Stolen Prey / John Sandford / 402 pages

I've never been disappointed in one of John Sandford's Prey books and this one continues his winning streak.  Lucas Davenport, dressed in his Herme ties and driving his Porche, is confronted with multiple violent murders, a Mexican drug cartel, theft from a bank, and his own mugging at an ATM....all of this takes place in Minneapolis-St. Paul.  While Lucas sometimes uses unethical means to solve the case, his means seem to justify the end.  In this particular plot, the complexity of the case and what happens when multiple agencies all with different agendas become involved drives the story.  In the end, it's not Lucas who is on site at the most critical moment, but his adopted teenage daughter Letty who can be pretty scary.  One of the best parts of the story is when Lucas and his pal Del are describing how crime novels have to resort to Hollywood tactics because real police work is so boring.  Lucas Davenport is never boring.  Read the Prey books; you won't be sorry.