A group of lunatics have decided to save the earth by releasing an extremely lethal biological concoction that will wipe out half the humans on the planet. Letty and her father, Lucas, work together on this one, chasing the bad people through New Mexico to stop the apocalypse. Although I enjoyed the banter, the depiction of investigative work, and the fireworks, there were a couple of things I wasn't as crazy about. The pacing was a little off, as in too long descriptions of the travel and logistics at certain parts of the book. Also, the ending was too abrupt. I get that Lucas is a man's man, but we got more of a wrap-up for Letty's partner, Alec. So I'm a little mixed on this one.

Lucas and Letty are working together in this book to try and stop a group of people from releasing a toxic virus. The virus has the potential to kill a large portion of the population on earth. The situation is sometimes too realistic considering recent events. The tension starts from the first page and doesn’t let up. The resolution to the story requires great work between law enforcement agencies along with a little luck. This is a good addition to the series but could stand on its own. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Thanks to John Sandford, Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for access to the advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lucas and Letty together in the same story again. For fans of the Prey series, that’s all we need to know.

The story involves terrorism using a virus in order to save the world, which is interesting, but the real reason this book is so excellent is the banter between the characters, the action, and it is another chance to see Lucas and Letty working together to literally save the world. Recommended.

Posted manually to Goodreads due to a technical issue:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6249431852

John Sandford does it again. I was lucky to get an advance copy of his latest Lucas / Letty novel. One of those books you look forward to getting back to, which are my favorite kind. 5 stars.

With his new chapter in the Lucas Davenport’s series, John Sanford delivers another uncomfortably close to home ‘read-thru-the-night’ thriller
“Toxic Prey” by John Sandford - (5 Stars) (Pub Date: 4/09/2024)

Good Things: John Sandford always delivers and this 34th iteration is no different. The setting, characters, and plot lines are all true-to-life and feel like places and people you know albeit, people you know in tremendously stressful and emotionally draining scenarios that ring uncomfortably familiar with recent pandemic themes. I also really like that he brings back Letty Davenport which enhances the relatability of Lucas, as a parent. The sporadic humor woven into the story and the dialogue is great.

Opportunities: While the pandemic themes make the story very believable, they do make it a harder read…I know what it’s like to be scared like that now, so in certain moods, this book can be emotionally draining. Sandford has included both Lucas and Letty as equally ‘main’ characters in past books, but this one was just a tad more Letty-focused, and I am first and foremost a Lucas fan so I’d prefer equal billing, but these are just small things…the book is great as is.

Final Thoughts: Toxic Prey is part of a great continuous series, but could stand alone since there’s not too much time hopping or “now and then” story-telling. I loved the story for it’s believability and this would make a great limited series or movie.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #toxicprey #johnsandford #thriller #preyseries #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs

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Publishing Review 2/7/2024

An environmental extremist has decided that the only way to save the planet is by eliminating half of humanity; it appears that he and a few fellow zealots may be about to implement this plan. Letty Davenport of Homeland Security gathers a dream team—including her father, Lucas—with collective expertise in everything from terrorism to virology. Together they race against time to try to stop the plot, preventing mass casualties while also avoiding a general panic among the populace. Letty is at her best in this compelling story, getting the job done while facing the highest of stakes. It’s always fun to watch her interact with the rest of the team and especially with her father. Expect to stay up late finishing this one and then have disturbing dreams.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a digital advance review copy.

According to the Gaia hypothesis, the Earth is a living organism with the overall thrust of life being cooperative. Life on Earth self-regulates its environment to create optimum conditions for the advancement of life. The correct balance is held in place, perhaps cruelly, through population limiting disease. But some believe that this balance is at threat as the world’s population expands, unchecked. Could it be that Gaia is now being destroyed. If that’s the case how can this imbalance be addressed?

Doctor Lionel Scott, a British subject now working in America, had studied viral and bacterial diseases before working in a series of Third World countries. He’d subsequently found his way to the U.S. Army Medical School of Infectious Diseases and has, for the past year, been working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico – a primary research facility into diseases that might be weaponised by an enemy. But now Scott is missing and very high ranking people are worried.

