This really was a good read and prompted me to go ahead and read the rest of the series at breakneck speed!
Lucas Davenport, a former police officer with the Minneapolis PD has retired to his cabin in the woods in semi-rural Wisconsin. He's just completed a grueling assignment in New York, and is looking for some time off. But Lucas ain't no ordinary ex-cop. No, sir! Lucas is a millionaire; Lucas has a way with the ladies (no surprises there); Lucas is a tough investigator who is not shy of using his weapon and Lucas has luck on his side. Sheldon Carr, Lincoln County Sheriff, doesn't know all this. He has, however, an idea of Davenport's reputation and rumored competence and so, invites Lucas to assist in the investigation into the grisly and shocking murder of Claudia LaCourt and her family. And so begins the cat and mouse game with the Iceman, one of the creepiest and most sadistic antagonists I've read about. Aw, whatever! He's a nasty old villain, pure and simple.
The situational premise of this book is what makes it a terrific thriller and mystery. The harsh and abnormally cold Wisconsin winter, the snowed-in houses, chases on frozen lakes. The Iceman is out to eviscerate all clues and people that would give the lawmen an inkling of his identity and begins to leave a trail of bodies in his wake. The point-of-view of the Iceman's chapters is suitably revolting and chilling in equal parts, and you're really batting for Lucas to get the Iceman. You're also kind of hoping that the Iceman doesn't show up at your doorstep.
This is a really taut thriller and the plot devices employed by the author are effective, so you really won't have an idea of the Iceman's identity until the author chooses to reveal it. The ending of the book is satisfying and loose ends are nicely tied up. As is usual with the rest of the Prey series, the supporting cast of characters are necessary and welcome additions and the introduction of Dr. Weather Karkinnen is a milestone in Lucas's life. This really was a good read and prompted me to go ahead and read the rest of the series at breakneck speed!
March 8, 2022
5 Stars. A great Davenport. Looking back to when I finished it several days ago, quick recall brings back three highlights. The setting. Rural Wisconsin in the depths of a truly cold winter. Sandford's description of such winters is absolutely spot-on. I've experienced them a few times. The air is brittle; step outside and it hits you like a two by four, exposed flesh freezes in seconds, and the best insulating clothing can't keep you warm. The scenery is beautiful but deadly. Then Weather. Aptly named for this story. She's the local doctor brought in by sheriff Shelly Carr to handle the medical aspects of a murder scene orchestrated by the Iceman. The LaCourt family wiped out in a vicious attack for reasons unknown. Lucas and Weather circle each other as romance develops - she will be fundamental to the series. Watch for the enjoyable scene, "You're looking at it, honey." And third? Davenport at his best. His efforts to understand the unknown Iceman and his actions take Lucas, and the reader in so many directions. Why is this happening? And why is Weather one of the targets? Get your snowmobile gassed up for one hell-of-a-ride! And don't forget your woolies. (October 2021)
August 4, 2021
The farmer had given them a compass as well as the snowshoes. Fifty feet past the barn, they needed it. Lucas took them straight west, riding over what would have been a soybean field, the stubble now three feet below the surface. The snow was riding in a growing wind, coming in long, curving waves across the open fields. The world was dimming out…
Fifth in the Lucas Davenport series opens with the killings of a couple and their teenage daughter in Grant WI, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest area, the home searched and torched. A member of a local sex ring, “the Iceman”, was caught in an incriminating photograph that found its way into a porno magazine. Fearing he could be recognised, he is eliminating anyone who might be able to identify him.
Renowned for capturing serial killers, Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport is brought in by Ojibway County Sheriff Barney Carr, keen to be re-elected. Suspicion falls on the local priest who visited the family shortly before their deaths, with discrepancies in the timings of his visit and the fire crew which responded. A former alcoholic and possible homosexual, Lucas is unconvinced the priest is the killer. The slain daughter had connections to a youth who died weeks earlier at a service station – in an apparent auto-erotic asphyxiation act gone wrong and Lucas and a local deputy turn their attention to the youth’s father – a well-known ratbag in the area.
