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Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #9
The Last Detective
P.I. Elvis Cole’s relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. Then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son Ben is staying with Elvis, the boy vanishes without a trace. When the kidnappers call, it’s not for ransom, but for a promise to punish Cole for past sins he claims he didn’t commit. With the LAPD wrestling over the case, and the boy’s estranged father attempting to take control of the investigation, Cole vows to find Ben first. But Cole’s partner, Joe Pike, knows more about this case than he has said. Pike lives in a world where dangerous men commit crimes beyond all reckoning. Now, one of those men is alive and well in L.A.—and calling Elvis Cole to war. . . .
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 18, 2003
About the author
Robert Crais
128 books4,258 followers Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction. Other literary influences include Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, and John Steinbeck.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 698 reviews
December 20, 2017
Honestly, who let me start reading a thriller after 8 pm? I knew it was dumb, but I have no self-control about these things. In case you are wondering, yes, I stayed up until 2 am to finish. Yes, I read most of the words to do so.
Elvis Cole is thinking things are going swimmingly when his girlfriend's son is kidnapped from his back yard. When the kidnappers call, it seems like there might be a connection to Elvis' past in Vietnam, putting a strain on their relationship. Before long, Lucy's ex-husband Richard flies out to L.A., manages to get Elvis sidelined from the official investigation, giving him and Joe Pike a chance to get off the chain.
While it is mostly told from Elvis' perspective, there is the occasional short piece from Ben, as well as couple from the kidnapper. None of them are particularly lengthy, so it doesn't feel like an interruption as much as a way to assuage or increase mild tension. I'll note that the first scene from Ben ended up being fairly horrific, leading me to get rather ticked at Crais for using such cheap techniques. He redeemed himself by giving Ben more agency and less outright terror than many kids would get from their authors.
Plotting is straight forward, with a mild twist that wasn't the least surprising. I prefer it when Crais tries to give his readers a little more in the mystery department, but since it was a satisfying story, I won't complain.
On the thriller scale, it's above average, despite relying on the low bar situation of a kidnapped child. On carol's library scale, it isn't worth owning, but then, I can't think of any thrillers that are. I'm giving it a sincere four stars, but don't confuse the thriller scale with a regular read scale.
Elvis Cole is thinking things are going swimmingly when his girlfriend's son is kidnapped from his back yard. When the kidnappers call, it seems like there might be a connection to Elvis' past in Vietnam, putting a strain on their relationship. Before long, Lucy's ex-husband Richard flies out to L.A., manages to get Elvis sidelined from the official investigation, giving him and Joe Pike a chance to get off the chain.
While it is mostly told from Elvis' perspective, there is the occasional short piece from Ben, as well as couple from the kidnapper. None of them are particularly lengthy, so it doesn't feel like an interruption as much as a way to assuage or increase mild tension. I'll note that the first scene from Ben ended up being fairly horrific, leading me to get rather ticked at Crais for using such cheap techniques. He redeemed himself by giving Ben more agency and less outright terror than many kids would get from their authors.
Plotting is straight forward, with a mild twist that wasn't the least surprising. I prefer it when Crais tries to give his readers a little more in the mystery department, but since it was a satisfying story, I won't complain.
On the thriller scale, it's above average, despite relying on the low bar situation of a kidnapped child. On carol's library scale, it isn't worth owning, but then, I can't think of any thrillers that are. I'm giving it a sincere four stars, but don't confuse the thriller scale with a regular read scale.
December 30, 2012
I started this book at bed time thinking that I’d read a couple of chapters before shutting off the light. I ended up reading almost a 100 pages before reluctantly putting it down to get some sleep. So I’m gonna go ahead and put this one in in my personal Page Turner Hall of Fame.
Elvis Cole is babysitting his girlfriend Lucy’s son, Ben, but the kid gets snatched when Elvis takes his eyes off him for like 17 seconds. Then comes a phone call in which the kidnapper tells Elvis that Ben was taken as revenge for something he did during his time as a US Army Ranger in Vietnam. While the mission the kidnapper references was a clusterfuck of the highest order that left Elvis as the sole survivor, it wasn’t his fault, and Elvis can not think of anyone who could possibly hold some kind of grudge over it. Adding to the fun, Lucy’s rich asshole of an ex-husband shows up and makes a bad situation worse.
Crais has a background as a TV writer and often starts with a story that sounds like it could have been the set-up for an episode of Magnum P.I., but he’s got this great ability to take those initial plots into surprising and exciting new directions. So while this one begins with the idea of old war history coming back to bite someone in the ass, Crais then twists that concept into a story you haven’t read before.
