Didn't want to intrude into the Hoke Mosely thread. Is anyone here a Sandford fan?

His cops are MN based, one now an administrator for the state police, and a spin-off series stars his agent Virgil Flowers.

These are good, gutsy, violent tales that are pretty plausible. His crooks usually behave like they would.

The primary hero is Lucas Davenport, who still works mainly out of Mn-St. Paul. Flowers tends to travel around the state more.

Sandford (not his real name) does hunt, although a liberal. His gun data is usually sound.

These are series that I follow, among the better crime novels. If you haven't tried them, do.

I have read all of them. Excellent entertainment!
Bob

Thanks for the tip. I need to read some of his stuff.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I used to be a fan of his books. I read 6 or 7 of his books, but I have not read anything by him in several years now.

Surprised that Hollyweird has not made several movies based on them by now. The books are certainly entertaining and of a very high quality for fiction.

I love his books. A great way to escape for an hour or so
each day. Him, Stephen Hunter and James Lee Burke are
3 of my favorite mystery writers.
Dano

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70 yr old TET Survivor: 68-69

Yep! I've read all the Prey books and most of his others. The thing for me about the prey books is that the killer is always a really bad bad guy. I like for my bad guys to be crazy bad. His always fill the bill. I also like his characters and how they interact. And he doesn't spend 4 pages describing the wall paper in a room or the smell of a field of wild flowers.

His plots are KILLER (sorry) and I'm no LEO but I'm bettin' his cop action and tactics and politics are pretty realistic. There is no better writer in this genre as far as I'm concerned.

But here are a few names that are VERY good. Michael Connelly, James Patterson, James Lee Burke (He's kinda wordy but a darn good story teller.) And Robert Crais. If you enjoy that kind of book and get caught up on all your Sanford books try some of these while you are waiting for him to publish a new one. You will not be disappointed, I promise.

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Real men love cats!

Yes, I am a big fan. He can really write! He knows how to put a plot together and his bad guys are very bad indeed. I think he covers crime reporting in the twin cities which allows him to get the details right. If you have not read him yet, what are you waiting on? His books are too good to put down. I also like Stephen Hunter as well.

I have read a few of his books, but they did not catch hold with me, despite the local connection. I have met the man, and used to read him in the St. Paul Pioneer Press before he got a pseudonym and started writing crime novels. Robert Crais, Stephen Hunter, and especially James Lee Burke are writers I will follow assiduously.

One thing I will say for Sandford, he has shared his good fortune with his friends, some of whom have received six-figure consulting fees for helping him with various aspects of his novels.

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Not in jail.

Two thumbs up for the Prey series and the Virgil Flowers series (that f'ing Flowers!) I havent' read anything else by Sanford. I enjoy Crais and Stephen Hunter too but haven't been able to get into James Lee Burke. Check out Lisa Gardner if you haven't. She has a couple of different series that are very good.

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Pray for Gridlock

+1. Listened to several in the form of audio books. Had an 80 mile round trip to/from work. USA Network made a TV movie of Certain Prey. Mark Harmon played Lucas Davenport. Harmon didn't fit the mental picture I had of Davenport. Anyone else feel that way?

I have read all of the "Prey" books and all of the "Flowers" books. I am a fan. Sandford is a better plot writer than Steven Hunter ever thought he was. Sandford is very true with his police detective actual working efforts. ............. Big Cholla

I agree. Mark Harmon is twerp. (But at least they didn't give it to Tom Cruise, eh? ) I tell ya what. The pics of Sanford that appear on his books are my image of Davenport. He just looks like that character to me. I don't know...something in the eyes maybe? Anyway he looks to me like he's up to it and open for business.

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Real men love cats!

Read most of the Prey series. Davenport favors a 1911 45 ACP alot of the time so can't fault him there.
Beruisis

I have read most of the "Prey" books by Sanford and most of the Lane Kidd books and and picked up 2 Virgil Flowers books, read one Heat Lightning am on the last one now. All Sanford books are very well done. If you ever run across one by Scott Smith, "A simple Plan" its worth your time to read. Jeff

I read a few but was relatively unimpressed.
Don't read them now.

I seem to enjoy the books that feature Virgil Flowers the best. He is not my favorite writer but I buy and read all he puts out. I kinda like that Virgil is always trying to work a little fishing into his time.

Mark Harmon as Lucas Davenport is a he!! of a lot better than Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

I believe I've read all the Prey series (to date). I've got to start reading the Flowers series.

An excellent point. I see Davenport as more like Thomas Gibson, who plays SSA Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds. But Davenport may be a little craggier. He was once a hockey player and has a brutal streak in him. This may seem funny, but Dallas once had a city manager who reminded me of Lucas Davenport, now that I think of it. I won't post his name, but residents may be able to think of who I mean.

I like David Lindsey's books, esp., "A Cold Mind", "Spiral", and
"Mercy" Some of his others are good, but a few seem to wander a little and not have outstanding vllains.

