Toxic Prey

Action, suspense, and a race against time keep readers of Toxic Prey by John Sandford rapidly turning the pages. It’s the thirty-fourth book in the Lucas Davenport series and the third book in the Letty Davenport series. When the father and daughter join forces to track down a dangerous scientist whose latest project could endanger most of the world’s population, you know you’re in for an exciting tale.

Dr. Lionel Scott, a British expert in tropical and infectious diseases has accepted the theory that suggests the Earth’s living and non-living components function as a single, self-regulating system that is dying. He believes the planet can prosper if the humanity threat is removed. When he disappears, Letty is tasked with tracking him down. Scott’s connections to sensitive research into virus and pathogen spread has multiple national and international organizations involved. As the picture becomes clearer, Letty, along with members of the U.S. Marshall’s service (including Lucas) and other U.S. agencies, plus the United Kingdom’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency create a task force of specialists to handle the situation.

Letty is smart and determined, with a somewhat warped sense of humor and a tendency to be rash at times. She also takes after Lucas in several ways including her proficiency and knowledge of guns and her love of fashion. Lucas has plenty of good qualities and always tries to do the right thing, but I sometimes dislike his methods. Alec Hawkins (from England) is smart and funny, but unused to some of America’s procedures and processes. Scott is the known antagonist throughout the book. Readers get his point of view along with Lucas, Letty and a couple of others. However, there are a lot of characters in the novel and some of them are not as well developed.

The story is part investigation and part action thriller. The opening prologue is strong, chilling, and impactful. This event hooked me and immediately drew me into the novel. The suspenseful narrative provides plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. A strong sense of place caused me to feel transported to New Mexico where most of the action occurs. The final action scenes are riveting and high-powered. The author is a superb storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat as the operation and action unfolded. The final action scenes are riveting and hauntingly memorable.

Overall, this was suspenseful, thought-provoking, and action packed with compelling characters that kept me engaged throughout. If you enjoy thrillers, then look no further than this novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in both series.

All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.