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Silken Prey
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Silken Prey
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Silken Prey
Audiobook12 hours

Silken Prey

Written by John Sandford

Narrated by Richard Ferrone

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Murder. Scandal. Politics. And one billionaire heiress so dangerous in so many ways.

An explosive Lucas Davenport thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.


All hell has broken loose in the capital. An influential state senator has been caught with something very, very nasty on his office computer. The governor can't believe it-the senator's way too smart for that, even if he is from the other party. Something's not right.

As Davenport investigates, the trail leads to a political fixer who has disappeared, then-troublingly-to the Minneapolis police department itself, and most unsettling of all, to a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons in manipulation. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work-along with the money, ruthlessness, and cold-blooded will to make it happen.


From the Paperback edition.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 7, 2013
ISBN9781101620519
Unavailable
Silken Prey
Author

John Sandford

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of thirty-three Prey novels, two Letty Davenport novels, four Kidd novels, twelve Virgil Flowers novels, three YA novels co-authored with his wife, Michele Cook, and five stand-alone books.

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Reviews for Silken Prey

Rating: 4.028506535087719 out of 5 stars
4/5

228 ratings44 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lucas Davenport gets mixed up with politics when he's asked to investigate the accusation of child porn on a wealthy political candidate.

    Even though the governor is on the opposing party, something about the convenience of the discovery of the accusation so soon before the election doesn't seem right.

    The race for the US Senate is a toss up and one of the participants is a wealthy young woman with a campaign staff that doesn't hesitate when asked to perform dirty tricks.. However one of the characters wants more money for his deeds and then goes missing.

    The plot is tight and the story is fresh and since it is election time, the story is very timely.

    Davenport and his team are working hard to identify the person who committed the dirty trick. When murder is added to the mix, the reader is in hope that they can be stopped prior to the responsible winning an election they didn't deserve.

    Davenport is a top notch and with each story we learn more about him and his family. He's a man of integrity but his primary job is to catch those responsible for the dirty tricks and to reveal what happened to the man who has a reputation for being political. He's been a bag man and Lucas believes he's come to a bad end but there's no proof. Then, there is another murder...

    "Silken Prey" is one more story from one of the masters, John Sandford. This story kept my attention and I was sad when I had to put the book down to do something else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Democratic Governor asks Davenport to discreetly straddle the worlds of police work and politics and investigate whether the child porn that surfaces on the computer of the womanizing Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate was planted by someone working for his Democrat challenger, a brash and ambitious billionaire woman who sees winning the Senate seat as a stepping stone to the Presidency. Ever the politician, the Governor tells Davenport to step lightly but still uncover the truth, though not make a political mess since the Governor sees a way to enhance his own career if the "truth comes out". As it turns out, Davenport finds himself entangled in a bloodbath as multiple murders occur in response to his inquiries.

