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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I think this is the end of the Lucas Davenport series for me. First of all, I don’t need all your sexy time. This is supposed to be a crime novel. I want gore and suspense. Not sexcipades. The sex basically ruined the entire book for me. It felt just really - not authentic to a crime novel. I’m not sure what it was, but there was very little about this that screamed crime, crime solving, police procedural. If you like crime AND sex, this is probably a great book. But it just wasn’t it for me and this is the 3rd Davenport book I’ve read that has not ended up on my shelf, so I think it’s fair to put it to bed…. No pun intended.
•
| Gut Instinct Rating: | 5.5
| Characters: | 7.5
| Believability: | 10
| Uniqueness: | 8
| Writing Style: | 10
| Excitement Factor: | 10
| Story Line: | 10
| Title Relevance: | 7
| Artwork Relevance: | 8
| Audiobook Narration: | 8
| Overall: | 8.40
| Audiobook: | 4.20
| % Audiobook | 84%
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He’s back! Lucas and the usual suspects (his fellow officers) are back along with Jennifer, Lucas’s girlfriend. In this installment though, Jennifer has a new moniker, baby mama. Yep, Lucas and Jennifer are now parents of baby Sarah. While Lucas has proposed marriage many times, Jennifer has yet to accept his proposal. They’re also not living together either, but Lucas spends enough time at her place in order to get in as much daddy/daughter time and diaper duty as he can (yes, he changes diapers and is pretty good at it too). However, their romantic relationship seems as up in the air as ever. Idk about anyone else, but they have always seemed like the fwb type to me and that hasn’t changed. Seems they both still have “other interests”. Hmmm……
The book summary introduces the storylines and basically lays out the first half of the story. Most of the story revolves around the investigation of the killings and with a little help from Sister Mary Joseph who tells Lucas that he is probably looking for a group of killers from the Indian nations and are seeking justice and retribution on white people who have harmed “the people” (local Indian tribes). Sister Mary Joseph is a psychologist and she and Lucas are long-time friends and fellow gamers of a local gaming club. Along with being a cop, Lucas is also a brilliant and successful (ie, rich) game developer.
As for the cop part, the first installment alluded that Lucas has a “special” type of position within the department, basically he gets to work on whatever case he wants to whether it be a homicide, or vice or robbery or whatever. There is a scene with Lucas and Chief Daniel and the local FBI Chief who alludes as to why the Minneapolis PD keeps Lucas around. Once again, Sanford lets the reader know from the get-go who the killers are, so no trying to figure out “whodunit” here, which is something I do enjoy occasionally. Just like the first installment, the end comes in a blaze of glory for Lucas.
The continuing character development of Lucas, Jennifer, and to some degree Lily, was well done. Lily, a NYPD cop who tracked one of killers from NY back to MN, was a good character and was the love interest for Lucas even though Lily claimed to be happily married. The pacing was steady to fast and the storyline was interesting enough to keep me engaged. It probably would have been more interesting if the killers weren’t revealed from the get-go. Figuring out whodunit is exciting and I believe I speak for a lot of readers when I say that. The writing was so typical for the time period (circa 1990). I chuckled at some of the references like phone books and booths or answering machines and beepers. Don’t even get me started on the blatant chauvinism and racism that is still alive and well today, just maybe a little more toned down in certain environments.
Once again, I enjoyed the Author’s Notes and how Sanford wanted to write a thriller with social commentary regarding MN Sioux citizens. However, his editor was not all that impressed with his first draft. So, he threw most of the social commentary out and simply wrote a thriller. Probably a wise decision. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.8 that I will be rounding up to a 4star review.
The book summary introduces the storylines and basically lays out the first half of the story. Most of the story revolves around the investigation of the killings and with a little help from Sister Mary Joseph who tells Lucas that he is probably looking for a group of killers from the Indian nations and are seeking justice and retribution on white people who have harmed “the people” (local Indian tribes). Sister Mary Joseph is a psychologist and she and Lucas are long-time friends and fellow gamers of a local gaming club. Along with being a cop, Lucas is also a brilliant and successful (ie, rich) game developer.
As for the cop part, the first installment alluded that Lucas has a “special” type of position within the department, basically he gets to work on whatever case he wants to whether it be a homicide, or vice or robbery or whatever. There is a scene with Lucas and Chief Daniel and the local FBI Chief who alludes as to why the Minneapolis PD keeps Lucas around. Once again, Sanford lets the reader know from the get-go who the killers are, so no trying to figure out “whodunit” here, which is something I do enjoy occasionally. Just like the first installment, the end comes in a blaze of glory for Lucas.
The continuing character development of Lucas, Jennifer, and to some degree Lily, was well done. Lily, a NYPD cop who tracked one of killers from NY back to MN, was a good character and was the love interest for Lucas even though Lily claimed to be happily married. The pacing was steady to fast and the storyline was interesting enough to keep me engaged. It probably would have been more interesting if the killers weren’t revealed from the get-go. Figuring out whodunit is exciting and I believe I speak for a lot of readers when I say that. The writing was so typical for the time period (circa 1990). I chuckled at some of the references like phone books and booths or answering machines and beepers. Don’t even get me started on the blatant chauvinism and racism that is still alive and well today, just maybe a little more toned down in certain environments.
Once again, I enjoyed the Author’s Notes and how Sanford wanted to write a thriller with social commentary regarding MN Sioux citizens. However, his editor was not all that impressed with his first draft. So, he threw most of the social commentary out and simply wrote a thriller. Probably a wise decision. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.8 that I will be rounding up to a 4star review.
A good series. As with all cop books, a commentary on how society should invest in making sure everyone has food, shelter, and safety instead of spending money on cops - who aren't here to fix problems. What a waste.
Too much misogyny and lack of discussion of racism and genocide that related to the killings. The MMC is arrogant and doesn’t care about women’s emotions, even the one he is committed to. He drives a Porsche, thinks he’s God’s gift to women, describes every female character introduced by their body, thinks that the female interest needs to lose weight multiple times, and <spolier> pursued a fellow cop despite the fact that she’s married and he has promised his baby mama that they would be monogamous for at least the first 2 years of the baby’s life. The murderers are Natives who are killing white men that are raping their female children, yet they never acknowledge the generational trauma or horrors of the Native community. I know this was written in the 90s, and they say the series gets better, but I just can’t push through it anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Rape
Minor: Colonisation, Classism
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Guess I am all in on Davenport, at least for a few more of these. Gotta see what girl Lucas ends up with.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was clearly written in a different time when descriptions of women were sexist and fat shaming was accepted. I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t find Lucas Davenport to be particularly likable as his attitudes towards women in this book are archaic and suck. Since, people seem to like him so much, he must change as this series goes on.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A wannabe macho detective story with writing like this…
"He found her belt, pulled it open, slipped his hand inside her trousers, under the edge of her underpants, down, to the hot liquid center…"
"He found her belt, pulled it open, slipped his hand inside her trousers, under the edge of her underpants, down, to the hot liquid center…"