High Profile

Book Description

The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.

When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body-that of a young woman-is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.

Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care-not a single one of Weeks's ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.

Despite Weeks's reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.

Customer Reviews:

Ack.......2007-08-17

Thirty-five years ago Mr. Parker started a series about a guy who thought and and acted differently, and the books were fresh and clever. The thing about the books was the way the charaters thought about things, and that was expressed through dialog. By now, we all know very well how RBP's chraacters think, so there's really nothing new to say, unless we start having the characters say things that no person on earth would say. If you can sit through this without wishing that most of the protagonists would be stabbed or beaten, God bless you.

Worthy addition to the Stone sagas..........2007-08-09

First, it might help if the readers understand that I get my Parker books from the library, so I have not invested the typical $20 or so purchase price. Second, I have been a Parker fan for about 30 years, so I tend to give him a break now and then. He does not need the benefit of the doubt for this entry into the Jesse Stone series, however. It is a quick read, as are all of Parker's dialogue-heavy, description-light productions, but the two murders which set the plot going are interestingly done. The suspects are numerous, the clues few. Even better than the murder mystery however, is the double triangle Parker set up by bringing private detective Sunny Randall into Jesse's love life. Sunny, of course, has a book series of her own, but in this one she is a supporting character. Events bring her into an important temporary role in the life of Jesse's former wife Jenn. Jesse and Jenn can't live together, but can't make their divorce a firm fact, either...just as Sunny cannot get her former mate, Richie, out of her own bed totally. Yet Sunny and Jesse seem ideal for each other. Many fans may resent the love complications taking up so much of the book, but to me, they have become more compelling than the killings being investigated. You'll be done with reading this in three hours, so whether it is worth buying instead of borrowing is a tough question. But for me, it worked, and gave me pleasure.

Jesse please get over that low life ex wife , or i am firing you!.......2007-08-04

This is enough! I love Parker, and i love Jesse Stone.He showed great promise in the beginning of the Stone series.However, i am tired of his hanging on to that low life, cheating, obviously disturbed ex wife. I also found Sunny's relationship with Jenn to be odd. If i had the opp to be with a great guy, no way would i condone the way his ex wife jerks him around. Geez, either add more plot or i am firing you Parker.

Jesse Stone in Paradise.......2007-07-22

This is the last book I will ever purchase by Mr. Parker, after a lifetime of buying his hardcovers. The reason? His ridiculous and unreal mooning over a really unlikeable, unbelievable ex-wife which serves only to detract from the real character of Jesse Stone.

We like to think of Jesse Stone as a solver of problems: he is doing just that now in Paradise, MA...it is unreal to believe that, five books later he has come no further than the juvenile pining portrayed by Mr. Parker in this book. It seems to be getting worse, rather than better which only serves to make us feel Jesse is going backwards....and we do not want to believe that for a moment.

Hopefully, Mr. Parker will find a really good shrink and clear his head of this unproductive mess. Then, we can concentrate and the terrific plot and story lines he brings us and not be sidetracked by the dumbdown of an unbelievable side story. Too many pages on too little reality.

Jesse Stone with Sunny Randall reprised.......2007-06-27

The plot is slightly better than OK because of the rather lame outcome, but that aside, this is a first-rate detective novel. I especially like the fact that all of the characters are flawed, i.e., realistic, uncertain of themselves. One does not often see that to such an extent in the heroes of mysteries. And the atmosphere of Paradise, Mass. and New York City has a good feel.

But the very best thing about this, the feature that raises it from about average to excellent, is the dialogue. There is a smoothness to it, a realism that includes humor even when the situation does not call for it. Again, Parker reminds me of Lawrence Block and you can't say anything nicer than that.

The perps were a trifle obvious, I think most readers will find. Murderers in mysteries are usually the ones the reader suspects least, which, in turn, makes the murderers the most obvious--if that makes any sense at all.

Let's hope that Jesse and Sunny never quite get over their exes and that more combo books are in the offing. I'll read them all.

Suffer the Little Children: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

Average customer rating:

Very disappointing
Better than her last two books
Suffer the little children....
Venice forecast - beautiful with scattered corruption
The best yet!

Suffer the Little Children: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
Donna Leon
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Quietly in Their Sleep
The Patience of the Spider (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries)
Death and Judgment (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
Friends in High Places
Through a Glass, Darkly: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

ASIN: 087113960X

Book Description

Donna Leon’s charming, evocative, and addictive Commissario Guido Brunetti series continues with Suffer the Little Children. When Commissario Brunetti is summoned in the middle of the night to the hospital bed of a senior pediatrician, he is confronted with more questions than answers. Three men -- a young Carabiniere captain and two privates from out of town -- have burst into the doctor's apartment in the middle of the night, attacked him and taken away his eighteenth-month old baby boy. What could have motivated an assault by the forces of the state so violent it has left the doctor mute? Who would have authorized such an alarming operation? At the same time, Brunetti’s colleague Inspector Vianello discovers a money-making scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city. But it appears as if one of the pharmacists is after more than money. Donna Leon's new novel is as subtle and fascinating as ever, set in a beautifully-realized Venice, a glorious city seething with small-town vice.

