Prey Books in Order
John Sandford has written 37 Prey books, published between 1989 and 2026. The first book is Rules of Prey (1989) and the newest is Revenge Prey (2026). One more title is announced: Ruthless Prey (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 37 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1989–2026
- Confirmed
- 38 of 38 titles
- Pages on record
- 9,391 in 23 of 38 books
- Reading time
- 157–235 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 9,391 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 23 of 38 titles with a page count on record.
Prey is a crime thriller series by John Sandford following the investigator Lucas Davenport, with Minneapolis as its home ground. Rules of Prey (1989) opens a run of 38 books whose titles nearly all carry the word Prey, from Shadow Prey and Eyes of Prey through to Revenge Prey. Virgil Flowers heads a linked series inside the same universe, and Ruthless Prey is scheduled for 2027.
How many Prey books are there?
Prey has 37 published books, released between 1989 and 2026. One more, Ruthless Prey (2027), is announced.
Prey Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 38 Prey books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119893683/4
- 219903583/4
- 319913583/4
- 41992–3/4
- 51993–3/4
- 61994–3/4
- 719953543/4
- 819964493/4
- 919984003/4
- 1019993683/4
- 1120003873/4
- 122001–3/4
- 132002–3/4
- 142003–3/4
- 1620054963/4
- 1720074413/4
- 1820084693/4
- 1920094023/4
- 202010–3/4
- 2120113903/4
- 2220124803/4
- 2320134063/4
- 242014–4/4
- 2520143923/4
- 2620154483/4
- 2720164063/4
- 2820173923/4
- 2920183873/4
- 302019–4/4
- 312020–3/4
- 3220214163/4
- 3320224163/4
- 342023–4/4
- 352024–4/4
- 362025–4/4
- 372026–4/4
- 382027–3/4
Do you have to read Prey books in order?
You should read the Prey books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Prey book also stands alone.
What order should you read Prey books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Rules of Prey (1989), the earliest published title. After it come Shadow Prey (1990), Eyes of Prey (1991), Silent Prey (1992) and Winter Prey (1993); the numbered table above continues from there.
What is the newest Prey book?
Revenge Prey (2026) is the newest Prey book released so far.
Is there a new Prey book coming?
Yes. Ruthless Prey (2027) is the next Prey book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Prey at a glance
- Still running
- Prey is still running. Ruthless Prey is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Prey books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 9,391 pages across the 23 of 38 books with a recorded length, a median of 402 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Prey books, 11 of 38, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 6 of the 38 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the Prey books are about
30 of the 38 Prey books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: lucas davenport (fictitious character) is tagged on 24 of 30. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Lucas Davenport (Fictitious character) 24 of 30 books
- Private investigators 24 of 30 books
- Davenport, lucas (fictitious character) 16 of 30 books
- Mystery & detective 11 of 30 books
- Police 6 of 30 books
- Minneapolis (minn.) 5 of 30 books
- Suspense 5 of 30 books
- Thrillers 5 of 30 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 4 of 30 books
- Crime 3 of 30 books
- Investigation 3 of 30 books
More books by John Sandford
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- John Sandford books in order 62 books
Series that include Prey books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Virgil Flowers books in order 15 books