I bought this book for my husband's birthday.. He is a big fan of John Sanford and enjoyed the book very much.. Now he is reading Dark Moon.. gbp

John Sandford's novel Phantom Prey is one that will keep your eyes glued to the pages until the book is finished. Yet, while Phantom Prey is an eye-gluing police thriller, it's not the best Davenport Mysteries. So what didn't I like about it? Nothing! Lucas returns and focuses on the home of Heather Toms whose husband is on the lamb for smuggling and dealing narcotics. Ah, but there is a reason other than bail jumping for Lucas to watch this house so closely. (Jeepers, peepers) But just before the final curtain is called Lucas is called to investigate the gruesome scene found at his wife's friends house and now begins the search for Alyssa's missing daughter. I'll say no more, but be warned that Phantom Prey is a book you'll need to keep your wits about to fully understand the twisted scenes of Lucas' investigations.

Editor of the highly recommended novel: The Fates by Georgiou, Tino Fates (2nd Edition)

I've always enjoyed the "Prey" novels and I jumped at the chance to get this for my fairly new kindle. Unfortunately there were so many typos in this edition that I found myself distracted by them. I don't know if this sloppiness is only in the kindle format or if this is the case with the hard copy of the book as well. Either way, typos should be eliminated before the book gets published.

By the way, this is the only kindle book I've encountered to have this problem.

Sandford really did it this time, stepping outside the normal pattern, throwing in twist that you never see coming. This is by far one of the best Prey books, less soap opera feeling and more in depth hard core cop reading.

John Sandford's Prey series is one that I've followed over the years. But the last few books seemed to be losing much of the spark that drew me to them in the first place. The latest installment in the series is Phantom Prey, and it finally came in at the library. Based on the way things had been going, I wondered if this would be the last one I'd read for a long time. Fortunately, Phantom seems to get back to some of the more exciting style of writing that originally drew me in. While not perfect, it's definitely a welcome change in direction.

Lucas Davenport is somewhat coerced into looking into the murder of a young gothic'ish woman, the mother of which is a friend of his wife, Weather. He figures he can make a few calls, sound like he's interested, and then let the regular cops carry on with their investigation. But before he can make much of an effort, another goth murder occurs, and there appear to be ties to the daughter. After the third killing in just a few days, Davenport is completely committed to the case, not knowing if they are random incidents or all tied back to the daughter. There's an incredible lack of evidence in the killings, and he's forced to look at things in ways he normally wouldn't consider. And one of those ways seems to point back to a person who would seemingly be above reproach...

In the earlier Davenport novels, you saw a lot of mind games and interesting trails of though due to Lucas's background as a game designer. But since he's been put into management, there seems to be less of that element, and I think it was the piece that made the novels special. Phantom seems to drift back more to that core premise, and there are plenty of psychological twists and turns going on. And once Sandford lets it be known who the killer is, the head games really begin.

I'm hoping that Phantom Prey marks a return to the Lucas Davenport style of the earlier books in the series. If so, I'll definitely keep reading along. Otherwise, I could easily start missing new episodes without too much regret.

The seller said the book was brand new and it certainly is. It was delivered on time and in good condition.

Reading the latest Davenport thriller is always like attending a reunion - greeting old friends, revisiting familiar territory, but with a few surprised along the way. The eighteenth in the series so far, Phantom Prey is neither the best nor the worst (if there IS a worst), but it is a mighty satisfying read and will hold the reader's attention throughout. Now the long wait for number nineteen begins.

The book I ordered arrived in excellent condition and in a very timely manner. Everything was great!

It's not his greatest, but if you are a fan of the series, you almost have to read it.

This book is definitely better than the last. The story moves more, quicker pace and more difficult to predict. Lucas is a great character and Sandford does a nice job speaking to his other characters, Kidd and that F-ing Flowers. I will always read Sandford and being a Minneapolis resident I'm even more inclined. He does a great job building MN as a character and giving those not familiar with MN a little looksie into our blessing.

John Sandford does a better job of hooking me on his stories than anyone else writing today. I have read all the books written under the Sandford name and thought they all provided excellent entertainment except for the one clunker, "Dead Watch."

