Any series worth reading is going to change over the years as the characters develop and evolve. Hopefully these changes are interesting, as with the evolution of Lawrence Block�s Mathew Scudder series and occasionally the changes hurt the series as with the descent of Robert Parker�s Spenser into a hen pecked hero. John Sandford�s Prey series about his Minneapolis Police detective Lucas Davenport has changed significantly over the course of the books; not into anything bad, but not necessarily for the better. In Rules of Prey, the first book of the series Davenport was a unique character with an interesting back-story. The only member of the Minneapolis Police Department�s Office of Special Intelligence Davenport was portrayed as a brilliant and persistent, but cold-blooded investigator specializing in unusual or perplexing crimes. There was even some question as to Davenport�s sanity, especially after one book in which he premeditatedly murders the killer he�s pursuing rather then allow him to escape justice. Davenport�s back-story as a historical game strategist who parlayed a hobby writing computer games into a multi-million dollar enterprise, but continues to serve as a police officer, was fascinating as well. But as the series has progressed from its first book to Secret Prey Davenport has become more of a mainstream police investigator; less pitiless and more introspective he now operates by the book during his investigations. For example, in Secret Prey people Davenport cares for are attacked and badly hurt, something that would have sent Davenport into a cold, killing rage in earlier books, but his reaction now is to arrest; not kill the villain. Also, Davenport�s still rich, and still drives a Porsche on police business, but he�s sold his share of the company he created, is thinking of selling the Porsche, and no longer seems as interested in strategy games as he once did. These changes aren�t necessarily a bad thing, the series currently has more character development and humor and is similar to Ed McBain�s 87th Precinct series, but personally I miss the harder edge the series originally had.As for Secret Prey itself, it�s not a bad novel though John Sandford has done better. The first half of the book takes the form of a murder mystery, though there�s not much of a mystery to it since the identity of the killer is pretty obvious. Midway through the book the killer�s identity is revealed and the rest of the book is devoted to the cat and mouse maneuvers, with the villain being a very dangerous mouse, as Davenport and his fellow officers secure the evidence they need to make an arrest. The villain is standard Sandford, crazy as a loon, but brilliant. So brilliant in fact that it was as much by luck as effort, something I found a bit annoying, that Davenport captures the killer. Still, the book is fun; not great, but fun and the best thing about a series that evolves, for good or not so good, is that you find yourself wondering where it will go from here which is something I�ll read the next Prey book for if nothing else.
Average Grade: C+
