John Sanford, Wicked Prey

Lucas Davenport is a complex hero. And Wicked Prey is another in Sanford's series centered around this Minnesota detective. Also figuring prominently in this book is Lucas's soon-to-be adopted child Letty, whom he came upon in an earlier novel (Naked Prey) in her own tragic situation, and who proves to be a strong, or at least interesting, though maybe somewhat implausible, protagonist as well. The two of them find themselves (mostly without the other's knowledge) caught up in a complex plot surrounding some brutal attacks during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in 2008. Letty has been targeted for retribution by one of Davenport's old foes. But she improbably befriends the hooker who is caught up with the small-time criminal, and thereby weaves herself into an interesting situation. Lucas, meanwhile, is tasked to investigate brutal attacks on two big-time money men who are making off-the-books cash contributions to various political players on behalf of interested parties. This makes for an action-packed adventure for Davenport and his crew, as they chase down the leads and all the while try to figure out why the attackers seem to be hanging around. Is some bigger job in the offing?

This book moves at an almost frantic pace that carries the reader along into a world of violence, dirty politics (on both sides of the aisle), and jigsaw-like detective work. It is a solid detective novel with a colorful and imperfect hero. Sandford certainly conveys the roughness of his character, and of the underworld he investigates, and while this does lend some verisimilitude to the book, it is at least worth noting.