RACING the LIGHT (Elvis Cole / Joe Pike 19) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

 

Published in 2022 by Brilliance Audio.
Read by Luke Daniels.
Duration: 7 hours, 55 minutes.
Unabridged.

Synopsis

In Racing the Light, private investigator Elvis Cole is hired by a worried mother to find a missing podcaster that often deals in conspiracy theories. His mother is obviously very rich, since she comes to the office with a chaufer, two bodyguards (or "helpers" as she calls them) and a second car to serve as a "chase car" (extra protection hidden among the traffic of Los Angeles.) She suspects he was kidnapped because like her son, she is also extremely paranoid and prone to conspiracy theory thinking.

Everyone else thinks her son has run off to Las Vegas with a porn star he recently interviewed, but they are worried that he could get into a different kind of mischief and just needs to come home as soon as possible.

Elvis Cole starts digging and finds a lot of unexpected danger.

My Review

Over the last year I have gone out of my way to go back and systematically read all of the books from this series that I had missed. I thought I had read almost all of the Elvis Cole / Joe Pike novels, but it turned out that I missed almost half of them.

I went back and got the missing ones in order from earliest to latest and this one was the last one. It was also the weakest one due to all sorts of extra plot details that don't really go anywhere and maybe were intended to allow the opportunity for an extended commentary on the dangers of modern surveillance technology such as drones, hidden listening devices, and cameras.

All of this tech is impressive, but it gets outdone by nosy neighbors, tailing people in cars, random witnesses, and a doofus writing his pass codes on a piece of paper in an obvious place. Maybe we shouldn't be worried. Maybe we should - we can't depend on luck and the skills of someone like Joe Pike all of the time.

Parts of this book were excellent - such as top notch Elvis Cole wisecracks followed by Elvis Cole being a top notch human being when people just need someone to be there and say nothing. But, there was just as much stuff that seemed to be nothing but filler. 

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. One of the weaker books in this overall excellent series.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Racing the Light by Robert Crais.

THE WATCHMAN (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike 11) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Published in 2008 by Brilliance Audio.
Read by James Daniels.
Duration: 7 hours, 52 minutes.
Unabridged.

Synopsis

Usually, books in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series focus on Elvis. Elvis is a private detective with a smart mouth. He catches a case, does some digging and his partner, tough guy Joe Pike, comes in when things get hairy. It's an old formula. You see it in Perry Mason, the Spenser series, and even Magnum, PI because it works. 

The Watchman is different. It starts with Joe Pike. He is on the run with a girl and a hit squad is after them.

Joe Pike is asked to babysit a witness because a Mexican drug lord wants her dead. Multiple hit teams have come after her. What makes it more complicated is that she is very rich and she has makes the newspapers regularly for being a party girl. If you were alive pre-social media, think Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. 

Joe is using every trick he has and barely escaping. He reaches out to Elvis Cole for some detective and logistical help and what they find doesn't make things any easier...

My Review

The action comes on fast and is mostly maintained throughout. The reader is also treated to some a great deal of Joe Pike's backstory. It does explain a lot and helps the series as a whole, if not this particular story.

The reader is okay. He is good with voices, but I am not a big fan. In the end, he did not add or detract from the story. 

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Watchman by Robert Crais.

FREE FALL (Elvis Cole #4) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Originally published in book form in 1993.

Published as an audiobook in 2008 by Brilliance Audio.

Read by Mel Foster.

Duration: 8 hours, 13 minutes.

Unabridged.

I found the Elvis Cole novels years ago, but somehow I have been reading them as a I found them rather than trying to trying to read them in chronological order. So, here I am going back more than thirty years to book 4 out of a 20+ book series, depending on how you count some of Crais' other books.

Synopsis

Like all classic detective novels, in Free Fall we find our intrepid main character in his office when a beautiful young lady enters looking for help with a desperate problem. 

This young woman is concerned about her fiance. He is a relatively young member of LAPD and part of a rapid reaction team because he is a promising young officer. When crime pops up in a neighborhood - such as new gang activity or more drug sales or a series of home invasions, this team is sent out to supplement regular officers in the neighborhood.

