Fifth in the Lucas Davenport thriller series revolving around an ex-cop who misses the action. This story takes place in Grant, in northern Wisconsin, in the depths of winter.My TakeMan, another good one from Sandford. It’s terrifying how easy it is for someone like the Iceman to exist within a community, to abuse and murder people without being caught. It’s such a small community that I bet every person could name off every other citizen in the area. And yet, the Iceman hides within it.I’d sure hate to be a fireman or policeman in a cold climate, and Sandford did a great job of making me feel the cold as they attempted to work the scene. I like Climpt. I hope he shows up again in the series. I loved the way he reasoned out why Harper’s “suicide” was really murder. It made so much sense. That bit with the priest demonstrates why it’s practical to bring in someone from outside.I’ve been reading enough books that I’m definitely getting the picture on self-defense and guns, if you own a gun, plan to use a gun: go to the range, practice, make it an instinctive reaction. Or, heck, if that’s all too much trouble, then plan to die. Then there’s all the gossip running through town. Another lesson for all cops. Do NOT talk out of school. The Iceman’s experience in school --- on both sides of the bullying fence --- are reason enough for teachers and principals to do what they can to stop this behavior. Can you imagine how many lives would have been saved if someone had stopped this behavior early on?Jesus, the way she’s thinking and talking, Ginny’s been having sex for some time. And she just turned fourteen. Parental licensing!!!Aw, man, I understand the need for the police to ask so many questions, but it’s horrible how it will force decent and innocent people to have to uproot their lives and leave. LOL, go, Weather! I’m with her. There’s all this crime happening around us and the cops are focusing on speeding tickets. Oops, sorry, I mean fulfilling their performance standards…*eye roll*…Winter Prey is a good example of what I love about thrillers and mysteries, following the trail, picking up the clues, and working the information. And they have so little to start with. It’s a puzzle, and I do love a good puzzle. The crazy thing about all this? If the Iceman had just left it alone…The StoryIt’s horrific. No one would have thought the LaCourts had an enemy in the world, especially not one that would brutally torture and murder them. Nor does the police department in Grant have the experience to investigate a group of murders like this. Lucky for them, Lucas Davenport has had plenty of publicity, so they know where to find him.They’ll need him when the murderer careens out of control.The CharactersLucas Davenport has the experience that Carr needs to work this scene, and he’s staying in his cabin in Sawyer County. Elle Kruger, a.k.a., Sister Mary Joseph, is a college psychology professor and an old childhood friend of Lucas’.The policeSheriff Sheldon “Shelly” Carr is religious and protective of Father Bergen. His wife is a nutjob with a cleaning fixation, so Shelly is seeing Jeanine Perkins on the side. A fact that Lucas makes good use of later. Deputies Henry Lacey, Tommy who did the photography, Gene Climpt has a tragedy in his past and is a good investigator, Arne Bruun is a quick thinker, Johnny, Russell “Rusty” Hinks, and Dusty Bane will all help. Helen Arris is the office manager. Tod Crane is the lab chief from Madison. Carl Snyder is a burglary specialist with the Minneapolis PD. Special Agents Lansley and Tolsen are the advance FBI agents. Detective Domeir is a Milwaukee cop with experience with sexual predators. Bobby McClain is a publisher. Zeke is a schoolteacher with a printer.The firemenDuane Helper is a professional firefighter who lives in the back of the firehouse. He is full of town gossip. Dick Westrom runs one of the hardware stores in town and is a volunteer fireman. His wife is Janice.The hospitalDr. Weather Karkinnen is the local doctor who’s on call as pathologist and keeps shooting herself in the foot, metaphorically. Dr. Rice, the local GP, does surgeries. Robbie’s strength will come in handy.Father Philip Bergen is the pastor at All Souls, Shelly’s church. Bergen has his own cross to bear. Joe is an AA sponsor. Bob Jones is the principal at Grant Junior High. John Mueller is a student and knows about the photograph. Bob Dell is one of the LaCourts’ neighbors and a foreman at the lumber mill. Eldon is the county attorney.Frank and Claudia LaCourt are on a second marriage, and they’re very happy. Lisa is their daughter. Jean Hansen is his ex and Jimmy Wilson is hers.The Iceman is eager to keep his identity secret and is willing to do anything to keep it.The sex gangFellow student Jim Harper set this all off with that photograph; Russ Harper is his mean pervert of a dad who runs the gas station. He’s got a prison record. Mark, Rosie, and Ginny Harris are orphans living in a trailer. Judy Schoenecker and her husband, Andy, a local bookkeeper, are heading out to Florida with their daughters. Doug. The CoverThe cover is a snowy white background with footprints traipsing through the title. In the upper right corner is a burnt out exposure of a three-story farmhouse isolated in the snowy hills as the moon shines overhead.The title is both the season and a reference to the Iceman as he seeks his Winter Prey.
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.
What do You think about Winter Prey (1994)?
Rating: 3.5 starsWinter Prey is the whole reason I wanted to read the Lucas Davenport series; everyone, including my dad, seems to say that this is their favorite. I've been told that they need to be read in order, so I started with #1 Rules Of Prey (loved it!!), tried #2 but couldn't get into it, read #3 Eyes Of Prey (liked it), and skipped #4 for now because I was anxious to move on to this one. Which brings me here. And I'm sorry to say that I was quite underwhelmed!The book starts off with a bang, as Lucas is called on to investigate when a family of three is killed in their home in rural Wisconsin. The first chapter is creepy and suspenseful, like something straight out of the beginning of a really good horror movie. Unfortunately, the more I learned about the crime as the book progressed, the less interested I became. Something just didn't do it for me. By the time I was approaching the end of the book, I didn't care much (if at all) about who, what, or why.I didn't feel like Lucas's character was very well-developed in this one. I loved him in the first of the series, but here, he just didn't seem to have much personality. The good news is that this one can be read on its own, for anyone who hasn't read anything else in the series. The crime is completely independent of the books that came before it, and you won't feel confused about anything having to do with Lucas's life.Living in snow-deprived Georgia here, I really loved and appreciated the descriptions of bitter cold and deep snow and small-town life; these aspects were definitely my favorite thing about the book.I liked the book - just didn't love it.
—Kelly
The story takes place in Wisconsin; Lucas Davenport is summoned from his cabin to take a look at a murder. The murders are gruesome; a man, woman, and teenage daughter were murdered, but not only that, the house was set on fire after the murders occurred. The Iceman, who is the killer, is searching for a picture that could incriminate him in a child sex ring. The murders needed to happen so his identity could stay a mystery. Father Bergen, the local priest is their number one suspect. From the beginning he states his innocence, but his name is already tainted in the investigation and he is about to talk to his parish about his innocence at Sunday's mass. But, the Iceman get to him first... As the story goes on, there are more people who end up dead, but Davenport finally figures out who the Iceman is, but is he in time to save the woman that he is falling in love with? This story is full throttle and the ending has you cheering for what happens to the Iceman. This book is a definite read for any John Sandford fan.
—Deana M
Winter Prey (Lucas Davenport Book 5) Summary: It is winter in the remote, dark Wisconsin woods, but the chill in the local sheriff's bones has nothing to do with the weather. The extravagance of the crime is new to him: the murdered man, woman and child; the machete-like knife through the man's head; the ashes of the fire-consumed house spread over the ice and snow. in desperation, the sheriff turns for help to the reclusive lawman he'd heard had a cabin up here, and with reluctance Davenport ag
—Ashley
