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Lucas Davenport #15
Hidden Prey
Theories abound when a Russian gets himself killed by the shore of Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota - shot with fifty-year-old bullets. "What's going on here?" When it turns out he had very high government connections back home, state troubleshooter Lucas Davenport gets the call. Well actually, Lucas and a mysterious Russian cop with secrets all her own. Together, they'll follow a trail back to another place and another time, and battle the shadows they discover there - shadows that turn out to be both very real and very deadly.
"One of the strongest in Sandford's Prey series" says 'Entertainment Weekly.' "Good, dark, perverse, bloody fun," adds 'The Washington Post Book World.'
"One of the strongest in Sandford's Prey series" says 'Entertainment Weekly.' "Good, dark, perverse, bloody fun," adds 'The Washington Post Book World.'
440 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2004
2031 people are currently reading
4383 people want to read
About the author
John Sandford
237 books9,661 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 692 reviews
June 30, 2021
In Hidden Prey, Lucas is called in when a Russian is murdered. Bullets from a few decades ago have been used and it's not clear why this man was chosen.
The night of the murder, a witness saw it all and Lucas will try to figure out who this person is. At the same time, Russia sends their own investigator who will join forces with Lucas to find the murderer.
As the clues start coming in, Lucas has to wonder if there has been a Russian spy ring in the midwest all along?
Not my favorite in the series. I liked it because it is Lucas and I know he will find the murderer. It's never easy but I do trust that Lucas and Co, will catch the bad one (most of the time). Yes, sometimes they get away with it but you know that Lucas knows who they are and he will be watching and waiting for them to make a mistake.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The night of the murder, a witness saw it all and Lucas will try to figure out who this person is. At the same time, Russia sends their own investigator who will join forces with Lucas to find the murderer.
As the clues start coming in, Lucas has to wonder if there has been a Russian spy ring in the midwest all along?
Not my favorite in the series. I liked it because it is Lucas and I know he will find the murderer. It's never easy but I do trust that Lucas and Co, will catch the bad one (most of the time). Yes, sometimes they get away with it but you know that Lucas knows who they are and he will be watching and waiting for them to make a mistake.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
April 5, 2021
As a top agent for Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Lucas Davenport has mastered the art of introducing himself to local law enforcement so that they won’t resent him as an outsider coming in to tell them how to do their job:
The cop who’d followed Lucas in said, “Hey, when I’m talking to you…”
Lucas pointed his finger at him and snarled, “Shut the fuck up. Who’s running this clown factory?”
As a plain-clothes cop, Lucas is also well aware of the danger of running across other police officers during a pursuit and the proper way to identify himself:
Both the cops were screaming at him and Lucas shouted, “BCA, you dumb motherfuckers,” and finally one of the cops waved a hand at his partner and said, “Put the gun in the street.”
“Fuck you,” Lucas yelled back. “My hands are over my head, I’m not touching the gun again because you dumb motherfuckers’ll shoot me sure as shit.”
Lucas can also demonstrate his gift of diplomacy and calm persuasion when dealing with a reluctant witness who is in danger but still refuses to reveal anything about the criminal enterprise he’s involved in:
The sat in silence for a moment, and then Lucas said, “Well, fuck ya. We told ya.”
As these quotes show, Lucas is a little grumpy in this one. Despite everything going well on the personal front, he’s chafing a bit at the blatant political nature of his new state job as the governor’s guy who ‘fixes shit’, and he’s also starting to worry that being surrounded by violent death for over twenty years has started to take a toll.
But when a Russian is killed at a dock on Lake Superior, the international pressure demands some kind of solution so Lucas finds himself teamed up with a pretty woman sent from Moscow to observe the investigation. Nadya claims to be a Russian cop, but Lucas is pretty sure she’s actually an intelligence agent and her agenda may be different from his. The FBI is also sniffing around, but they’re far more worried about terrorists than revisiting the Cold War. Lucas cares little about the ‘spy shit’, but he does get irked when more bodies start dropping all over Minnesota.
The spy angle and Davenport’s dissatisfaction with the job are a departure from the usual Prey books, but a grumpy Lucas is also a funny Lucas. Sandford has been making noises about ending the series for some time, but this as the first clear idea in the books that Lucas might be thinking about quitting law enforcement for good. Since there’s been about 10 more books since then, he apparently got over it although Sandford still talks about wrapping up Lucas’ story at some point.
This one also features another interesting twist on the villain with a Soviet era spy who is still a true believer in Communism and has raised his grandson to follow in his murderous footsteps. It’s another good step away from the typical serial killer we usually get in thrillers.
Next: Lucas goes to the nut house in Broken Prey.
The cop who’d followed Lucas in said, “Hey, when I’m talking to you…”
Lucas pointed his finger at him and snarled, “Shut the fuck up. Who’s running this clown factory?”
As a plain-clothes cop, Lucas is also well aware of the danger of running across other police officers during a pursuit and the proper way to identify himself:
Both the cops were screaming at him and Lucas shouted, “BCA, you dumb motherfuckers,” and finally one of the cops waved a hand at his partner and said, “Put the gun in the street.”
“Fuck you,” Lucas yelled back. “My hands are over my head, I’m not touching the gun again because you dumb motherfuckers’ll shoot me sure as shit.”
Lucas can also demonstrate his gift of diplomacy and calm persuasion when dealing with a reluctant witness who is in danger but still refuses to reveal anything about the criminal enterprise he’s involved in:
The sat in silence for a moment, and then Lucas said, “Well, fuck ya. We told ya.”
As these quotes show, Lucas is a little grumpy in this one. Despite everything going well on the personal front, he’s chafing a bit at the blatant political nature of his new state job as the governor’s guy who ‘fixes shit’, and he’s also starting to worry that being surrounded by violent death for over twenty years has started to take a toll.
But when a Russian is killed at a dock on Lake Superior, the international pressure demands some kind of solution so Lucas finds himself teamed up with a pretty woman sent from Moscow to observe the investigation. Nadya claims to be a Russian cop, but Lucas is pretty sure she’s actually an intelligence agent and her agenda may be different from his. The FBI is also sniffing around, but they’re far more worried about terrorists than revisiting the Cold War. Lucas cares little about the ‘spy shit’, but he does get irked when more bodies start dropping all over Minnesota.
