In this latest of the Lucas Davenport series of
suspense
thrillers, Lucas is thrown in to the deep and murky waters
of dirty politics. When child pornography is discovered on
the campaign office computer of a politician running for
re-election; Lucas and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
are called in to investigate. The governor of Minnesota,
although of a different political party, does not believe
that Porter Smalls truly had child porn on his computer, and
suspects it may have been placed there to throw the election
into turmoil. A charge of this nature would guarantee
Small's losing the rather tight race. Lucas must investigate
to find the truth before the fast approaching election.
The main suspect in the case is Small's rival in the
election, Taryn Grant. Taryn is rich, spoiled, and
extremely narcissistic. She is also a woman who will do
absolutely anything necessary to win this election, and is
currently running behind Smalls in the polls. After
incriminating evidence is found hidden in the home of a
missing (and presumed dead) political operative, Lucas comes
to the startling conclusion that Smalls was indeed framed.
Now Lucas is in a race to prove Smalls innocence in the
short time left before the election. He believes that Tubbs
was used to plant the incriminating porn on Smalls computer,
and was then murdered to cut off the trail of evidence
leading back to Taryn Grant. Lucas calls on Virgil Flowers,
and the computer hacker called Kidd to help him crack the
technology holding the key to solving the case. Lucas
himself must attempt to crack the entitled, egotistical
Taryn to try to break open the case.
There are also the asides to Davenport's personal life. He
is now married with children, and is nearing the age of
fifty. Long gone is the single, horn-dog Lucas of past
years, who tagged every woman in Minnesota who didn't move
out of his way fast enough. Lucas is getting older, and
mellowing out. It's an inevitable change in the forward
process of the character, but a long time reader of the
series can't help but miss the rogue Lucas of old. Sandford
must continually find new ways to make Lucas an interesting
and compelling character.
SILKEN PREY is a very interesting addition to the Lucas
Davenport series, although missing some of the panache
of
earlier books. This one doesn't have the grit and
investigative detail of some of his other works; and the
gray world of rich, smarmy politicians is not quite as
interesting to the reader as some of the other case Lucas
has worked. Still, John Sanford's excellent writing, humor,
and dry, quick wit go a long way to bolstering the story.
Nice tale of political blackmail and murder, if not one of
the best of Sandford's books.
Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely
dangerous woman. Lucas Davenport’s going to be lucky to get
out of this one alive.
At 1:15 a.m., a Minnesota political fixer answers his
doorbell. The next thing he knows, he’s waking up on the
floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body
wet with blood. When the car stops, a voice says, “Hey, I
think he’s breathing,” and another voice says, “Yeah? Give
me the bat.” And that’s the last thing he ever knows.
Lucas Davenport is investigating another case when the
trail leads to the man’s disappearance, then - very
troublingly - to the Minneapolis police department itself,
and then - most troublingly of all - to a woman who could
give Machiavelli lessons. She has very definite ideas about
the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness,
and sheer will to make it happen. No matter who gets in the
way.
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