I was at the grocer tonight and l bought a paperback of John Sandford's, "Deadline", about a reporter who gets murdered in a small MN town. It's in his Virgil Flowers cop series.

Looks pretty good in the first couple of chapters.

Anyone read it? It came out in 2014, but I missed the hardback. I do read this series.

I can't believe I paid $9.99 for a paperback!

I don't mind paying $9.99 or even a few dollars more for a larger edition, better quality paperback. What I don't like is, grey ink instead of black, fonts that I have difficulty reading even with my glasses on and those that fall apart before you are halfway though.

The last series I read promised three installments but the collaboration between the two authors broke down after the second book. Me and others were scrubbing the internet for a long time looking for #3 in the series saying, "Man, I wonder when they are going to put out the next book?"

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have all of John Sandford's books, including the Virgil Flowers and the Prey series. I really enjoy them. I have them all on my Kindle, and gave my hardcover books to my son.

I was posting on John Sandford's FaceBook page once, and commented that it irked me to see basic handgun errors made in his writing. For example, in one book (I can't remember which one now) he described the character as carrying a Glock 19, and in a scene the character is getting ready to enter a premise, and he "takes the safety off."

Mr. Sandford wrote a response to me (and of course, all the other members on his page could see it) explaining how these errors come to happen. In this particular case, he had written the character as carrying a 1911, so it would be entirely correct for the character to take the safety off before proceeding into what might be a gunfight. Sometimes, in the re-write process, the character's gun is changed to a Glock, but neither he nor the editors caught the later reference to taking off the safety. He said he did in fact know the difference, but that it was just an error.

That was all well and fine, and perfectly understandable...BUT not to his fans! I got several thousand replies (I kid you not) threatening various portions of my anatomy, suggested places for me to live (with whom we don't have cordial relations), and many variations of "I don't read his books to learn about guns, I enjoy the story line" yada yada yada. Buncha darn nerds, I tell you!

I do still buy and enjoy his books when they come out (new Prey novel out in April) but I no longer offer any opinions on his FaceBook page!

Read it a few months back and enjoyed it, kept me interested right up to the last page. Sanford is a good novelist, and his technical errors are few - though as most authors of this genre, there's always one or two. He, and other authors, should probably have a technical editor to screen for this stuff - I just sigh, and move on! I like both the "Prey" series and Virgil Flowers - the later can be a little much sometimes, but I found this book to be one of his best! Enjoy!!

I've read every one of his novels, I just wish they came out more frequently.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I love to read, especially on an airplane. Never read a John Sanford book and if I were I would have to start from the start. Somehow I can't start in the middle of a series or with the newest book.

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Baby Chief Admirer
SWCA 2870

Wait! You mean there's no safety on a Glock 19? But they take a safety off in the movies all the time.

The only gun thing in the Sandford/Lucas Davenport series that bothers me is that Lucas carries a Colt Gold Cup on duty. Those of us who have extensive experience shooting GCs know the front sights have a bad habit of flying off while shooting. I had it happen to me and to a guy I was ROing in a USPSA match. Not good in a gun fight.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I too am a John Sanford fan. I have read and enjoyed all of them. Although I enjoy the Virgil Flowers books Sanford's very best books are the first 10 or so "Prey" books. Lucas Davenport was one tough smart cop that didn't take any nonsense from any one, not bad guys, not fellow officers and not superior officer.

One of my favorite features is how Sanford would give you a view of the story from the killers eyes from time to time. A very unique, well done, and enjoyable feature.

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Real men love cats!

I agree. Once Lucas got married, he seemed to really mellow out, compared to his earlier personality. I guess that's why so many characters aren't married...lets them be free for fighting and romance!

Thanks to my local library, I'm enjoying the Kindle version Sandford's new book, Saturn Run, a SF romp he wrote with Ctein.

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How God has blessed us!

Lucas Davenport doesn't need sights.