Customer Reviews:

Very disappointing.......2007-09-19

I have read all of Leon's Brunetti mysteries and this was the first time I was really disappointed. The story lacks focus and feels completely frazzled. There are too many things going on that never seem to get resolved. The writing style she uses for the interrogations at the beginning and end seems silly and doesn't make sense. I never felt a shred of sympathy for any of the characters, despite the horrible things that happen to them. I sure hope that she can find her old, captivating writing style again or I will have to just go back to re-reading her earlier novels.

Better than her last two books.......2007-09-08

Donna Leon is incredibly skilled at evoking the spirit of Venice, and Brunetti is such a marvelous character. Although not up to the standards of her earlier novels, this one is a vast inprovement over the previous two, which were little more than screeds on environmental issues. If you've never read any of her books, go for the early works; if you're a fan of Leon and have been disappointed by her more recent efforts, this is definitely a step up.

Suffer the little children...........2007-08-13

This book had an entirely different flavor than the other Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries, all of which I have read, some of them more than once. It was less amusing, harder and more depressing than the others and the ending was terrible. If her writing is going in this direction, I won't read any more.

Venice forecast - beautiful with scattered corruption.......2007-08-11

The great enjoyment in Donna Leon's "Suffer the Little Children," and virtually all of the other books in this series, comes from the focus on the book's varied characters and the city backdrop, Venice. The plot of this particular book, involving illegal baby adoption, but also marital betrayal and the intrusion into peoples' lives by an unprincipled moralist, is secondary and only serves as the device that allows for an examination of the professional and personal life of Guido Brunetti, Commissario of Police in Venice. By the time you finish this book (and any of its predecessors), you're ready for a visit to Venice and have a yen to drop in on Brunetti and his family (however aware you are that, sadly, they don't exist).
Other readers have been disappointed with "Suffer the Little Children" for its flaccid plot and generally slow pace. I think those are valid criticisms, but there is still plenty of pleasure catching up with the series' hero and colleagues and listening to the author's gentle rant about troubles in paradise.l

The best yet!.......2007-08-04

Ms. Leon has surpassed herself with this suspenseful book. I loved listening to David Colacci who has read all of her books. He captures the characters she writes perfectly. I did not want this book to end. I only wish these two would visit the US so we could hear them speak about their craft.

Average customer rating:

Spenser Fans Will Enjoy, But...
Hundred Dollar Baby Spencer Book
Sometimes love just ain't enough . . .
A Red Silk Garter. A Steel-Standard Gun. The Valentine Lifeline.
Please get rid of Susan

Hundred-Dollar Baby
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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High Profile
Blue Screen (Sunny Randall)
Echo Park (Harry Bosch)
Sea Change (Jesse Stone)
Spare Change

ASIN: 0399153764
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Book Description

A client from a decades-old case reaches out to Boston PI Spenser-but can he rescue troubled April Kyle once more?

Longtime Spenser fans will remember that once upon a time, though not so long ago, there was a girl named April Kyle-a beautiful teenage runaway who turned to prostitution to escape her terrible family life. The book was 1982's Ceremony, and, thanks to Spenser, April escaped Boston's "Combat Zone" for the relative safety of a high-class New York City bordello. April resurfaced in Taming a Sea-Horse, again in dire need of Spenser's rescue-this time from the clutches of a controlling lover. But April Kyle's return in Hundred-Dollar Baby is nothing short of shocking.

When a mature, beautiful, and composed April strides into Spenser's office, the Boston PI barely hesitates before recognizing his once and future client. Now a well-established madam herself, April oversees an upscale call-girl operation in Boston's Back Bay. Still looking for Spenser's approval, it takes her a moment before she can ask him, again, for his assistance. Her business is a success; what's more, it's an all-female enterprise. Now that some men are trying to take it away from her, she needs Spenser.

April claims to be in the dark about who it is that's trying to shake her down, but with a bit of legwork and a bit more muscle, Spenser and Hawk find ties to organized crime and local kingpin Tony Marcus, as well as a scheme to franchise the operation across the country. As Spenser again plays the gallant knight, it becomes clear that April's not as innocent as she seems. In fact, she may be her own worst enemy.

Customer Reviews:

Spenser Fans Will Enjoy, But..........2007-10-04

Years ago, Boston PI Spenser made a difficult decision in helping troubled teen April Kyle get off the streets. Now the adult April is back in Boston running an upscale call-girl operation. April says she has been pretty successful in running the all-women business, but recently some thugs have been threatening to take it all away from her. They've come by the business a few times to squeeze some money from her and now they've starting beating up some of her workers and she wants Spenser to stop them. Spenser, who still wonders if he made the right decision years ago in sending April to work for Madame Patricia Utley, agrees to help April. But the more involved Spenser gets, the more he realizes that several people are lying to him, including April. The deeper Spenser digs into the case, the more he realizes that it's not going to have a happy ending.

