Full review to be published online in late April.

NEON PREY is Lucas Davenport in his full glory. After becoming a bit staid, joining the US Marshall's has injected some adrenaline into a complacent series. This one is fast-paced, has lots of action, and doesn't disappoint at all. From start to finish the reader gets lost in the story and pulled along for the ride of their life. Lucas, Bob and Rae track down a serial killer that always seems to be always one step head of them; but is unlike any serial killer they've ever gone after. Sit back and enjoy the read because this is John Standford at his very best, and he makes it a story you can't put down, don't want to put down and makes you want more of his series and stories. Recommended read for thriller fans.

Every time I feel as if I’m once again meeting an old friend in Lucas. The verbiage is always in character and each character evolves with each new novel. The series is still fresh, inventive and surprising. No one is off limits in getting shot, duplicity or being surprised at his/her’s aging and the limits that come with it.
The cannibal is evil while his brother & others wouldn’t have ended up as they did without being in his orbit. Lucas go get him!

The adventures of Lucas Davenport are never boring. Rae and Bob are excellent co-horts and it's always great to catch up with Virgil Flowers. John Sandford, please keep your books coming.

5 stars

This book is a thrill ride with near non-stop action.

Clayton Deese is a bad, bad guy. He is a “fixer” for a lawyer/loan shark/bail bondsman named Roger “Rog” Smith. Smith is a slime ball and Deese does his dirty work for him. You want someone beat up? You want them killed? Deese can do it for you, no problem. Deese has a secret, even his boss doesn't know about.

When a “job” goes wrong, Deese is arrested on a federal charge. He then skips bail. Enter the FBI and the US Marshalls.

The two marshalls that are assisting the FBI in hunting down Deese, Bob and Rae, ask for Lucas Davenport to join the team. Lucas is delighted for catching killers is just what he likes. His unorthidox methods most often bring results.

He meets the FBI agent on the case, Sandro Tremanty, who seems to be an okay guy and he has an uncanny resemblance to Lucas.

Lucas, Rae and Bob go to LA where they have a lead as to Deese's location. A raid on the house is planned with the LA Sheriffs and the LA Police tactical squads. It goes horribly wrong.

Deese, his brother and two others are on the run again. The reader is treated to a description of the step-by-step process of tracking the bad guys down again. Following leads, talking to people and threatening them is all part of the job.

Lucas' team finds him and his cronies in Vegas. Meanwhile, Deese has contacted his boss, Rog Smith to get some money from him to disappear after another aborted B & E job. Smith agrees to pay and sends his right-hand man Santos to Vegas to give Deese the money. Or he can keep the money himself and just kill Deese – it's up to him. Again, the stuff hits the fan and Deese comes up with an idea for just one more job before they leave town – for good they agree this time. Again, things go horribly wrong and Deese is on the move again. He is now down to two cronies and himself. Deese gets an idea. It is now clear that he is running the little gang.

The story comes to a close in a thrilling and nail-biting douement.

The book is as extremely well written and plotted as are all of John Sanford's novels. I don't know from where Mr. Sanford gets his ideas, but his are compulsive reads. Deese is a character the reader loves to hate. His cronies are just as bad with the exception of perhaps Cox. But then she was the wheelman – or woman in this case. In some ways this book could be a “how not to” manual for stupid criminals out there. I like the way Mr. Sanford uses language and inserts action in all the right places. His descriptions of Deese's evil habits are precise without getting too gory. This book is a thrill ride for sure and I am already looking forward to the next John Sanford novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for forwarding to me this absolutely great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

You'll love this story about crime fighting and chasing the bad guys until you find them. The suspense will keep you turning the pages. Lots of twists that you might not expect.

We always buy John Sandford for our library. Actually even if the book was horrible we'd still be buying multiple copies. But happily Sandford keeps on writing great thrillers. I especially like the Virgil Flowers spin-offs, but the Lucas Davenport series is where it all started. For maximum enjoyment of the series, start at the beginning. If you are less concerned about the back story, you can start here and work backwards.

this was a great return to form. i especially like seeing the focus stay on lucas and his team, and seeing their interactions. i always like reading about his family too, primarily letty. hope to see more of her in future books.

Most definitely one of our favorite author’s best. Incredibly imaginative, brilliantly plotted and structured, in every sense it’s a true page- turner. Davenport remains his charismatic self, and each of the other characters are alive, vibrant and entirely believable in every way. As for the bad guys, the reader is in for a real and ongoing treat. Truly, Sanford has surpassed himself.

Title: Neon Prey

Series: Lucas Davenport 29#

Author: John Sandford

Penguin Group Putnam

Pages:400

genre: mystery /thriller

Pub date:April 23.2019

author's websit: http://www.johnsandford.org/

Books in the Lucas Sandford series

Netgalley ARC

Neon Prey :

Book synopsis

Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 NewYork Times bestselling author John Sandford.



It was a relatively minor criminal matter, all things considered, but enough that the US Marshals obtained a warrant to enter the home. They didn’t expect to unearth trophies from a score of killings.



Now Davenport is on the trail of a serial murderer, one who was able to operate for years without notice or suspicion. But there’s even more to this killer than meets the eye



My thoughts:

rating:

Would I recommend this ? yes

Would I recommend the series? a big yes

Would I read anything else by this series ?yes ( but only in these 2 series )

Fast pace , lots of action, and doesn't disappoint at all, from start to finish you get lost in the story and get pulled along for the ride of your life , while Lucas ,Bob and Rae track down and chase a serial killer that seems to be always one step head of them, but his unlike any serial killer they've ever gone after, so all I can say is set back and enjoy the read because this is John Standford at his very best , and he makes it a story you can't put down, don't want to put down and makes you want more of his series and stories. With that said I want to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for letting me read and review Neon Prey which part of one of my favorite series to read , exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this arc.

I've always enjoyed John Sandford's Prey novels and this one (# 29) didn't disappoint. Lucas is still with the Marshall's service and it was great to see Bob and Rae back too as his trusted sidekicks. In Neon Prey, they has to scramble from New Orleans to LA to Las Vegas and points beyond, interacting with all sorts of law enforcement agencies. The action was non-stop and at time pretty grisly. The were bad guys galore, good guys, bad guys trying to be good, good guys going bad, con-artists, and at least one smart cookie. Lucas manages to get shot (again), but this time he noticed it and had to spend some time recovering (He is human!). But Sandford's dry humor was present through-out. Virgil was even present for the final wrap up.

A great fast read from a truly dependable author.