The Lucas Davenport novel, "Phantom Prey," is also quite entertaining. The book opens with a mother discovering that her daughter, Frances, has been abducted and that Frances lost a great deal of blood during the process. Authorities suspect that the daughter is probably dead.

The daughter has wealth from her deceased father's estate so money may be a motive. Frances has also been a part of the Twin Cities goth scene. Another person associated with the goth crowd is found dead after Frances' disappearance. There is a rumor that the latest deceased person was seen with a very attractive "fairy" shortly before his death. This dark-clad fairy and her diabolical partner make this the weirdest Davenport novel to date.

Lucas Davenport takes the reader along for the hunt as he begins to sort through the daughter's goth friends, and make connections between the latest murder and Frances' disappearance. "Phantom Prey" is another great Davenport novel.

I usually love the John Sandford books, but found this one redundant and boring. It felt like Sandford just had to keep the story line going for 373 pages no matter what. Was not as thrilling and exciting as many of the other books and not very original. Did not enjoy this at all.

Phantom Prey gives us a look at the Goth scene. While not my favorite topic for a book, Sandford does it well. Difficult to put down once I got started.

I just got through this in the auiobook version that I have enjoyed during my commute to work. Like I said, it was enjoyable, and certainly entertaining. The reader of the audiobook did a decent job, except when he delivered the women parts. He made their voices sound "raspy" and "harpy-like", which kind of killed some of suspension of disbelief, especially when he was portraying a beautiful young woman. Anyhow, the story is enjoyable, but the ending was pretty disturbing. I think the problem for me was pretty much all of the villains were sympathetic characters whom we were made to identify with pretty strongly, so that is a tough tightrope to walk on.

I have read all of Mr. Sandford's books in the Prey Series. The schizophrenic twist is a great touch!

Is there a better crime fiction novelist out there than Sandford? This was another home run (not a grand slam; I need more Kidd novels) in the Lucas Davenport oeuvre. His dialogue, as always, is excellent, and he paints the scene like Elmore Leonard. Keep them coming. I wish he would put out two books a year. I can't wait until the next installment.

I just finished this on 7-20 and I really enjoyed it. I especially like the fact that he uses good English and every once in a while slips in a bit of humor such "the kevlar helmets sitting on the table looking like lost turtles". A few pages later he lists all the men, vehicles and equipment going to the site ending with "and a partridge in a pear tree."

Having read all of this series, I can honestly say this was by far the worst. Oh, it is readable as Sandford's prose flows, but the storyline, particularly the lame outcome, leaves you with the feeling (actually about half way through!!) the author was just going through the motions to get it over with to fufill the one-a- year contract. Plot line is adequately presented in the reviews of others so I won't comment. If you havent read earlier books in the series, save your money from this one and get one of the others.

No need to go into the plot....that's been done in many reviews. Surfice to say that I've read every book in the "Prey" series and most of Sandford's other books. This was one of the best yet. Lucas Davenport gave us everything we've come to expect and more. Fabulous! John Sandford hasn't lost a step. I don't understand any of the negative reviews...did they read the same book?

OK, I have read the entire series. I like Sandford's writing, and this book does not disappoint in this area. But the plot. . . .

Spoiler Alert

The split personality thing is the laziest form of deception in mysteries. It's been done to death, and never convincingly. It's just an easy way for an author to misdirect the reader, and its not very interesting or realistic. C'mon create a real plot. For the split personality thing, you really have to CARE about the person, and no effort is put into that here. See, Three, in which the author invested you heavily in the character that turned out to be fractured. Still not a great book, but the concept is better than this.

Phantom Prey is a disappointment for many reasons, but the main one is that you've seen this story on so many 'soap operas' that it's past being stale. It still has the good flavor of a Sandford novel but the plotting and the karmic/fantasy stuff is just not his speed. The genre seems to be somewhere between Stephen King and James Lee Burke, with a little Robert Parker thrown in.

The book starts with a murder and ends with a killing. In between people are killed to help other to 'the other side' by psychotic personalities. There is also a 'presence' that "has" sex with the protagonist but she complains that he's cold. Ok, so we've all read stories where the shooter is totally off the wall (think of the 'Niki Sanders' from 'Heroes') but one of the personalities is a cold blooded killer.