Letty Davenport works for the Department of Homeland Security and is asked undertake some background investigation into Scott, to ascertain whether he’s someone who might possibly go off the rails and in essence become an existential threat. Her investigations begin in Oxford, England, where Scott began his studies. There she makes contact with a weather-beaten but handsome MI5 agent, Alec Hawkins. Before long they’ve assessed that Scott may well pose a threat – a very serious threat.

Letty’s dad, Lucas, is brought in as a member of a team whose mission is to find Scott and deal with any threat he poses. Also in this group are several other carry-over characters from previous books. Lucas is a natural hunter and he’s in his element here, but Letty is a hard nut in her own right and is also never far from the heart of the action. They each have a role to play and I think Sandford just about pulls off the trick of ensuring their partnership here doesn’t feel forced or false. However, events quickly escalate and soon the group is faced with a potential crisis.

Sandford is consummate story teller and once again he’s come up with an intelligent plot to grab his audience: it’s at once outlandish but also spookily plausible. In Lucas and Letty he’s developed characters who are clever, relentless and unafraid of conflict. In addition, there’s always humour in his stories and here’s it’s largely provided by Lucas as he’s forced to deal with Letty’s ambiguous relationship with Hawkins. It’s all cleverly balanced: I couldn’t help but be grabbed by the seriousness of the challenge faced, and yet a grin was also never far from my face.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the prospect of Lucas and Letty working together (something that’s felt inevitable for a while) but it really does work well here. That said, I hope this isn’t something that he repeats too often as I do like the subtle distinction he currently draws between books featuring his major characters (Lucas, Letty and Virgil Flowers). Overall it’s another winner from one of the top crime fiction writers operating today.

I loved Lucas and Virgil but the Lucas and Letty combo has grown on me. These books have improved with each one. This was a terrifying tale with the risk of a virus that could kill half the population. Great story!

I am a huge fan of the Prey series and Toxic Prey (Book 34) did not disappoint!

The short summary without spoilers: Lucas and Letty work together to stop Dr. Lionel Scott and his small crazy Gaia group. The situation is truly terrifying in today’s world. I am going to have flashbacks while at future masses, especially when I see the Holy Water by the church doors.

This is a must read for John Sandford fans (or those looking to be)! I found it to be a gripping, fast read and I loved the introduction of the character “Hawk” with Letty!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5 stars
Publication Date: April 9, 2024

This was a great book with Letty Davenport as the lead. Her father and most of his new and old associates, along with Letty's associates, and some new people are trying to find out about a virus that may wipe out quite a bit of the world's population. It's a book about who will win the good guys or the bad guys and what it takes to stop the virus. As usual there are moral dilemmas. Another great book!

The earth (Gaia) is being murdered by its human occupants and a group of people have come up with a plan to save it. Their plan,however, involves killing half of humanity (or more) with a dangerous virus. In come Lukas and Letty Davenport to pursue the bad guys and save humanity.
Credit to author John Sandford for taking on a criminal thriller that encompasses climate change rather than sticking to the tried and true. Toxic Prey is indeed different.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Another great Lucas and Letty Davenport thriller ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

In this, the 34th novel in John Sandford’s Prey series, Lucas teams up with his daughter, Letty, to hunt down a scientist who plans to launch a globally-devastating terrorist attack. Exhibiting all of the hallmarks of what has made Sandford’s novel so popular, this is an engaging, gripping read.

I’ve read almost all of Sandford’s Prey novels (there are still a few of the earlier ones that I haven’t had the chance to read, yet). Each new book is a must-read for me, and there are few authors whose novels I read immediately — and often finish in a couple of sittings.

Toxic Prey was no exception. It hits the ground running, and introduces a diabolical plot to “save the world”. U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport and his team are brought in to hunt down the rogue scientist who has devised the attack. Lucas’s adopted daughter, Letty, is likewise brought onto the case through her work for a leading Senator involved in Homeland Security. With an international component (the scientist is British), Letty enjoys a quick jaunt to the UK where she meets a new love-interest. As Lucas, Letty and their colleagues rush across the United States to prevent the attack, they slowly learn the huge scope of the plot. Lucas is forced to balance the urgency to stop the Scott’s plan with his concern for Letty — who, like her dad, has a tendency to rush in and put herself in the line of danger. The pacing in the second half to the book was particularly excellent, and I couldn’t put it down, reading well into the wee hours of the morning.