Robert Parker fans will enjoy "Hundred-Dollar Baby" but other readers may find it lacking. It's a sequel of sorts to Ceremony, an earlier, gritty and thought-provoking Spenser book. "Hundred-Dollar Baby" is not as good as "Ceremony", but it's still a good, quick read. At this point, Parker can probably write the Spenser books in his sleep. The book is dialogue driven and much of the dialogue feels like it could be lifted from this book and inserted into any other Spenser book especially Spenser's conversations with long-time girlfriend Susan Silverman (as can his observations about her eating habits). I love the repartee between Hawk and Spenser, but all too often other characters exchange the same witty dialogue, so they all blur together as characters. The plot line with April is interesting, with some twists and turns and a surprising, if somewhat unbelievable ending. Long-time fans will enjoy seeing characters from other Spenser books turn up in this one including April, Patricia Utley, Eugene Corsetti, and Tedy Sapp. Parker's greatest strength is his ability to capture the streets of Boston in his writing and he again does it well in this book - I could picture the various streets and locations in my mind while reading the book.

"Hundred-Dollar Baby" doesn't break any new ground, but Spenser fans will still enjoy it.

Hundred Dollar Baby Spencer Book.......2007-09-30

good read, classic Parker/Spencer book. not his best but not bad at all and I certainly wouldn't turn it away. overall, I enjoyed it.

Sometimes love just ain't enough . . ........2007-08-23

In this novel, Spenser is again trying to save April Kyle (first seen in Ceremony then again in Taming a Seahorse) from herself. April has approached him for help - Patricia Utley has set April up with her own house of ill repute in Boston, but someone is trying to shake her down and April would like Spenser to protect her and find out who is trying to take over her business. When Spenser begins to investigate, he finds that maybe April isn't telling the whole truth.

Sweet and sad, Spenser has to come to the realization that maybe he can't always be the knight in shining armor. He can't help someone who doesn't want helping.

On a slightly tangential note, since this will be my last Spenser book for awhile (until I get High Profile); according to the time-line laid down in these books, Spenser should be about the same age as my dad - that is, somewhere in his 70s. Now, admittedly my dad is a tough cookie - a real-life cowboy who is still out there riding broncs. However, Spenser is still behaving like a man in the prime of his life. Interesting. . . :-)

A Red Silk Garter. A Steel-Standard Gun. The Valentine Lifeline........2007-07-24

Reading this novel was quietly satisfying, a gentle goodbye, a perfectly seasoned acknowledgment of external reality and time, with Spenser's subjective warmth settled and safely sealed, allowing space for the conclusion.

The story opened with Parker's confidence long established, showing, and flowing, in a touching scene holding April's return to Spenser's Private Eye world of righteous rescue.

Though I hope I'm wrong, HUNDRED DOLLAR BABY, # 34 in the series, felt like a gift wrapped, final Spenser. Thankfully, I had already purchased and received from Amazon the first novels of Parker's other two series, NIGHT PASSAGE, and FAMILY HONOR. I'm half-way into NIGHT PASSAGE with Jesse Stone seeming like a young Spenser being maneuvered through some less bright choices than Spenser made, showing how those choices dimmed the path. Yet, thankfully, Stone isn't totally stoned, hasn't abandoned his heart. He seems to be living on a precipice of dynamically balanced shadow and light. I like his quiet, stately strength and self-acceptance.

The copyright of NIGHT PASSAGE was filed in 1997. The copyright of HUNDRED DOLLAR BABY was filed in 2006. The literary contrast between these novels seemed to be much greater than 9 years, yet both are excellent works of classic literature. To be different doesn't have to mean more or less than.

With my lifeline set in Spenser's other 2 series, I'm stepping away from my study of Spenser with this review, though not as gracefully nor as eloquently as Parker wrapped his insightful study of Spenser's belief in Romantic Love Vs Sex For Hire, exposing through pages turning brightly, the high and low ends of both.

From Page 272 of the hardcover, at the end of Chapter 60 (of 64 Chapters):
>>
"Why you after April Kyle?"
"I'm trying to save her," I said.
"From What?"
"I Don't know," I said.
< <

Insights to share filled my mind as I read this novel. Now I can't remember them. I remember only that the read was every bit as satisfying as each of the preceding 34, in a more peaceful, yet no less captivating way.

It seemed appropriate that Spenser and Susan's Valentine's Day dinner-with-poetry-exchange be celebrated in this novel about "Looking for love in all the wrong (and right) places/ways." You'll want to read Parker's descriptions of the simple, earthy sensitivity of that sharing which takes place a little over half-way into the book. Here's a small sample of that scene, to prime your need to read more (Page 164, Chapter 37):

>> We began with cocktails. Cosmopolitan for Susan. Martini for me, on the rocks, with a twist. We were alone and it was safe, we exchanged poems written expressly for the occasion, as we always did. [Here a simple, touching description of the poems was included].... After we're gone," I said, What do you suppose people will think?" < <

I think, "Thank You."
Linda Shelnutt

Please get rid of Susan.......2007-06-29

My husband and I are both loyal Spenser fans but are so tired of his relationship with Susan and their tedious conversations. My husband wants him back with Rita. I just want Susan gone. Women her age often get breast cancer.