Aside from a terrific main plot with a relentless momentum, this one has many bonus features. We get some of Cole’s history, including the origin of why he’s named Elvis. Carol Starkey, the great lead character from Demolition Angel, shows up in an exceptionally strong supporting role. There’s also a top notch sub-plot with Joe Pike being less than his usual bad ass self thanks to injuries sustained in the previous book. I loved that Pike’s idea of physical therapy is going into the Alaskan wilderness and tracking a rabid grizzly bear.
And best of all,
Maybe the best feature of this book is that between it and the previous one, L.A. Requiem, Crais has added a lot of depth to Elvis and Joe Pike so that they no longer seem like just the cliché of the wise ass detective and his bad ass friend. Now they’re damaged characters, and readers have a better understanding of why they are who they are.
Not only is this my favorite of the series, it’s a new addition to my favorite novels of the private detective genre.
Elvis Cole is babysitting his girlfriend Lucy’s son, Ben, but the kid gets snatched when Elvis takes his eyes off him for like 17 seconds. Then comes a phone call in which the kidnapper tells Elvis that Ben was taken as revenge for something he did during his time as a US Army Ranger in Vietnam. While the mission the kidnapper references was a clusterfuck of the highest order that left Elvis as the sole survivor, it wasn’t his fault, and Elvis can not think of anyone who could possibly hold some kind of grudge over it. Adding to the fun, Lucy’s rich asshole of an ex-husband shows up and makes a bad situation worse.
Crais has a background as a TV writer and often starts with a story that sounds like it could have been the set-up for an episode of Magnum P.I., but he’s got this great ability to take those initial plots into surprising and exciting new directions. So while this one begins with the idea of old war history coming back to bite someone in the ass, Crais then twists that concept into a story you haven’t read before.
Aside from a terrific main plot with a relentless momentum, this one has many bonus features. We get some of Cole’s history, including the origin of why he’s named Elvis. Carol Starkey, the great lead character from Demolition Angel, shows up in an exceptionally strong supporting role. There’s also a top notch sub-plot with Joe Pike being less than his usual bad ass self thanks to injuries sustained in the previous book. I loved that Pike’s idea of physical therapy is going into the Alaskan wilderness and tracking a rabid grizzly bear.
And best of all,
Maybe the best feature of this book is that between it and the previous one, L.A. Requiem, Crais has added a lot of depth to Elvis and Joe Pike so that they no longer seem like just the cliché of the wise ass detective and his bad ass friend. Now they’re damaged characters, and readers have a better understanding of why they are who they are.
Not only is this my favorite of the series, it’s a new addition to my favorite novels of the private detective genre.
October 13, 2019
This may be the most depressing story Crais has written. 5 of 10 stars
March 2, 2022
After writing two stand-alones, Robert Crais returned to his series character, Elvis Cole, in The Last Detective. I'd been missing Elvis and looking forward to his return; I only wish I could say that I enjoyed it more than I did. But, for whatever reason, I've never been very fond of crime novels in which the bad guys target the protagonist's family and the protagonist then has to spend the entire novel sorting out the family issues rather than investigating an interesting crime. And such is the case here.
At the end of the last Elvis Cole novel, Cole had fallen madly in love with a woman from Louisiana named Lucy Chenier. As this book opens, Lucy has moved to L.A. with her ten-year-old son, Ben, and she and Cole are deepening their relationship although they are not yet living together full-time. Lucy goes out of town on business, leaving Ben in Elvis's care, and the boy promptly gets kidnapped. Even though she has moved to California, Lucy still has reservations about being in a relationship with Cole because of the violent world he inhabits, and getting her son kidnapped right out from under Cole's eyes is not going to do anything to reassure her.
The logical assumption is that some bad guy who is angry with Cole has taken the kid to punish Elvis. Cole, along with his sidekick Joe Pike, now has to spend the entire book trying to safely recover Ben while attempting to save his relationship with the boy's mother. The book whipsaws back and forth between these two main plotlines and just didn't ever manage to grab my interest to any significant degree.
I confess that a big part of my problem with this book is my negative reaction to the character of Lucy Chenier. I've just never been able to buy into the character or to the relationship, and Crais has never managed to convince me that these two characters were destined for each other. I have the same reaction to Lucy that I have to the character of Susan Silverman in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. For whatever reason, the character just gets on my nerves and it diminishes my enjoyment of the novels.
Judging by the other ratings given this book, I am clearly the odd man out and so readers should probably take this review with a grain of salt. Three stars for me--an okay Elvis Cole novel, but to my mind, certainly not up there with the best of the series.
At the end of the last Elvis Cole novel, Cole had fallen madly in love with a woman from Louisiana named Lucy Chenier. As this book opens, Lucy has moved to L.A. with her ten-year-old son, Ben, and she and Cole are deepening their relationship although they are not yet living together full-time. Lucy goes out of town on business, leaving Ben in Elvis's care, and the boy promptly gets kidnapped. Even though she has moved to California, Lucy still has reservations about being in a relationship with Cole because of the violent world he inhabits, and getting her son kidnapped right out from under Cole's eyes is not going to do anything to reassure her.