She is worried that her fiance has changed. He has become secretive and closed off and he never was that way before he joined this rapid reaction team. Elvis agrees to start looking into things and it turns out that the police don't really like it when they are being investigated...

My Review

This is a good story all around. Lots of smart comments from Elvis Cole and we get to learn more about his partner Joe Pike and his background. 

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Free Fall by Robert Crais.

LULLABY TOWN (Elvis Cole #3) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Book originally published in 1992.

Audiobook published by Brilliance Audio in 2008.

Read by Mel Foster.

Duration: 8 hours, 33 minutes.

Unabridged.

Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel (1993)

Shamus Award Nominee for Best PI Hardcover (1993)

Synopsis

Elvis Cole is hired by a very successful young Hollywood director in Lullaby Town to find his divorced wife and his son that he hasn't seen since he was an infant. It has been ten years since the divorce. His ex-wife hasn't been kidnapped or gone missing - she just moved away and the director has lost track of her. Now, he'd like to meet his son. 

The director has to be the single most annoying client that Elvis Cole has ever had. He is pushy, obnoxious, and completely self-absorbed. Elvis notes early on that almost every sentence the man utters starts with "I" as in "I think this" and "I did that." It's pretty obvious why the ex-wife left him and just kept on going with no forwarding address.

So, Elvis takes this job and starts searching. When he finally finds her he discovers that she has a lot more problems than a super-annoying ex-husband coming back in her life...

My Review

The first third of this book is a real lesson in the step by step research and follow through of basic detective work. You'd think it would be boring, but it isn't. The last third has a ton of action.

All in all, this is an excellent detective story.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Lullaby Town by Robert Crais.

THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT (Elvis Cole #1) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Winner of the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original.

Winner of the McAvity Award for Best First Novel.

Originally published in 1987.
Published in 2008 by Brilliance Audio.
Read by Patrick Lawlor.
Duration: 8 hours, 9 minutes.
Unabridged.

I have been reading Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels for 15 years and I just assumed that I had already read all of the early ones years ago. But, when I checked my blog I found that I had not read 7 of them - that is more than a third of the series! 

The Monkey's Raincoat is the first in this 20+ book series. 

Synopsis

Two women come to meet Elvis Cole in his office. Cole is a decorated Vietnam veteran turned private detective. The women want Cole to find the Mort, the husband of one of the women and their son. Mort picked the boy up from school, but they never came home.

Elvis starts to dig around and quickly discovers that Mort's talent agency is in trouble. The more he uncovers, the more it becomes obvious that Mort has been hiding massive losses from his family. Elvis knows that there is deep trouble when contacts with the police let him know that Mort has been found dead in his car - but there was no sign of his son. 

He goes to meet with his client to discuss the situation only to find that she has gone missing as well...

My Review

In book one of a 28 year old detective series all of the pieces are laid out in a great example of efficient world-building. Elvis is a wise-cracking tough guy with a sense of humor and a soft side. He decorates his office with Disney memorabilia. He drives a yellow 1960s Corvette Stingray. His partner, Joe Pike, is never in the office, owns a gun store, and always answers the phone by saying, "Gun shop" in a flat tone. Elvis collects contacts all over town just like he collects Disney gear. Joe Pike collects guns and never smiles.

Some authors feel the need to take the reader all over the new world of their character to meet everyone and see everything that might ever be in a book, but Crais gets it all done in a quick and efficient manner - it's all there in the first 50 pages of the first book and and it has basically stayed the same for nearly 30 years.

Interestingly, the author has chosen to stop aging Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. What has changed is the technology. Elvis looks for pay phones several times and they all have cell phones and GPS in the newer books. Elvis and Joe are like James Bond - same age, new toys.

The mystery itself was good. Elvis got to do some detecting, he called on a lot of contacts and he met new people and charmed him into giving him the information he needed. He also punched people, got shot at, shot at people, and brought in Joe Pike to help when it got too tough for one guy. 

Basically, every Elvis Cole novel follows the plan of the previous paragraph and it has worked for nearly 30 years. 