The spy angle and Davenport’s dissatisfaction with the job are a departure from the usual Prey books, but a grumpy Lucas is also a funny Lucas. Sandford has been making noises about ending the series for some time, but this as the first clear idea in the books that Lucas might be thinking about quitting law enforcement for good. Since there’s been about 10 more books since then, he apparently got over it although Sandford still talks about wrapping up Lucas’ story at some point.
This one also features another interesting twist on the villain with a Soviet era spy who is still a true believer in Communism and has raised his grandson to follow in his murderous footsteps. It’s another good step away from the typical serial killer we usually get in thrillers.
Next: Lucas goes to the nut house in Broken Prey.
February 23, 2021
One of the few, "Prey" left for me to complete the series with an excellent author interview afterwards. 8 of 10 stars
March 4, 2021
Now having read 20 John Sandford books (all the Prey entries leading up to and including this one, the four Kidd books, and one out-of-order Virgil Flowers) I feel safe in stating that Sandford’s just not going to write a bad novel. As soon as I open the cover, it’s a 4-Star book. Without yet reading a word I know I’m going to get a compelling opening, an interesting villain, a setup intriguing enough to pull me into the story, a splattering of humor, the ability to make the banality of routine investigation seem engrossing and, of course, appealing characters and relationships. Only twice (so far) has he failed to accomplish all of the above: In Night Prey, where his main story came in so short that he had to create a side investigation that took his hero, Lucas Davenport, out into the sticks on a quest that turned out to have nothing to do with the killer or any of the other ongoing conflicts; and Shadow Prey, a rambling story that lacked any kind of focus. The latter was the second in the series and Sandford later admitted that he had trouble following the success of the first. Night, being the sixth Davenport novel, allows for some argument against inexperience as a contributing factor--but a great ending compensated for its shortcomings. Ultimately, because of the reliability of the elements described above, I’ve discovered that my level of enjoyment will largely be determined by the quality of the conclusion. And by conclusion I don’t mean the final scene or the final confrontation, but rather everything forward from the point where the story begins its turn towards the climax. When Sandford delivers the obvious with little tension or a lack of suspense, or he fails to meet the implied promises of the story, that’s when the rating falls to 3 Stars. When it finishes with a sense of excitement or satisfaction, an exclamation point befitting the moves and countermoves that led up to it, 5 Stars are automatic. 4 Stars seem to be the norm.
Sandford attempts to explore different territory with each outing while firmly remaining within the framework of a thriller. This time out it involves spies, which presents something of a problem for the author. He already strains credibility--for series readers, anyway; anything is possible within a single book--with Minnesota apparently spawning more serial killers than New York and Los Angeles combined. If, however, you’re willing to accept such a phenomenon as a working premise, the rest falls in place. But why would foreign spies choose Minnesota to inhabit?
Rather than try to justify the concept immediately, Sandford wisely decides to incorporate the question into the mystery. When a Russian seaman is murdered, the papers on him do not match the name the FBI has for him, which identifies him as an ex-KGB agent. Russia claims confusion in the matter as well, and sends an emissary to work alongside Davenport on the case. This sets them on the trail of a particularly devious and deluded mastermind, who is in part disguised because he has recruited a disciple to do the physical dirty work. He is a worthy adversary for Davenport and he’ll go to extreme ends to protect and advance his cause.
All the Sandford attributes are on display in Hidden Prey, including the introduction of a particularly interesting character whose journey dances around the outskirts of the main story, ducking in at points to make a contribution and then quickly retreating; we hope to meet her again. There is also some mild disappointment in that we don’t get to check in with a character from the previous book who now plays a significant role in Davenport’s family; we only get a few off-screen references. But it’s the ending that keeps this effort at 4 Stars. It finishes with the standard confrontation of your standard thriller, with nothing especially unique: convergence on the bad guy, who is either killed or captured after some resistance. Failure to elevate the conclusion, however, is not a major detriment when the standard is already high. The continuation of quality is quite sufficient.
Sandford attempts to explore different territory with each outing while firmly remaining within the framework of a thriller. This time out it involves spies, which presents something of a problem for the author. He already strains credibility--for series readers, anyway; anything is possible within a single book--with Minnesota apparently spawning more serial killers than New York and Los Angeles combined. If, however, you’re willing to accept such a phenomenon as a working premise, the rest falls in place. But why would foreign spies choose Minnesota to inhabit?
Rather than try to justify the concept immediately, Sandford wisely decides to incorporate the question into the mystery. When a Russian seaman is murdered, the papers on him do not match the name the FBI has for him, which identifies him as an ex-KGB agent. Russia claims confusion in the matter as well, and sends an emissary to work alongside Davenport on the case. This sets them on the trail of a particularly devious and deluded mastermind, who is in part disguised because he has recruited a disciple to do the physical dirty work. He is a worthy adversary for Davenport and he’ll go to extreme ends to protect and advance his cause.
All the Sandford attributes are on display in Hidden Prey, including the introduction of a particularly interesting character whose journey dances around the outskirts of the main story, ducking in at points to make a contribution and then quickly retreating; we hope to meet her again. There is also some mild disappointment in that we don’t get to check in with a character from the previous book who now plays a significant role in Davenport’s family; we only get a few off-screen references. But it’s the ending that keeps this effort at 4 Stars. It finishes with the standard confrontation of your standard thriller, with nothing especially unique: convergence on the bad guy, who is either killed or captured after some resistance. Failure to elevate the conclusion, however, is not a major detriment when the standard is already high. The continuation of quality is quite sufficient.
July 27, 2014
Having followed his long-time boss, Rose Marie Roux, out of Minneapolis and into the Minnesota State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Lucas Davenport has become a roving troubleshooter who takes on difficult criminal cases statewide. Basically, he "fixes shit" for the governor and attempts to prevent high profile cases from having any adverse political fallout.
When a Russian sailor is shot and killed on the shores of Lake Superior near Duluth, it initially appears to be a relatively insignificant crime. But then it turns out that the sailor may have actually been a Russian spy. Even worse, the victim's father is very well-connected in Moscow and so suddenly the case may have international ramifications.
Lucas is assigned to the investigation as is Major Nadezhda Kalin, allegedly a Russian police official, who is sent by Moscow to observe the investigation and to assist where possible. Nadya is very attractive and engaging, but from the git go, Lucas believes that she is not actually a cop, but probably a spy herself.
