In Rules of Prey, the debut of the Prey series, (first published 15 years ago) Sandford introduces us to Lucas Davenport, part rogue cop, part vigilante, part computer nerd, and a touch male gigolo whose overall character causes you to like him despite his faults. Because Lucas has such a positive record of accomplishment with the department, he becomes lead investigator for a case that involves a highly intelligent psychopathic serial killer who likes to taunt him with clues as to why he can never be caught. The killer, known as the Maddog, is stalking professional, artistic, and intelligent women in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area, causing him to become obsessed with the case, especially since the killer always seems to be one-step ahead of him.

To assist Lucas on his quest to stop this insane mad man Standford introduces us to Sister Mary Joseph, a childhood friend of Davenports and a fellow gamer, who aides him in deciphering the clues intentionally left for him by the killer in order to prevent the next victim (the Chosen) from being murdered.

While I found Davenport a maverick, somewhat-womanizing detective, I could not help but like this cocky loner that displayed a human sensitivity and warmth when it came to the women in his life. The graphic writing of Rules of Prey gives us everything that a thriller reader wants to see such as a scary murderer, a good sub-plot or two, a fast pace and a believable slow and methodical way of discovering the truth. Given that I would rate this novel four and one-half stars only because Sandford’s later novels are even better.

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Tags: book review, book report, rules of prey, john sandford, google, detective series, serial killer, lucas davenport