You may wonder where the weird title comes from. It's from a Japanese poem by Matsuo Bashō which is quoted at the start of the novel: "Winter downpour; Even the monkey needs a raincoat."

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais.

THE BIG EMPTY (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike #20) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Published by Brilliance Audio in 2025.
Read by Luke Daniels.
Duration: 8 hours, 25 minutes.
Unabridged.

My synopsis:

Elvis Cole is back on the case in The Big Empty. This time around he is working for a social media personality that specializes in making muffins and making people who watch the videos feel included, like they are talking to the girl next door. 

This social media star wants to hire Cole to figure out why her dad went missing about 10 years before. She hired an quality Private Investigations firm earlier, but the results were inconclusive. Her handlers are not enthused about reopening old wounds, but she overrules them.

Cole heads out to the small town (by L.A. standards) where her father disappeared and finds lots of stuff - including people who are determined to keep the secrets of the past buried in the past...

My review:

This was a complicated mystery with an ending that leaves a lot of moral questions about what is best for just a few people vs. what is best for everyone. Also, there is a heckuva plot twist in this one.

Well done. I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Big Empty by Robert Crais.

THE WANTED: AN ELVIS COLE and JOE PIKE NOVEL (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #17) by Robert Crais

The Elvis Cole novels have been coming out for 30 years and this book would be a fine place for the series to end - not that I want it to end

Originally published in 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

  The Elvis Cole novels have been coming out for 30 years and The Wanted would be a fine place for the series to end, especially considering the last 20 pages or so. Not that I want it to end - I will read them as long as Robert Crais wants to write them, but this book goes out of its way to include all of the hallmarks of an Elvis Cole novel, almost like it is going down a checklist one last time. Those items include:
1) Joe Pike is there and Joe Pike is scary, full of tech knowledge and lurks in dark places;
2) Elvis' car gets a special mention;
3) Elvis' cat is in several scenes and full of his special "charm";
4) Elvis shows off his culinary skills;
5) Elvis does his martial arts workout;
6) Elvis goes to his office (the early books always featured the office and its special decor);
7) Elvis and Joe reaffirm their bond multiple times;
8) Elvis and...Louisiana (no spoilers).

The book focuses on a case brought to Elvis by a worried mom. Her son is suddenly flush with cash and has a new group of friends that she barely knows but doesn't care for. She asks Elvis to find out what her son is doing. Elvis puts his considerable experience to use and figures it out soon enough. But...what he discovers is not good and he finds out that his client's son is in serious danger. There is a problem though - no can find him and Cole discovers a team of hit men are involved as well.

By far, the most interesting characters in the book are the two hit men (Harvey and Stemms). They function as a mirror image of Pike and Cole - they are just as smart, just as talented and their relationship is just as complicated.

This is a good book, just not a great one. I rate it 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: THE WANTED: AN ELVIS COLE and JOE PIKE NOVEL.

THE PROMISE (An Elvis Cole Novel / A Scott James and Maggie Novel) by Robert Crais

Originally published in 2015.

Elvis Cole is on the case in The Promise. It's an odd one. He has been hired by a Meryl Lawrence to find her friend and person she works with. But, Meryl has all sorts of weird ground rules about when she will meet Elvis and how he may contact her. She also calls at weird hours and times and demands that he work faster.

While follows a lead to a home just before the police raid it and discover a murdered arms dealer. Elvis gives chase to the suspect but is detained by police K9 officer Scott James.

Elvis knows that this case is definitely part of something much larger and brings in his partner Joe Pike who brings in a friend who is a free-lance anti-terrorist agent. Scott James also starts his own investigation, despite being warned off of the case. Can this offbeat detective and this by-the-books cop find out what was going on before it is too late?

I was looking forward to this book because it brought together most of Robert Crais' current characters. But, it ended up being kind of a disappointing. The book would start to build momentum and then it would switch back and forth between characters and feel like it had to start building momentum again. I was glad to re-visit characters that I enjoy but it was not the best novel Crais has produced in either series.