The case plays out largely in northern Minnesota, up on "The Range," where workers in a string of small communities once mined enormous amounts of iron ore. The residents are hard scrabble, no-nonsense sorts of people, with a tradition of labor activism and radical politics. Unlikely as it seems, some of them may have not yet heard that the Soviet Union has imploded and that the Cold War is over.
As is almost always the case in these books, the reader knows almost immediately the identity of the killer and what unfolds is a game of cat and mouse as Davenport matches wits with the killer. It's a very entertaining story with a unique plot, unlike that of any other Davenport novel. There's plenty of tension and suspense, and the by-play between Lucas and Nadya is worth the price of the book all by itself. There's also a very minor subplot involving Lucas's wife, Weather, and the garage door on their new house that is hilarious. All in all, another great entry in the series.
When a Russian sailor is shot and killed on the shores of Lake Superior near Duluth, it initially appears to be a relatively insignificant crime. But then it turns out that the sailor may have actually been a Russian spy. Even worse, the victim's father is very well-connected in Moscow and so suddenly the case may have international ramifications.
Lucas is assigned to the investigation as is Major Nadezhda Kalin, allegedly a Russian police official, who is sent by Moscow to observe the investigation and to assist where possible. Nadya is very attractive and engaging, but from the git go, Lucas believes that she is not actually a cop, but probably a spy herself.
The case plays out largely in northern Minnesota, up on "The Range," where workers in a string of small communities once mined enormous amounts of iron ore. The residents are hard scrabble, no-nonsense sorts of people, with a tradition of labor activism and radical politics. Unlikely as it seems, some of them may have not yet heard that the Soviet Union has imploded and that the Cold War is over.
As is almost always the case in these books, the reader knows almost immediately the identity of the killer and what unfolds is a game of cat and mouse as Davenport matches wits with the killer. It's a very entertaining story with a unique plot, unlike that of any other Davenport novel. There's plenty of tension and suspense, and the by-play between Lucas and Nadya is worth the price of the book all by itself. There's also a very minor subplot involving Lucas's wife, Weather, and the garage door on their new house that is hilarious. All in all, another great entry in the series.
February 25, 2021
Wasn’t one of my favorite in this series but still a very good book. When I pick up a Lucas Davenport book I know that I’m in for a 4 to 5⭐️ every time. Always action packed, along with a fast paced satisfying ending.
On to the next: #16 Broken Prey
On to the next: #16 Broken Prey
April 15, 2023
5 Stars. Reading the cover blurb, I didn't think this one would reach the top rung as have so many others in the series. Was I ever wrong. Espionage and Lucas Davenport? Not his thing. Yes the initial victim, Rodion Oleshev, is Russian with high level connections back home. But the novel soon becomes more of a criminal pursuit, although it never loses political overtones for the Governor of Minnesota, the FBI, and elements in Russia. Some long-time local residents too. There's a second intriguing character from Russia, Nadezhda Kalin, a lovely Major in their national police. She's been sent over to assist in the investigation. "You can call me Nadya." The interplay between her and Davenport, and some of the other American investigators, is delicious. Before readers take that thought too far, may I remind you that Lucas is now happily married to Weather. It's Nadya's criminal interrogation skills which shine. But the issue is trust; are there other reasons for her being on the scene? It's not long before two elderly residents, Grandpa and Grandma Walther of Hibbing, a town north of Duluth, begin to reach for a prominent role as well. You'll love it. (March 2023)
August 30, 2018
As one of my GR friends put it, I'm gobbling up this series. I won't say each book is better than the last, but they're all very good with a lot of recurring characters & interesting issues, both criminal & personal. This time the criminals are an old band of communist spies, a really bewildering mystery to solve, especially since there are scant clues, just a lot of bodies. On the personal front, will Lucas buy the $6,000 suit? Will Weather take out another garage door? Who cares? Well, it's the little things that add so much to these books. The little real quirks & issues of life which are never boring.
If you like tidy mysteries that are wrapped up with a pretty ribbon at the end, this book isn't for you. As in real life, Lucas doesn't always find out all the answers or bring everyone to justice. In this case, there's one character who was particularly well done in regards to justice that I'm somewhat conflicted about. There's others that got off too easy & I'm not sure what would really be just for some others.
Anyway, it isn't tidy, but it is thought provoking which is pretty incredible out of the 15th book in a series. Sandford doesn't just stamp these out cookie-cutter fashion. Each is a distinct work. As usual, it was excellently narrated by Richard Ferrone.
There's no question about it, I'm starting the next Broken Prey.
If you like tidy mysteries that are wrapped up with a pretty ribbon at the end, this book isn't for you. As in real life, Lucas doesn't always find out all the answers or bring everyone to justice. In this case, there's one character who was particularly well done in regards to justice that I'm somewhat conflicted about. There's others that got off too easy & I'm not sure what would really be just for some others.
Anyway, it isn't tidy, but it is thought provoking which is pretty incredible out of the 15th book in a series. Sandford doesn't just stamp these out cookie-cutter fashion. Each is a distinct work. As usual, it was excellently narrated by Richard Ferrone.
There's no question about it, I'm starting the next Broken Prey.
October 19, 2012
My first of John Sanford's "Prey" series. I have been seeing these books of Sanford with "prey" on the title and my friend told me to try one. I said, why not? I always love reading books with preys and predators in them.
This is different from the many thriller series that I've read. Of course, there is the hero investigator, Lucas Davenport who should be in all the 22 (so far) books. This one is the 15th. My friend told me that this was her favorite, so I grabbed this and bought this to the cashier. Davenport seems to be a typical Minnesotan. Not the lawyer, ex-military man with foreign connections that is the usual profile of the standard crime/thriller hero. Davenport seems to be too vulnerable that at anytime during the series, Sanford can make him the prey or the predator and thinking about that gives him more leeway on how to make his character more interesting. Not to mention the likelihood of readers, especially men or fathers, to relate to his character for more emphatic reading.
The story starts with a murder of a Russian man. Some 50-year old bullets are used by the assassin. Three bullets in the head. Three in the body. Lucas Davenport enters to investigate. However, Russian authorities doubts that their citizen would get justice so they send their own investigator. The prose becomes interesting because the Russian is a she and it is her first time in the US of A. But she is very clever and blurts out and can exchange witty repartee with Davenport. Too bad that they did not end up together.