Average customer rating:

This is NOT about cross-border shopping!
A Thrilling Mystery
A Real Page Turner
Black Ice leaves one cold
THE BLACK ICE BY MICHAEL CONNELLY

The Black Ice (Harry Bosch)
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Vision
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Black Echo (Harry Bosch)
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ASIN: 0446613444
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Book Description

The corpse in the hotel room appears to be that of a missing LAPD narcotics officer. Rumours abound that he had crossed - selling a new drug called Black Ice from Mexico - and the LAPD brass are quick to declare his death aside.But Harry Bosch isn't so sure; prompted by odd, inexplicable details from the crime scene, and attraction to the widow, he begins his own investigation. An investigation that takes him over the border to Mexico and into a dangerous labyrinth of shifting identities and deadly corruption.

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eBook Special Feature: Read a chapter excerpt from LOST LIGHT!

Customer Reviews:

This is NOT about cross-border shopping!.......2007-09-25

Calexico Moore, a depressed NYPD detective who is treading on the illegal dark fringes of the drug culture he's investigating, eats both barrels of his own shotgun in a dreary motel room only days before Christmas. With Moore gone and another officer about to be placed on permanent disability leave because of alcohol abuse, the homicide unit is clearly under-staffed and overwhelmed with an outstanding case load. Lieutenant Harvey "98" Pounds, in a callous bureaucratic gesture, pleads with Harry Bosch to pull some overtime and begs him to clear just one case before New Year's - that will put the unit's clearance ratio over 50%, a marginally acceptable level in the eyes of the public and the police brass! Bosch digs in and quickly determines that not only are two of the outstanding murders related but the confusing road he must travel to solve them enters the high stakes world of designer drug smuggling and also crosses paths with the tortuous trail that led Calexico Moore to the motel room in which he took his own life.

Most readers will agree that the Harry Bosch series is within the "police procedural" genre. But the ending twist and resolution to these complex murders rivals the endings of the finest thrillers on bookstore shelves today.

As a character piece, "The Black Ice" firmly entrenches Harry Bosch as a very complex man to fathom with depths that are almost impossible to plumb - compassionate at times and yet outrageously brutal and callous at others; openly contemptuous of the rules of the police bureaucracy and yet rigid in the establishment of his own personal code of conduct and integrity; often shallow in his relationship with women and yet clearly longing for the depth of a meaningful relationship based in true love and compatibility; he is also an obvious "user", entirely willing to use a personal relationship for the achievement of his own short-term goals. In short, he is entirely human and not entirely likeable - but as a complex protagonist in a thrilling police procedural that you will be cheering for - well ... Connelly has simply hit the nail right on the head!

Because of an underlying thread of multi-layer character development, references to past events and the slow but sure revelation of Bosch's history, "The Black Ice" is best served as the second entrée in a multi-course meal which begins with the first Bosch novel, "The Black Echo", followed by "The Concrete Blonde". Ten further courses are available for your gustatory delight! Enjoy.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

A Thrilling Mystery.......2007-09-11

This is the second novel of the Harry Bosch series and I enjoyed this book more than Black Echo, the first novel of the series. In Black Ice, there is a new drug on the streets and the plot unfolds giving the reader an insight into the vicious drug dealing world that generates crooked cops, with lots of twists and turns. There are numerous subplots in the story, and about the midway point I was a bit confused, but the author ensured that I didn't stay lost and it all worked out in the end. If you enjoy a great mystery, coupled with a thrilling tale then check this book out or any of the books in the series.

A Real Page Turner.......2007-07-13

This is the 2nd book in the Harry Bosch Series. I would recommend reading all the Harry Bosch novels in the proper order. Most all of these books are either rated 4 or 5 stars by me. I have been very pleased with the way Michael Connelly writes. He leaves nothing out and as usual Harry Bosch is a real fascinating character. You will not be disappointed if you like police investigative mysteries.

Black Ice leaves one cold.......2007-07-10

Another one of Connolly's books where all the answers are given in the last couple of chapters. I want to have insight into the characters and plot as I move along. I have read most all of the Harry Bosch series and there are a few that feel like, "whew, I need to end this book somehow."

In this book he has killed the husband of the cop's wife, has a continuing relationship with her, living the lie. Nice going Harry.

Connolly is a good writer, he sometimes doesn't know how to get off the stage. The Last Coyote and Angel's Flight are well done and worth reading.

THE BLACK ICE BY MICHAEL CONNELLY.......2007-06-11

Another Harry Bosch novel that keeps you guessing and on the edge. Set in Los Angeles, this was the usual Harry Bosch, I couldn't stop listening until I knew who did it.

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is the writer on a word-count or what?
Is Harry Getting Too Self-Righteous?
Why does Everyone like this Book?
Forgotten Voices
Hard to Put Down

The Closers (Harry Bosch)
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1594830207

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Rebecca Verloren, 16, was discovered missing from her Chatsworth home on a July morning in 1988. Her corpse and the gun that ended her life were later found on a hill behind the house. An autopsy revealed that she'd recently undergone an abortion, and a piece of skin tissue--presumably the killer's--was found trapped inside the murder weapon. Only now, though, has DNA science matched that tissue to Roland Mackey, a dyslexic 35-year-old tow-truck operator with no obvious connection to the deceased. It's up to Bosch, once more partnered with Kizmin Rider, to determine whether Mackey offed Becky Verloren, or was at least an accessory to that tragedy. But the more Bosch and Rider dig into this dusty crime, trying in part to determine whether racial animosity might have been involved, the more pain and resistance they encounter. Becky's white mother maintains the teen's old bedroom as a shrine, while her shattered father, an African-American chef, has vanished into LA's homeless community. Of the two original investigators on the case, one has since committed suicide, and Bosch suspects that the other--now a police commander--is helping to keep the lid tight on some old departmental secrets, perhaps linked to our hero's nemesis, Deputy Chief Irvin S. Irving.

