Coop is an ex prison guard who uses his skills at cat-burglary to make his money. But he's also got into the habit of killing women for kicks, although only one person suspects that the killings are the work of a single person. On one of his thieving expeditions, Coop burgles the apartment of Sarah Jensen, but later finds he can't get her out of his mind. Meanwhile, Karen Connor, a detective with only months to live, is trying to persuade the Minneapolis police department that they have a serial killer on their hands. Davenport is asked to help.

Great one. Again I was impressed with the way that you didn't really know how the story would turn out, in terms of plot or story structure. For instance, after a section from Coop's POV, the story switches to the detectives. And just as they start to get somewhere interesting, you expect it to switch back to Coop. But it doesn't - it stays with the cops, as if it's too important to lose track of what they're doing.

And the way the crimes pan out isn't a classic "serial killer" plot either. Coop is a lot more complex than that - killing people in the building next to Jensen's, making it look like a bungled robbery when his real intent is to obtain a copy of their key - attacking Jensen's boyfriend in broad daylight in front of loads of witnesses; you just don't really know where the story is going.

Sorry to be running out of Prey books to read, but this one will be worth doing again when I come to re-read them in the correct order one day.

Re-read in 2014 (going through them all on audiobook in sequence) and I just noticed I completed it 7 years to the day after the first reading.

The 6th prey book, and another one with a single serial killer. Having read them all in order I can see you might criticise them for being a bit samey in this respect (apart from the second) but the stories really are different.

I remembered this one had the bit where Coop, wanting to get into an apartment block, presses all the doorbells, believing (correctly) that at least one person will be expecting a visitor and will buzz the entry door open. Always remember that when thinking about entry buzzers.

Re-read it again! in 2015, having started to listen with Lesley in the car, and then feeling I may as well finish it. It still seems fresh, and the narration is fantastic. Heads-and-shoulders above most other audiobooks.

Completed : 19-May-2007

Completed : 19-May-2014 (audiobook)

Completed : 23-Oct-2015 (audiobook)