There is one scene towards the end that is too gruesome. Remember the recorded decapitation of hostages by some global terrorist sometime in the recent past? Sandford recreated that scene here. It's just that the murderer also killed himself and before doing that he said this jokingly: "I should have been in show business" and I thought it made the scene interesting because it was quite atypical considering the seriousness of the scene. If all the Sanford books has that combination of dark kind of humor, I would not mind picking another book by him.
This is different from the many thriller series that I've read. Of course, there is the hero investigator, Lucas Davenport who should be in all the 22 (so far) books. This one is the 15th. My friend told me that this was her favorite, so I grabbed this and bought this to the cashier. Davenport seems to be a typical Minnesotan. Not the lawyer, ex-military man with foreign connections that is the usual profile of the standard crime/thriller hero. Davenport seems to be too vulnerable that at anytime during the series, Sanford can make him the prey or the predator and thinking about that gives him more leeway on how to make his character more interesting. Not to mention the likelihood of readers, especially men or fathers, to relate to his character for more emphatic reading.
The story starts with a murder of a Russian man. Some 50-year old bullets are used by the assassin. Three bullets in the head. Three in the body. Lucas Davenport enters to investigate. However, Russian authorities doubts that their citizen would get justice so they send their own investigator. The prose becomes interesting because the Russian is a she and it is her first time in the US of A. But she is very clever and blurts out and can exchange witty repartee with Davenport. Too bad that they did not end up together.
There is one scene towards the end that is too gruesome. Remember the recorded decapitation of hostages by some global terrorist sometime in the recent past? Sandford recreated that scene here. It's just that the murderer also killed himself and before doing that he said this jokingly: "I should have been in show business" and I thought it made the scene interesting because it was quite atypical considering the seriousness of the scene. If all the Sanford books has that combination of dark kind of humor, I would not mind picking another book by him.
July 22, 2020
Another really good read by one of my favorite authors. An older book but I had not read it before. Lucas Davenport never disappoints. He always solved the crime and this one was very complicated. Communists in Minnesota. A complicated read but of course he figured it out. Definitely recommend.
May 23, 2024
Note to self - these books have gotten awful. Not reading any more of them.
October 23, 2025
2nd reading - A Russian on leave from a ship anchored in Minnesota is assassinated. Davenport is called in to look at the site, as the dead guy is related to a higher-up in Mother Russia.
We uncover a decades old sleeper cell, the Russian mafia, and a recovering meth addict who was a witness at the killing.
The KGB/NRV/police send an officer to the states to assist - or find facts our people uncover.
As usual, the action pulls us along, with entertaining sidebars concerning romance with the Russian, and the road to redemption of the addict.
We uncover a decades old sleeper cell, the Russian mafia, and a recovering meth addict who was a witness at the killing.
The KGB/NRV/police send an officer to the states to assist - or find facts our people uncover.
As usual, the action pulls us along, with entertaining sidebars concerning romance with the Russian, and the road to redemption of the addict.
October 22, 2024
I started my John Sandford reads with the Virgil Flowers series, which I liked a lot. But all good things must end, so I started with the Prey series, and was a bit let down at first. But after a couple of books, I started to like it more, and at this point, I'm a big fan. It just took me a little time to get used to Davenport's personality, which is very different from that damn Flowers.
I liked this one a lot. It was an unusual story with some unusual characters. A Russian spy was featured working with Lucas, and she added a lot of a sort of comic relief. Then there were villains who were basically nice people with a short circuit somewhere in their brain, although one was young and was more a product of his upbringing. I felt sorry for him, but then he did commit a few murders.
I liked this one a lot. It was an unusual story with some unusual characters. A Russian spy was featured working with Lucas, and she added a lot of a sort of comic relief. Then there were villains who were basically nice people with a short circuit somewhere in their brain, although one was young and was more a product of his upbringing. I felt sorry for him, but then he did commit a few murders.
February 6, 2019
Yeah this book actually deals with Russian spies. Who knew how timely a read this would be for a book that was published back in 2004. The whole Russia thing was a non-starter for me. It just doesn't work and it feels like Lucas is going through the motions. He has a new female Russia spymaster (or whatever she is) along for the ride as Lucas investigates why a man was murdered with ties to Russia. The only interesting to me in this one was commentary that Lucas had on the current composition of police forces. I really hated the ending and the fact that most people in this book seemed to forget or not care that a homeless woman was murdered.
"Hidden Prey" has Lucas being called into help out the Governor or Minnesota and the FBI when a man who is the son of a Russian oil man is found dead. There are talks of our spies doing it, but everyone is supposedly being honest and saying, nope not us. From there Lucas walks a tangled web to figure out what is going on when some other families nearby are being targeting by an unknown assailant. Lucas is bored with the work he is doing so now it seems he may go off to do something else. There is talk of his new son with his wife and their ward they took in after the events of the last book. Lucas even calls up the mother of his first kid to get help from her. Weirdly Sandford doesn't provide us any details on Lucas's daughter (she rarely appears or is mentioned) but does bring up the woman is pregnant so I assume she's still with the guy from the earlier books? I just thought everything in this one was too hodgepodge.
Sandford provides us looks into the assailant's POV, but I have to admit I started skipping over it after a while. It just read as pointless to me. It was not gripping at all and it's pretty obvious the person in question has a lot of problems based on how he was raised.
The Russian woman was annoying to me after a while. She doesn't seem to understand anything and definitely seems to be playing Lucas.
There are some other characters from previous books like Marcy and Del and we just get quick updates into them. I wish the core team was back together again.
As I said above, the only thing I found really interesting in this book was that Lucas realizes that "peace" officers are a thing of the past. He blames it on the FBI and how they treat civilians and other law enforcement bodies (with suspicion) and he thinks that has leaked down into local police forces which are not about helping people anymore, but are about putting people they are supposed to protect in harm's way. Little surprise that Lucas would think this since we know he got suspended for beating up a pimp in the first books, but you know, irony.
Writing is okay, I just thought the flow was stilted. I don't know why Sandford wanted to write a spy novel. This felt like a rough first draft of The Americans and I didn't care for it at all.
The ending was a whatever to the 10th power. We know what really happened (since we get another POV in this one, but don't want to spoil) so we know that Lucas hasn't really been able to fully figure things out. Considering it's always told to us how smart and tenacious Lucas is, it's a surprise he muffed the ending in this one.