I rate this novel 3 stars out of 5.

This novel can be found on Amazon.com here: The Promise.

SUNSET EXPRESS (Elvis Cole #6) (Audiobook) by Robert Crais

Book originally published in 1996.
Audiobook published in 2004.
Read by William Roberts.

Unabridged.

Lots of the reviews here give this one 3 or 4 stars. Perhaps it was the format, perhaps it was the end of the school year rush for me and the welcome respite this book provided. Perhaps I just liked it better. Nevertheless, it was a good story, despite the fact that problems with Elvis and Joe's case are telegraphed from miles away.

In Sunset Express a celebrity restaurateur's wife is killed and her body is dumped in a ravine near their very swanky neighborhood. The police detectives stop by the home of this restaurateur to inform him of his wife's demise and they find a bloody hammer in the bushes by the front door of their mansion. But, there is a problem: the detective (Angela Rossi) that found the weapon has been accused of planting evidence in the past and the defense lawyers seize on that fact. Elvis Cole is hired to look into the accusations against Rossi and see if they have any merit. But, as he investigates he finds more and more leads and soon enough he and his partner Joe Pike are up to their necks in trouble with Cole making smart-aleck comments all the way.

My 2004 audio version was read by William Roberts, a solid narrator who has done multiple tours as a reader for Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels and a narrator who understands how to deliver a wisecrack well. So, the listener is naturally drawn to make comparisons between Elvis Cole/Joe Pike/Lucy and Spenser/Hawk/Susan. Readers familiar with them both can see the analogies already. "Sunset Express" is probably the most Spenser-like of the Cole novels I've read or listened to so far, and that is fine by me - I like the action, I like the wisecracks and I like the process of how they do their investigation. Lots of relationship discussion (for Cole anyway, a little less than average for Spenser).

Crais goes out of his way in Sunset Express to give a little local L.A. flavor, including a street person who has a discussion with Cole about timing and how events unfold (since Cole has rousted him out of his perch under the local public pay phone). The homeless guy ends his conversation with the comment: "To possess great wisdom obliges one to share it. Enjoy."

I give this one 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Sunset Express.

Reviewed on May 18, 2007.

Taken (Elvis Cole #15) (Joe Pike #4) by Robert Crais

Published in 2012 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

I've been reading a lot of "assigned" reading lately. By assigned reading I mean books I agreed to review for publishers/authors or books that I read just to shrink my dreaded 4-milk-crates-full "to be read" pile. They were mostly good books, (some were great, even) but when I was at the local purveyor of books I saw this Elvis Cole novel. I had to to read it just for me simply because it was my idea in the first place. Also, I am a big fan of the series.

In Taken Elvis Cole is hired to find a missing college student. A widowed mother has received a call for a few hundred dollar ransom but she believes her daughter has ran off with "that boy" and is trying to scam her for money to go off and get married in Las Vegas.

Sadly, Cole proves her wrong. The girl and "that boy" have been kidnapped by bajadores - bad guys that kidnap illegal aliens coming into the United States in order to squeeze out a small ransom (or multiple small ransoms) from terrified family members who would be afraid to call the police. Sometimes the victims are released, sometimes they are killed when the money dries up.

Cole brings in his partner Joe Pike and soon enough they discover that this is going to get even more complicated and a lot more dangerous before it is over...

Robert Crais

Robert Crais has organized this Elvis Cole book a bit differently. Usually he follows a straightforward timeline, but in this book he flashes back and forth, including characters and talking about events that have happened as though the reader already knows all about it. It was designed to whet the appetite of the reader. For example, on page 39 we find out that Elvis Cole will go missing and Joe Pike and a friend are searching for him in Pike's typical thorough and abrupt (and violent) manner. I didn't have a problem with this way of organizing the book, but if that kind of thing bugs you, then you will absolutely hate this book.

There is an ongoing theme in this book about Joe and Elvis and what they mean to one another. There are precious few words spoken on the topic, but there is something there. At one point Joe is looking for help to find Elvis and he calls a special forces-type associate. His friend insults Cole and then asks, "Why do you waste your time with that guy?"

