Twisted Redemption

Twisted Prey – John Sandford – (G P Putnam) –

A few years back, I sent an email to the late, great, writer Evan Hunter; who famously wrote under the name Ed McBain. I was a huge fan of Hunter’s work, but I had become put off by some of his comments about conservatives in one of his novels. I contacted Hunter through his website and asked why he would risk alienating half, if not more of his audience as he done with me. Surprisingly, I received a reply from Hunter in which he basically told me he did not care because he believed what he believed and I could believe what I believed.

Now years later I find myself in a similar position, wondering why John Sandford, another of my favorite authors would insert off hand comments slagging conservatives, into his latest Lucas Davenport, Prey series novel, Twisted Prey. While I realize Sandford, is the pen name for journalist John Camp, who plied his trade in St. Paul, Minnesota, the state infamous for electing conspiracy theorist and military veteran widow suing, Jesse Ventura governor and sending comic hack Stuart Smalley to the Senate; I still have to wonder what is appealing about potentially pissing off a good portion of your audience?

That being said, unlike with Hunter, I stuck with Sandford through the multitude of twists and turns he lobbed into the storyline. Twisted Prey features the reprise of Sandford’s sparklingly, nasty politician Taryn Grant who Davenport squared off against in Silken Prey. Rich and beautiful Grant is the stereotype of a nasty political type that will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

This time out Grant, now firmly ensconsed in the Senate and eyeing the White House is still fixated on taking out her political rival; apparently beating him in the election was not enough. The cavalcade of players in this one includes some of the usual suspects that dot Sandford’s books, mixed with political operatives and military contractors and it makes for a fast, entertaining read.

While Silken Prey left some business unfinished, be forewarned, Twisted Prey wraps things up nicely, after all you can only get away with so much for so long. My only advice to Sandford, leave the politics behind and stick to what you do best.

Small Town Saturday Night

Deep Freeze (A Virgil Flowers Novel) – John Sandford - (G P Putnam)

There’s just something different about a small town…quirky, parochial, and vindictive. While a number of writers do a good job of capturing that small town ethos, for my small town guy money, no one does it better than John Sandford, in his backwoods Minnesota books featuring Virgil Flowers as he pursues bad guys in his guise of investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Sandford’s latest Flower’s outing, Deep Freeze perfectly captures that small town infighting based on the socio-economic hierarchy that got it’s genesis way back in high school. So it’s perfect that the backdrop for the murder Virgil is tasked to solve is a planning meeting for a 20^th high school reunion.

The cast of characters includes the haves and the have nots or the in crowd and the outsiders, but Sandford never stops there; he mixes in a parade of misfits that includes; the victim’s sexually confused ex-husband, an S&M sex “therapist” with a criminal record who services a handful of the local ladies and an odd assortment of drunks and bowlers who aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

Add to the mix a passel of folks just trying to get by who are customizing Barbie dolls by adding features Mattel never intended and are in the crosshairs of a fish out of water private investigator from Los Angeles in a rental Prius and you’ve got makings of clever whodunit John Sandford style. After years of reading my way through his Prey series of books, I find the Virgil Flowers books to be a perfect break and easy, fun to read series. 

A Golden Return

Golden Prey – John Sandford (Putnam)

It seems funny now given that I read quite literally tons of books, but there was a point where I didn’t read very much. My best friend suggested that I check out three writers; the legendary John D. McDonald and the Travis McGee novels, Robert B. Parker and the Spenser books and John Sandford and his Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. I very quickly became hooked and worked my way through all of these series.

Years later Sandford remains one of my favorite authors, but I have to admit that while I really enjoy the Virgil Flowers books, I sensed a sameness to the storylines in the ongoing Prey series and began to drift away. When the latest in that series, Golden Prey appeared, I decided to take it out for a spin and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Davenport has moved on from the Twin Cities and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (MBCA) to take on a gig with the U.S. Marshall’s Service. In the new role, Davenport is given a wide berth and takes on cases almost as a freelancer; taking on the cases that pique his interest and going wherever they may lead. This makes for a freewheeling style of storytelling and allows Sandford to get back into the groove.

Davenport is hot on the trail of stick up men, the Dixie Hicks and their leader Garvin Poole, a guy with a shoot first and ask questions later kind of attitude, who knocked off a drug cartel “counting house” leaving behind a trail of blood and victims. Along the way as Davenport hunts down his target, he is dogged by a pair of cartel hitters out to recover the stolen money. The pair, a shooter and a power tool enthusiast, is either one step ahead, one step behind, or right in lock step with Davenport.

“I just want to hunt” is a classic Sandford line, uttered by Davenport as he tracks down his prey and delivers solid pacing, piles of action and just the right amount of Davenport ‘tude to make this a golden return.

The Perfect Escape

Escape Clause (A Virgil Flowers Novel) – John Sandford (G P Putnam)

I became a John Sandford fan through the Prey series, featuring the character Lucas Davenport. Sandford is a master craftsman at weaving intricate stories chock full of twists and turns. As the Davenport stories progressed well into double digits I have to admit that I started to grow weary with the series. It took a while, but I find myself slowly warming to Sanford’s other mainstay character, Virgil Flowers.

With the latest entry in the Flowers series, Escape Clause, it struck why have evolved to liking this series so much; Flowers is a character who is the equivalent of a comfortable, well-worn, shoe. He is a laid back, easy going kind of guy who takes care of business. The light turned on for when I realized the similarity between Flowers and James Lee Burke’s, Dave Robicheaux.

