“Neon Prey”
isn’t bad but it’s a bit of a chase novel. You know right away who the criminal
is, and it’s up to John Sandford’s reoccurring hero, Lucas Devenport, to track
him and his criminal friends down. It’s not all that different than other
Devenport novels, except for the new location: Las Vegas. Most of Sandford’s
novels take place in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In this
one, the gang of criminals are basically robbers, going around wealthy parts of
Las Angles, threatening and robbing anyone unlucky enough to encounter them.
What makes this group more sinister however, is a nasty twist. One of them is a
cannibal, who has killed and eaten multiple people, including children. While
the novel does spear us the graphic details of exactly how this cannibal
committed his crimes, it does tell us what he did. He could be facing the death
penalty if he is caught, and the other in the group face charges, but lesser
ones.
This book
is, like all Sandford thrillers, a solid page turner. If I was a little more
critical, I would say Sandford introduces a ton of new cops and investigators
in the new setting of Las Vegas, and it tends to feel like too many characters.
I lost track, between the new good guys and the group of bad guys, who is who.
However,
it’s still a good read. Sandford is one of our accessible thriller and mystery
writers, and he will keep you turning those pages. I’ve been reading Sandford
for a lot of years, and I still find his work a thrilling ride worth reading.
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