The last John Sandford book I reviewed, Storm Front, in the Virgil Flowers series, made my worst books of 2013 list, and prompted a Twitter exchange with Sandford’s son, who vehemently contradicted my claim that the Sandford books are now ghostwritten. I dropped the discussion at that point, because it didn’t seem right to accuse the son of one of my favorite writers of lying, and yet I could not believe that Sandford had written a book as bad as Storm Front, which did so ham-fistedly all the things Sandford does so well. I’m not alone in thinking so, either.
I was delighted, then, to read Sandford’s latest, Field of Prey, in the Lucas Davenport series and see that it’s back to the usual high-quality storytelling, witty dialog, colorful Minnesota location and rip-roaring plot. The criminal was one of the type Sandford does best—a deranged sex predator—and Lucas brought his A-game. We also saw the full range of supporting cast members, including Lucas’s adoptive daughter Letty, who I think deserves her own series someday, and Elle, the nun, whom we haven’t seen much of lately.
I’ve written enough about my love of this writer elsewhere. Enough to say that I think the man writes a perfect thriller, and enjoyed this one very much.
An Anthology of Clouds 
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