The logical assumption is that some bad guy who is angry with Cole has taken the kid to punish Elvis. Cole, along with his sidekick Joe Pike, now has to spend the entire book trying to safely recover Ben while attempting to save his relationship with the boy's mother. The book whipsaws back and forth between these two main plotlines and just didn't ever manage to grab my interest to any significant degree.
I confess that a big part of my problem with this book is my negative reaction to the character of Lucy Chenier. I've just never been able to buy into the character or to the relationship, and Crais has never managed to convince me that these two characters were destined for each other. I have the same reaction to Lucy that I have to the character of Susan Silverman in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. For whatever reason, the character just gets on my nerves and it diminishes my enjoyment of the novels.
Judging by the other ratings given this book, I am clearly the odd man out and so readers should probably take this review with a grain of salt. Three stars for me--an okay Elvis Cole novel, but to my mind, certainly not up there with the best of the series.
November 6, 2012
When his girlfriend's son is kidnapped right out from under his nose, Elvis Cole goes into overdrive to find him. Ben's kidnappers seem to be tied to Elvis's past as a Ranger in Vietnam, forcing Elvis to relive his early days. Can Elvis and Joe find Ben before the kidnappers kill him?
Crais keeps the momentum going from L.A. Requiem and once again, Elvis and Joe wind up in the soup. Instead of Pike, The Last Detective focuses on Elvis' past, from never knowing his father to his "free spirited" mother to his days in Vietnam. His relationship with Lucy is further strained and he runs on fumes trying to get Ben back. I felt like LA Requiem was Joe Pike's defining book and The Last Detective does much the same for Elvis.
Crais did a good job with the supporting cast, as per usual. Lucy Chenier's husband Richard has been a douche since he was introduced and he takes it to new heights in The Last Detective. Carol Starkey, the main character of Demolition Angel, is in charge of the investigation, making me wish I'd read that book before this one. However, the villains of the piece were among the worst yet. When Joe Pike admits to being scared, you know things are pretty bad.
Speaking of Joe Pike, his aura of invincibility is gone after LA Requiem and he knows it. I'll be interested in seeing him recover in the next couple books.
That's about all I have to say. Elvis and Joe are outgunned but still manage to come through. Changes rock the supporting cast that will affect the series for books to come. I've got no complaints.
Crais keeps the momentum going from L.A. Requiem and once again, Elvis and Joe wind up in the soup. Instead of Pike, The Last Detective focuses on Elvis' past, from never knowing his father to his "free spirited" mother to his days in Vietnam. His relationship with Lucy is further strained and he runs on fumes trying to get Ben back. I felt like LA Requiem was Joe Pike's defining book and The Last Detective does much the same for Elvis.
Crais did a good job with the supporting cast, as per usual. Lucy Chenier's husband Richard has been a douche since he was introduced and he takes it to new heights in The Last Detective. Carol Starkey, the main character of Demolition Angel, is in charge of the investigation, making me wish I'd read that book before this one. However, the villains of the piece were among the worst yet. When Joe Pike admits to being scared, you know things are pretty bad.
Speaking of Joe Pike, his aura of invincibility is gone after LA Requiem and he knows it. I'll be interested in seeing him recover in the next couple books.
That's about all I have to say. Elvis and Joe are outgunned but still manage to come through. Changes rock the supporting cast that will affect the series for books to come. I've got no complaints.
November 10, 2021
The story was well written with a fast pace and a good plot. I started reading and just didn't want to stop. The story just pulled me in and would not let me go. All kinds of excitement. Hard to set aside once you start! Emotional turmoil.
February 21, 2021
Reading out of order as some of Cole/Pike books are "free" on audible.
Book blurb says it all....The ending action was good and exciting. We also learn about Elvis Cole childhood. 😭
Book blurb says it all....The ending action was good and exciting. We also learn about Elvis Cole childhood. 😭
July 26, 2018
I predicted how this would work out while we were reading the first chapter (ask my wife if you don't believe me) and I was about 90% right but this slight case of predictability doesn't stop this being possibly the best book in this series so far. SO damned good!
How this series hasn't been made into a movie or t.v. series is beyond me...
How this series hasn't been made into a movie or t.v. series is beyond me...
June 7, 2022
3rd read - As the series goes on, the characters and story-telling gets richer. Elvis and Pike go up against foes, especially one of them, who is better than either of them. Cole's woman, Lucy, is leaving her 10 yr old son with Elvis to watch, and he lets him get kidnapped. The police do their best, but Joe and Elvis can do this better. Mercenaries have the boy, and want a ransom from his rich father.
Double- and triple dealing are in the air, and the action is top notch.
2nd reading - Elvis is assailed by ghosts from his past - his girlfriend's son is kidnapped and it appears that it's tied to his military experiences. Little does he know that forces are aligned against him, and the foes he faces may be better at this than him and Joe Pike.