The story switches between the ongoing investigation (and Lucas’ blossoming love affair with local surgeon and county coroner, Weather Karkinnen) - and the sociopath. Set in the era when Polaroid cameras and two-way radios pre-dated digital cameras and mobile phones, I admit to losing track of all the deputises, FBI agents and other minor characters – each only briefly sketched. After a fairly slow start, and mounting body count, it finally occurs to Lucas that the attacks on Weather has little to do with his reputation, but that she holds the key to identifying the killer.
The main player here is the climate: the coldest winter in memory sees temperatures drop below minus 20 - without the wind chill factor. I felt the tingle of frostbite just turning the pages. As snowploughs struggle to keep the highways open, the mode of transport of choice is the snowmobile, its riders clad in snowmobile suits, helmets, heavy boots, gloves and thermals taking to roads, tracks, frozen lakes and channels (flowage). Exposed skin freezing in minutes, the life expectancy of anyone caught outside is measured in hours. The stubble of crops is buried under snowdrifts, deer are starving, circled by coyotes. No mention here of livestock or poultry, but a family of fringe-dwellers keeps rabbits in a hutch inside their trailer as a source of fresh meat.
A fairly violent confrontation towards the end, amid snow flurries encrusting eyelashes, finds Lucas fighting for his life. Some readers may not like the use of language - (I thought it appropriate to the circumstances) - but the advantage of the written word is that it allows a reader to skim, while the audio version leaves the listener exposed.
Verdict: overall, a good read.
Fifth in the Lucas Davenport series opens with the killings of a couple and their teenage daughter in Grant WI, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest area, the home searched and torched. A member of a local sex ring, “the Iceman”, was caught in an incriminating photograph that found its way into a porno magazine. Fearing he could be recognised, he is eliminating anyone who might be able to identify him.
Renowned for capturing serial killers, Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport is brought in by Ojibway County Sheriff Barney Carr, keen to be re-elected. Suspicion falls on the local priest who visited the family shortly before their deaths, with discrepancies in the timings of his visit and the fire crew which responded. A former alcoholic and possible homosexual, Lucas is unconvinced the priest is the killer. The slain daughter had connections to a youth who died weeks earlier at a service station – in an apparent auto-erotic asphyxiation act gone wrong and Lucas and a local deputy turn their attention to the youth’s father – a well-known ratbag in the area.
The story switches between the ongoing investigation (and Lucas’ blossoming love affair with local surgeon and county coroner, Weather Karkinnen) - and the sociopath. Set in the era when Polaroid cameras and two-way radios pre-dated digital cameras and mobile phones, I admit to losing track of all the deputises, FBI agents and other minor characters – each only briefly sketched. After a fairly slow start, and mounting body count, it finally occurs to Lucas that the attacks on Weather has little to do with his reputation, but that she holds the key to identifying the killer.
The main player here is the climate: the coldest winter in memory sees temperatures drop below minus 20 - without the wind chill factor. I felt the tingle of frostbite just turning the pages. As snowploughs struggle to keep the highways open, the mode of transport of choice is the snowmobile, its riders clad in snowmobile suits, helmets, heavy boots, gloves and thermals taking to roads, tracks, frozen lakes and channels (flowage). Exposed skin freezing in minutes, the life expectancy of anyone caught outside is measured in hours. The stubble of crops is buried under snowdrifts, deer are starving, circled by coyotes. No mention here of livestock or poultry, but a family of fringe-dwellers keeps rabbits in a hutch inside their trailer as a source of fresh meat.
A fairly violent confrontation towards the end, amid snow flurries encrusting eyelashes, finds Lucas fighting for his life. Some readers may not like the use of language - (I thought it appropriate to the circumstances) - but the advantage of the written word is that it allows a reader to skim, while the audio version leaves the listener exposed.
Verdict: overall, a good read.
