The Investigator

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Letty Davenport, the brilliant and tenacious adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, takes the investigative reins in the newest thriller from #1 bestselling author John Sandford.

“Sandford fans rejoice! Davenport next generation has arrived and Letty is exactly the kind of cool-eyed, smart-mouthed, lethally dangerous heroine we’ve been waiting for.” --Lisa Gardner, author of One Step Too Far

By age twenty-four, Letty Davenport has seen more action and uncovered more secrets than many law enforcement professionals. Now a recent Stanford grad with a master’s in economics, she’s restless and bored in a desk job for U.S. Senator Colles. Letty’s ready to quit, but her skills have impressed Colles, and he offers her a carrot: feet-on-the-ground investigative work, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security.

Several oil companies in Texas have reported thefts of crude, Colles tells her. He isn’t so much concerned with the oil as he is with the money: who is selling the oil, and what are they doing with the profits? Rumor has it that a fairly ugly militia group might be involved. Colles wants to know if the money is going to them, and if so, what they’re planning.

Letty is partnered with a DHS investigator, John Kaiser, and they head to Texas. When the case quicky turns deadly, they know they’re on the track of something bigger. The militia group has set in motion an explosive plan . . . and the clock is ticking down.

©2022 John Sandford (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The Investigator is a procedural action thriller in which the technical sleuthing only heightens the tension. Letty is such a capable character, and Mr. Sandford such a fine tactician, it would seem incomprehensible and even cruel to deny readers a swift follow-up.”--Wall Street Journal

“John Sandford created a winning formula with his furiously paced Prey novels, which star Lucas Davenport, a Minnesota detective turned U.S. marshal with a penchant for sharp dressing, high romancing and expert marksmanship. In The Investigator he moves the chess pieces to a different board.”--New York Times

“Sandford’s first Letty Davenport novel is a violent, topical, fast-paced story that’s sure to please action fans.”--Library Journal (starred review)

A new star is born

First Lucas, then Virgil, and now Lettie. We always knew Lettie was a bad ass and now she proved it . Can’t wait for a new Virgil or Lettie adventure.

My Favorite Character Used for Political Narrative

Yet another liberal account of the ignorant redneck.... and using my favorite Sandford character of all time to illustrate it...
Kind of weak for a Sandford plot... not as tight and well engineered as usual. Why do I say that? Well, think about this:

So the "good guys" (the Democrat Party and the central American caravan) are supposed to hold the humanitarian high ground, right? I get that; it's been the resounding narrative of the past three years. But there's one thing that just doesn't fit. If they are so righteous, why do they let a school bus full of women and children take point in the apparent confrontation with AR-toting racists? Doesn't swing the arrow to N for Noble on my compass of honor.

I really loved the introduction of the Letty character back in her muskrat hunting days. But Sandford is trying to ingratiate himself to young folks these days and, in particular, the build it back better crowd. Don't think I will be able to stomach anymore of the 23 year old Letty. (Puke emoji here) RIP, country girl with the beater .22..... you're no longer an independent tough adolescent. You are now an entitled, know-it-all champion of social justice.

All Grown Up

John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport adopted an orphan years ago. Her name was Letty. And what a difference a young lifetime can make!
Letty Davenport has all the characteristics of a really dynamic and exciting new protagonist. She has intuition, brains and a fearless sense of herself that is endearing and compelling.
She is someone I look forward to reading about in the future.
Her first book was a terrific read: Militias, US Government agencies, economic inequality and desperation. I recommend this to all Davenport, Kidd and Flowers fans.

Best Recent Davenport

Long but good mix of character development, sleuthing and, of course, action. No dead spots or drone ons.

A good start to hopefully a new series

Follow Letty Davenport in her new career finding and stopping criminals.

Good listen, never a problem listening to Richard Ferrone. I'd say the story is bit of a reach for a first time for Letty but if this is what starts it I'm satisfied. Book goes 0 to 60 in the last bit and might be too harsh for sensitive listeners. For fans I'd suggest it's a must.

Like father, like daughter.

I was a bit apprehensive, but really enjoyed this book. Letty is definitely Lucas’ daughter. Cool, smart, cold blooded killer. The story was contemporary and showed real people on both sides of the issue. The main characters have a good chemistry and It will be interesting to see how they learn from each other. Looking forward to book #2.

New generation

I like the idea of Letty taking off on her own. This was a good start. Like the relationship between her and Kaiser.

NEW SERIE?

Good stories. Good characters. Richard Ferrone is the best narrator. He makes the books better!

not your best

Letty was branded to much as a cold hearted killer Really liked her new partner

More Letty, Please

I love the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers books. I even love the Kidd books. But Letty is the crème de la crème of Sanford’s body of work. Watching her grow up in the Davenport books always made me hope we’d be reading about her in a starring role someday. Thank you, John Sanford. More books featuring Letty, please.