Joe ignores the insult and the question and secures the help and does everything he can to rescue his friend. Elvis knows Joe will be coming, but will it be in time? The absolute faith in one another and the devotion to one another are clear but what does Joe Pike, who is like an island onto himself, get out of it?

I am of the opinion that Elvis Cole is Pike's link to the real world, such as it is. Cole is tough like Pike but he is different. Cole's world is a world with a pet cat (sort of), cartoon characters and a dirty car (because absolutely everything does not have to be stowed away perfectly. Really, it doesn't) and that difference is salve for Pike's soul in some sort of way.

This is not the best of the Elvis Cole novels (I would put L.A. Requiem and Hostage on that particular pedestal) , but I feel like I should grade them on a curve because there isn't a dud in the bunch that I have read so far.. This one is not an A+, merely an A. An excellent read.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Taken by Robert Crais.

Reviewed on July 17, 2013

The Sentry: A Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais

Relentlessly paced

Published in 2011 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

The Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series continues with The Sentry. Technically, it is a Joe Pike novel, but as with most of the books in this series, you get a little bit of both.

Joe Pike stumbles into a gang intimidation racket (the famed "give us money or your restaurant gets damaged" routine) in progress and, of course, the two fools actually attempt to fight Pike.

When the police come to arrest the one assailant that Pike captures the victim refuses to cooperate with the police. Pike takes a protective interest in Dru, the niece of the owner who was beaten by the gang members before Pike's intervention. Dru and Joe share a nice moment over coffee and, for a moment, Joe's impenetrable emotional armor is actually penetrated. Joe takes a shine to Dru and gets involved and tries to protect her by taking steps to stop the ongoing harassment by the Latino gang.

But, somewhere along the way things go awry. The FBI has Dru and her Uncle's restaurant under surveillance, the talk with the gang's leader seems to have come to nothing despite promises that were made and Dru and her uncle go missing after their restaurant is gruesomely vandalized. Joe and Elvis start to dig to see what has happened and they find out that almost nothing is what it seemed...

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Sentry: A Joe Pike Novel.

Reviewed on August 4, 2011.

Indigo Slam (Elvis Cole #7) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Published in 2008 by Brilliance Audio.

Read by David Stuart.
Duration: 8 hours, 27 minutes.
Unabridged.

While not as action-packed as The Last Detective (which follows Indigo Slam in the series, but I've not read a single one of them in order so why start now?), this is a strong book. Lots of smart comments, action and twists and turns, although the very last twist was so obvious that only the clinically brain dead couldn't see it coming. But, that didn't lessen the overall value of the book for me.

Elvis is hired by a group of children who have been living on their own for a while to find their missing father. As the investigation progresses, Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike get caught up in the Witness Protection Program, a counterfeiting ring, a crime syndicate and all sorts of other incidents of violence and mayhem. Cole's deep down soft heart and his smart mouth are, of course, an enjoyable part of the story.

The audiobook is read by David Stuart who captures the voice of Elvis Cole perfectly.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Indigo Slam (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike Series).

Reviewed on April 24, 2008.

The Last Detective (Elvis Cole #9) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Excellent!

Published by Brilliance Audio in 2008
Read by James Daniels.
Duration; 8 hours, 4 minutes.
Unabridged.

First things first - this is an excellent work - and James Daniels, the reader,  was absolutely great. First rate job. I found myself taking advantage of any chance to listen (while showering, housework, etc.).

The Last Detective is the 9th installment of the Elvis Cole series but it really is the sequel to L.A. Requiem. Not that the bad guys return, but rather Crais continues to show the readers insight into the mechanics of our duo - Pike and Cole. In L.A. Requiem we were treated to the psyche of Pike. This time it is Cole.

I would not recommend this book as a stand-alone since it spends so much time delving into the heart and soul and past of Cole. This means a lot to the fans of the series but most likely means little to newcomers.

The plot in just one sentence: Elvis Cole's girlfriend's 10 year old son is kidnapped and Elvis pulls all of the stops to find him.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Last Detective by Robert Crais.