In Escape Clause Flowers answers the call and is on case of trying to track down the folks who broke into the zoo and made off with a pair of rare tigers. Sandford lace’s the plot with a never ending parade of oddball characters ranging from animal rights activists and natural medicine practitioners to thugs imported from Armenia through California. I could see this one easily transplanted from the wilds of Minnesota to the below sea-level wilds of New Orleans.

Sandford always manages to keep things interesting by dabbling in the quirky and lacing just the right amounts of humor and plot twists. This one is Sandford and Flowers at their entertaining best. 

There’s Something Missing, Doncha Know

Storm Front (A Virgil Flowers Novel) – John Sandford (Putnam Publishing)

Full disclosure upfront; while I am a fan of John Sandford’s, Lucas Davenport series of Prey novels, up to this point I have not read any of his other characters, the technologist/artist Kidd and fellow police investigator Virgil Flowers.

While both Kidd and Flowers have crossed paths with Davenport, Storm Front  is my first foray into a Flowers book. All of Sandford’s characters have a certain wisecracking, whatever it takes attitude that is anchored by a certain Midwestern sturdiness. Flowers is certainly no exception. The story begins at the site of an archeological dig in Israel with an ailing Minnesota minister/college professor making off with what could be a game changing artifact.

Sandford laces the story with the usual band of colorful characters that ooze a certain outdoorsy, down home quirkiness. The hunt is on to try to track down not only the felonious Reverend, but to recover the artifact that could shake the foundations of world religions if it turns out to be legitimate. While I was starting to think that this could end being Sandford’s stab at Minnesota Davinci Code, he avoids the cliché by mixing things up with a few hapless, mis-adventurers trying to track down the ancient stone.

While the storyline continues to move at a leisurely pace, at points it begins to spin it’s wheels, losing traction as it continues to turn and turn in smaller circles.  While it takes some unexpected turns along the way, in the end Storm Front sputters and seems to be missing the same punch as the Davenport, Prey books. Not sure if it’s just a difference in series or if Sandford’s acknowledgement in interviews that he would be utilizing other writers to craft storylines so he could generate more books, that contributed to the shortfall.  

A Mid-Summer Night’s Read

Whether you take to the beach, the patio or any comfortable chair, there’s plenty of entertaining mid-summer reading to choose from.

Silken Prey – John Sanford (Putnam)

John Sanford is back with Silken Prey, the 23^rd installment in the Minnesota-based investigator, Lucas Davenport, Prey series. In a day and age of politicians sending out Weiner Tweets, ending up better known as “Client #9” than as a state’s governor and plenty of dirty political tricks, is so had to believe that an ambitious political newcomer would stoop to planting child porn on an opponent’s campaign computer and then spiral to murder to not only get ahead, but to maintain that advantage?

The simple answer is yes! That’s the set up and Sandford delivers just the right mix of familiar characters and jackknife twists and turns to keep you on your toes. It’s a nice twist to have Sanford’s other familiar lead Kidd make an appearance to lend expertise with computers. Sanford delivers a winner that’s as comfortable as a pair of old, broken in sandals.

Slingshot: A Spycatcher Novel – Matthew Dunn (William Morrow)

Former MI 6 field officer Matthew Dunn checks in with the third novel in his Spycatcher series; Slingshot featuring master spy Will Cochrane. Dunn’s style has a decidedly British air ala John le Carre and like the spy thriller master, Dunn infuses Cochrane with a realistic, been there, done that edge.

 

Slingshot serves up the requisite amounts of far flung locales, murky damp settings and fast paced action to keep the story moving. You may find yourself having to suspend your firm grip on reality on occasion, but isn’t that what a summer read is all about?

The Caretaker – A X Ahmad (Macmillan Audiobooks – Unabridged Edition)

A native of India, A X Ahmad stated his writing career by author literary pieces but transitioned to the thriller realm for his first full length effort The Caretaker. The first in a planned trilogy featuring the adventures disgraced former Indian Army Major, turned illegal alien, Ranjit Singh.

 

Singh and his family overstay their tourist visas as he works menial landscaping jobs for the rich and powerful on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s not surprising that the MIT educated Ahmad would choose the Vineyard and Boston as the setting for the story. Singh ends up taking the task of winter caretaker for a Massacusetts U.S. Senator who has ambitions for higher office.

Somewhat predictably, the Senator turns out to be of less than the highest character and is willing to do anything to get ahead (gee sounds oddly familiar) and Singh’s family’s illegal status soon lands him in hot water. The story propels along nicely and the audio book performance by Mumbai-born, British actor Sam Dastor has an authentic feel.

The Warriors – Tom Young (Putnam)

As a confirmed fan of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Stephen Coonts and Tom Clancy, I am not certain how Tom young has escaped my reading list up until now. A retired U. S. Air National Guard master sergeant who logged time in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Far East and over the Horn of Africa.  His fourth fiction book, The Warriors harkens back to Young’s time serving in Bosnia and Kosovo.

 

Young captures flying sequences with accuracy and realism. The realism extends to all of the military action, where the heroes aren’t possessed with super-human powers and not every sequence resolves itself with the cleanest of outcomes. Ethnic cleansing isn’t pretty and Young delivers a gritty dose of reality.