A Book A Week

There's a kind of fog that exists in my brain after I finish a really good book. I get to the point where I don't want to read something too similar to the book I just completed, but I also struggle to find anything new that will catch my interest. I've been in that very place again this week. Three new books were started, but none of them were fitting my current mood. It seemed as if I was in a dreaded reading slump. Whenever this happens, there's only one thing I can do to get my reading mojo back in order. I fall back into comfort reading. In this instance, that means I picked up the next book in John Sandford's Prey series. Sandford's penchant for intriguing mysteries, brisk pace, and dry humor were exactly what I needed to propel me through this slump. 

As the previous novel Eyes of Prey closed, Lucas Davenport was at the end of a long rope. His attempt to rekindle any type of personal life ended in tragedy, and he was forced to resign from his position with the police department. The only good thing to come out of that ending was that Davenport was able to put the sadistic serial killer Dr. Mike Bekker behind bars. This novel opens with Davenport trying to put the pieces of his life back together. As he struggles with the hardships of his personal and professional misfortunes, he receives the kind of news that he's dreaded to hear. Mike Bekker has escaped from prison and has his sights set on Davenport. 

Silent Prey, the fourth novel in John Sandford's series, sees the author place his protagonist in a desperate fish-out-of-water situation. Davenport is thrust from his home in Minneapolis to New York. By placing the character in a new city, Sandford forces him to navigate the case without the comforts of familiarity that he had in the previous books. While this was a fun spin on the character, I did find myself missing his supporting cast. Sandford chose to bring back the villain who was quite a force to reckon with in the previous novel. In this second outing, though, I found him to be less threatening. One outing was probably enough. Beyond my minor quips about story choices, I easily devoured this book. Four novels in, I can see why the Prey series has maintained its popularity. This was the exact book I needed to force me out of my reading slump. I'll have the fifth book on standby for whenever the inevitable next slump arises. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 25)