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Reviewed by Kevin Tipple
Many of us longtime fans of the Lucas
Davenport series by John Sandford have expected a spin off series
featuring his adopted daughter, Letty. That series is now here with the first
book, The Investigator: A Letty Davenport Novel which releases
in April.
In the aftermath of a black bag style
operation for Senator Christopher Colles, Republican of Florida, Letty
Davenport is getting some blow back from his staff. She accomplished the
mission she was sent to do, skirted the lines legally, and got the goods. Some
of his staff have questions about her methods. It does not help that she comes
from a radically different life experience, dresses nothing like her
Washington, D. C. coworkers, and has absolutely nothing in common with them.
They bore her. She does not fit in or play well with others and is sick of the
internal crap from folks who don’t see the world and people like she does. Her
unique childhood gives her a different perspective. It also gave her a set of
skills that she has built on over the years with the help of her father.
Letty hates her job and plans to
quit. The recently completed assignment in Tallahassee was the most interesting
thing she has done during her tenure working for Colles. It also serves a
reminder that it is time to quit and find something else to do. Instead of
allowing her to quit, Colles has an idea about a different job that could be
far more interesting.
Senator Colles sits as Chairman of
the Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee. That means he is very
aware of numerous issues in the Department of Homeland Security. What he wants
is for her to stay, become his liaison to the Homeland Security Inspector
General’s Office, label her a “researcher” (code for Investigator), and turn
her lose on cases that Colles believes are important and fit her skill set. The
Inspector General’s will give her carry permit. That means she can carry a gun
to protect herself. She won’t have arrest powers, but she will be able to work
cases and investigate things. Colles will give her own small office and freedom
to do her job. The rest of the staff will, for the most part, leave her alone.
It isn’t long before her and DHS
agent John Kaiser are grating each other’s nerves due to age and far different
life experiences while headed south to work a case. First stop is Oklahoma City
where they get a slew of briefings about oil thefts that are happening in the
Permian Basin of West Texas. Somebody is stealing a little bit here and there
from various operators. While it is not hurting or endangering the big
operators who are losing a very small percentage of their oil, for the person
doing it and getting the money, the financial haul could be huge.
Where the oil is going, who is
selling it, and what that money being raised is used for, are three important
questions. Especially the final question in this time of concern over domestic
terrorism. Letty and Kaiser need to identify the thieves as well as their
method and their endgame.
That means a trip to the oil fields
in Texas, stakeouts at night, and day time surveillance while dealing with the
locals, civilians and police. It isn’t long before they are in the thick of it
with many lives, including their own at stake.
The Investigator: A Letty Davenport Novel by John Sandford is a fast moving and enjoyable read. Folks who
believe the author is a left leaning idiot who hates the right, far and
otherwise, will no doubt righteously scream on social media about how they quit
very early in the book and will never read another. Those of us born and raised Texans will see
some of the obvious criticism about life here, wince a little, and nod as the
criticisms are accurate. Those who expected, as this reader did, a more obvious
distinction between a Letty novel and a Lucas Davenport novel might be a little
disappointed. If one removes the flash back scenes, the book reads as if it is
a Lucas Davenport novel and not a separate series.
Though in the big picture that is a
good thing. Letty can hold her own when she finds herself in violent
confrontations. The Investigator: A Letty Davenport Novel by John
Sandford is a violent action filled read, that moves forward at a steady pace
as events escalate. As often happens in Sandford’s books the last few years,
the bad actors are identified early on, and readers soon understand why they
are doing what they are doing.
The result is a solidly good novel and a good foundation for what should be an
interesting series. The Investigator: A Letty Davenport Novel by
John Sandford is well worth your time. Might just make you think about things as
well, regardless of your political party lens.
My reading copy was an ARC via
NetGalley. Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, the book is currently scheduled to
be released on April 12th in a variety of formats.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2022