We meet Starkey, a recurring character, and learn early facts about Elvis's past. I travel alot, and need to get to sleep early some nights, but there were portions of this story that had me hooked like a marlin in the Atlantic.
1st reading - As I started reading, I hated this book, then I loved it. Saw some Elvis background, nice.
Double- and triple dealing are in the air, and the action is top notch.
2nd reading - Elvis is assailed by ghosts from his past - his girlfriend's son is kidnapped and it appears that it's tied to his military experiences. Little does he know that forces are aligned against him, and the foes he faces may be better at this than him and Joe Pike.
We meet Starkey, a recurring character, and learn early facts about Elvis's past. I travel alot, and need to get to sleep early some nights, but there were portions of this story that had me hooked like a marlin in the Atlantic.
1st reading - As I started reading, I hated this book, then I loved it. Saw some Elvis background, nice.
March 28, 2020
I'll admit I launched into this novel with a little trepidation, after reading the Alaska bear-stalking prologue. However, I quickly became engrossed in the kidnap investigation plot, despite not having previously read any of Robert Crais's Cole and Pike series.
Ben, the son of Elvis Cole's girlfriend Lucy, disappears suddenly from Cole's Hollywood Hills home, and he soon receives a phone call advising him that this is "payback" for some wrong committed by Cole during his career as an Army Ranger.
Cole and his associate, Joe Pike, spring into their own fast-paced investigation, running parallel with those being simultaneously conducted by the LAPD and Lucy's toxic ex-husband and his New Orleans entourage.
The action was gripping and the investigation aspect of the plot was far more developed than I had been anticipating - this is an action-packed novel, but also fits snuggly within the crime-investigation genre. The material verges into some pretty dark territory, with flashbacks to Cole's experiences in Vietnam and as the background to Ben's captors is explored.
Aside from the rip-roaring plot, I enjoyed the growing camaraderie between Cole and LAPD Juvenile Bureau cop Carol Starkey (the central character in Crais's standalone Demolition Angel) as the hunt for Ben intensifies.
Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
Ben, the son of Elvis Cole's girlfriend Lucy, disappears suddenly from Cole's Hollywood Hills home, and he soon receives a phone call advising him that this is "payback" for some wrong committed by Cole during his career as an Army Ranger.
Cole and his associate, Joe Pike, spring into their own fast-paced investigation, running parallel with those being simultaneously conducted by the LAPD and Lucy's toxic ex-husband and his New Orleans entourage.
The action was gripping and the investigation aspect of the plot was far more developed than I had been anticipating - this is an action-packed novel, but also fits snuggly within the crime-investigation genre. The material verges into some pretty dark territory, with flashbacks to Cole's experiences in Vietnam and as the background to Ben's captors is explored.
Aside from the rip-roaring plot, I enjoyed the growing camaraderie between Cole and LAPD Juvenile Bureau cop Carol Starkey (the central character in Crais's standalone Demolition Angel) as the hunt for Ben intensifies.
Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
September 21, 2020
3.5 Stars
There is some "child peril" here, but nothing terrible or upsetting.
Not a bad book. But not really up to Crais' abilities.
The true villain is obvious from the first 20 pages.
I skimmed most of this. There are some good parts and good dialogue, but it's all so predictable.
The ending and chase scenes are good, great pacing, and the conclusion is as expected.
Notes and quotes:
Pike sat at the water's edge with a sense of emptiness. He told himself that he would work harder, that he would heal the damage that had been done, and recreate himself as he had recreated himself when he was a child. Effort was prayer; commitment was faith; trust in himself his only creed. Pike had learned these catechisms when he was a child. He had nothing else.
-
Now neither of us was smiling. We sat in the parking lot, drinking our caffeine as Starkey smoked. Three men and a woman came out of the Bomb Squad and crossed the parking lot to a brick warehouse. Bomb techs. They wore black fatigues and jump boots like elite commandos, but they goofed with each other like regular people. They probably had families and friends like regular people, too, but during their shift they de-armed devices that could tear them apart while everyone else hid behind walls, just them, all alone, with a monster held tight in a can. I wondered what kind of person could do that.
-
Do you believe in God, Mr. Cole? When I'm scared. I pray every night. I pray because I sent Mike Fallon to Sierra Leone, so I've always felt that part of his sin must be mine. I hope you find him. I hope the little boy is safe. I saw the desperate darkness in Resnick's face, and recognized it as my own. A moth probably saw the same thing when it looked into a flame. I should not have asked, but I could not help myself.
Robert Crais
Full size image here
There are at least two of Robert's works that he wrote from the heart, with visible love and wonder and care, my very favourites:
1. The Man Who Knew Dick Bong
My review of the collection of short stories by authors honouring Marlowe: Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
2. Suspect about the detective, Scott, and his dog, Maggie. Robert took the 2 month dog handling course at LAPD before writing this book, and he told me personally how much he loved it. I could see how special this experience was to him.