"Hidden Prey" has Lucas being called into help out the Governor or Minnesota and the FBI when a man who is the son of a Russian oil man is found dead. There are talks of our spies doing it, but everyone is supposedly being honest and saying, nope not us. From there Lucas walks a tangled web to figure out what is going on when some other families nearby are being targeting by an unknown assailant. Lucas is bored with the work he is doing so now it seems he may go off to do something else. There is talk of his new son with his wife and their ward they took in after the events of the last book. Lucas even calls up the mother of his first kid to get help from her. Weirdly Sandford doesn't provide us any details on Lucas's daughter (she rarely appears or is mentioned) but does bring up the woman is pregnant so I assume she's still with the guy from the earlier books? I just thought everything in this one was too hodgepodge.
Sandford provides us looks into the assailant's POV, but I have to admit I started skipping over it after a while. It just read as pointless to me. It was not gripping at all and it's pretty obvious the person in question has a lot of problems based on how he was raised.
The Russian woman was annoying to me after a while. She doesn't seem to understand anything and definitely seems to be playing Lucas.
There are some other characters from previous books like Marcy and Del and we just get quick updates into them. I wish the core team was back together again.
As I said above, the only thing I found really interesting in this book was that Lucas realizes that "peace" officers are a thing of the past. He blames it on the FBI and how they treat civilians and other law enforcement bodies (with suspicion) and he thinks that has leaked down into local police forces which are not about helping people anymore, but are about putting people they are supposed to protect in harm's way. Little surprise that Lucas would think this since we know he got suspended for beating up a pimp in the first books, but you know, irony.
Writing is okay, I just thought the flow was stilted. I don't know why Sandford wanted to write a spy novel. This felt like a rough first draft of The Americans and I didn't care for it at all.
The ending was a whatever to the 10th power. We know what really happened (since we get another POV in this one, but don't want to spoil) so we know that Lucas hasn't really been able to fully figure things out. Considering it's always told to us how smart and tenacious Lucas is, it's a surprise he muffed the ending in this one.
January 10, 2023
In this installment to the Prey series, Lucas heads north to get to the bottom of a possible Russian spy ring, another clean-up job for the governor. He is aided by the FBI, a Russian "investigator," and also with a little help from a buddy we met a couple books ago by the name of Micky Andreno. I was happy to see Micky again.
I enjoyed this book and I am now caught up with the entire series from the beginning. My only issue with this one is that I wasn't very enthused over the storyline of the spy cell. Plus, there were a lot of different family members to try to keep track of. One thing I did get quite a kick out of was the beginning of chapter 2, which could be titled, "Weather vs the Garage Door." I highly doubt my husband would have been as understanding as Lucas or his neighbor, and contrary to their thinking, we've been married over 30 years!
I enjoyed this book and I am now caught up with the entire series from the beginning. My only issue with this one is that I wasn't very enthused over the storyline of the spy cell. Plus, there were a lot of different family members to try to keep track of. One thing I did get quite a kick out of was the beginning of chapter 2, which could be titled, "Weather vs the Garage Door." I highly doubt my husband would have been as understanding as Lucas or his neighbor, and contrary to their thinking, we've been married over 30 years!
September 1, 2014
If you love this series then this book might be ok, but I was not taken. It dragged.
Maybe it was just a hard-to-work-with-plot and uninteresting characters. Everyone keeps secrets from Lucas - good guys and bad guys. Even Nadia his partner does not tell him things. It was a slow process of puzzle solving. The ending was lackluster. It was not wrapped up well, but I didn’t care much. I was glad it was over.
Main plot:
A group of Russian families has been in the U.S. for decades. They consider themselves spies for Russia even though they rarely have contact with Russia and don’t do much. They kill a Russian. Nadia arrives from Russia to investigate and works with Lucas.
Female characters.
I don’t like the way the author writes women. He makes them weak, incompetent, or not smart in order to make Lucas look good. I don’t require strong smart heroines in everything I read. It’s ok to have weak characters in either sex. But make the main female character quirky, unusual, or something. So far in the three books I’ve read, I come out with an empty feeling about women. They are cardboard.
Here’s an example. Nadia and a guy are in a room. Killer enters and shoots the guy then runs out. Lucas is nearby, hears gunshots, and sees the killer running. Lucas goes to Nadia and sees the guy shot. Lucas calls 911 giving information, tells Nadia to stay with the guy, and then runs off to chase the killer. Lucas is a good runner and gets close to the killer. Why didn’t Nadia do anything? She could have called 911. But no, Lucas has to delay his chase to make the phone call while Nadia stands there and watches. Why couldn’t Nadia chase the killer? Nadia is a Russian agent, not a shrinking violet fragile female. She’s cardboard.
I was eager to read about Letty, a 12-year-old Lucas meets in book #14 (the previous book). She shoots a rifle and traps muskrats. I hoped she would have a bigger role in this book, but she had no role. The only thing said was Lucas was her guardian.
I was impatient with Nadia’s dialogue. She asked too many word meanings which dragged the dialogue. Examples: “The others were tarnished and even had some, I don’t know the English, green coloring on the brass.” “How do you say...” “What’s this ‘upside’?”
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Richard Ferrone was good for general narration and men, but not women. He made them sound weird.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 27 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day Minnesota. Book copyright: 2004. Genre: mystery suspense thriller.
Maybe it was just a hard-to-work-with-plot and uninteresting characters. Everyone keeps secrets from Lucas - good guys and bad guys. Even Nadia his partner does not tell him things. It was a slow process of puzzle solving. The ending was lackluster. It was not wrapped up well, but I didn’t care much. I was glad it was over.
Main plot:
A group of Russian families has been in the U.S. for decades. They consider themselves spies for Russia even though they rarely have contact with Russia and don’t do much. They kill a Russian. Nadia arrives from Russia to investigate and works with Lucas.
Female characters.
I don’t like the way the author writes women. He makes them weak, incompetent, or not smart in order to make Lucas look good. I don’t require strong smart heroines in everything I read. It’s ok to have weak characters in either sex. But make the main female character quirky, unusual, or something. So far in the three books I’ve read, I come out with an empty feeling about women. They are cardboard.
