I was late coming to the Prey novels by John Sandford. My late husband loved to read them. I’ll admit I’m a bigger fan of Virgil Flowers than of Lucas Davenport, but the thirty-sixth Davenport novel, Revenge Prey, is a non-stop thriller.

Davenport and another Marshal, Shelly White, scope out a house before the CIA and FBI move three Russians into it, but they didn’t find evidence of the Russian assassins. Leonard Summers defected from Russia. He had been appointed by Putin and was a Colonel focusing on counterintelligence. The CIA was delighted to put him in the Witness Protection Program. But, they weren’t even in the safe house in Minnesota for half an hour when a sniper struck.

Although Davenport and White are taken off the case in favor of the FBI, Lucas teams up with John Sherwood from the CIA to stir up trouble. In other words, Lucas doesn’t think the FBI understands what’s going on, and they’re bureaucrats who don’t realize how important it is to look for the assassins. Davenport has sources in his home state, and he’s sure the assassins will strike again.

I’m a big fan of the dry humor in the Prey books. When told someone was “Talking to Washington”, the response was “All of it?” There are lines dropped in here and there that make me smile, despite the violence. Sandford allows readers to follow along with Davenport and Sherwood, but also to follow the Russian team. Revenge Prey is for those who enjoy spy novels, assassination attempts, and chases.

Revenge Prey by John Sandford. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2026. 400p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no promise of a positive review.