My review of Suspect
There is some "child peril" here, but nothing terrible or upsetting.
Not a bad book. But not really up to Crais' abilities.
The true villain is obvious from the first 20 pages.
I skimmed most of this. There are some good parts and good dialogue, but it's all so predictable.
The ending and chase scenes are good, great pacing, and the conclusion is as expected.
Notes and quotes:
Pike sat at the water's edge with a sense of emptiness. He told himself that he would work harder, that he would heal the damage that had been done, and recreate himself as he had recreated himself when he was a child. Effort was prayer; commitment was faith; trust in himself his only creed. Pike had learned these catechisms when he was a child. He had nothing else.
-
Now neither of us was smiling. We sat in the parking lot, drinking our caffeine as Starkey smoked. Three men and a woman came out of the Bomb Squad and crossed the parking lot to a brick warehouse. Bomb techs. They wore black fatigues and jump boots like elite commandos, but they goofed with each other like regular people. They probably had families and friends like regular people, too, but during their shift they de-armed devices that could tear them apart while everyone else hid behind walls, just them, all alone, with a monster held tight in a can. I wondered what kind of person could do that.
-
Do you believe in God, Mr. Cole? When I'm scared. I pray every night. I pray because I sent Mike Fallon to Sierra Leone, so I've always felt that part of his sin must be mine. I hope you find him. I hope the little boy is safe. I saw the desperate darkness in Resnick's face, and recognized it as my own. A moth probably saw the same thing when it looked into a flame. I should not have asked, but I could not help myself.
Robert Crais
Full size image here
There are at least two of Robert's works that he wrote from the heart, with visible love and wonder and care, my very favourites:
1. The Man Who Knew Dick Bong
My review of the collection of short stories by authors honouring Marlowe: Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
2. Suspect about the detective, Scott, and his dog, Maggie. Robert took the 2 month dog handling course at LAPD before writing this book, and he told me personally how much he loved it. I could see how special this experience was to him.
My review of Suspect
March 13, 2023
Another great story. I missed this early in the series so even though I knew of the events in the book from later books, I didn't know the details. I'm so glad I read it because I feel I understand Elvis so much more now. He's such a great character. So is Joe and we get some insight into him as well -- both Joe and Elvis reflect on their individual childhoods and it's so much clearer now how they became who they are today.
The suspense was perfectly paced. This is the kind of book a fellow author reads and gets book envy.
The suspense was perfectly paced. This is the kind of book a fellow author reads and gets book envy.
July 10, 2019
This is the companion piece to L.A. Requiem, which was Pike's origin story. My god, indulge me, as this is the first time in close to a year that I've had access to a legitimate keyboard. It takes a herculean effort to not just let myself go in a font of word vomit that would ultimately be cathartic to myself but a tremendous irritation to literally everyone else on earth. In short, you're all fucking welcome. You can't ever accuse me of being callous or uncaring to my audience. I mean, you could, but I'd hire a lawyer and drag you into a miasma of litigious swamp-draining that would take years and none of us would benefit until we were geriatric and aged.
It's really hard to come back to writing reviews after a long pause without giving into your worst, base desires regarding writing. It's even harder when you've had too much to drink and indulged in cheesy 90s britpop videos to the point of your roommates going to bed out of reasonable disgust and/or discomfort. Still, because I live to regularly please my readers I'm conquering this Everest. At this point it's clear I've left my subject behind and have disconnected from my immediate subject, which is this Crais novel. If you love me you'll be fine with it--if not, why the fuck are you still reading this bullshit? If you and I are gonna conquer everest the impetus is on us to cut the extra weight out, which is clearly what I started writing this review about--The Book.
Is it worth reading? Of course it is. If you read the previous volume and you think Crais is gonna cave in and start writing nonsensical garbage then you clearly don't understand what this writer is about. Yeah, the pressure last novel was on Cole for sure, but if you think Crais wasn't ready to really tighten the screws on the Greatest Detective then you haven't been paying attention (yeah I stole that line from Ramsay Bolton, but if you think he doesn't deserve to have his good lines stolen then you haven't...been...uh, paying attention.) This is clearly no longer fun Spenser-esque PI adventures and has become a tense drama where the writer is beating the shit out of your dominant hand with a hammer in a very Casino-esque manner. If you expect me to apply reasonably accurate reading dates to this one then you can go fuck yourself.