A reviewer once called Lindsey "the master of the small scene", and he is. You'll feel as if you can literally see what he's describing. No, he doesn't take three hours to describe the wallpaper, as one fellow posted above. But he writes on a more cerebral level than those who rely on an excess of action to propel their novels. His characters are very well described and wholly, coldly plausible. The enforcer/chief bodyguard for a refugee Mexican politician left his trade mark on his victims by pounding a nail into their skulls and tethering an ant to it, his trademark. The insane sociopatth in, "A Cold Mind" used rabies to murder. He put infected drops into the solution in one victim's contact lens case, so the virus would enter her body via the optic nerves. What you'll read about rabies in that book will make you walk very wide of stray dogs or skunks, etc. I won't offer further spoilers, but it is a truly chilling book. And you may want to sample the Brazilian songs mentioned, although one didn't do much for me. Not quite Brasil 77...He is a meticulous researcher and if you don't learn a few things in most of his books, you have limited curiosity and deserve to read just action books.

Lindsey now writes as Paul Harper. I read his first book under that name. It's pretty good, if not his best after a seven year hiatus, but is set in San Francisco and involves a different protagonist. I think he did better with homicide Sgt. Stuart Haydon in Houston. He lives near Austin, but rode with homicide detectives in Houston extensively while doing research, and he has Houston down pat, describing the heat and humidity and the glare off those plastic-looking buildings so well that you'll almost start to sweat and want to turn up the A/C while reading. Haydon and his architect wife and the other continuing characters all ring VERY true to life, inluding the big Lt. who once wrenched the skin loose on the face of a scumbag thug who preyed on especially defenseless victims.

BTW, the most plausible police gunfight that I've read in fiction is when Haydon killed the perp who had just slain his partner from a row of shrubs at an old estate. He never mentioned the model of Beretta that Haydon carried, but given the time of writing and other relevant factors, I'd guess a M-92-SB. It'd have a polished blue finish and walnut grips, and lack the flare at the front of the grip (receiver) of the M-92FS. But it is what was made then. These books date from the 1980's-1990's. I think they're still in print in paper, but your bookseller may need to order them. Used book stores and libraries often have them. They are well worth seeking out .

My son, then 14, asked Lindsey if writing is easy. He thought briefly, and replied,"No. In fact, it's quite hard." Entirely true, but something that you have written well and for which you receive accolades makes it all worth it. BTW, he signed all of my hardcovers, despite the grumbling of the store manager, who wanted only books bought that day to be signed. He used a black Mont Blanc pen, like Haydon's. And he used brown ink, which may mean something psychologically. Haydon has rare black periods, in which he loses track of things when he becomes despondent. Maybe no connection. Lindsey explained that he has to use that pen, because his wife gave it to him. I suspect that Stuart Haydon closely resembles the author, right down to his preference in tailored Italian suits. But Lindsey has worn a neat beard, very improbable for a working Houston detective. He does not have the beard in the books, and I am not otherwise suggesting that Haydon is a product of what writers call Mary Jane Syndrome, in which the author injects himself/herself into the books. I know a famous outdoor writer who has great trouble avoiding this in some short stories that he's sent me. It's somehing that an author needs to avoid.

BTW, Suzanne Arruda www.suzannearruda.com also signed her books for me at my car, after a store signing in which the manager didn't want older books being signed in his store that night. She and her husband, who designed her fine site, walked me to my car and were very cordial after her clever and creative appearance in which she gave out some party favors and answered questions. She credited me in some of her later books for weapons advice. I appreciate it, although she didn't take all of that advice. But she upgraded heroine Jade's rifle and chose well for her lover Sam's Colt M-1917, which he had carried as a pilot in WW I. (The books are set in 1920's Kenya, and she does meticulous reearch, extending to reading Nairobi newspapers of that day.)

I have seen a high correlation between a writer's gun knowledge and whether I like his/her books. The more creative, authentic ones seem to do at least some gun research. And they know more than average about other matters, too.

Finally, I'll plug the Modesty Blaise books by Peter O'Donnell. They are more adventures than mysteries, but are very well written with fine characterization and droll English humor. They were published from 1965-1996, when the author retired and banned anyone else from using his characters. Probably a wise decision, considering what happened to James Bond in the hands of writers after Ian Fleming died...

John Sandford left newspaper writing after his books became a success, I think.

Those who liked Tony Hillerman's books about the Navaho Tribal Police might enjoy Steven Havill's books set in a small New Mexico town. Some here may especially identify with his aging undersheriff, who eventually retired and became a cattle inspector with another character taking the sheriff job. His undersheriff then became a female deputy who's married to the primary local doctor. All three are Hispanic. This may be for PC reasons, but I don't feel slighted as an Anglo in reading the books. He made the change seem logical in that department and the characters are all good people. The sheriff even hunts. The old cop is still present, and the godfather of the doctor and the undersheriff's kids. He wears a S&W M-19 and the others seem to favor SIG's. I can live with that, although I don't like the old guy leaving an empty chamber in his cylinder for the first chamber to come under the hammer, in case his gun is grabbed.