    I love this series and I particularly love the main character because he is smart, sexy, a family guy, a cop who drives a Porsche, and ultimately the coolest guy in law enforcement by a mile. Davenport does what he does because he likes it and he has a clearly defined code and sense of right and wrong-he also sees the shades of gray.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This segment of the Davenport series felt like a distinct departure. Instead of a a straight mystery/thriller, this was much more about dirty politics. Davenport's search for a missing lobbyist allows him to call on the assistance of that *^@# Flowers, which is always a plus. In addition, he brings in his old friend and computer hacker Kidd and his wife Taryn. Ultimately their subplot was one of the more interesting aspects of this story. The 22nd book in the series left me hoping for more involvement of his daughter Letty, but he went in a completely different direction. While it still held my attention and was a quick read, I didn't feel this is one of his best. I really hope he hasn't lost the heart for this series. If so, I hope he ends it and takes on other subjects entirely rather than turning out books that disappoint.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    At 1:15AM a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell. The next thing he knows, he's on the floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body wet with blood. Lucas Davenport is investigating another case when the trail leads to the man's disappearance, then, very troublingly, to the Minneapolis police department itself, and then, most troublingly of all, to a woman who could give Machiavelli lessons.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved it!!! Sandford does it again!!! Hope he never stops writing these despite what he says!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Silken prey seems to have predicted our current political situation several years before it happened. We got stuck with a narcissistic sociopath being elected to office. One being willing to do anything. Big difference is this one is actually smart. I think she is designed to be a future foil for Davenport, something new to keep the story going. I enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to when the guilty party finally makes a mistake and gets caught...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    John Sandford dips into the world of political intrigue in this outing and I suspect that he was in part inspired by the 2016 presidential race. As far as I know there have not been any murders committed by US Senate contenders but then would we really hear if they successfully won their seat.Lucas Davenport is called in by the Minnesota governor to investigate an allegation that child pornography was found on the office computer of the incumbent Senator (a Republican) who is in a tight race against a woman who is a billionaire running for the Democratic party. The governor (also a Democrat) believes the Senator has been framed and wants Davenport to discover who did it before the election which is only a few days away. A Democratic bagman has also disappeared and it is beginning to look like he has been killed probably to conceal what he knows about the child porn incident. So Davenport is suspicious that the Democratic candidate is somehow involved in this messy business and he starts to look at her and her associates. He clears the Senator before the election using his old friend Kidd to examine computer records and he starts to uncover information about two security guards who are ex-military with violent backgrounds. The reader actually knows more than Davenport does so this is not so much a whodunit as a “will they be caught in time”. This was an audiobook that didn’t quite work for me mostly because the narrator didn’t seem to have many nuances to his voice.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    WoW! Thank goodness for friends that share books with one another!! I noticed in the latest "bag of books" shared by a girlfriend that there was a "new" author name to me - John Sandford. This is the 23rd title in the Lucas Davenport series and my first novel to read by John Sandford. Where have I been?I'm always a little skeptical about review blurbs on the front cover of a novel as I like to read the book, compose my own review, and then return to the book to read the book review excerpts on the back cover, or provided in the beginning of the book or at the end. The edition that I read has the following blurb on the book cover by Entertainment Weekly - "Few writers can match Sandford's smart, edgy, breakneck-speed thrillers." All I can say this time is, "True!"There are more twists and turns than any roller coaster, and if the author shares an insight about a particular character, the reader must "Pay attention!" The detail that might seem tiny and insignificant will be the exact detail that creates an amazing moment of the story in a later chapter.The other item that I must highlight is that some authors include a large cast of characters and no matter how attentive the reader is it becomes very difficult to keep the cast of characters "in mind" and also to keep an awareness of all of the associations between the characters. I had absolutely no trouble keeping the large cast of characters in mind and the associations accurate as I read the novel and that can only be attributed to a highly skilled writer particularly in this page-turning novel and as one reviewer called it "relentlessly swift". But just one word of caution readers, if you begin reading this book late in the evening as I did, the next morning comes really early! It's sooooooooooooo hard to put it down! Isn't that the best compliment a reader can give?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another good Lucas Davenport thriller with political bad tricks including murder and attempts to frame the opponent.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent book, even by John Sandford's consistently high standards. And one of the most frightening female villains I've run across in a long time.As is typically the case, I put my other in-process books on hold while devouring this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is going to be one of my favorites in the series so far. See my full review at piretextuality.com