Reviewed on April 11, 2006.

L.A. Requiem (Elvis Cole #8) by Robert Crais

Great Elvis Cole novel

Published in 2000 by Ballantine Books.

L.A. Requiem is a wonderful hard-boiled detective novel - a real pleasure, especially since I've run across a string of sub-par books lately.

No worries with that here.

The reader does not have to have read the previous Elvis Cole novels to read and enjoy this one - in fact, you will discover more about Cole's mysterious partner, Joe Pike, in this one book than you will have read about in all of the previous books combined.

L.A. Requiem is book #8 in the Elvis Cole series and well worth the read. Rather than ruin it with lots of spoilers, let me describe it like this: lots of action, good old-fashioned detective work, flashbacks, tragedy, revenge, honor, loss and re-dedication. Very well done.

Crais is definitely on my short list of authors to watch out for!

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: L.A. Requiem (Elvis Cole #8) by Robert Crais.

Reviewed February 28, 2006

Voodoo River (Elvis Cole #5) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

My first Elvis Cole novel - not my last

Originally published in 1995.

I heard Voodoo River  as an audiobook way back in 2005 - it was not my first choice but I gave it a shot and I was very pleased. The story was convoluted but had a real feel to it. Elvis is tough, but not Superman. The situation was complicated but not impossible.

I seem destined to be perpetually out of sync with Elvis and the real order of his series. Voodoo River is #5 in the Elvis Cole series. In Voodoo River, Elvis leaves Los Angeles for the Louisiana bayou country in search of the birth parents of a Hollywood starlet who is in need of some medical information. Soon enough, Cole finds himself in trouble with the local crime boss who has a special use for alligators.  If you are familiar with the series (as I now am) this book is pivotal as it is where Cole meets Lucy . For Crais (the author) this is a homecoming of sorts since he was raised in Louisiana.The audiobook was well-read and the reader added a lot to it with his great command of the mix of accents of Louisiana.

So, how much did I like this book? I went out and bought another Elvis Cole novel less than a week after I finished my first!

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Voodoo River.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

Chasing Darkness (Elvis Cole #12) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Published in 2008 by Brilliance.
Unabridged audiobook.
Duration: 7 hours, 19 minutes.
Read by James Daniels.

In my mind, Robert Crais has the second best series in fiction going right now, just after Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. Solid, quirky, oftentimes funny, good detective stories throughout.

Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike are on a dark, depressing case in Chasing Darkness. Three years earlier Cole had proven that a man could not have committed a horrific murder. Now, that man is found dead with evidence that he committed not only that murder but 6 others. Cole is sure that his work in the original case is correct and this man is being set up after his death and the real murderer is still wandering the streets. Cole and Pike start to pull on some loose threads and soon they have more trouble than they bargained for.

Chasing Darkness is not as good as other Cole novels such as The Last Detective. This one starts out rather slowly but it builds to an ending filled with twists and turns followed by even more twists and turns. This is a book that gets better as it goes along.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.

Chasing Darkness can be found on Amazon.com.

Reviewed on October 10, 2009.

Stalking the Angel (Elvis Cole #2) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Published by Brilliance Audio
Read by Patrick G. Lawlor
Duration: 6 hours, 52 minutes
Unabridged

Synopsis: 

Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike are hired by a Los Angeles businessman to find a missing ancient copy of the Hagakure, a book that details Bushido, or the way of the Samurai. Along the way, they discover hidden family secrets, connection to the Yakuza (Japan's ultra-violent mafia) and deal with a kidnapping and modern followers of the Bushido.

My review:

Written in 1989, Stalking the Angel is an early Elvis Cole book. Crais is still doing a bit of casting about to find his rhythm with the characters of Joe Pike, Elvis and even his irascible cat. The plot doesn't flow as well as later books but it still a very nice listen.

It is narrated by Patrick G. Lawlor who does a solid job of catching Cole's wisecracking side but overall does not catch on to Elvis as well as the narrators of his later books do.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Stalking the Angel.

Reviewed on March 16, 2010.