Mortal Prey (Lucas Davenport Series #13) Book

Read a Lucas Davenport novel after a long time. Had read a couple of books in the series earlier, and not a single book has disappointed till date. I like the character of Assistant Minneapolis Police Chief Lucas Davenport - a good cop who does not mind bending the rules a little. He also made money by writing role-playing games. Different from the alcoholic and often tragic police detectives you often encounter in fiction.

Okay, now let us come to the story! It starts with the contract killing of a man - son of a Mexican drug lord, in Mexico. His pregnant girlfriend is injured and loses the baby. But, wait! It was not the fallout of a gang war - the man was not the intended victim. It was the girlfriend instead - a beautiful and intelligent American woman with a dangerous past!

The woman, Clara Rinker, recuperates, upgrades her deadly skills and returns to the States for her revenge. The FBI calls in Davenport as he had narrowly escaped being killed by Rinker once. And so begins the battle of wits and bullets between our protagonist and the killer. Davenport teams up with a bunch of ex-cops while Rinker takes the help of her loyal allies.

Rinker is not a woman to be messed with - she has brains and lethal with the gun. I enjoyed how she meticulously planned her killings, dodged the FBI, and managed to stay a step or rather several steps ahead of Davenport. Even the mighty FBI can't intimidate her.

What I really liked about the book was how Rinker's character was fleshed out. She is a ruthless killer, who kills without the slightest compunction, but there is a little goodness in her too. Quite a few characters in the story did admit that Rinker was a product of her traumatic childhood. In this novel, Clara Rinker was the most impactful character. I did sympathize with her, but never really rooted for her.

I am not going to say anything more and spoil the fun.

This is a fast-paced page turner. If you love suspense and thrills, then you won't be disappointed. Would recommend to thriller lovers.