The Investigator

John Sanford brings investigation, suspense, and plenty of action to the first book in the Letty Davenport series. Letty has had an unconventional, tragic, and violent childhood mixed with her beneficial adoption by Lucas Davenport, the protagonist in the author’s Prey series.

She’s now twenty-four, a graduate of Stanford, and working for Senator Christopher Colles. Letty is also bored until she is offered a position as a liaison between the senator’s office and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In her first assignment, she is a researcher partnered with investigator John Kaiser. There are complaints about missing oil. DHS is concerned about what the thieves are going to do with the money they are getting.

Letty is smart and lean with a somewhat warped sense of humor and a tendency to be rash at times. She also takes after Lucas in several ways including her proficiency and knowledge of guns and her love of fashion. John and Letty start out on somewhat rocky ground when they first meet, but this soon resolved via showing their areas of expertise and how they balance one another. Their personalities and approaches to an investigation are somewhat different, but they quickly learn to trust and depend on each other. Both characters have depth and show growth.

The story is part investigation and part action thriller. The opening is memorable and, starting with chapter three, readers get the occasional point of view of the antagonists, rather than the entire book being from Letty’s point of view.

Sandford’s writing is always great. It was fluid and flowed well, and his world-building was fantastic. There was a strong sense of place causing me to feel transported to Texas and its border towns, as though living the events alongside the characters. He’s a superb storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat as the investigation and action unfolded. The final action scenes are riveting and hauntingly memorable. The conflict is seen from different angles as readers get insight from both Letty and the antagonists. It is very relevant and has a terrifying realism to it. Themes include violence, murder, immigration, childhood trauma, theft, security, and much more.

Overall, this was suspenseful, unsettling, and action packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. With a heart-rending plot, exciting scenes, and fascinating story, it captivated and terrified me. It’s a great start to a series and I’m looking forward to reading more about Letty and her future assignments.

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and John Sandford provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for April 12, 2022.