Mortal Prey by John Sandford

 

Lucas Davenport remembers Clara Rinker well.  Years ago, he almost died at her hands.  Clara was an assassin, hiring out to crime bosses to eliminate their enemies.  Lucas, as a policeman, was another category of person Clara often killed.  She was charming enough that when Lucas met her in a bar, they actually spent the evening flirting and dancing before she tried to kill him and missed.

But that was years ago.  No one has heard from her in years.  The word on the street is that she left the life and left the country.  But now there are rumors she is coming back.  The local crime bosses found out she went South and reached down there to try to kill her.  Instead they ended up killing her fiance and hit her.  She was pregnant and lost the baby as well as her future husband.

Now she is back in Minnesota with a blood lust and determination to kill the men on her list.  She kills the first before the police even hear about her coming back.  As the FBI tries to locate her, they draft Lucas to join the team as he has experience with her and a reputation for doggedness and never stopping until he finishes the mission.  But no matter what they do, the list of killed crime bosses continues to grow.  Can Lucas and the team catch her before she ends her revenge trip?

This is number thirteen in the Lucas Davenport series.  In this one, he is about to marry Weather and is determined to eliminate the threat of Clara before his wedding occurs.  The characteristics Davenport brings to law enforcement are in full display here along with his preference for regular police over federal agencies and their employees.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.