In this latest of the Lucas Davenport series of suspense thrillers, Lucas is thrown in to the deep and murky waters of dirty politics. When child pornography is discovered on the campaign office computer of a politician running for re-election; Lucas and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are called in to investigate. The governor of Minnesota, although of a different political party, does not believe that Porter Smalls truly had child porn on his computer, and suspects it may have been placed there to throw the election into turmoil. A charge of this nature would guarantee Small's losing the rather tight race. Lucas must investigate to find the truth before the fast approaching election.

The main suspect in the case is Small's rival in the election, Taryn Grant. Taryn is rich, spoiled, and extremely narcissistic. She is also a woman who will do absolutely anything necessary to win this election, and is currently running behind Smalls in the polls. After incriminating evidence is found hidden in the home of a missing (and presumed dead) political operative, Lucas comes to the startling conclusion that Smalls was indeed framed.

Now Lucas is in a race to prove Smalls innocence in the short time left before the election. He believes that Tubbs was used to plant the incriminating porn on Smalls computer, and was then murdered to cut off the trail of evidence leading back to Taryn Grant. Lucas calls on Virgil Flowers, and the computer hacker called Kidd to help him crack the technology holding the key to solving the case. Lucas himself must attempt to crack the entitled, egotistical Taryn to try to break open the case.

There are also the asides to Davenport's personal life. He is now married with children, and is nearing the age of fifty. Long gone is the single, horn-dog Lucas of past years, who tagged every woman in Minnesota who didn't move out of his way fast enough. Lucas is getting older, and mellowing out. It's an inevitable change in the forward process of the character, but a long time reader of the series can't help but miss the rogue Lucas of old. Sandford must continually find new ways to make Lucas an interesting and compelling character.

SILKEN PREY is a very interesting addition to the Lucas Davenport series, although missing some of the panache of earlier books. This one doesn't have the grit and investigative detail of some of his other works; and the gray world of rich, smarmy politicians is not quite as interesting to the reader as some of the other case Lucas has worked. Still, John Sanford's excellent writing, humor, and dry, quick wit go a long way to bolstering the story. Nice tale of political blackmail and murder, if not one of the best of Sandford's books.

Book Summary

Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas Davenport’s going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.

At 1:15 a.m., a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell. The next thing he knows, he’s waking up on the floor of a moving car, lying on a plastic sheet, his body wet with blood. When the car stops, a voice says, “Hey, I think he’s breathing,” and another voice says, “Yeah? Give me the bat.” And that’s the last thing he ever knows.

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. She has very definite ideas about the way the world should work, and the money, ruthlessness, and sheer will to make it happen. No matter who gets in the way.