Buried Prey [Hardcover]

I've finished "Buried Prey" the 22nd book in his Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford.

Product Description

Some secrets just can't stay buried, in the brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the number - one New York Times - bestselling author.

A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis - the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.

In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth.

About the Author

John Sandford is the author of twenty-one Prey novels and ten other books of fiction, most recently the Virgil Flowers novel Bad Blood. He lives in Minnesota.

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1st Printing edition (May 10, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157387
ISBN-13: 978-0399157387
My Review:

Storyline:  Lucas has risen from patrol to detective who is now a top investigator in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. There is one case that has burdened Davenport's conscience, the abduction and assumed murder of two young girls that occurs just as Lucas is breaking out of patrol work and angling for detective. Davenport accepts his superior's resolution to the case in spite of serious reservations. In the present twenty-five years later, the bodies of the Jones sisters are discovered at a construction site and Lucas is reexamining the case that has haunted his career. 

Characters:  The first half of the book is set in 1985 and we get to see a young Davenport. It was so much interesting to see how Lucas was then to now.   We first see when Lucas and Del Capslock are first paired up.   Their witty banter has continued to this day. The characterization is set for what we know of Lucas today (his way with women, his obsession with clothes and his 'outside the box' methods).

Although the supposed perpetrator was killed while resisting arrest, Davenport was dissatisfied with the resolution, feeling that there were too many unanswered questions related to the incident. Other cases were initiated, however, and Davenport never followed through on his intent to further investigate the matter.
The second part deals with Lucas possessed by overwhelming guilt in resolving to bring the true perpetrator to justice, inspired by the all - but - certain knowledge that the fiend who killed the sisters so long ago has claimed other victims as well.

There was a very interesting twist in the storyline and the suspense ends in a awesome conclusion.

Romance:   Lucas is happily married to Weather and they have a baby boy.  But back in 1985 he was a womanizer and didn't really have a steady relationship.

Killer:  The killer was very sneaky with very few people actually seeing him.  He was a mystery man named John Fell whose presence in and around the case was very suspicious.  I'm surprised he actually stopped kidnapping and killing girls (he had an affinity for young girls).

5/5