There is also a secondary story, which only ties into the first plot as some place for Lucas and Del to meet and tell dirty jokes and watch a pregnant woman get undressed. All through this side-plot they talk about the woman's pregnancy. Del keeps complaining to Lucas that his wife Cheryl has some 'stomach bug' and spends half the morning throwing up. His wife is a nurse, and Davenport's wife is a doctor. Uh, gee you think she ate some bad fish? Give me a break. Is every guy in America so dumb that he can't guess that his wife might be pregnant? Secondary plot was totally unnecessary.

The ending was telegraphed so early in the book that I was amazed that Sandford was able to keep it interesting until it happened ten pages from the end. That's why the third star, if not it would have been two stars.

Zeb Kantrowitz

John Sandford does it again. Lucas Davenport is fabulous---again.

John, write more Lucas Davenport soon.

About halfway through this book I was trying to figure out how it might end - I'd been tossed so many red herrings along the way and given so many characters and names and subplots to think about that my head hurt.
Finally I pushed myself to the end and finished it, but found the whole experience less than satisfying in a Davenport mystery (and I have read them all).
With about 30 pages left, Lucas has this (almost out of nowhere) revelation that ties up the whole case and then speeds us to the end in a hurry. (Even a misspelling of "upstairs" at the bottom of page 329 - what happened to spell-check?)
With the whole Siggy subplot eating up pages, I just found it to be confused, complex and feel that Sandford has given us better before. And hopefully will again.

Lucas Davenport investigates the disappearence of a young woman (suspected of being murdered) and some murdered young people who are involved in the Goth ( Adam's Family)fashion style. The murderers appear to be one thing but are in fact something entirely different. Think schizophrenia. Davenport is also doing surveillance on the sexy wife of a lowlife criminal. There is some fun in that too.This is a interesting story with many surprizes and is fun.

The evidence of the crime was all but wiped clean. If not for Alyssa Austin's nagging sense of unease, Frances Austin's disappearance would not have been noted for days, weeks, or even months after her death.

Frances Austin was dead, the cops were reasonably sure about that. So they didn't have the body, a suspect, or a motive. The amount of blood mopped up the night of her disappearance made it a good bet.

Alyssa, Frances's mother wasn't convinced. Frances couldn't be dead. The police needed to get out there and look for her. Desperate, she turned to her friend Weather, Lucas Davenport's wife, asking her to intercede on her behalf. Lucas Davenport was a good cop. He would get to the bottom of it.

Luke didn't want to get involved. He was a BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) Agent, not a local cop. Besides, Alyssa Austin gave him the willies. She planned her days with the use of her astrology chart, and was one Tarot card short of a full deck.

Luke conceded to Alyssa's begging and Weather's insistence, but his current case would take precedence. Siggy Toms, a notorious drug dealer, was on the run, but was forced to leave his wife and child behind. Siggy was a devoted family man.

They took turns watching the apartment Heather Toms, Siggy's wife, moved into. Siggy would be back, but until then they would watch the show. Heather was a beautiful woman and rarely closed the blinds. She put a show on for them every night.

With the Siggy case temporarily on hold, Lucas turned his attention to Frances Austin's disappearance. Frances was a Goth, and shortly after he started asking questions, a bartender at one of Frances's favorite hangouts was stabbed to death. He was last seen with a "fairy." A few nights later another of Frances's friends died from multiple stab wounds. Why did the killer hide the first body but not the rest? Did the deaths have anything to do with the $50,000 missing from Frances's bank account?

Phantom Prey is the eighteenth novel in John Sandford's "Prey" series. It's a page turning thriller. There was a great deal of violence, some of it graphic, but it was balanced out with good ol' fashioned police work, compassionate insights, and comical repartee. I give it a 5 star rating and am looking forward to reading more of John Sandford's work.

Sandford's 18th Prey novel finds his dapper Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator, Lucas Davenport, agreeing to look into a case for his surgeon wife, Weather.

Weather's friend, Alyssa Austin, a wealthy widow and owner of a chain of exclusive fitness emporiums, came home one evening to find her heiress daughter Frances' blood in her house, but no trace of the girl. She has never been found and is presumed dead. Now Frances' friends are dying too, victims of a knife-wielding fairy.