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Silken Prey by John Sandford is a very good political thriller. It is set in the Twin Cities and features a US Senate campaign in the final weeks. It features dirty tricks, murder, double crosses, etc. Virtually everything you could want in a political thriller. The story is very well told and flows in a logical manner even with all of the twists.Coming from Illinois, I wish out politics involved these features rather than just screwing the voter/taxpayer everytime you turn around. I really enjoyed the book. I will have to read some of the earlier books in the series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The latest John Sandford Lucas Davenport novel "Silken Prey" wasn't one of my favourites of the ongoing Prey series which is otherwise one of the most reliable that I know. I don't want to create any spoilers so I'm just going to bullet-point the areas that were a letdown.- Davenport wasn't enough of the central force of the plot. This was mostly because: - The case has Davenport recruiting Sandford's otherwise abandoned series characters Kidd & Luellen (the last book in their series was 2003's The Hanged Man's Song) and the normally sharp Davenport seems clueless as to who he's dealing with. - Key case points and plot turns mostly come from the Kidd & Luellen antics and not from anything clever that Davenport does or observes. - Virgil Flowers makes his usual cameo appearance but there is hardly any of the regular Davenport-Flowers banter that I enjoy.- I'm not a fan of the Weather the Doctor and the Letty the Kid Reporter subplots, but the Davenport family angle was almost completely missing this time, and I did miss that lack of a human interest side to the book. - The final resolution is completely unsatisfying. Can't really say more about that.This was still 3 stars, which is still favourable, but it just wasn't in the usual 4-5 stars Sandford / Davenport area for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What is there to say? I love Lucas Davenport!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    WoW! Thank goodness for friends that share books with one another!! I noticed in the latest "bag of books" shared by a girlfriend that there was a "new" author name to me - John Sandford. This is the 23rd title in the Lucas Davenport series and my first novel to read by John Sandford. Where have I been?I'm always a little skeptical about review blurbs on the front cover of a novel as I like to read the book, compose my own review, and then return to the book to read the book review excerpts on the back cover, or provided in the beginning of the book or at the end. The edition that I read has the following blurb on the book cover by Entertainment Weekly - "Few writers can match Sandford's smart, edgy, breakneck-speed thrillers." All I can say this time is, "True!"There are more twists and turns than any roller coaster, and if the author shares an insight about a particular character, the reader must "Pay attention!" The detail that might seem tiny and insignificant will be the exact detail that creates an amazing moment of the story in a later chapter.The other item that I must highlight is that some authors include a large cast of characters and no matter how attentive the reader is it becomes very difficult to keep the cast of characters "in mind" and also to keep an awareness of all of the associations between the characters. I had absolutely no trouble keeping the large cast of characters in mind and the associations accurate as I read the novel and that can only be attributed to a highly skilled writer particularly in this page-turning novel and as one reviewer called it "relentlessly swift". But just one word of caution readers, if you begin reading this book late in the evening as I did, the next morning comes really early! It's sooooooooooooo hard to put it down! Isn't that the best compliment a reader can give?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Always entertaining, Sandford's books are all set in theTwin Cities area
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am a real fan of Sanford although I must say he has turned into quite a potty mouth. This can be quite distracting from what could have made a more enjoyable read for me. I also felt the book was WAY too long and overly complicated. A strange ending sees a psychopath successfully elected a state senator - well, this may not be too far off - but was certainly an unlikely turn of events. All in all I still enjoy his stuff but felt this was not up to his usual high level of work.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Silken Prey is every bit as carefully plotted and well written as all of the Lucas Davenport novels, but it gets a bit tedious at times because of the political aspects of the story. There's quite a bit of discussion of campaign strategies and dirty dealing to make the opponent look bad, which dials down the excitement and slows the pace. However, the quality we've come to expect from John Sandford is evident in this novel, and I love watching Davenport's character continue to evolve. Sandford writes the best dialogue of any mystery/thriller writer I've ever read -- realistic and often funny.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I don't think I've ever read a Sandford book I didn't LOVE, and this one didn't disappoint. It's the latest in Sandford's "Prey" series starring Lucas Davenport, and the detective and the author just get better with time. Lucas is assigned to find out if one politician (Taryn Grant) was playing "dirty tricks" on another (Porter Smalls) when child pornography is found on Smalls's computer at his campaign office. Turns out that this was the case, but when the man who planted the porn goes missing, Lucas's case expands. There's a bit of twisting and turning, but things end up pretty much the way we think they will ... but with Sandford, the ride is half the fun. Lucas enjoys his work -- he also enjoys the money he made from selling his computer-simulations company -- and most of the people with whom he works. The casual banter between Davenport and his colleagues is fun and never seems forced, unlike in other books I've read recently.If you don't know the "Prey" series (oh, and Sandford manages a three-way crossover among his series, with Virgil ["that f***ing Flowers"] and Kidd showing up in minor roles), this one stands alone ... but give yourself the treat of starting at the beginning with Rules of Prey. If you like mystery/suspense novels, this is a wonderful series.This was an Early Reviewers book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another great novel from John Sandford! This is the 23rd in the "Prey" series featuring Lucas Davenport. THis one takes some wild political twists and turns and the ending is quite a shock. Can't wait to read the next one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was the first book I've read in a long time where there were absolutely no surprises. It was so interesting to know everything about the story yet I was still in suspense as to what would happen. I'm going to read the first one now!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fun to read. Sanford tells a great story. Good to see Kidd back with his very skilled housebreaker and wife Lauren.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    John Sandford's novels are always done well, although some are better than others - like this one. Interesting plot, well written, fast paced, easy read. Somehow author manages to deliver after so many books - usually I get fed up after a few books starting the same characters. Author's branching out to other characters (Kidd, Flowers) helps and I like how he keeps all it together, where characters that were focus of the story in other novels are having background role here. But it all comes together nicely.