Understandably rusty after three years sans shield, Bosch makes his share of personal and professional mistakes here--including one that supplies The Closers with a lethal, plot-turning climax. But the greater problem is that Connelly exhausts so much time and effort following his protagonist through the tedium of modern police procedures, that he neglects what readers have liked more about this series in the past: its persistently deft exploration of Bosch's lonely, haunted soul (which remains mostly out of sight in this tale), and the author's frequent flights of lyrical prose (also not much in evidence). Would-be novelists wanting an example of a solidly constructed cop tale need look no further than The Closers. But readers hoping to learn why Connelly is so well-respected in this genre should turn, instead, to previous Bosch titles such as The Concrete Blonde, Angel's Flight, or City of Bones. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

"A city that forgets its murder victims is a city lost. This is where we don't forget," Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is told by his new boss, as he ends a three-year retirement and rejoins the Los Angeles Police Department at the start of The Closers, the 11th installment of Michael Connelly's Edgar-winning series. Having long ago demonstrated his knack for cracking previously unsolved homicides, Bosch is assigned to the newly re-branded Open-Unsolved Unit (aka "cold case" squad), and charged with resolving the 17-year-old abduction and slaying of a mixed-race teenager.Rebecca Verloren, 16, was discovered missing from her Chatsworth home on a July morning in 1988. Her corpse and the gun that ended her life were later found on a hill behind the house. An autopsy revealed that she'd recently undergone an abortion, and a piece of skin tissue--presumably the killer's--was found trapped inside the murder weapon. Only now, though, has DNA science matched that tissue to Roland Mackey, a dyslexic 35-year-old tow-truck operator with no obvious connection to the deceased. It's up to Bosch, once more partnered with Kizmin Rider, to determine whether Mackey offed Becky Verloren, or was at least an accessory to that tragedy. But the more Bosch and Rider dig into this dusty crime, trying in part to determine whether racial animosity might have been involved, the more pain and resistance they encounter. Becky's white mother maintains the teen's old bedroom as a shrine, while her shattered father, an African-American chef, has vanished into LA's homeless community. Of the two original investigators on the case, one has since committed suicide, and Bosch suspects that the other--now a police commander--is helping to keep the lid tight on some old departmental secrets, perhaps linked to our hero's nemesis, Deputy Chief Irvin S. Irving.Understandably rusty after three years sans shield, Bosch makes his share of personal and professional mistakes here--including one that supplies The Closers with a lethal, plot-turning climax. But the greater problem is that Connelly exhausts so much time and effort following his protagonist through the tedium of modern police procedures, that he neglects what readers have liked more about this series in the past: its persistently deft exploration of Bosch's lonely, haunted soul (which remains mostly out of sight in this tale), and the author's frequent flights of lyrical prose (also not much in evidence). Would-be novelists wanting an example of a solidly constructed cop tale need look no further than The Closers. But readers hoping to learn why Connelly is so well-respected in this genre should turn, instead, to previous Bosch titles such as The Concrete Blonde, Angel's Flight, or City of Bones. --J. Kingston Pierce

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In Los Angeles in 1988, a sixteen-year-old girl disappeared from her home and was later found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. The death appeared at first to be a suicide-but some of the evidence contradicted that scenario, and detectives came to believe this was in fact a murder. Despite a by-the-book investigation, no one was ever charged. Now Detective Harry Bosch is back with the LAPD with the sole mission of closing unsolved cases, and this girl's death is the first he's given. A DNA match makes the case very much alive again, and it turns out to be anything but cold. The ripples from this death have destroyed at least two other lives, and everywhere he probes, Bosch finds hot grief, hot rage, and a bottomless well of betrayal and malice. And it's not just the girl's family and friends whose lives Bosch is stirring up afresh. With each new development, Harry Bosch finds increasing resistance from within the police force itself. Old enemies are close at hand. Even as he pushes relentlessly to find the truth, Bosch has to wonder if this assignment was intended to be his last. Digging up the past may heal old wounds-or it may expose new, searing ones.

Customer Reviews:

is the writer on a word-count or what?.......2007-08-23

I have enjoyed most of this author's books, especially Lincoln Lawyer...but this one is poorly written. The author explains almost every sentence he writes with three more sentences as though the reader could not possibly "get it" unless he does. It is driving me crazy. Also, he injects far too many personal moments into the cop's daily work that make no sense and add nothing to story-a toy reminds him of his daughter...big deal!
Also explains the LA riots and racial issues as if no one else has ever heard of such a thing-instead of just moving the story ahead.
I am losing interest fast but have nothing else to read in the house-i am really disappointed with this book...

Is Harry Getting Too Self-Righteous?.......2007-08-12

This is a tight, tense entry in the series. One of the best, and I've read them all. But Harry seems never to give the benefit of the doubt to other cops. Why not just stick him in IAD and get it over with?

