Golden Prey by John Sandford is the 27th book in the “Prey” suspense series. Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, April 25, 2017

The man was smart and he didn’t mind killing people. Welcome to the big leagues, Davenport. Lucas Davenport’s first case as a U.S. Marshal sends him into uncharted territory, in the thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.

And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target.

John Sandford knows how to keep me occupied while reading the latest exploits of Lucas Davenport by taking him out of his usual situation and expanding his world in his new job as a U.S. Marshal. This story pulled me in immediately and I fell in love once again with Lucas as he took on this new role with doing what he does best and that is “hunt.” There’s a little give and take in his new assignment and the author does a great job of letting it percolate with narrative that had me sitting closely by the bodies and calamity rears its ugly head. The fast-paced, action-packed, and riveting drama kept me involved in all that was happening and the warning at the end. . .pure Lucas influenced. Love this book and look forward to more good times with Lucas and his associates.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.