Ocean Prey

John Sandford

Apr 2021 · A Prey Novel Book 31 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Fan-favorite heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces on a deadly maritime case in the remarkable new novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.

An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he calls in some suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed.

They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, they call in Lucas Davenport. And when his case turns lethal, Davenport will need to bring in every asset he can claim, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.

Ratings and reviews

This is the first time in one book that we’ve had so much Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers interaction and it was outstanding. Lucas is a Federal Marshal now so we see him in a wider area than just Minnesota. He travels to Florida on a case that the FBI has been on for years. “Life sucks and then you die, so you better take the credit where you can. You know the feds. When it comes to credit, they’re always the first in line. Virgil comes into play later in the book but he is my favorite character. He and Rhea go undercover. There interaction make this book a great edition to these long time series.

I'm a super fan, but this one was weird - it's like with the Virgil-Davenport team up it has trouble finding its tone. It's still very, very fun, but I think they're more fun together in small doses. Also: totally shocked at the thing with a newer character — no spoilers but wow. Overall, really good, just not my fave.

I went into this book nervous about whether or not I would be disappointed like I was with the last one. Short answer, no. This book brings back the Lucas of old and I couldn’t be happier. There was an event in this book that shattered me for a few chapters and truly brought out the Lucas Davenport fans have known over the last 30-some books. Bringing Flowers into the craziness that is the Marshal’s service was everything I never knew I needed. This crossover has me excited about more Prey/Flowers books and more crossovers in the future!!

About the author

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of twenty-nine Prey novels; four Kidd novels; twelve Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels coauthored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three other books.