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It is hard to give Sandford anything under 3 1/2 stars because I love the characters in his series. This one actually has all three of his characters, Flowers, Kidd and Davenport. All of them have parts to play in the investigation. Although the characters remain some of my favorites in fiction, I am actually a bit tired of reading anything with a political position attached. This and computer crimes are not my cup of tea when it comes to thrillers. That said, there were many interesting moments and the required twist and turns were in evidence.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    [Silken prey] is not John Sandford's best Prey mystery, but it's still a good one. His hero, Lucas Davenport, is still smarter and better dressed than everyone else as he goes about his work of solving crime. His family, the surgeon wife and their children, do not have much to do in this one and that's OK.Here is the problem: One of the candidates in a senatorial election is the victim of a sabotage attempt; someone put child pornography on his campaign office computer and with only a week or so until election day, Davenport has to find out who is responsible.The likely suspect is the Democratic opponent, Taryn Grant, a really rich (there are mostly really rich people in this novel) woman with "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" who drinks too much. She has two unscrupulous bodyguards, one motivated by love and one by money, who are casual about murdering people who get in Taryn's way. Which makes Davenport's job more difficult.How will he uncover who is at fault? He will drive all over the Twin Cities and environs, usually in his Porsche or Lexus, and he'll call in favors, particularly from computer whizzes who can even get Top Secret files from the Pentagon. One of these geniuses and his wife are the stars of the show, giving this book a great punch of energy with their shenanigans.And that's another thing about Sandford's series. People are not expected to be pure, to always follow the rules, and there is agreement among the powers that be -- governor, police chief, and so on -- to allow this legal leeway. As long as the job gets done. That can be unsettling for a reader who suddenly finds herself rooting for a criminal. It certainly adds to the fun.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Enjoyable as all of John Sandford's books are. No mysteries really, but a fun ride to get to the end. The Prey books are beginning to get a bit tired. The Virgil Flowers series however grabs me like the Prey books used to. Hopefully, he continues that series and maybe find a replacement for this one.But it was a good read and a lot of fun and I will still buy them as long as he writes them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book from the Early Reviewers program.This is the latest entry in John Sandford's series about Lucas Davenport, a police officer in Minnesota and an all around tough guy. In this book, Lucas is asked by the governor to investigate a case of child porn on a politician's computer. It's always fun to catch up with Lucas and his friends and coworkers. The story lets the reader know early on who committed the crime, which I sometimes find irritating, but here it was entertaining to read along as Lucas figured it all out too.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've read all of the "Prey" novels by Sandford, and this one is a great addition to the series. I like Sandford's writing style. The book is an easy read and it it's a page turner, which is sometimes all you really want from a book. I was worried that Sandford might have lost his touch, because the last Prey novel wasn't that great. But this one was fun again, even though it was about political intrigue, which is not a plot focus I generally like. However, the plot really wasn't about the political intrigue itself, but about all the actions surrounding it, which made the story palatable for me. As others have noted, it's just fun to catch up with characters we've read about for years; that's why series characters draw in so many devoted readers.This isn't the best Sandford novel, but it's a nice entertainment, and I wouldn't protest against reading it again down the line.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's politics as usual in Minnesota - which is to say that only days before a big election someone's framed the Republican incumbent with kiddie porn and knocked off a political dirty trickster. None of the signs point to the Dems' fair-haired, billionaire candidate, but something about the situation is making Davenport's instincts itch. And of course, the reader's are in on the villains' secrets from page one. The only question is, how soon with Davenport find all the answers.With Kidd and Lauren playing a larger role, and Weather, Letty and Del making only spotty appearances, this is both a weightier than usual, and somewhat less satisfying. Too much politics, maybe?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Silken Prey marks the 23rd (!) entry in John Sandford's long running series featuring Lucas Davenport. Lucas is still working for the BCA in Minnesota, but he's the go-to-guy for many politicos. This time, its the governor himself who wants Lucas to do some quiet investigating. The current state senator has been caught with child porn on his computer. Thing is - the governor thinks he's innocent. And as Lucas digs a littler deeper, it looks like he could be right. We know who the culprit is from the beginning. The fun lies in following along with Lucas and his team as they try to figure it out. Shrake, Capslock, Jenkins and......yes that ****ing Flowers are all on the case. (I just wait to see when someone is going to utter that phrase!) One of Sandford's other recurring characters, computer whiz Kidd, also plays a large role in Silken Prey. I enjoyed the political machinations in Silken Prey. The ending has left the door open for a further confrontation with one of the senators. The secondary plotline with Kidd and his wife was excellent. I thought the way the two came together was great fun. I chose to listen to this latest book on the way back and forth to work (a disc each way works out pretty good!) The reader was Richard Ferrone. He's got a wonderfully gravelly, raspy voice that works so well for the image I have of Davenport. He comes up with different and believable voices for the rest of the players as well. I was able to easily know who was 'talking'. By listening to the book, I really 'heard' the snappy dialogue Sandford has written. Some of the best scenes are between Lucas and his team. I have read every last entry in this series, and the others Sandford writes, as well. There have been some I've liked better than others, (I quite liked this one) but even after twenty three entries, I still really enjoy this character. I'll be waiting for number twenty four.