It's really hard to come back to writing reviews after a long pause without giving into your worst, base desires regarding writing. It's even harder when you've had too much to drink and indulged in cheesy 90s britpop videos to the point of your roommates going to bed out of reasonable disgust and/or discomfort. Still, because I live to regularly please my readers I'm conquering this Everest. At this point it's clear I've left my subject behind and have disconnected from my immediate subject, which is this Crais novel. If you love me you'll be fine with it--if not, why the fuck are you still reading this bullshit? If you and I are gonna conquer everest the impetus is on us to cut the extra weight out, which is clearly what I started writing this review about--The Book.
Is it worth reading? Of course it is. If you read the previous volume and you think Crais is gonna cave in and start writing nonsensical garbage then you clearly don't understand what this writer is about. Yeah, the pressure last novel was on Cole for sure, but if you think Crais wasn't ready to really tighten the screws on the Greatest Detective then you haven't been paying attention (yeah I stole that line from Ramsay Bolton, but if you think he doesn't deserve to have his good lines stolen then you haven't...been...uh, paying attention.) This is clearly no longer fun Spenser-esque PI adventures and has become a tense drama where the writer is beating the shit out of your dominant hand with a hammer in a very Casino-esque manner. If you expect me to apply reasonably accurate reading dates to this one then you can go fuck yourself.
February 23, 2019
I didn't really like this one as much as most of the previous books in this series, perhaps because it simply didn't meet my expectations for an Elvis Cole mystery. The humor was not as good, for one thing. And Joe Pike, my infallible hero, who always saves the day when fighting is required, was not infallible. He seemed to be second-best, and unfortunately, the villain was first. Although, to his credit, Joe did seem to be recovering from a fight with a big bad bear.
And although Elvis did a pretty good job as the world's greatest detective, he seemed a bit desperate and almost lost much of the time. But he too had his problems to deal with. Not only was his girlfriend's son, Ben, missing while staying at his house, but the boy's father blamed Elvis, brought up some bad stuff from his early background that Elvis had neglected to tell his girlfriend that made Elvis look like someone not qualified to care for their son. And the kidnappers seemed to be blaming Elvis due to something he did in the past. I felt sorry for him, but still, he's supposed to be on top of everything, not some pathetic loser. I guess that's why his humor just wasn't up to snuff.
The story was pretty interesting, though, maybe more so than many others. The ending was a bit sad if you're following the ongoing romance, but that's not so important to his real fans.
If this had been my first Elvis Cole book, I think I might have liked it a lot more. Still, a very good read.
And although Elvis did a pretty good job as the world's greatest detective, he seemed a bit desperate and almost lost much of the time. But he too had his problems to deal with. Not only was his girlfriend's son, Ben, missing while staying at his house, but the boy's father blamed Elvis, brought up some bad stuff from his early background that Elvis had neglected to tell his girlfriend that made Elvis look like someone not qualified to care for their son. And the kidnappers seemed to be blaming Elvis due to something he did in the past. I felt sorry for him, but still, he's supposed to be on top of everything, not some pathetic loser. I guess that's why his humor just wasn't up to snuff.
The story was pretty interesting, though, maybe more so than many others. The ending was a bit sad if you're following the ongoing romance, but that's not so important to his real fans.
If this had been my first Elvis Cole book, I think I might have liked it a lot more. Still, a very good read.
August 27, 2014
Neither Cole nor Pike are at their best in this one. Cole spends most of it in a sleep-deprived mania edging on panic, and Pike spends most of it lurking in the shadows. But at the end of the day, these two are still the best at what they do, whether that means crashing through a standard police procedural to an action-packed gun battle to the death or using regular old detective skills to unravel a suspicious kidnapping to unearth the real culprit, someone who has made the stupidest mistake of his life in thinking that money is all that is needed to control dangerous, bloodthirsty men.
November 1, 2018
Exceptional novel by Robert Crais, complements the previous one of the series of private detectives Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, and I think that it should be read immediately afterwards as a set of two books.
Great action, an ingenious plot, with everything that can be expected from a police detective novel, in this case, with the condiment of war actions.
It has been a long time since I read a book in one day, in an uninterrupted way, I totally got caught up.
Absolutely recommended, a must, in conjunction with the previous one, for lovers of the genre. Nestor
Great action, an ingenious plot, with everything that can be expected from a police detective novel, in this case, with the condiment of war actions.
It has been a long time since I read a book in one day, in an uninterrupted way, I totally got caught up.
Absolutely recommended, a must, in conjunction with the previous one, for lovers of the genre. Nestor
February 28, 2018
Loved this 9th book in Robert Crais's "Elvis Cole" series!
Read
April 12, 2024The book started off with a useless prologue. It added nothing to the story, it introduced a character that we weren't even sure of until halfway through the book, and it really annoyed me.