Why does Everyone like this Book?.......2007-08-08

Honestly, I thought it was a little boring. I wish I could agree with the others, but I labored to finish it. Maybe this writer is just not for me. The book certainly didn't make me want to turn the pages. I know the author has a huge following but this one didn't do it for me.

Forgotten Voices.......2007-08-03

Harry Bosch is back. He's been retired for three years after 25 years with the L.A.P.D. Now he's the new kid on the block working with the Open-Unsolved unit. It used to be called the Cold Case file, but L.A.P.D. is changing it image. For those of us who love Harry Bosch, we've followed this independent minded cop through many a case, looked over his shoulder at many a murder book, watched him defy authority, were with him in his relationships with women, up to his retirement. He has a brief stint as a private eye, which to me wasn't the same, but now our Harry has reemerged.

What I like about Michael Connelly's writing, besides the realness of Harry Bosch, is his knowledge of L. A. cop-dom. It's a confidence that he bestows on the reader, that this is the way it's really done. We can almost see the dust flying as we flop open those murder books. Harry seems as real as an fictional character we've ever read.

The addition of DNA testing to the police investigation of these old cases, has allowed for some of the Open-Unsolved cases to be re-looked at, and this is right up our man's alley. The novel is called "The Closers" because now the cases can finally be re-worked and finally closed, but to Harry it is the opener, since he can re-open books that have been long closed. He is the one who listens to those forgotten voices. Harry still has his runs ins with the established ruling class, still bucks the system, ruffles the feathers of even those he is closest to, but that's just Harry for you.

Hard to Put Down.......2007-07-23

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. The characters and development of this book was fun to follow. It was hard to put down.

Average customer rating:

Good read
Good ,Light, Crime Novel
An excellent leisure choice for mystery fans.
Fast And Entertaining Detective Story
A man keeps disappearing

Indigo Slam: An Elvis Cole Novel
Robert Crais
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Sunset Express: An Elvis Cole Novel (Elvis Cole Novels)
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ASIN: 0345435648
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Amazon.com

Readers who complain that there's too much wisecracking and cute icon worship in Robert Crais's books about Los Angeles private eye Elvis Cole will be glad to find these traits downplayed (but not totally disappeared) in this story about Cole's search for a missing printer whose specialty is funny money. The book is centered by the presence of the printer's three children--especially the motherly 15-year-old Teri and the obnoxious 12-year-old Charles--who hire Elvis from the phone book. Cole, hoping to become the stepfather of the son of his own lady love, gets sucked in by the children's combination of need and family unity, and soon finds himself in the middle of a shooting war between Russian gangsters, Vietnamese patriots, and ambiguous Federal agents. Previous Elvis outings in paperback: Sunset Express, Free Fall, Lullaby Town, The Monkey's Raincoat, Stalking the Angel, Voodoo River.

Book Description

Life in the California sun suits Elvis Cole—until the day a fifteen-year-old girl and her two younger siblings walk into his office. Then everything changes.

Three years ago, a Seattle family ran for their lives in a hail of bullets. Hired by three kids to find their missing father, Elvis now must pick up the cold pieces of a drama that began that night. What he finds is a sordid tale of high crimes and illicit drugs. As clues to a man’s secret life emerge from the shadows, Elvis knows he’s not just up against ruthless mobsters and some very angry Feds. He’s facing a storm of desperation and conspiracy—bearing down on three children whose only crime was their survival. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Good read.......2007-08-24

This is my first Robert Crais book but it won't be my last. I especially enjoyed his (the author's and Elvis's) voice - casual, laid back, self-deprecating.

Crais gets a lot of meat in one descriptive paragraph and, as such, is a master of characterization. I especially liked what he did with the kids and the girlfriend.

The plot twist at the end might have been a tad too much, but it was forgivable given all that went on before.

Good read.

Loren Christensen - coauthor of On Combat and a bunch of others.

Good ,Light, Crime Novel.......2007-06-22

Elvis is involved in finding the father of three mother-less children. As you probaly will guess the story becomes more involved. Elvis is great. Lucy his girlfriend is interviewing for a television job.
Joe Pike protects the kids. And Russian mobsters show up in Los Angelos.
This is a relaxing read.

An excellent leisure choice for mystery fans........2007-03-06

Robert Crais' INDIGO SLAM provides an involving Elvis Cole novel which receives David Stuart's winning voice and tells of a teen who entices Elvis to search for her missing father. The case should be easy - but the father is involved in the criminal underworld and soon Elvis is in over his head in this fun, involving mystery. An excellent leisure choice for mystery fans.

Fast And Entertaining Detective Story.......2006-06-02

It starts out simple enough. A 15-year-old girl and her two younger siblings hire Elvis Cole to find their father who has been missing for eleven days. The situation becomes extremely complicated from there. If you were to plot this story on a graph, it might end up looking like a spider's web. But Crais makes it work. This book was originally published in 1997 and reissued in 2003. It's a fast and entertaining read.