A fairy, Davenport learns, is a Goth term for a small, waiflike young Goth woman. The reader has already met her and her partner, another Goth named Loren, and the two are enjoying the killings a little more each time. Threading his way through the Goth milieu Davenport is hot on the fairy's trail when he catches a bullet in the leg - but the shooter is definitely male.

Recuperation slows down the murder investigation but gives Davenport plenty of time to participate in the ongoing surveillance of Heather Toms, an attractive young mom and the wife of a murderous bail-jumping crime boss. Heather is partial to open blinds and skimpy outfits and it's a detail all the cops enjoy.

Sandford's cops are good-natured and seldom crude and the peeping Tom aspects are pure comic relief with a dash of suspense while the main plot rather plods along. Still, Sandford's writing is clever, engaging and visual and Davenport's happy, wealthy, unpretentious home life is a pleasure.

As always John Sandfor's Lucas Davenport books are great. Look forward to another one.

Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)

Another great murder mystery to solve that will leave you guessing until the end.

This read like a book he had to write to fill a publisher's committment. Simple and very thin plot: Make the villian a split personality a wrap up the ending quick like he has to catch a bus.

Sanford took the easy way out on this. Davenport was the same tough character, but the writer seems to have lost the story creativity he had in his earlier novels.

"Something wrong here, a cold whisper of evil... She couldn't pin it down, but it was palpable.... The house was dark, except for [the] lamps...triggered by photocells at dusk.... Nothing else --- but the hairs on her forearms and the back of her neck stood upright. Some atavistic sense was picking up a threat." She called out for her daughter, Frances, and for Helen the housekeeper. Silence. She grabbed the gun and went through the house, not knowing if she was being foolish or savvy. All clear. Then "she noticed the dark streaks on the wallpaper at the edge of the hall... Not knowing exactly why, she stepped over and touched them --- and felt the tackiness under her finger. Pulled her finger back and found a spot of crimson." She called 911 and waited for the cops. She gave them her name, Alyssa Austin, and her tony address. They were not impressed with her, or the blood, or the fact that her daughter was missing.

This is the introduction to PHANTOM PREY, the 18th novel in John Sandford's legendary Prey series, which features the head of Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Lucas Davenport, a very smart veteran police officer with a sly wit and a way with people. He and his team have a great close rate and are currently staking out the apartment of "Siggy" Toms. He "had been the Twin Cities's largest-volume cocaine dealer, pushing the stuff through his contacts in...real estate, stockbroking, and used car businesses. He had been netting two million a year, tax free...with money stashed all over the United States and Europe." Two hours after his arrest, he was bailed out and within a very short time lost his "watchers" and disappeared. Siggy's wife now lives in an apartment waiting for him to return. They have one child, and she is pregnant with their second. Thus, for three months, a rotation of the BCA team spent hours in a ratty apartment directly across from Heather's domain.

The case is moving very slowly and is not especially difficult. But when Lucas goes home to his wife Weather, a surgeon, their son and their ward, his spouse gives him the lowdown on the "Austin case." Alyssa Austin is an acquaintance of Weather's, so of course they now know that her daughter is still missing. She needs help and wants Lucas to take a look at what is going on. The girl was a Goth who had a strange menagerie of friends. But even when the bodies of other Goths appear, no suspect comes up on the radar. She doesn't know her daughter's social circle but offers a few names, and he promises to take a look and not take over the investigation.

Just about this time, two new characters appear on the scene: Fairy and Loren, a couple of oversexed, violence-addicted psychopaths who have a hit list and plan their attacks with care. When they are with people, everyone is enthralled with Fairy, the name they gave her because she seems to be the personification of Tinkerbell. But these two are no Peter Pan and his delightful Tinker --- they are feral killers who are able to hide not only what they do but who they are. And so the brutal killings go on and the body count rises.

As if these goings-on were not enough, Lucas finds himself deeply drawn into the cases, and he must be careful about all of the politics involved. His sense of fairness is legendary in the different police districts, and he is able to head off any bad feelings when he tells them that he will share and help them if they do the same. Too many people are dying, and it's more important to concentrate on that than to worry about territory.

