Toxic Prey

A Prey Novel

By: John Sandford

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Lucas Davenport and his daughter, Letty, team up to track down a dangerous scientist whose latest project could endanger the entire world, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.

Gaia is dying.

That, at least, is what Dr. Lionel Scott believes. A renowned expert in tropical and infectious diseases, Scott has witnessed the devastating impact of illness and turmoil at critical scale. Society as it exists is untenable, and the direct link to Earth’s death spiral; population levels are out of control and people have allowed disarray and disorder to run rampant. While most are concerned about deadly disease, Scott knows that it is truly humanity itself that will destroy Gaia. It’s only by removing the threat that the planet can continue to prosper, and luckily, Scott is just the right man for the job…

When Scott then disappears without a trace, Letty Davenport is tasked with tracking down any and all leads. Scott’s connections to sensitive research into virus and pathogen spread has multiple national and international organizations on high alert, and his shockingly high clearance levels at various institutions, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, make him the last person they’d like to go missing. As the web around Scott becomes more tangled, Letty calls in her father, Lucas, help her lead a group of specialists to find Scott as soon as possible. But as Letty and Lucas begin to uncover startling and disturbing connections between Scott and Gaia conspiracists, their worst fears are confirmed, and it quickly becomes a race to find him before the virus he created becomes the perfect weapon.

©2024 John Sandford (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"John Sandford delivers yet another unputdownable reading experience in Toxic Prey, a gripping thriller that combines nail-biting suspense with thought-provoking commentary on the intersection of science, morality, and environmentalism. Longtime fans of the Lucas Davenport series will devour this one.”—The Real Book Spy

Bad narrator

The narrator has trouble becoming Lucas Davenport, he’s not into the action and it’s hard in the beginning to get in the swing of things. He needs to fail each character because they are crucial to the story, sometimes hard to tell them apart by the end of the book, he had a rhythm that was better than the beginning.

NM was the site of the book.

It was kind of unbelievable and the the germ part of the plot was not really explained

Zero Tension

Lucas Davenport- the prudish daddy, relegated to zero importance in this novel.
The reactions of his daughter and the Hawk in the final minutes of the book are preposterous. Two people exposed to the most dangerous virus ever have only one thing on their minds - sex!
If this were John Sandford’s first novel he’d be bagging groceries at Walmart today.

One of his Best!

The entire story was so possible it was scary. I could not put this down and read it straight thru. I liked Letty and Lucas working together and really liked the new guy. Hope he sticks around for more books with Letty.

Blooming scary

Great book as usual by John Sandford. The topic is very scary, but happy at the ultimate outcome. A well-done performance by Mr. Petkoff and, of course, a great story by John Sandford kept me listening intently. I'm hoping the next book is a simple law and order one, this topic was intense. Thanks, Mr. Sandford for keeping me on edge, allowing me to enjoy every minute of it.

Great as usual

Having read every single book in the series, I’m a fan. The book is fast-paced the story believable yet exciting and the humor hits just the right spot at the right time. Amazing storytelling, amazing performance, amazing book.

Scary stuff

One of the more thought provoking books I’ve listened to. After Covid, I suppose anything is possible, but the good thing about measles is that many people are immune due to MMR vaccine. Could a virus catch a ride on another virus?

Narator takes getting used to

Narrator make Lucas sound like Clint Eastood, haven’t decided if thats good or bad yet.

Excellent narration of stunning thriller!

The narration was almost as if it was being acted. Excellent use of intonation and cadence to distinguish different characters. Story content was enthralling. I couldn't wait for my next 'dose' (pun intended). Sanford is probably my favorite thrill writer of all time. The Letty novels are a perfect mix of the Davenport intensity and Flowers sense of humor. Not to be missed!

Please don’t put Letty in Prey Novels

I don’t really care for having Letty in this book. I’m good with crossovers, but this was more of a Letty book than Lucas book. Hope this is not where this series is headed. just my opinion.