Extreme Prey by John Sandford

Lucas Davenport has left the police but he definitely hasn't lost his skills or his contacts.  A man can only be retired so long and he didn't retire because he stopped loving what he did; he retired because he couldn't stand the bureaucracy any more.  Lucas has been building a cabin and that has taken lots of time but the cabin is almost done when he gets the call.

The governor is an old friend and is thinking about running for President.  He is doing the Iowa rounds where his real hope is to make enough of a showing that he is considered for Vice President when all is said and done.  The front runner is a woman and there are rumors that someone is going to try to do her harm.  Time to call in Lucas.

Lucas takes the nebulous rumors and starts to investigate.  The issue seems to start with some of the disgruntled farm movements and some of them are fairly radical.  The governor remembers seeing a woman with white hair, a bit heavy-set and her son, a tall man with striking gray eyes.  They gave him a whiff of wildness, a shiver that all was not well.

Lucas and various law enforcement agencies take on the task of finding the people who want to do harm.  The kicker?  They have three days before the candidates go to the Iowa State Fair, a venue with thousands of people and an assassin's dream location.  Everything is convinced that if something is going to happen, it will happen there.  Can they find the radicals before the deadline?

This is the twenty-sixth Prey novel featuring Lucas Davenport.  I've loved this series and Lucas but this one felt a bit tired, a bit too pat.  The way everything fell into place so quickly just didn't seem realistic and having worked in state government, I know things don't work that quickly; it takes a long time to get everyone focused and moving in the same direction.  I think the series may be working itself to an end which is a shame.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.