I like Lucas, but I am not a fan of Virgil. Righteous Prey had too many political comments, not enough action, and the character of the central antgonist left much to be desired. ( )

Lucas and Virgil join the FBI in hunting five bitcoin millionaire/billionaires who are killing "assholes". Atypically for the series, both are wounded seriously but not fatally. At book's ending, two villains remain alive and ?ready for further killing? ( )

RIGHTEOUS PREY is the 32nd Prey book by John Sandford, and this is one of the better ones. Both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are in this, working together to solve a murder spree. A group calling themselves “The Five” are slaughtering people that they (and many others) consider detrimental to society. The victims are considered to be a**holes and consist of rapists, thugs, etc. This twist makes The Five sympathetic characters, despite their murderous impulses.
It seemed there was slightly more Virgil content than Lucas. The banter between the two is as good as it ever was, with lots of ribbing about Lucas’ clothes and Virgil’s burgeoning career as an author. The characters are aging, yes, but also growing and adding layers to both of their career paths. I hope they continue in law enforcement, because I feel that a lot of their appeal would be lost if Virgil was a full-time author and Lucas decided to retire (the horror!).
There is a new character introduced in the novel; her name is Jasmine Green and she is a cop assigned to help the duo out once they reach a certain point in the investigation. She starts out as a character that I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but as the plot progressed, I was happy she was added to the novel. Sandford does tend to drop new characters in here and there, and I hope we see Green again in the future.
Sandford’s ability to create a gripping plot is legendary. He never runs out of new ideas and he puts his own special twist out there so you never know how things are going to end. I read through this book quickly and slowly at the same time (is this even possible?) because I wanted to find out what was going to happen to The Five, yet I didn’t want the book to end. Sandford takes too much time between books, if you ask me. This sentiment among his immense following proves what a fantastic writer he is.
I felt that there were no slow portions of the book. As each member of The Five is introduced to the reader, they emerge as intelligent, sardonic, and Type-A people. We get a brief background on them and learn their motivation, which turns out to be a good reason for the murder spree. The reader is invited to think about whether this murky “reasoning” is a good or a bad thing. Not that murder should be condoned – but we have all pictured someone famous and thought Gee, the world would be much better off without him”. This unique spin is another detail that made RIGHTEOUS PREY a bonafide thriller.
Sandford fans should be raving about this book! Lucas and Virgil are beloved characters and this latest installation is a sure winner. I cannot choose what I liked best about this book – the always funny conversation between the two, or the fast-paced plot that gripped my interest from the first page. Which did you like best?



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Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are up against a powerful vigilante group with an eye on vengeance. They are out “to murder people who need to be murdered.”
Known only as “The Five,” after a vicious predator is murdered in San Francisco.The five is made up of very rich killers who are bored. They target rapists, murderers, and thieves and the. Use their unlimited resources to undo the damage done by those they’ve killed. ( )

Righteous Prey is a thrilling winner from John Sandford. With both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers on the hunt for the vigilante group the Five, it's only a matter of time before justice prevails. The Five are wealthy individuals who take it upon them selves to kill people they feel need killing and who in their opinion won't be missed by society. Another page turning thrilling police prodedural from the best selling author John Sandford. ( )