Then we got into the first chapter. To start things off, the writing was really annoying. I couldn't stand the writing style. Secondly, it had stupid game references and talked about this Blame Queen character from a game who, for some stupid reason, appeared several times in the book saying things like. "If you're face was a pizza I'd smash it". Ugh, the levels of cringe were high. Very high. Then we get to the plot, which holds no secrets or surprised. After that it's 300 pages of us knowing everything, the characters knowing nothing, and dense writing that reveals everything with nothing. I don't even know how to describe it. All I can say is that I will never in the foreseeable future read another Robert Crais book. I should've known that I wouldn't like this when I saw that it was one of those 'thriller' series with a million books revolving around one character.
Then we got into the first chapter. To start things off, the writing was really annoying. I couldn't stand the writing style. Secondly, it had stupid game references and talked about this Blame Queen character from a game who, for some stupid reason, appeared several times in the book saying things like. "If you're face was a pizza I'd smash it". Ugh, the levels of cringe were high. Very high. Then we get to the plot, which holds no secrets or surprised. After that it's 300 pages of us knowing everything, the characters knowing nothing, and dense writing that reveals everything with nothing. I don't even know how to describe it. All I can say is that I will never in the foreseeable future read another Robert Crais book. I should've known that I wouldn't like this when I saw that it was one of those 'thriller' series with a million books revolving around one character.
December 10, 2022
This is without a doubt the darkest and heaviest Cole book yet. Mainly lacking in the typical "World's Greatest Detective" oblique humour and wisecracks, it starts darkly with a disturbingly vulnerable scene with the usually invincible and impenetrable Joe Pike. Then we switch to Elvis, just about hanging on to his relationship with Lucy that took an immense strain in LA Requiem. Young Ben senses this and Elvis is doing his best to ride it out with the youngster, including giving us a bit of insight into his past life. And then it all goes to hell.
LA Requiem opened a door on Pike's backstory, not a happy place in all fairness. In The Last Detective it's Elvis' turn, and in a different way his past is equally cruel and unhappy. We get to see several pieces of the jigsaw set against his current dilemma, and it makes for quite a downbeat book.
That isn't to say it isn't yet another great Cole and Pike story, because it is. We also get reunited with Carol Starkey from the excellent if underrated Demolition Angel (although I don't remember her being quite so bitter and cynical in that book, but then again it's quite a while since I read it). We even get a (no name given) cameo by another author's LA detective legend Harry Bosch that those in the know will spot.
No spoilers here, I've seen enough of those in other reviews of this book. If you're looking for the chuckles and smirks you get from Elvis in earlier instalments, you may be disappointed, but in all other regards this is a terrific read and our two heroes just become that little bit more human once again.
I still can't believe Netflix or Amazon haven't (yet?) franchised a series with Elvis Cole. If you haven't discovered him yet, I wouldn't recommend you start with this book, but I definitely recommend you start.
LA Requiem opened a door on Pike's backstory, not a happy place in all fairness. In The Last Detective it's Elvis' turn, and in a different way his past is equally cruel and unhappy. We get to see several pieces of the jigsaw set against his current dilemma, and it makes for quite a downbeat book.
That isn't to say it isn't yet another great Cole and Pike story, because it is. We also get reunited with Carol Starkey from the excellent if underrated Demolition Angel (although I don't remember her being quite so bitter and cynical in that book, but then again it's quite a while since I read it). We even get a (no name given) cameo by another author's LA detective legend Harry Bosch that those in the know will spot.
No spoilers here, I've seen enough of those in other reviews of this book. If you're looking for the chuckles and smirks you get from Elvis in earlier instalments, you may be disappointed, but in all other regards this is a terrific read and our two heroes just become that little bit more human once again.
I still can't believe Netflix or Amazon haven't (yet?) franchised a series with Elvis Cole. If you haven't discovered him yet, I wouldn't recommend you start with this book, but I definitely recommend you start.
September 8, 2019
As teen sleuth Skylar Robbins says in THE MYSTERY OF SHADOW HILLS, "Everyone leaves a trace." Elvis Cole and his fearsome partner Joe Pike leave no stone unturned until they find every last shred of evidence needed to locate his fiancee's kidnapped son.
January 25, 2014
Best book I've read in 2014 thus far!
July 14, 2016
Lots of violence associated with the kidnapping of Ben, Lucy Chenier's son. Luckily, Elvis has his buddy, Joe Pike, for backup.
November 17, 2017
While PI Elvis Cole is watching his girlfriend Lucy’s son, Ben is kidnapped. The caller says it is payback for something in Cole’s past, but he can’t figure out what that might be. As more people get involved in the case, the kidnapping puts a strain on Elvis’s relationship with Lucy. Can he find Ben?