Here’s an example. Nadia and a guy are in a room. Killer enters and shoots the guy then runs out. Lucas is nearby, hears gunshots, and sees the killer running. Lucas goes to Nadia and sees the guy shot. Lucas calls 911 giving information, tells Nadia to stay with the guy, and then runs off to chase the killer. Lucas is a good runner and gets close to the killer. Why didn’t Nadia do anything? She could have called 911. But no, Lucas has to delay his chase to make the phone call while Nadia stands there and watches. Why couldn’t Nadia chase the killer? Nadia is a Russian agent, not a shrinking violet fragile female. She’s cardboard.
I was eager to read about Letty, a 12-year-old Lucas meets in book #14 (the previous book). She shoots a rifle and traps muskrats. I hoped she would have a bigger role in this book, but she had no role. The only thing said was Lucas was her guardian.
I was impatient with Nadia’s dialogue. She asked too many word meanings which dragged the dialogue. Examples: “The others were tarnished and even had some, I don’t know the English, green coloring on the brass.” “How do you say...” “What’s this ‘upside’?”
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Richard Ferrone was good for general narration and men, but not women. He made them sound weird.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 27 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day Minnesota. Book copyright: 2004. Genre: mystery suspense thriller.
May 26, 2012
This is something like the 15th in John Sanford's Prey series, and by now, most of what needs to be said about the nuts and bolts of his writing (by me, at least) already has been said. So far, I've yet to be disappointed along my quest to read them all, although I will say that for the first handful of chapters of this one, I wasn't sure it would have quite the appeal for me that the previous books have had.
Looking back, I guess that's because it deals with Russian spy "stuff," and in the beginning, it was a bit hard to follow (and ho-hum) for me. But then Sanford's story-telling skills kicked in, and the book took off running. It helped, I suppose, that I used to know a couple of folks who I'd call very sympathetic to the anti-government "clans" who stockpile weapons and in general try to live under the radar. As far as I know they never officially joined up - and I have no idea whether they're still alive today - but it sure made for interesting conversation.
I also like that readers are let in on who the bad guys and gals are before the main character, Minnesota detective Lucas Davenport, has figured it out; tuning in to his thought processes and discoveries (right or wrong) is part of what keeps me interested and the plot moving along. The ending of this one isn't quite as satisfactory as I'd have liked (and I'm sure Davenport would agree), but in this case it fits perfectly. On to No. 16!
Looking back, I guess that's because it deals with Russian spy "stuff," and in the beginning, it was a bit hard to follow (and ho-hum) for me. But then Sanford's story-telling skills kicked in, and the book took off running. It helped, I suppose, that I used to know a couple of folks who I'd call very sympathetic to the anti-government "clans" who stockpile weapons and in general try to live under the radar. As far as I know they never officially joined up - and I have no idea whether they're still alive today - but it sure made for interesting conversation.
I also like that readers are let in on who the bad guys and gals are before the main character, Minnesota detective Lucas Davenport, has figured it out; tuning in to his thought processes and discoveries (right or wrong) is part of what keeps me interested and the plot moving along. The ending of this one isn't quite as satisfactory as I'd have liked (and I'm sure Davenport would agree), but in this case it fits perfectly. On to No. 16!
August 9, 2018
Sandford has now fully translated Davenport to his state job. This book is so well written that a new reader could almost start the series here. The subject is embedded communists. Yes they are here and have been since they were welcomed in 1920's when they were run out of Europe. They are in all aspects of our culture: labor unions, education faculty, All levels of government: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Barbara Lee, and Rep. Keith Ellison. Right now they are still in a parasitic position under capitalism, so if you don't follow their rhetoric then you might not agree with my classification.
September 15, 2008
This book is rather uninteresting. It took almost 300 pages to pick up and then the ending was very poor. A character that was introduced in the beginning and played a rather vital role in the beginning ended up being an unseen and unheard from entity. She should have been featured a little more prominently in the book. Why introduce her with so much background information and not use her more? The main characters had less background info than she did.
July 26, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this 15th book in John Sandford's "Lucas Davenport" series!
February 22, 2020
Uh no, this wasn’t one of the strongest in the Prey series. This was actually extremely disappointing.
Lucas is working a murder of a Russian spy. A Russian “cop” Nadya from the mother country has arrived to help him.
The story dragged. It was like trudging through mud. Trying to get through the mud to a more exciting action packed section...which were few and far between.
Davenport books are normally filled with action as well as interesting plots about Lucas himself. Maybe it’s because he is married and settled down but even his story line was boring.
And the ending....really Sanford? That was the best you can do? The next book better pick up where you left off to explain the less than exciting resolution. I’m still scratching my head on this one.
I gave this a 3 since I’m so invested in the series. If I had never read a Prey series book, I would never pick another one up after this one.
Did you miss a deadline or something? Had to rush to get this done?
What a bummer.
Lucas is working a murder of a Russian spy. A Russian “cop” Nadya from the mother country has arrived to help him.
The story dragged. It was like trudging through mud. Trying to get through the mud to a more exciting action packed section...which were few and far between.
Davenport books are normally filled with action as well as interesting plots about Lucas himself. Maybe it’s because he is married and settled down but even his story line was boring.
And the ending....really Sanford? That was the best you can do? The next book better pick up where you left off to explain the less than exciting resolution. I’m still scratching my head on this one.
I gave this a 3 since I’m so invested in the series. If I had never read a Prey series book, I would never pick another one up after this one.
Did you miss a deadline or something? Had to rush to get this done?
What a bummer.
June 2, 2019
Another John Sanford classic. Russian spies living in small towns Minnesota since the beginnings of the Cold War. A high school student being trained by an old Communist to become a hit man for Russia. Enter Lucas Davenport to make sense of this Russian angle. Along with Davenport is an intelligence officer from Russia. As the bodies fall and a member of law enforcement gets killed Davenport must pull out all the stops in tracking down these old Russian Spies. An action packed plot with some very interesting twists and turns makes, "Hidden Prey", another Lucas Davenport do not miss read. Author john Sanford spins every Davenport book that's almost impossible to put down. Four stars out of a possible five stars. A do not miss read in a do not miss series. Check it out.
May 21, 2019
4.5! Another case solved in the Davenport Series!! A underground cell of Russian Spies/Crazies. Anyone else as happy with the outcome for Annabelle??? Such a good read!
June 20, 2020
A cranky Davenport is not something we are use to, but that is exactly what we are presented with in this book and damn if it is not funny.