August 15, 2021
I seem to be having a contrary opinion with this book. While other reviewers are gushing over it, I found the plot weak, the protagonists cartoonish and the subject matter too explicit considering its child pornography.
The origins of the sex ring are never quite explained nor is the fact how such a thing could happen in a town of only 7000 people. The iceman wasn't compelling enough either. He just seems dumb compared to the other opponents Lucas has faced. The real mystery is how he keeps getting away with it.
The funny thing I have noticed in other reviews (and to some extent even in mine) is the inordinate focus on Lucas Davenport and how much of an ass he is. While he has some reprehensible behavioural traits, I really hope the author doesn't dilute his character as the series progress. It seems to me that if we keep talking about the main character's failings so much, the author must be doing something right. Otherwise, the series becomes yet another police procedural, albeit one that is good, instead of great.
The origins of the sex ring are never quite explained nor is the fact how such a thing could happen in a town of only 7000 people. The iceman wasn't compelling enough either. He just seems dumb compared to the other opponents Lucas has faced. The real mystery is how he keeps getting away with it.
The funny thing I have noticed in other reviews (and to some extent even in mine) is the inordinate focus on Lucas Davenport and how much of an ass he is. While he has some reprehensible behavioural traits, I really hope the author doesn't dilute his character as the series progress. It seems to me that if we keep talking about the main character's failings so much, the author must be doing something right. Otherwise, the series becomes yet another police procedural, albeit one that is good, instead of great.
August 21, 2023
You've probably seen me complain that Sandford likes to reveal the killer early and use the rest of the book to plot out the game between him/her and Lt. Lucas Davenport. Murder book fans, rejoice - this time the bad guy isn't revealed until the end of the book!
Ya gotta love the familiar.
We start with a smalltown family at home on a winter night. The snow is falling thickly outside. Mom and Dad are having a tense discussion over what to do with a magazine clipping their daughter brought home from school. Mom goes outside to bring in more firewood but runs right back inside - she swears she saw somebody standing near the shed! Dad goes outside to investigate... and everybody has a very bad night.
I was keeping a mental short list of possible suspects, but none of them were right! That's the good news. On the other hand, the plot centers around a very disturbing topic: . This one may not be for everybody, but if you're inclined to read it, I would say Winter Prey is the best of the first five novels in this prolific series.
Next up is Night Prey.
Ya gotta love the familiar.
We start with a smalltown family at home on a winter night. The snow is falling thickly outside. Mom and Dad are having a tense discussion over what to do with a magazine clipping their daughter brought home from school. Mom goes outside to bring in more firewood but runs right back inside - she swears she saw somebody standing near the shed! Dad goes outside to investigate... and everybody has a very bad night.
I was keeping a mental short list of possible suspects, but none of them were right! That's the good news. On the other hand, the plot centers around a very disturbing topic: . This one may not be for everybody, but if you're inclined to read it, I would say Winter Prey is the best of the first five novels in this prolific series.
Next up is Night Prey.
January 11, 2021
As others have said, this is the best Lucas Davenport to this point in the series. The villain was the most believable one yet. It was good yobread the new introduction by John Sandford also. He talks about having seen firefighters battling a blaze in sub-zero weather and that was very interesting to show the difficulties that you wouldn't think of.
This series keeps getting better and I look forward to continue with the next book.
This series keeps getting better and I look forward to continue with the next book.
September 14, 2019
Davenport, no longer on the Twin Cities force, is wintering in his Wisconsin cabin when he gets deputised to help find the Iceman, a murderer of a couple and their daughter. Another great tale from John Sandford.
December 31, 2017
Outstanding! What a way to end 2017...Since I read these books out of order-the author introduces Weather, the love interest for Detective Davenport. The title says it all-even the action is “bone chilling”.
August 3, 2025
John Sandford is one of those very few authors whose books never disappoint. Full review to come soon!
April 30, 2017
Foi o primeiro livro que li do autor e adorei completamente, leitura compulsiva e fácil.
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