Prey Books in Order
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🎧 Listen to Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries) on Audible
The Prey series, written by John Sandford and spanning from 1990 to 2021, follows detective Lucas Davenport as he investigates a range of violent crimes, often involving psychological and physical threats. Each novel centers on a different criminal or group, with Davenport navigating complex cases that challenge his skills and personal life. The series explores themes of danger, morality, and the unseen forces that drive human behavior.
Books in this series
Ordered by first publication where known. The official numbering for this series is incomplete in our sources, so we don't show series numbers we can't verify.
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Buy on AmazonRules of Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)
1989 · John Sandford
Louis "Maddog" Vullion is a young attorney and a murderer who kills for the sheer contest, playing an elaborate game according to terrifying rules he…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · John Sandford
The third book in its series, this novel features one of the nastiest villains in crime fiction: an evil, drug-abusing doctor whose access to any…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · John Sandford
In the dead of winter, a killer unlike any other turns a small Wisconsin town into a death trap. The threat is closing in on Lucas Davenport as he…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · John Sandford
A body found in the Carlos Avery game reserve on a cold, clear morning shows stab wounds that seem familiar to a state investigator, though…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · John Sandford
In "Mind Prey," Detective Virgil Davenport confronts a determined kidnapper whose victims are being driven toward an unimaginable fate. The case…
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Buy on Amazon1998 · John Sandford
A wealthy banker is dead, shot once in the chest during a hunting trip. There are many reasons for him to be killed, and many people who would do the…
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Buy on Amazon1999 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport confronts a new kind of adversary: Clara Rinker, an attractive, pleasant Southern woman who is the best hitwoman in the business.…
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Buy on Amazon2000 · John Sandford
A high-profile model's death becomes the focus of a media firestorm demanding action from Lucas Davenport, and one of his own men is a suspect. When…
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Buy on Amazon2001 · John Sandford
A shallow grave and a pornographic drawing draw Lucas Davenport into hunting a predator with a single-minded hunger for his chosen prey. A strangled…
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Buy on Amazon2002 · John Sandford
Years after nearly being killed by Clara Rinker, a soft-spoken Southern beauty and one of the FBI's most wanted killers, Lucas Davenport crosses…
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Buy on Amazon2003 · John Sandford
Detective Lucas Davenport has battled real demons over the course of 15 previous Prey novels, drifting in and out of lust and love with a host of…
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2004
The #1 New York Times bestselling Lucas Davenport novel from John Sandford. Two people are found hanging naked from a tree in the woods of northern…
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Buy on Amazon2005 · John Sandford
The first body is a young woman found on a Minneapolis riverbank with her throat cut, her body scourged and put on display. Lucas Davenport senses…
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Buy on Amazon2007 · John Sandford
In the richest neighborhood of Minneapolis, two elderly women are found murdered in their home, killed with a pipe, the rooms tossed and only small…
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Buy on Amazon2008 · John Sandford
In this Prey novel, a widow returns to her house in a wealthy suburb to find blood everywhere, no body, and her college-aged daughter missing. The…
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Buy on Amazon2009 · John Sandford
As Republicans gather in St. Paul for their convention, a crew of professional stickup men eye lucrative targets, while Lucas Davenport faces a far…
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2010
When a simple robbery turns deadly, the thieves close in on the only witness: Lucas Davenport's wife... (Description courtesy of Penguin Random…
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2011
For twenty-five years the unsolved kidnapping of two young girls has haunted Minneapolis homicide detective Lucas Davenport. Today, the bodies have…
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Buy on Amazon2012 · John Sandford
In the small Minnesota town of Deephaven, an entire family is killed, husband, wife, two daughters, and dogs, in a scene that pokes at Lucas…
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Buy on Amazon2013 · John Sandford
At 1:15 a.m., a Minnesota political fixer answers his doorbell and later wakes up bleeding in a moving car before being killed. Lucas Davenport,…
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Buy on Amazon2014 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport investigates the discovery of several bodies in an abandoned Minnesota farmyard, uncovering the work of a local serial killer who has…
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Buy on Amazon2015 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport's adopted daughter, Letty, receives a call from a woman who claims to be part of a group of nomadic panhandlers known as Travelers.…
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Buy on Amazon2015 · Tom Isbell
After the apocalyptic Omega, a group of orphaned teen boys learn of their dark fate and escape, joining forces with twin girls who have been…
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Buy on Amazon2016 · John Sandford
After the events of Gathering Prey, Lucas Davenport is no longer employed by the Minnesota BCA, but his friend the governor invites him to join a…
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Buy on Amazon2017 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport's first case as a U.S. Marshal begins after a Biloxi, Mississippi drug-cartel counting house is robbed, leaving five bodies including…
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Buy on Amazon2018 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport, now a federal marshal, has crossed paths before with Taryn Grant, a rich psychopath he believes responsible for three murders though…
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Buy on Amazon2019 · John Sandford
The U.S. Marshals obtained a warrant to enter a home in connection with a relatively minor criminal matter, but during the search they discovered…
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2020
Lucas Davenport investigates a vitriolic blog that seems to be targeting the children of U.S. politicians in the latest thriller by #1 New York…
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Buy on Amazon2021 · John Sandford
An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he notices a suspicious boat. The boat is fast and well-equipped, but it slows down to…
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Buy on Amazon2023 · John Sandford
Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up to crack an unsolvable case in this thrilling new novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author John…
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2024
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER Lucas Davenport and his daughter, Letty, team up to track down a dangerous scientist whose latest project could endanger…
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Buy on Amazon2025 · John Sandford
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces to track down a ruthless killer who will do whatever it takes to keep the…
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2026
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER Lucas Davenport must track down a ruthless Russian hit team, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling…
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Ruthless Prey📅 Expected Mar 30, 2027
Lucas Davenport must avenge the murder of a loved one, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford. When the mother of…
Read more →📅 = publisher-announced release date; subject to change. All upcoming releases →
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Prey books in?
Read them in publication order — the list above is sorted by first publication where known, starting with “Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)”.
How many books are in the Prey series?
We list 39 books by John Sandford , published between 1989–2026.
When is the next Prey book released?
The next book is “Ruthless Prey”, book 37 in the series, expected Mar 30, 2027. That is the publisher's announced date and can change; this page updates when it does.
Where can I buy the Prey books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
More series like Prey
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.