On April 12, 2021, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are teaming back up in Ocean Prey, the latest novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.
Though Ocean Prey technically a Lucas book, the appearance of Flowers will no doubt excite fans who missed seeing Virgil this year, as 2020 was one of the few years in recent memory where Sandford didn’t publish two books (Flowers usually stars in his own novel each fall, with Davenport leading the charge in the spring). The story, the 31st in Sandford’s franchise, follows Masked Prey, which saw Lucas—now (still) with the U.S. Marshal’s office—go after those behind a blog posing a serious danger to children of U.S. politicians.
While it was generally pretty well received, Masked Prey did receive some negative feedback due to the political undertones (the bad guys are believed to be right-wing ultra-conservatives with Neo-Nazi ties who encourage like-minded people to kill in order to spark change) that, for some, took readers out of the story. More a reality of the times that we live in than Sandford’s own writing talent, which reigns supreme, it stands to reason that there will inevitably be those who prefer not to read about politics (regardless of the author’s stance) in mysteries and thrillers. And that’s fair. Personally, I thought Sandford’s story was well-plotted and, rather than feeling “preachy,” just happened to include politics without forcing a political view on the readers. That said, Ocean Prey sounds less controversial and is easily one of the more notable titles slated for release in early 2021.
Check out the plot info and cover art below.
Fan-favorite heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces on a deadly maritime case in the remarkable new novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.
An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he calls in some suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. It’s a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there’s something hinky going on, and his hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed.
They’re federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI’s turf. When the FBI’s investigation stalls out, they call in Lucas Davenport. And when his case turns lethal, Davenport will need to bring in every asset he can claim, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.
John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of twenty-nine Prey novels; four Kidd novels; twelve Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels coauthored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three other books.
Fans excited to see Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team back up can now pre-order Ocean Prey wherever books are sold.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.