I've tried the books by the other authors mentioned. I think Patterson uses a lot of co-writers to maintain his high production and some/all are credited. Sandford credited a newspaper pal who has helped to write some of his books, especially right after his wife died. That man did a superb job. I can't tell his prose from Sandford's. i am pleased to learn here that he seems to have paid him $100,000. It is unusual for a new author to get over $50,000 for a THREE BOOK contract.

Finally, i want to praise C. J. Box and his stories about a Wyoming game warden. In the early books, his guy seemed a little too naive for a cop, but he's gotten better, and Mr. Box gave me some good advice about becoming an author. I saw a post on this (?) board in which a member also said that Mr. Box was very cordial to him at a signing, and he also signed books not bought in that store on that day.

I find Robt. Crais to be pretty good, if without the edge that distinguishes the authors whose books I prefer. The others mentioned here disappointed me. After reading an interview with the author of the Jack Reacher books, I have no interest in his character. But I can easily see why Tom Cruise was badly miscast to play him in movie roles. It is pretty rare for an actor to resemble a book character. Sean Connery managed as James Bond, but that was an exception. Jeremy Brett was good as Sherlock Holmes.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

Texas Star, have you read any Stephen Hunter? What'd you think?

Out
West

I always pictured Lucas Davenport as looking a bit like "Smilin' Jack"

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Bob

I heard somewhere that Denzel Washington was going to play Davenport, but apparently nothing came of it, or else I just heard wrong. He was played by Eriq Lasalle in a TV production of Mind Prey (I fact I turned up while chasing down the Denzel Washington dead-end).

In other Sandford trivia, there is a Minneapolis crime writer named Christopher Valin (no relation to Jonathan Valin) whose detective character lives in a house on the St. Croix river (which forms part of the MN/WI border east of Saint Paul) as an homage to Sandford, who really does live on the St. Croix.

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Not in jail.

I did read a book or two by him long ago, but don't recall much. I wasn't impressed enough to look for more of his material. Maybe I should give him another try.

BTW, I just proofread & edited my long post above to correct for spelling errors. I was trying to do two things at once, and it showed.

I know that many here do like Hunter's books.

That would have been one of the worst PC casting jobs, ever. I'm glad that nothing came of it. I can't say more on this board, but stuff like that disgusts me. If I was the affected author, I'd have refused to sell movie rights if that was the known casting. Alas, authors seldom have any control over movie content. I wonder how David Lindsey felt after his, "Mercy" was filmed in Canada and made more bland and PC than the book, which was set in Houston. The only good casting in that movie was Peta Wilson who played Vickie Kittrie. She wasn't perfect, but was closer to the book than anyone else in the movie. Of course, she sounded American, as most Aussie actors here have to in their available roles.

Denzel Washington would not have made a good Davenport. My vote would go to Tom Selleck. He is a big guy, looks like he could be a hockey player-size wise and the ladies seem to like him-just like Davenport. I do think that the role of Clara Rinker could be played real well by Kate Beckinsale. She has the "I am a female bad..." attitude plus she is easy on the eyes. She makes a good assassin. Just my thoughts....

Great reads. Nice little drink, comfy chair and wow it is 1:00 am.

Just finished the latest "Prey" book, and also really like the off shoot adventures of Virgil Flowers....favorite character in all of Davenport series was Clara Rinker......good reads.

Worse than Eriq Lasalle?

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Not in jail.

Donald Harstad wrote some great novels about a policeman in N Iowa in the late 1990's-early 00's. He then seemed to drop off the earth. Too bad as they reflected a rural area where almost everyone was known in some way to the SO.

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Front sight and squeeze

I've read all of the Davenport books and Flowers .

I do love James Lee Burke , he can be a little slow but his writing is a step above most .

No one has mentioned Daniel Silva .

What I like about threads like these is that I'll pick up a new author to ck out !


Regards
George

Yes!!


The Jack Reacher books by Lee Childs are great too.

So far he has written 18; Reacher is wandering, retired MP CO who finds adventure all over the US. Very well done.

I agree Denzel Washington would not have made a good Davenport, and Tom Selleck would do a good job. I think Jeff Bridges could also pull the role of Davenport off. Maybe even Liam Neeson. There just are not too many quality, slightly scruffy, actors with big physical frames to choose from these days.

Sandford is great. I heard him speak at a book signing and he said that he had paid (as mentioned above) some of his friends to help with the books. I think maybe in the Virgil Flowers series, because they had lost a lot of pension money when their newspapers closed. BTW he has a Pulitzer prize.

I used to like Burke, but the most recent book of his (set in Montana) was too wordy. About halfway through I was only reading every other page. It also seems like he has a fixed set of situations for Clete that he just cuts and pastes into every book. His early books were mostly very good but I don't think I'll read another.

I haven't been able to get into the Jack Reacher series, but I really the Mitch Rapp books.

Jeff

Sounds like we all read the same books....another one I got turned onto, was the series written by Dennis Lehane....about a PI in Boston.....such as "a drink before the war"...also really like the " John Rain" series by Barry Eisler, and the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais, and Steve Hamilton's series starring ex cop Alex McNight....all good.