Prey Series

Despite its familiar premise, Prey is an engrossing, dynamic series, a testament to the sturdiness of the tropes it's driven by as well as Lunt's ability to play with and execute ideas so many. Lucas Davenport from John Sandford's The Prey Series. Male Age: Late 40s or early 50s Height: 6'1' U.S. Davenport is a seasoned, street-smart.

Publication Order of Prey/Lucas Davenport Books

Publication Order of Lucas Davenport vs. Lincoln Rhyme Short Stories

About The Prey Books Featuring Lucas Davenport:

Developed by John Sandford – pseudonym of John Roswell Camp – Lucas Davenport is the star of the Prey Series of plot-twisting crime thrillers. Starting his law enforcement career working alone in Minnesota’s Office of Special Intelligence, Davenport is any serial killer’s biggest nightmare. A dark-complexioned, greying detective, Lucas Davenport is as unorthodox as they come. His unusual techniques and manipulative behaviors work well for him and his string of street contacts.
Often exotically dressed, Lucas Davenport is not above skirting the law and bending the rules when he feels it is necessary to solve a case. He will stop at nothing and never allows anything to stand in his way of finding suspects. His unconventional ways get him into trouble, yet he is able to solve some of the most complex crimes and pull himself out of sticky situations. It is not beyond him to leak information to the press and cause criminal suspects great unease.

In the first three novels in the series, Lucas Davenport is a Minnesota police detective. In order to avoid charges placed against him for the use of excessive force, Davenport resigns at the end of “Eyes of Prey.” In “Silent Prey,” after his resignation, the detective is invited to Manhattan to help capture Dr. Mike Bekker, the sociopath who escaped from the courthouse in the previous novel. NYPD Lieutenant and eventual love interest, Lily Rothenberg, sought out Davenport’s help in hunting down the serial killer.

The fifth novel, “Winter Prey,” brings Lucas Davenport to a small Wisconsin town where he is in pursuit of ‘The Iceman.’ This crazed murderer is difficult to find and follow amidst snowstorms and harsh winter conditions. By “Night Prey,” Davenport lands a politically appointed job as a Deputy Chief, running his own investigative unit for a few years. During this time, the homicide detective found himself solving political crimes. In the latest novels, the detective is hired into the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Lucas Davenport spent his earlier years in life successfully writing and selling role-playing video games. He sold his software company, which started off creating video games, and eventually provided police and other emergency personnel with training videos and simulations. His technological genius left him independently wealthy, allowing him to pursue his dream career as a detective, without any financial worries.

As a detective, Lucas Davenport used his creative talent to solve crimes. He is often called on the tackle the most complex crimes in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. His knack for getting into the murderer’s head and thinking like a criminal has enhanced is crime-fighting abilities, making him one of the best homicide detectives in town.

Coupled with his ability to think through crimes, Lucas Davenport is also skilled at researching on the computer and using technological sources to solve various mysteries. When his skills alone are not sufficient, as a senior official of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Davenport is able to refer to specialized researchers for their expertise and knowledge.

Davenport’s wealth supported his obsession with guns. At the beginning of the series, the reckless detective owned a large number of guns, including:

A small, .25 automatic
A 9mm Beretta 92 F
Three .22 pistols – Ruger Mark II, Anschultz Exemplar, and Browning International Medalist
Two .45 ACP Colt Gold Cup competition pistols
A 9mm H&K P7
Four untraceable, recovered street guns, including a .38 Charter Arms
A Glock P17 pistol
A Smith and Wesson Model 40 revolver

He later added the following to his collection:

A Smith and Wesson Model 39 street gun
A Browning Citori 20-gauge shotgun
A .357 Colt Magnum Carry revolver
A .243 deer rifle, of unknown make and model
A Beretta shotgun with a detachable magazine

Unlike his successful career, Lucas Davenport’s love life saw some ups and downs. In his younger years, Davenport was a player. Without discrimination, Davenport had affairs with victims, suspects, subordinates, and fellow colleagues on the police force. As a result of his wild ways, he fathered a daughter, Sarah, out of wedlock with Jennifer Carey, a local reporter.
Settling down from his womanizing ways, Lucas Davenport married a successful surgeon, Weather Karkinnen, the mother of his son, Sam. Together with Karkinnen, Davenport later adopted Letty, a 14-year old whose mother was killed. In “Buried Prey,” Dr. Weather Karkinnen was pregnant with their second biological child – a daughter.

The Prey Series:

1. Rules of Prey (1989)
2. Shadow Prey (1990)
3. Eyes of Prey (1991)
4. Silent Prey (1992)
5. Winter Prey (1993)
6. Night Prey (1994)
7. Mind Prey (1995)
8. Sudden Prey (1996)
9. Secret Prey (1998)
10. Certain Prey (1999)
11. Easy Prey (2000)
12. Chosen Prey (2001)
13. Mortal Prey (2002)
14. Naked Prey (2003)
15. Hidden Prey (2004)
16. Broken Prey (2005)
17. Invisible Prey (2007)
18. Phantom Prey (2008)
19. Wicked Prey (2009)
Is blacksite area 51 backwards compatible. 20. Storm Prey (2010)
21. Buried Prey (2011)
22. Stolen Prey (2012)
23. Silken Prey (2013)
24. Yet to be named… (2014)

Two of the novels in the Prey Series have been written as television movies. In 1999, Eriq LaSalle produced “Mind Prey” and starred as Lucas Davenport. USA broadcast the movie, which was later nominated for Outstanding Achievement by the American Society of Cinematographers. Overall, however, the movie did not fare too well.

Twelve years later, Mark Harmon, of NCIS fame, played Lucas Davenport in USA’s “Certain Prey” in 2011. The made-for-television film did very well, coming in at number two on the list of first-run cable movies and giving USA their highest numbers of the year. Chris Gerolmo directed the movie, which co-starred Lola Glaudini and Tatiana Maslany.

As one of John Sandford’s most popular characters, Lucas Davenport was initially created as a sociopath. His crazy antics and edgy style make him interesting to following. Readers are typically glued to the books in anticipation of what the lone wolf is up to next as the twisted plots unfold. As the character developed, however, Sandford changed his personality as he matured over time. “I don’t want him to wind up a bitter, lonely guy.” Although his personal life has mellowed, Lucas Davenport continues to solve crimes in mind-blowing ways.

A spin-off of the Prey Series was later created, featuring Virgil Flowers, a recurring character in some of the novels. Lucas Davenport brought Flowers to work with him at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, where they worked together to crack several cases. The two series overlap in characters, providing fans with similar mysteries from two different perspectives.