Given the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential impact of a pathogen tailor-made to massively depopulate the global population was a particularly terrifying plot device, and Sandford does a great job of digging into the psychosis that would devise such a plan, as well as the lengths to which zealots will go to achieve their ends (while also noting the hypocrisy and narcissism involved in ensuring that the plotters survive…). The author also shows respect for the people who are involved in combatting these potential attacks, and developing strategies for protecting the populations (not just of the US, but elsewhere, too).

If you’re already a fan of Sandford’s novels, then I have no doubt you will have already pre-ordered this. His series presents no evidence to suggest that neither the author nor his protagonist are slowing down anytime soon. If you are a fan of thrillers and crime fiction, but haven’t yet read any of Sandford’s novels, then I would strongly recommend you give his books a try. They’re pacy, well-crafted, up-to-the-minute, and are populated by engaging and well-drawn characters. The author has a particular gift for dialogue and banter. Best of all, Sandford keeps the storytelling fresh in each new novel, and none of the novels have felt formulaic or like the author’s just going through the motions. The introduction of Letty as a partner has given additional life to the series — not to mention plenty of amusing opportunities to compare the different generations and their thinking and mores.

Thirty-four books in, and my interest hasn’t dipped at all. Recommended.

I'm a huge John Sanford fan, and couldn't put this book down until i devoured every word. Letty Davenport has been a welcome addition to the genre, and this novel has her working with her father, Lucas Davenport Let the awkward situations begin!

Dr. Lionel Scott believes that Gaia, Mother Earth, is dying. A renowned expert in tropical and infectious diseases, Scott feels that society as it exists is untenable, and population levels are out of control. While most are concerned about deadly disease, Scott knows that it is truly humanity itself that will destroy Gaia. It’s only by removing the threat that the planet can continue to prosper.

When Scott disappears without a trace, Letty Davenport is tasked with tracking down any and all leads. Scott’s connections to sensitive research into virus and pathogen spread has multiple national and international organizations on high alert, and his shockingly high clearance levels at various institutions, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, make him the last person they’d like to go missing. As the web around Scott becomes more tangled, Letty calls in her father, Lucas, to help her lead a group of specialists to find Scott as soon as possible. But as Letty and Lucas begin to uncover startling and disturbing connections between Scott and Gaia conspiracists, their worst fears are confirmed, and it quickly becomes a race to find him before the virus he created becomes the perfect weapon.

Highly ecommended. #ToxicPrey #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Toxic Prey is the 34th installment in the Lucas Davenport series, and it delivers a thrilling and timely plot that explores the dangers of bioterrorism and environmental extremism. The novel follows Lucas and his daughter, Letty, as they chase a rogue scientist who has created a deadly virus that he intends to unleash on the world, in order to reduce the human population and save the planet from ecological collapse.

The novel is fast-paced and suspenseful, with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the end. The characters are well-developed and realistic, especially the father-daughter duo of Lucas and Letty, who share a strong bond and a sharp sense of humor. The villain, Dr. Lionel Scott, is a complex and chilling antagonist, who believes he is doing the right thing for the greater good, even if it means killing millions of innocent people.

Sandford's writing is crisp and engaging, with vivid descriptions and witty dialogue. He also incorporates relevant and topical issues, such as climate change, pandemic outbreaks, and conspiracy theories, into the story, making it feel current and realistic. The novel also offers a balanced and nuanced perspective on the ethical and moral dilemmas that arise from the conflict between human and environmental interests.

Toxic Prey is a gripping and entertaining read that will appeal to fans of the Lucas Davenport series, as well as to anyone who enjoys a smart and action-packed thriller. It is a novel that not only entertains, but also challenges and provokes the reader to think about the state of the world and the future of humanity.

I thought the book was overly predictable. The spacing between chapters was odd, although that was only a ordinal preference, I would rather have shorter chapters than what seems random spacing. I thought the story line between Letty and Hawthorne was odd, it needed more development, it seemed to jump from friends with benefits to what seemed like a relationship but that's a little unclear. I needed more story about what was thing on, or have that left out in the beginning as it seemed to be more about them in the beginning.