Finally on track in his personal life Lucas is now unsettled in his professional life, which begs the question will he ever truly be happy? Never fear a murdered Russian is found and Lucas is off and running.
This is not your usual Prey book, we have international intrigue, possible spies and a Russian partner for Lucas. All of this on top of Davenport unhappiness with his job mark a total depature from then norm.
I especially loved Lucas's realisation that he was uneasy at another investigators actions and his inability to understand why he was uneasy considering he had done exactly the same thing. It is Sandfords willingness as an author to show us a real flawed character that keep me coming back for more.
Finally on track in his personal life Lucas is now unsettled in his professional life, which begs the question will he ever truly be happy? Never fear a murdered Russian is found and Lucas is off and running.
This is not your usual Prey book, we have international intrigue, possible spies and a Russian partner for Lucas. All of this on top of Davenport unhappiness with his job mark a total depature from then norm.
I especially loved Lucas's realisation that he was uneasy at another investigators actions and his inability to understand why he was uneasy considering he had done exactly the same thing. It is Sandfords willingness as an author to show us a real flawed character that keep me coming back for more.
December 9, 2017
Not my favourite Sandford, but a cracking read all the same. I especially love the start of this with Weather crashing into the garage, all the various reactions to that from Lucas, Del and the crew. He writes characters so very well.
Also great writing to make the character of Grandpa somehow sympathetic, even though he's done such terrible things. His love for his wife and care for her is such a redeeming quality.
Also great writing to make the character of Grandpa somehow sympathetic, even though he's done such terrible things. His love for his wife and care for her is such a redeeming quality.
January 9, 2017
I wouldn't say Davenport would be my first choice in dealing with possible international intrigue due to his inability to play nice with others when it doesn't suit him, but he needs to work with a Russian police officer (at least that's what she claims) to solve a murder that has bigger ramifications than was originally thought. The crime was a nice change of pace for the books, and interesting to read.
April 30, 2016
Old reviews went missing. How does save not working?
Great series; No .. my favorite series.
Great series; No .. my favorite series.
January 29, 2014
The Russians have landed! And are dropping like swatted flies.....
Lucas Davenport doesn't care much about Communist politics, but he isn't too happy about the murdering of Russians on his patch. He's a happy man these days. Married to Weather, who is a highly respected surgeon, raising a new son, Sam, who has become the center of his life, and in having opened his brand new home to an orphaned young teen he rescued in the previous book, Letty, he has settled into the role of family man with surprising satisfaction. In his new job as the head of the Office of Regional Research at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, reporting directly to the Governor to 'fix shit', he is enjoying the operational freedom to jump over many jurisdictional and bureaucratic walls. He is having an exceptionally good time for a 46-year-old cop. The only concern that is bothering him is that he works all of the time, as is Weather. But when the call comes to 'fix' the murder of a possible Russian spy, a merchant marine seaman on a freighter, he begins to deal with the various involved agencies - the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, the Governor's office of Minnesota, and the cops of Deluth where the murder occurred, not to mention the new, recently installed, Russian government representative who wants to observe the investigation. She is a very pretty spy! A bit like Weather, actually. Hmmmm.
The first murder is of Oleg Moshalov, who was really Rodian Oleshev, ex-KGB, possibly now either a Russian mafia agent OR a new Russian government spy. The second murder is of an American, a possible witness. The third is a Russian embassy employee, a suspected spy working for the new Russia, unless he was working for the mafia, or ... what else? And more murders are obviously being planned, the implicit made explicit when Davenport rescues a torture and attempted murder victim in progress.....
The complications of Russian politics are making a mess of determining who is responsible for the growing list of dead Russians on American soil: the new Russian mafia of oligarchs, the new Russian government or the old idealogical believers of the Soviet Union, some hoping for a comeback, but most now afraid to leave their adopted countries where they have grown roots.
Whatever. Lucas has been tasked with identifying the murderer(s) and bringing them to justice, and that's all he cares about. American or Russian citizen, Lucas is going to stop the killing.
Who The Man? Lucas Davenport, that's who! I love you!!!!!! XXXXXXXXOOOOOOs!
**********************
Ever since the Soviet Union failed as a country, life has become complicated for the remaining rump state. It was inevitable that the political upheavals of such a complicated change of government of a large country would disrupt its operations around the world. One such operation was the 'sleeper' program of installing hardcore believers of Communism into other countries as regular married citizens with children, who then would be in place and supposedly ready to fight as soldiers when the proletariat rose up against the wealthy elite of capitalistic democracies. Communists believed civil war was inevitable because the poor would not tolerate the injustice of class inequalities.
Perhaps they are half-right. But Communism is an extreme ideology which ignores human nature. Most people want to own and work with their own stuff, and they work harder for personal gain, authority and social recognition. Communism could only function if humanity was redesigned into something resembling altruistic computers with no needs or if turned into robotic bees or ants slaved to their group-think species. Every single governance experiment of Communism has devolved (?) into varied economic classes in time, people being people. Communism hoped to change people through fear and education, creating a vast, undifferentiated body of water out of homo sapiens. Instead, they proved that any metaphorical ocean of collected water molecules that consists of mankind insists on separating into single sentient glasses of water with each cup struggling for their own levels of individuality and difference.
Revolution, probably through protests at this point, could happen in the USA if the American middle-class (IMHO, only the middle-class could effectively do it here in the USA) suddenly realized the current tax policies of the Republican Party (or whoever is capturing all of the assets, depending on your own theory) are removing the wealth from 98% of the lower economic levels of society and transferring the money to the upper 2%. However, by slowly recreating the country of Haiti out of America instead of it happening by a quick jolt, most Americans are unaware of the slow unjust theft of their 'have' lifestyle by the rich, some of whom are trying to buy up and consolidate every small competitive business into one huge controlling company, purchasing 10+ mansions around the world per wealthy family that they can't possibly utilize in their lifetimes or the thousands of old not-drivable classic cars they are stocking inside massive environmentally controlled garages built to house them or items such as hundreds of tiny purses that cost $10,000 each sitting in closets of the multi-millionaires and billionaires unable to find enough things to spend money on. Meanwhile the national infrastructure crumbles and the homeless sleep in tents. But the socialistic nets of unemployment insurance, social security, welfare, etc., still in place even if being cut back, has so far eased the fall of the masses into poverty while the rich get richer. It could take decades before the diminishing middle-class notices how the Republican-controlled Congress (currently) is grabbing the cash while hiding behind the misdirection of rhetoric and problems which do not exist. But maybe the ex-middle-class might not react even then, even after the deluded middle finally notices that the grandchildren are poor and jobless. After all, the poorer 98% of Egyptians rioted only after their government stopped the bread subsidies completely, meaning their wealthy class finally had all there was to grab and, due to their undeserved superiority of wealth, forgot about the dangers of starving the intentionally impoverished classes. The result of ensuing riots and protests is almost exactly the same situation which brought the Communists to power in Russia in the first place. The Egyptians probably then discovered that religious theocracies result in the same repressive inequalities and human stresses as communism, despite the professed 'we will be nicer' ideological attempt of remaking people into a single ocean of religious water molecules.