Fairy is a very petite young woman who comes across as a little girl sweet as sugar. But no one really knows where she came from or where she goes when she disappears. This is very bothersome to Lucas, who feels she is almost taunting him. When he goes looking for her, she seems to hide. As one by one her "crowd" diminishes with each murder, Lucas's instincts tell him that more is going on than meets the eye. He senses something altogether different from what appears on the surface is fomenting underneath the actions and tensions of the antagonists.

John Sandford is the pseudonym for John Camp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who discovered he had a talent for crime fiction in the form of police procedurals. His reputation is cemented in his ability to render well-limned characters, keep his regulars fresh and growing, and create hot plots that draw readers in from the first sentence. His dialogue is perfectly pitched, and his style is approachable, making him a master storyteller. Sandford's legion of faithful fans will surely enjoy the strange twists and dangerous turns he leads them through in PHANTOM PREY.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

I thought this book was boring, rambling, and stupid. I have always looked forward to a new PREY book. This one was very disappointing.

I just couldn't keep my mind on this Lucas Davenport novel. I can't remember the name of the one before this but liked it much better.

I'm usually a die hard fan of this author but this book left me cold. I had a hard time getting into it, thinking it would get better but it never did. His writing isn't nearly as good as other books and some of it was just down right silly. The goth aspect, multiple personality factor and character development was just not interesting on any level. I had to make myself finish it and wished I had spent my time reading something else.

Along with James Lee Burke, John Sandford is the leading author of mayhem, murder and mystery and he proves it again as a woman's daughter disappears in the local Goth culture and Lucas Davenport returns to make the world right.

I enjoy all of John Sanfords books and again this one did not let me down. I will continue to get his books without a second thought.

Unusual, to say the least, this Davenport adventure into serial murder includes Goths, semi-Goths, Goth wannabes, and unidentified and unidentifiable others. For Lucas Davenport, this is a foray into a counter-culture of mystery and disguise that is so unfamiliar that his pursuit of the killer becomes something of an education into the black world of the young and confused.

If you like your serial killers more extraordinary than ordinary, this is a book for you.

I have to first say that I am a fan of the Prey novels and of John Sandford's work in general. BUT with Phantom Prey, there was little suspense as it seemed obvious from about page 80 what was going on and who was the killer, and then the sub plot of the naked drug dealers wife would not go away.

I don't know but I think that the bottom of the barrel is being struck with this one if every other chapter needs to be spent looking into a buxom blonds apartment when she is naked. I think that Sandford is running out of Lucas Davenport ideas and needs to stick with the F***ing Flowers novels like his last one, at least that was fresh.

This one just seemed forced and not really that interesting. I don't know but I found it really hard to believe the things that went on in this story that Davenport just flat out missed, or Sandford made things to obvious for us the readers.

All in all it was ok, just not great. I think it may be time for Sandford to go in another direction.

I love the Prey series like no other books. I love to read and look forward to each Prey book. Excellent story - great characters.

Lucas Davenport is always a good charactor. This time he deals with the Goth community. It was time for him to find a new segment of society. Mr. Sandford did a good job showing the two facws of the Goths as well as making a good yarn. I was fooled for 75% of the book and that takes some doing. He did not "cheat" in doing it. Well worth reading.

Another great book in the Lucas Davenport series. Right up there with John D, MacDonald's Travis MaGee.

Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)

There is not a book in John Sandford's "Prey" (mystery/dectective) series that I wouldn't give at least 4 stars...and some of them get 5. Not one has failed to keep me on the edge of my seat as I read, and Sandford has me hooked on the Lucas Davenport character, as well as Davenport's co-workers, friends and family. I hope the author doesn't tire of writing about them anytime soon. I always look forward to the next one with great anticipation.
"Phantom Prey" is the most recent -- I think it's #16. It isn't the best, but it's still a great read.
I don't save most of the books I read because I don't have room for them. But I'll never part with any of Sandford's "Prey" books. In fact, last summer I began re-reading all of them in the order of publication. It was a delightful experience.

It's been a while since John Sandford wrote a novel that wasn't mediocre. He seems, quite frankly, to be in a rut. Recent novels, including those in the Prey series and others like Dark of the Moon, are becoming so predictable and formulaic that they feel like they are being churned out on an assembly line.

