Winter Prey

Winter Prey (1993), a suspense novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and journalist John Sandford is the fifth novel in Sandford's Prey series, which follows the adventures of maverick Minneapolis cop Lucas Davenport. This installment takes place in the remote north woods of rural Wisconsin, where Lucas has escaped for a little rest and relaxation. However, as often happens with Lucas Davenport, crime comes knocking at his door.

The novel opens on a freezing cold winter night. Snow is falling, the winds are howling, and a sociopath called The Iceman roams the backwoods. He arrives at the home of Claudia and Frank LaCourt, where he thinks he will find a photograph of himself with a little boy at his side. This photo, if it ever got into the wrong hands, would destroy his life. The boy in the photo had been killed, and if the police saw it, they might attempt to pin the death on The Iceman. Determined to get his hands on the picture, he approaches the house. Claudia is in the garage to retrieve more firewood when she spots him. The Iceman kills both her and Frank and burns down the LaCourt house.

Lucas arrives at his cabin, which isn't exactly what he expected. He notes its ominous look and its rank smell. Not long after trying to settle in, a sheriff's deputy comes to the door to ask for his help in solving the LaCourt murder. He agrees and soon finds his reputation precedes him. He is known as a crackerjack homicide cop, which is just what this small-town sheriff's department needs to help them find a killer.



Lucas arrives at the site of the LaCourt house, where he meets the coroner, Dr. Weather Karkinnen. There is some friction between them at first, as Weather notes that while she heard Lucas was a good cop, she also heard he killed many people.

Undeterred, Lucas goes to work on the case. Sifting through the list of suspects, he zeroes in on the local priest, Father Philip Bergen. Father Bergen was last seen near the LaCourt house, just minutes before 911 received the call about the fire. Father Bergen maintains that he had nothing to do with the crime.

Meanwhile, the extent and depravity of The Iceman's crimes start to emerge. He is a member of a sex ring that prostitutes children, including the boy with whom The Iceman appeared in the photo; the group's other members included the father of the boy. The boy was killed after the photo was sent to a child porn magazine; other members of the group started disappearing around this time as well. Currently, The Iceman grooms and molests a young girl from the sex ring, and she appears to adore him.



The Iceman never found the incriminating photo before he burned down the LaCourt house. Knowing that Weather has the resources to scour the remains of the home and, if it's still there, find the photo, he decides she has to die. However, Weather isn't easily killed, and she eludes all his attempts on her life.

Since Father Bergen was near the LaCourt's on the night of the fire, The Iceman has to eliminate the possibility that Bergen saw what happened and who started the fire. So, the Iceman kills the priest.

Lucas begins to suspect that the sex ring might be connected to the LaCourt murders. But there isn't enough hard evidence to draw any solid connections, so he attempts to push the killer into committing another crime. Lucas has one of the members of the ring arrested, which alerts The Iceman that Lucas is close to learning the truth. The ploy works. The Iceman kills the other member of the sex ring after the arrest and then prepares to leave town.



Investigators recover the photo from the scene of the fire, and Weather identifies The Iceman from visible scars on his leg: It is local firefighter Duane Helper. This revelation shocks the authorities.

As The Iceman/Duane Helper and the girl flee on snowmobiles, Lucas and Weather are in hot pursuit on snowmobiles of their own. There is a standoff before The Iceman and the girl escape into the woods. Lucas shoots him in the back, but the Iceman keeps running. The girl returns fire, determined to save her captor, and hits Lucas in the throat. Needing to act fast, Weather performs an impromptu tracheotomy on Lucas and saves his life.

Finally, The Iceman can go no further, his injuries preventing him from getting away. As he prepares to surrender and turn himself over to the police, a pack of coyotes comes barreling out of the frigid Wisconsin night. The rabid animals attack The Iceman—and eat him alive.