Ok, I'm done.
Lucas Davenport doesn't care much about Communist politics, but he isn't too happy about the murdering of Russians on his patch. He's a happy man these days. Married to Weather, who is a highly respected surgeon, raising a new son, Sam, who has become the center of his life, and in having opened his brand new home to an orphaned young teen he rescued in the previous book, Letty, he has settled into the role of family man with surprising satisfaction. In his new job as the head of the Office of Regional Research at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, reporting directly to the Governor to 'fix shit', he is enjoying the operational freedom to jump over many jurisdictional and bureaucratic walls. He is having an exceptionally good time for a 46-year-old cop. The only concern that is bothering him is that he works all of the time, as is Weather. But when the call comes to 'fix' the murder of a possible Russian spy, a merchant marine seaman on a freighter, he begins to deal with the various involved agencies - the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, the Governor's office of Minnesota, and the cops of Deluth where the murder occurred, not to mention the new, recently installed, Russian government representative who wants to observe the investigation. She is a very pretty spy! A bit like Weather, actually. Hmmmm.
The first murder is of Oleg Moshalov, who was really Rodian Oleshev, ex-KGB, possibly now either a Russian mafia agent OR a new Russian government spy. The second murder is of an American, a possible witness. The third is a Russian embassy employee, a suspected spy working for the new Russia, unless he was working for the mafia, or ... what else? And more murders are obviously being planned, the implicit made explicit when Davenport rescues a torture and attempted murder victim in progress.....
The complications of Russian politics are making a mess of determining who is responsible for the growing list of dead Russians on American soil: the new Russian mafia of oligarchs, the new Russian government or the old idealogical believers of the Soviet Union, some hoping for a comeback, but most now afraid to leave their adopted countries where they have grown roots.
Whatever. Lucas has been tasked with identifying the murderer(s) and bringing them to justice, and that's all he cares about. American or Russian citizen, Lucas is going to stop the killing.
Who The Man? Lucas Davenport, that's who! I love you!!!!!! XXXXXXXXOOOOOOs!
**********************
Ever since the Soviet Union failed as a country, life has become complicated for the remaining rump state. It was inevitable that the political upheavals of such a complicated change of government of a large country would disrupt its operations around the world. One such operation was the 'sleeper' program of installing hardcore believers of Communism into other countries as regular married citizens with children, who then would be in place and supposedly ready to fight as soldiers when the proletariat rose up against the wealthy elite of capitalistic democracies. Communists believed civil war was inevitable because the poor would not tolerate the injustice of class inequalities.
Perhaps they are half-right. But Communism is an extreme ideology which ignores human nature. Most people want to own and work with their own stuff, and they work harder for personal gain, authority and social recognition. Communism could only function if humanity was redesigned into something resembling altruistic computers with no needs or if turned into robotic bees or ants slaved to their group-think species. Every single governance experiment of Communism has devolved (?) into varied economic classes in time, people being people. Communism hoped to change people through fear and education, creating a vast, undifferentiated body of water out of homo sapiens. Instead, they proved that any metaphorical ocean of collected water molecules that consists of mankind insists on separating into single sentient glasses of water with each cup struggling for their own levels of individuality and difference.
Revolution, probably through protests at this point, could happen in the USA if the American middle-class (IMHO, only the middle-class could effectively do it here in the USA) suddenly realized the current tax policies of the Republican Party (or whoever is capturing all of the assets, depending on your own theory) are removing the wealth from 98% of the lower economic levels of society and transferring the money to the upper 2%. However, by slowly recreating the country of Haiti out of America instead of it happening by a quick jolt, most Americans are unaware of the slow unjust theft of their 'have' lifestyle by the rich, some of whom are trying to buy up and consolidate every small competitive business into one huge controlling company, purchasing 10+ mansions around the world per wealthy family that they can't possibly utilize in their lifetimes or the thousands of old not-drivable classic cars they are stocking inside massive environmentally controlled garages built to house them or items such as hundreds of tiny purses that cost $10,000 each sitting in closets of the multi-millionaires and billionaires unable to find enough things to spend money on. Meanwhile the national infrastructure crumbles and the homeless sleep in tents. But the socialistic nets of unemployment insurance, social security, welfare, etc., still in place even if being cut back, has so far eased the fall of the masses into poverty while the rich get richer. It could take decades before the diminishing middle-class notices how the Republican-controlled Congress (currently) is grabbing the cash while hiding behind the misdirection of rhetoric and problems which do not exist. But maybe the ex-middle-class might not react even then, even after the deluded middle finally notices that the grandchildren are poor and jobless. After all, the poorer 98% of Egyptians rioted only after their government stopped the bread subsidies completely, meaning their wealthy class finally had all there was to grab and, due to their undeserved superiority of wealth, forgot about the dangers of starving the intentionally impoverished classes. The result of ensuing riots and protests is almost exactly the same situation which brought the Communists to power in Russia in the first place. The Egyptians probably then discovered that religious theocracies result in the same repressive inequalities and human stresses as communism, despite the professed 'we will be nicer' ideological attempt of remaking people into a single ocean of religious water molecules.
Ok, I'm done.
May 8, 2024
I enjoyed this Lucas Davenport thriller, where he is tasked to solve the murder of a Russian sailor. A homeless woman was a witness to the killing but she cannot be found and is perhaps dead. We don't see a lot of the usual characters but they all appear. A Russian investigator helps Davenport and his team. Recommended.
August 29, 2018
Another great edition to this excellent series. Never disappoints.
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