A man keeps disappearing.......2006-05-16

3 1/2 to four stars - definitely not five. A counterfeiter who acted as a government witness against Russian gangsters in Seattle is put into a witness protection program in Salt Lake City by Federal Marshalls. He disappears, along with his three children. Three years later, his children appear in Elvis Cole's office wanting him to find there father. They had been living under a new name in Los Angeles, and he went out 11 days earlier and has not come back. His oldest daughter, fifteen-year-old Teresa, has a wad of cash. Events move on from there.

The story is generally well written as Elvis looks for the father, encounters bad guys, finds the father, loses him again, and eventually finds him again. Along the way, he discovers other people are looking for the man, including the Russian gangsters and the Federal Marshalls Service. The Secret Service is also interested, and the FBI becomes involved along with the local police. In a side plot, Elvis also has to deal with his girlfriend's ex-husband.

There were, perhaps, too many twists added to the end of the story, and it became a little unreal. Also, the author's description of Seattle settings seemed a little off. Has he ever visited the city? He also keeps referring to Los Angeles hills as mountains. Perhaps he has never seen a real mountain.

Average customer rating:

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
A bit of let down
"Not bad" isn't something I should be saying about Wilson
Let It Bleed
Excellant

Bloodline (Repairman Jack Novels)
F. Paul Wilson
Manufacturer: Gauntlet Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1887368930

Customer Reviews:

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.......2007-10-10

I suppose when you write 10 now 11 Repairman Jack Novels you have a
tendency to forget why everyone liked Jack. I liked him best when he was
helping to repair problems, I mean not the stuff relating to
powers that seems to go beyond natural laws. No, the everyday problems
that some ordinary person was confronted with and didn't know how to
handle it. Enter "Jack". Sooo, if Mr. Wilson continues to go the
supernatural route, then "Hasta la Vista Baby", I won't be back.

A bit of let down.......2007-10-05

Though still a pretty good read for the most part, I was somewhat dissapointed overall and, for the first time ever, I regret having spent the money for this particular issue. To me, this is not the Repairman Jack of past stories; it was kind of boring in places and drawn out. Jack is definitely NOT taking names and kicking butt as in previous issues. The main storyline and whole premise just wasn't that exciting/interesting and a real page turner as in Mr. Wilson's past work. Also, now that I think bit further on it, I wish I could get my money back.

Dan
Barrington, NH. PS. Was kind of nice though (for a change of pace) having a little less Gia & Vicky in this one.

"Not bad" isn't something I should be saying about Wilson.......2007-10-04

This book was O.K.
It does progress the Jack storyline somewhat and is a quick, decent enough read but it's got some definite problems.
First of all, two of the storylines have been done in Jack books before, in All the Rage and Crisscross and done much better there. Also, the whole thing feels a little too much like Legacies, the book that wasn't even supposed to be a Jack book to begin with. Nothing much feels new.
One reviewer mentioned that removing Gia and Vicky from much of the book helped things, I think it seriously hurt them. Also, the supernatural element is almost nonexistent. If I want a plain detective story there's a whole boring genre full of them thank you.
Please Mr. Wilson, put some more thought into the next one. Don't write it so fast, and do something a little different.
The Tomb, All the Rage, Conspiracies, Hosts and Gateways remain my favorites but I've liked them all. It's just that Legacies and this one aren't really that great. They're just "not bad."

Let It Bleed.......2007-09-26

F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series is one of the most well-written and enjoyable of its type out there. For anyone who isn't familiar with it - though it is likely someone reading a review of the eleventh book in the series is - think Dashiell Hammet meets HP Lovecraft, with a lighter tone than either. (In this novel he even playfully includes a hack scifi writer named P. Frank Winslow as a minor character.) Wilson maintains his usual readable standards in Bloodline, with the basis for the next sequel, also as usual, laid out in the last chapter.

Jack, an urban mercenary of sorts, but one who is selective about his clients and methods, takes on an apparently simple case; once again, and not as a coincidence, it blows up into something involving unseen forces - not quite supernatural in the usual sense, but otherworldly nonetheless.

All in all, this is a solid addition to the series. However, though I have no wish to deprive Mr. Wilson of a future downpayment on a beach house on the Jersey shore (and Jack is his creation to do with as he likes), as a reader I am at the point similar to an hour into a monster movie when, as viewer, I am getting impatient for the big lizard to rise out of the sea and trash Tokyo already. A storm has been building in the last few Repairman Jack novels. I await the author's unleashing of it, even though that probably means wrapping up the series.

Excellant.......2007-09-26

I enjoyed this latest Repairman Jack novel more than the last few probably because Gia and Vicky play only minor roles. This gives Jack a chance to get back to business.

But if incest bothers you, you may want to think twice before reading this one.

I took off a star because of the P. Frank Winslow story arc. Was that a "wink-wink" to the fans or a conceit of the author? I could have lived without it.

Average customer rating:

Elvis Lives!
Think Spenser, only better
What a Great Beginning
Fabulous New Entry In The Genre
Good Start

The Monkey's Raincoat
Robert Crais
Manufacturer: Crimeline
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Stalking the Angel
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ASIN: 0553275852
Release Date: 1992-03-01

Book Description

When quiet Ellen Lang enters Elvis Cole's Disney-Deco office, she's lost something very valuable - her husband and young son. The case seems simple enough, but Elvis isn't thrilled. Neither is his enigmatic partner and firepower Joe Pike. Their search down the seamy side of Hollywood's studio lots and sculptured lawns soon leads them deep into a nasty netherworld of drugs and sex - and murder. Now the case is getting interesting, but it's also turned ugly. Because everybody, from cops to starlets to crooks, has declared war on Ellen and Elvis.

