Ocean Prey

A brutal triple murder of Coast Guard officers draws U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers into a complex case in Florida. The FBI's lackluster response to the killings prompts these experienced investigators to take matters into their own hands. The investigation centers on a sophisticated drug smuggling operation that uses underwater caches to store their product. Virgil Flowers goes undercover with a partner named Rae, infiltrating the criminal organization and participating in dangerous deep-water diving missions. Sandford's 31st entry in the Prey series combines his two most popular characters in a high-stakes investigation that moves from coastal waters to the criminal underworld. The novel topped the New York Times Best Seller list and Amazon's Most Sold list in 2021. The story explores themes of justice, loyalty, and the lengths law enforcement officers will go to solve a case when official channels prove insufficient. The marine setting provides a fresh backdrop for Sandford's established formula of criminal investigation and undercover work.

Readers describe Ocean Prey as a solid entry in the Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers series, though not among Sandford's strongest works. Readers appreciated: - The team-up between Davenport and Flowers - Fast-paced investigation scenes - Technical details about diving and boats - Humor and banter between characters Common criticisms: - Plot moves slower than typical Sandford books - Less action and suspense than previous novels - Too much focus on procedural details - Some found the ending rushed Review Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (38,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (22,000+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (400+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "Good but not great. Missing the usual Sandford intensity." -Goodreads reviewer "The Davenport/Flowers dynamic saves an otherwise routine plot." -Amazon reviewer "Too much setup before getting to the action." -LibraryThing reviewer

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🌊 The U.S. Coast Guard seizes an average of 200,000 pounds of cocaine annually from maritime drug traffickers, making the novel's premise highly relevant to real-world operations. 🕵️ Author John Sandford is actually a pen name for John Roswell Camp, who won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism before becoming a novelist. 📚 Ocean Prey is the 31st book in the Lucas Davenport series (Prey series) and marks the first full collaboration between Davenport and Virgil Flowers in novel form. 🏊‍♂️ The novel's diving sequences were inspired by actual deep-water recovery techniques used by both law enforcement and criminal organizations in the Florida Keys. 🚤 Florida's coastline, where the novel is set, stretches for 8,436 miles when including all tidal areas, making it the longest coastline of any state in the continental United States.