Masked Prey

March 16, 2020
Bestseller Sandford’s 30th thriller featuring U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport (after 2019’s Neon Prey) offers more of the same—a dramatic high-stakes premise and plenty of action, but not much character depth. Sen. Elmer Henderson of Minnesota, a political ally of Davenport, once again needs his help. Audrey Coil, the 17-year-old daughter of a colleague on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, has uncovered a website that could pose a danger to herself and other children of political families. When Audrey, who operates a fashion blog, looked into whether the blog’s images of her were being used elsewhere on the web, she found them on a website with pictures of other children of elected officials. The site, named 1919, code for the SS, has a Nazi connection, and its discovery leads to fears that someone may threaten the children as a way of influencing public policy. Davenport doggedly investigates right-wing groups to figure out who’s behind 1919 and to forestall any violence. The plot has some holes—it takes law enforcement far too long to shut down sites that had copied 1919—and the big twist isn’t likely to shock anyone. Series fans are most likely to enjoy this. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.

Narrator Richard Ferrone returns to give listeners Book 30 of Sandford's Prey series. Ferrone's deep, gravelly voice has matured along with lead character Lucas Davenport, who is called upon to investigate a web of extreme right-wing groups. Ferrone masterfully portrays Davenport and his fellow U.S. marshals, Bob and Rae. The topical plot takes on our obsession with social media and the potential threats posed by those who manipulate it. Even with his deep voice, Ferrone manages to successfully portray a female teenager, her male schoolmate, and other female characters. Listeners are drawn down many false paths before Davenport gets one step ahead of the FBI and the killer. E.Q. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine