I finally lost it for this book when the police officers murder an innocent man who was protecting his property. I'm pretty sure the cops weren't uniformed because they were undercover at the time. So the man didn't know they were cops when he shot at them in self defense.The cops flippant attitude about it annoyed me. They murdered a civilian and left his wife a widow. The cops only cared about how it looked and how the media would react to it, not that they ended a man's life because of their own mistakes. We'll throw a few bucks at the wife to shut her up. They were almost as bad as the serial killer. (The above is not a spoiler really because it has no impact on anything else in the book. Life is dirt cheap in these thrillers.)There were a few things I liked. Sandford gets deep into the mind of this serial killer. He's a sicko but at least interesting. Sandford also didn't prance around his female characters, afraid of negative portrayals. Lucas was attracted to one but stayed away from her because she was "dumb as a stump". I found that funny. This was published in 1989 so it was okay to say things like that. Refreshing. He unapologetically slept with a few. Potential victim Carla Ruiz was an interesting and sympathetic female character, although a bit one note. Reporter and TV personality Jennifer Carey comes off as an awful person. A good and realistic negative portrayal. No pedestals, no apologies.Lucas Davenport is too forgiving of her transgressions however. It didn't fit his confident and masculine persona. One minute he's aloof and amused the next minute he's an indecisive pansy ass of a man.Some of the dialogue is really good. No nonsense and to the point and sometimes humorous. Sometimes though it's hollow and wooden. Davenport's fellow cops, most of them, weren't bumbling idiots. Just human. The Captain, although too concerned with the damn media, wasn't your typical over-the-top asshole Captain, the type we've seen too much of in entertainment. Ultimately he was just trying to do the right thing and catch the killer.Still, the book dragged on. No mystery so no suspense. Barely any twists. Catch the guy already. I know this is an early book by Sandford so I'm sure he improves, but I don't know. He is not a bad writer by any means, sometimes quite good. I heard the second book is one of his worst so I was going to skip to the third book. But that's called Eyes of Prey and it's about eyes being gouged out? I mean, who needs it.
Okay, here's the deal: I like me some stupid thriller books every once in awhile, and so I thought I would take a chance with Lucas Davenport. He's a gritty rogue cop, yadda...yadda...yadda...you've heard it all before. But what you haven't heard is this story was so much fun. Granted it has all the cliches imaginable, and once or twice I really had to wince at the writing, but, overall, this story did exactly what it was supposed to do: ENTERTAIN. Lately, I've been reading some pretty heavy stuff at work, but at home, nestled within the confines of my den of squalor, I have been relishing pulpy crime novels and this type of thriller. I have to admit, I forgot how fun reading can be when all the other BS surrounding classics or what the "it" read is at the moment is shoved off to the side. I turned pages as fast as I could read (is there any other way?), completely caught up in the moments of impossibility and lunacy. But, and here's the kicker, I bought into it! I believed John Sanford when he had his characters do whatever idiotic or mundane activity was on the page because I approached this book expecting nothing. Let me tell ya, and this is free to all you youngsters out there, NEVER FORGET HOW MUCH FUN READING IS! Remember, a steak can taste just fine by itself, but when you add mashed potatoes and some really good brown gravy, a side salad, and a nice bottle of wine...your tastes buds rejoice. Go on, don't be shy, give your reading taste buds a new flavor. If you don't like it, spit it out.
What do You think about Rules Of Prey (2005)?
The main character is Lucas Davenport, who is a detective and casual playboy. The book hints that there are not many women in town that he hasn't slept with. His relationships with women are confusing, because he really doesn't seem to have much feeling for them. He reads very wooden unless he's talking about work. He is a Jack Reacher type in that he's sort-of brutish and operates secretly outside of the rules, without remorse, to catch his man. Unlike Reacher, he owns a home, clothes and works on his hygiene. In this first book of the series, it switches between Davenport's point of view and that of Maddog, the serial killer. The pace is very smooth and enjoyable. As I was reading, I was at first confused that it always referenced IBM computers, and that the telephone rang 30 times. Then I noticed that they always had to find a pay phone. I laughed when he talked about his 5-foot-high speakers and 27-inch television. The book was written in 1989. It will be fun to read this series just to see the technology change. Davenport is also a game designer and occasional gambler that provides him with cash for at least a Porsche and a cabin.
—Michelle
Rules of Prey by John Sandford is the first Lucas Davenport novel. Sandford's novel started off a little bit slow for me. I even at first hated Davenport. The story is so well crafted that I kept going. I'm glad I did. I realized somewhere about a third to a halfway through that you don't have to like Davenport that's not Sandford's goal his goal is to make Davenport feel real. This he does like no other author I've read. During the case you get as close to a birds eye view of what police investigations might actually be like. Very cool! There was a point in the book I actually got mad cause my eyes weren't reading fast enough and my kindle wasn't turning pages fast enough. This has happened only ten times now including this book. The world and characters felt very real. The ending was realistic. Maybe it wouldn't happen in the real world but it could. Unlike a book I recently finished no character was puss caked for the sake of romance. The excuse of being a romance writer can't be used here. Lucas Davenport is a badass and his women are onto him and won't take his bull. Hence both he and his females stay strong! Unlike the other series that I can easily see myself giving one or two stars to in the very near future. I see the Davenport series eventually becoming a five star series! As for now, Rules of Prey gets 4 out of 5! Now I'm off to start Shadow Prey which is book two peace out!
—Art
Wow! Okay, I can say that Davenport is not like anything other cop character I've ever read before. He's definitely an original, and I don't know how much I should say for fear of blowing it for those who haven't read it and wish to. Lucas is intelligent and handsome in his own way, has a lot going on, but I found him to be... well, the only word I can think of is insecure when it comes to his personal life (women). He has the 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' attitude when it comes to his informants, and although some would say not entirely legal, it gets the job done. And the book has a really good pace, catches you from the start right to the finish. As I mentioned, email me if you want to discuss the book cause there's something that happens in the book that I wasn't happy with (but it in no way changes my view or rating) but I don't want to blow it for those who are going to read it. I found a few of the female characters a little on the ditzy side, but overall, I liked it.
—Gina
