RULES OF PREY: JOHN SANFORD

The third or fourth Lucas Davenport thriller I have read, set in Minnesota's twin cities.  This time Lucas is after a clever serial killer.  This time he's a lawyer, Louis Vullion, who does research on his victims to make sure he makes no mistakes.  He always wears gloves, rarely puts himself in danger, and always leaves a note to aggravate the police, to build up his ego.  He's nicknamed the Maddog by the newspapers, and Lucas has quite a hassle finding him, going up against the media, some antagonistic and jealous peers, but of course, in the end, as always, he succeeds.

Fortunately, one of Vullion's victims was able to fight him off, sending him on his way with some injuries.  She's the key to the solving of the case, as Lucas befriends, then beds her, then unknowingly uses her as bait.  This novel differs also in that Sandford lets us into the mind of the serial killer, his thinking, how he picks the 'chosen,' how his emotions, when he finds a prey, overpower him, forcing him to act, to luxuriate in the thrill of power, of his victim's powerlessness, and eventual death.

This thriller follows his other novels, like most of this genre, and the reason we like the book is that we like Lucas Davenport, his understated machismo, his way with women, and his 'I could care less' attitude towards those who don't like him.  My only criticism was the way his boss depended on Lucas, despite the fact that he's often been suspended.  When the chips are down, he ignores the rest of his department and pulls in Lucas to solve the case.  No wonder he's hated by his peers.  A quick read, a nice change from anything heavy.