There's nothing groundbreaking to this novel and in fact, it feels a little lazy. The Goth angle feels like it's been thrown into the mix without much of an indication that Sandford made an effort to research Goth culture. That said; it's not a terrible novel. It's just unremarkable. Phantom Prey is unlikely to win Sandford any new fans but it will probably satisfy most (marginally at least).

The biggest problem with this novel is how formulaic it is, following the Sandford playbook to the letter. I'm getting tired of novels where the killer decides that the cop `is getting too close' and they need to kill him off before he stumbles on the truth. This rarely happens in real life. It's a tired idea that gets used too often in crime fiction, often as a way to resolve the mystery (why solve a crime when you can wait for the killer to come after you?) Inevitably these attempts to kill off our hero are doomed to fail. There are actually two attempts on Lucas' life in this novel. There was one attempt on Flowers' life in Dark of the Moon, and one attempt on Lucas' life in Invisible Prey.

I have another beef with the Prey series that is bound to be unpopular but I think it needs to be said. Sandford has made Davenport's life so contented that he's not very interesting anymore. His volatile temper has been tamed, his womanizing ways have been replaced with a monogamous loving relationship, the depression that plagued him in the past is no longer an issue, the conflict he once had with his superiors isn't a problem anymore because he landed his dream job with a great boss and loyal employees who are all eccentric, but dedicated cops. There's nothing really wrong with any of this (who am I to begrudge Lucas a little happiness) but I found the character more interesting when he had demons to wrestle and his character was seriously flawed.

The bottom line: As with Dark of the Moon, whether or not you choose to read this novel should be directly related to how many novels you read in a year. If you read a lot of novels (a few a week for example) - while Phantom Prey is nothing special, it's probably better than most of what's out there,so you may as well read it. If, on the other hand, you only read a few novels a year, you can do better. I can even offer suggestions.

If you're looking for the best in the series, I recommend Eyes of Prey and Rules of Prey. Phantom Prey is probably the weakest.

Not as good as all the other Prey books; interesting but not captivating and did not have me as intensly involved.

Phantom Prey is an interesting, exciting book, a classic Lucas Davenport adventure. As a huge fan who has read every book Sandford has written (most of them several times), I have given this one four stars. I wouldn't put it up there with Winter Prey or Certain Prey, but it's intriguing because it's one of those where you're not sure who the killer is until late in the book. Also, Del Capslock returns as one of the main characters. This one is not a nail-biter, but Sandford entertains once again.

I have read all the "Prey" books. Have anxiously awaited this one (as I do all of them). This one did little to hold my interest. Too say it was hard to follow is true. I also missed the supporting cast of characters in this book. I hope the next Lucas Davenport novel is a notch above this one!

I usually really like the Lucas Davenport novels...but this one was really hard to get into....I did finish it and became more interested as I read each chapter. However, I don't think I would recommend this particular book that Sanford has written to others. It just took too long to really peak my interest. Also, Goth just isn't my thing.

I've been a fan of the Lucas Davenport series almost from the beginning. I've always loved the characters and the progression they made in each subsequent book. More often than not the plotlines are very good with an occasional miss. This book for me was one of those misses. First of all it took forever to get going. I was bored for the first quarter of the book. The secondary cast not only rather strange but also unlikeable. Outside of Davenport none of the usual cast was really featured with even the family on the periphery. That wouldn't have mattered if I could care about any of the other characters, but I didn't. The story was weird and unbelievable. I read the book in one afternoon, but only because I was reading fast so I could get it over with. I'll look forward to the next book in the series. I just hope it's better than this one.

John Sandford hit another home run with Phantom Prey. It's Lucas Davenport at his best. If you're into the series at all, it won't disappoint.

I liked this book. It's a pretty good read. But I'll bet other long-time Davenport fans like me really miss the supporting cast of characters from the earlier books. Even Del is dealt with pretty simply, while Rose Marie and Weather and Letty have little more than bit parts. As for the 'enemy', Sandford may never top Clara Rinker.
I guess I mostly just miss Marcy.

My wife is a big John Sandford fan. She loves his "Lucas Davenport" character. She actually collect's the Sandford novels. She really enjoyed this book in particular and said she would recommend it to her friends and family.