This is a thrilling read from start to finish. Since we have gotten to know Lucy and Ben over the last couple of books, we care about the outcome here. I was so pulled in at the climax that I didn’t want to stop. The characters are strong as well, including Elvis and his partner Joe Pike. They are becoming more human. The flashbacks to Elvis’s past help with that, and they manage to be as engrossing as the main story instead of slowing it down.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
This is a thrilling read from start to finish. Since we have gotten to know Lucy and Ben over the last couple of books, we care about the outcome here. I was so pulled in at the climax that I didn’t want to stop. The characters are strong as well, including Elvis and his partner Joe Pike. They are becoming more human. The flashbacks to Elvis’s past help with that, and they manage to be as engrossing as the main story instead of slowing it down.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 6, 2021
Fantastic book! Elvis Cole’s girlfriend’s son is kidnapped. Elvis and Joe Pike try to find the child. A few twists along the way. Also, you get to know Elvis and Joe a little better. I’m a huge fan of this series and Robert Crais. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!
April 13, 2019
Tam Elvis Harry Bosch'un komşusu kesin derken Parker Center'da karşılaşmaları 😎
August 8, 2024
4 Stars. I’m surprised I liked this as much as I did given that I figured it out almost immediately. Usually that ruins a book for me. It didn’t this time. Maybe we were supposed to know from the jump. Cole and Pike are great. Things probably ended up the only way they could. The hunt was excellent, even if it wasn’t overly mysterious.
October 31, 2013
I'll give it 3.5 because I really do like his stories. But there were a few flaws that bugged me. I know that Crais is not a California native, but he has supposedly lived in Los Angeles for more than 30 years now. So to depict his driving scenes as something you'd see in New York more than LA was irritating.
I also noticed that I figured out the whodunit fairly early in this one. I don't know if that's because I'm getting used to his style, or if he just didn't leave enough intrigue this time around.
The final irritation of this story is so petty, but I just can't let it go. He talks of Ben's kidnappers going to In N Out Burger. He talks of ordering "double meat, double cheese, extra onion rings and fries for everyone." Any native of California KNOWS that's not how to describe the In N Out Menu. It's a Double Double, for pitty's sake. You never call them anything else. And onion rings?? No - you just don't do that. So please, Mr Crais, do some better research if you are going to drop that icon into your novels!
I also noticed that I figured out the whodunit fairly early in this one. I don't know if that's because I'm getting used to his style, or if he just didn't leave enough intrigue this time around.
The final irritation of this story is so petty, but I just can't let it go. He talks of Ben's kidnappers going to In N Out Burger. He talks of ordering "double meat, double cheese, extra onion rings and fries for everyone." Any native of California KNOWS that's not how to describe the In N Out Menu. It's a Double Double, for pitty's sake. You never call them anything else. And onion rings?? No - you just don't do that. So please, Mr Crais, do some better research if you are going to drop that icon into your novels!
July 1, 2021
While I'm a fan of this series, it was somewhat disappointing to see Mr. Crais reduced to utilizing a trope that's annoyingly common in the mystery/thriller genre as an instant plot-generator:
"Wait!! We're 9 books in and we're just NOW hearing about a formative battle in which our hero fought as a young man and was the sole survivor? No one thought that was important to mention?!"
I guess I shouldn't complain; I know it's done all the time, in and out of this genre. (I'm looking at you, Rowling, and all that convenient "wand lore" introduced in the final HP installment.)
"Wait!! We're 9 books in and we're just NOW hearing about a formative battle in which our hero fought as a young man and was the sole survivor? No one thought that was important to mention?!"
I guess I shouldn't complain; I know it's done all the time, in and out of this genre. (I'm looking at you, Rowling, and all that convenient "wand lore" introduced in the final HP installment.)
July 4, 2021
My first Elvis Cole and... wow. This was a a great one. I enjoyed the heck out of this. Once I got into the flow of the author's style (this was an audiobook) it went quickly. I loved the narration, pacing and the interaction between Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. What a great team.
February 13, 2022
Čítane v češtine v preklade Viktora Faktora.
Konečne som našiel dobrý thriller. Je smutné, že je 20 rokov starý, ale potešil na všetkých frontoch. Plánujem teraz hľadať ďalšie knihy od tohoto autora a verím, že budem mať aspoň rok dva vystarané v oblasti thrillerov.
Príbeh je easy, unesú dieťa. Cole a Pike sa s tým musia nejako popasovať. Všetko je tam. Super akcia, detektívna práca, napätie, prekvapivý zvrat a epický záver.
Výborné čítanie a jeden z najlepších úlovkov zo sobotnej burzy kníh v starej tržnici.
Konečne som našiel dobrý thriller. Je smutné, že je 20 rokov starý, ale potešil na všetkých frontoch. Plánujem teraz hľadať ďalšie knihy od tohoto autora a verím, že budem mať aspoň rok dva vystarané v oblasti thrillerov.
Príbeh je easy, unesú dieťa. Cole a Pike sa s tým musia nejako popasovať. Všetko je tam. Super akcia, detektívna práca, napätie, prekvapivý zvrat a epický záver.
Výborné čítanie a jeden z najlepších úlovkov zo sobotnej burzy kníh v starej tržnici.
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