Gathering Prey

Publishers Weekly 03/23/2015 At the start of bestseller Sandford’s engrossing 25th thriller featuring Lucas Davenport of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (after 2014’s Field of Prey), Lucas’s daughter, Letty, a Stanford student, offers to buy a meal for young buskers Skye and Henry in San Francisco’s Union Square. Over hamburgers at McDonald’s, Skye tells Letty about an evil character called Pilot (or Pilate) and his “disciples,” who peddle dope and flesh and steal for him and, perhaps, even kill for him. Pilate and his crew are Juggalos, fanatical fans of the Insane Clown Posse, and they travel around the country following the band. Skye and Henry later run into them in Sturgis, S.D., with disastrous results. When Skye calls Letty for help, Lucas gets involved. Pilate’s gang, 19 strong (“think the Manson gang, but worse”), leaves a trail of violence across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with Lucas and various local forces trying to corral them. Sandford handles the drawn-out action with his usual artful combination of suspense and humor. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Apr.)