This was great. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is easily the best Lucas book in quite some time. It's also a Letty book and I love it when those 2 work together. Don't worry Virgil gets mentioned a couple of times.

Lionel Scott is a Oxford Educated Doctor. He has worked in some of the most desperate places in the world. Somewhere along the way he becomes a believer in the Gaia movement which is a radical group who believes that there are too many people and the earth will not survive. When he goes missing, DHS calls in Letty to find him. He's spent time at Fort Detrick and at Los Alamos working on viruses and the US government needs to find him. Lucas and Rae are brought in for the hunt.

We get whirlwind trips around New Mexico as they try to track him and his small group of co-conspirators. The characters are great as usual and we see a side to Lucas that we've never seen before. The ending is wo well written and it ends the way it should.

Well done.

Over the years, I have read MANY books by John Sandford, and have reviewed at least a dozen, with several being part of the Prey series. In 2019, writing about John Sandford’s Neon Prey, I wrote “There aren’t many authors whose latest book I eagerly await, and who maintain a consistently high level in terms of plot, character, and entertainment value. John Sandford has been one of those (along with Michael Connelly, Michael Robotham, Robert Crais, and Elizaeth George (OK, a few clunkers in the Lynley series, but overall still a fave). I was a bit surprised to realize that his latest, Neon Prey, is #29 in the Lucas Davenport series. I’m pretty sure I have read them all, and over the years I’ve come to know and love Lucas and some of his cronies, so I was happy to receive…”

It was just last year that I realized that for the past several years, Sandford has released two books a year: A Lucas Davenport/Prey book in the spring, and a Virgil Flowers title in the fall. (Am I the only one who never realized this???). Although I have been less than thrilled with a couple of fairly recent titles, looking back I realize those were Flowers books, and the Lucas Davenport series has been more to my liking.

So far, so good. Two titles a year: Lucas and Virgil. Then along comes Letty Davenport, Lucas’s adopted daughter, and in 2023 we got Dark Angel, featuring Letty on her own. And if that weren’t enough, 2024 brings us Toxic Prey, billed as “A Lucas and Letty Davenport Novel.” Thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam and NetGalley,I received a copy of this 34th in the Prey series in exchange for my honest review. I was REALLY looking forward to reading this one, because I love the interplay between Lucas and Letty, and the premise was interesting. In this one, we don’t have Virgil, but we do have a bunch of wackos who believe that, thanks to humans, the earth is dying and the best way to save it would be to turn a deadly virus loose and kill more than half the people alive. The genius behind this is Dr. Lionel Scott, an expert in infectious and tropical diseases, whose recent experience deals with crossing the Marburg virus with the fast-spreading measles we all know and love. Dr. Scott has disappeared, along with an unknown quantity of the new virus and several highly contagious people tasked with going to airports worldwide and unleashing the horror. OMG, what a scary premise!

Letty works with Lucas and other specialists to track down Dr. Scott, his virus, and the “volunteers” who are working to “save the earth” (Gaia, as they call it). It’s very tension-filled, clever, and scary AF. I love Letty and Lucas both, but this one was VERY unsettling for me. I’m unclear how to rate it because it clearly was very well done to have scared me so much. But it’s such an awful premise I hate to give it five. But…it IS Sandford. And Lucas. And Letty. Five stars.

Another grand slam for Sanford.
Riveting, non stop thrills as Letty Davenport with her father Lucas and a few other select govt investigators and
immunology research specialists attempt to find a missing scientist who disappeared from the infectious disease research labs at Los Alamos.
Dr Lionel Scott, who came from London to Los Alamos for research, believes the earth is headed for a disastrous downturn toward extinction if something is not done to stop the downward spiral. He enlists the help of a few wealthy and fervent believers and hatches a plan to take out a large part of the earth's population by infecting them with a rapid spread deadly disease.
Letty is called in, and with a London M15 agent, along with her dad and a few others, the hunt is on.
Absolutely riveting with very defined characters and such detailed, well researched and descriptive locales. you can almost see yourself right there in the midst of the plot.
From London to Taos to Santa Fe to Albuquerque, the cities are fabulously detailed, as only Sanford can do so well.
Great story. Absolutely "un put down able" !!
Five stars all the way.