Customer Reviews:

Elvis Lives!.......2007-09-20

I bought this because it came so highly recommended off of Amazon. It was ok, but not the best detective novel I have read. I would probably try more in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series, but I won't be in a rush to buy the books.

Think Spenser, only better.......2007-04-21

When someone mentioned Robert Crais as an author I might enjoy, I did a little homework and decided I'd start with this, his first novel, so I wasn't forced to join his characters mid-stream in their development. The two key players in all of Crais's novels are Elvis Cole, a wise-cracking L.A. private investigator cut from the same cloth as Robert B. Parker's Spenser series with a handsome, athletic, 30-something smart alec who has a strong layer of integrity beneath the cool veneer, and Cole's partner, an ex-cop named Joe Pike who reminds me of every state cop I've ever seen: mirrored aviator sunglasses and a humorlous, slate-faced demeanor. Pike isn't somebody you want to mess with. In contrast to Cole's witticisms and wise cracks, Pike has monosyllabic utterances only. For example, his answering machine has no greeting other than the word "speak."

They make an unlikely pair and Pike plays a very secondary role in terms of character development, but nevertheless adds significant interest.

I'm now on my 5th Elvis Cole novel in as many weeks (I'm reading them in order) and that ought to tell you something about whether they are worth reading. Immensely entertaining.

In this book, Cole is enlisted to help find some missing persons: a Hollywood agent named Mort and Mort's adolescent son. Ellen, Mort's wife, is frantic and scatterbrained and seemingly incapable of making decisions. The book follows Cole and Pike as they track down Mort and his son's whereabouts, his abductors, and their motive. As the book unfolds, we get more insight into Ellen as a woman of considerable resolve and backbone - not just the flighty and indecisive woman of the first few chapters.

As it turns out, there is a bit of a formula to Crais's novels, as I've noticed now that I'm on the fifth installment. But the repetition in terms of story development doesn't bother me. It's actually kind of satisfying...like a certain chord progression you come to expect in a song but with some variations on the melody each time. With each passing book, we learn a little bit more about Cole and Pike (although not too much) and Crais alludes to characters and events from previous stories, sometimes causing them to appear in multiple stories.

All in all, if you like the crime mystery genre but also like a certain light-heartedness and irreverence in your characters, you'll get a kick out of Elvis Cole. I'm not one to laugh out loud at books, but this one made me giggle numerous times and laugh out loud at least twice. Frankly, I like Crais's writing style better than Robert B. Parker and I like the character of Elvis Cole better than Spenser.

My suggestion: start with this book and see if you don't like Cole as good as - or better than - Spenser. Crais has about a dozen installments in the Cole series and one of his latest (#11 or #12 I think) called "The Watchman" actually gives Pike the lead role after 10+ books devoted to Cole. I'll get to it eventually, but am having too much fun reading the books in order to skip ahead now. Besides, the waiting list for "The Watchman" is quite long at my local library and it will probably be another 6 weeks before it is in anyway.

What a Great Beginning.......2007-03-05

After recently reading a couple of Robert Crais novels, and enjoying them immensly, I knew it was time to get introduced to Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. What an introduction it was. The Monkey's Raincoat features some really excellent odd ball characters, and just enough sentiment to make you care for the players.

If action is your thing, there is enough of that to keep anyone interested. The body count actually stacks up pretty quickly. Joe Pike is a bizarre but greatly entertaining partner to the eccentric and equally bizarre Elvis Cole. The one liners are plentiful in this book, with several laugh out loud moments.

I have to run now... off to find the next Cole novel.

This one is highly recommended.

Fabulous New Entry In The Genre.......2007-01-03

It's really hard not to like wise-cracking private investigator Elvis Cole. Abandoned by his mother during his teenage years, hardened by a stint in the Special Forces in Vietnam, Elvis has developed a cynical, smartass exterior, but under it all remains committed to helping those who need to be helped. Ellen Lang and her chain-smoking best-friend Janet show up at Cole's art deco-Disney decorated office wanting him to find Ellen's missing husband Mort and their son Perry, who have inexplicably disappeared. Although Ellen proves to be a difficult client to deal with (because of her complete dependancy on others more than anything else) Elvis takes the case. Together with his enigmatic partner, a former Special Forces soldier and LAPD police officer named Joe Pike, Cole soon finds out that Mort Lang wasn't quite the guy his wife thought he was. As the situation escalates, Cole and Pike find themselves in a race against time to recover Mort and Perry before they wind up dead.

This novel works on two levels - first, it's a great mystery/crime novel full of the kinds of insider detail I've seen from Connolly and Wambaugh. The characters are varied and interesting, and at the end of the novel you'll find yourself anxiously searching for the next installment from Robert Crais to find out how the characters further develop. This book also works because of the humour. Elvis never loses sight of the goal, and while the overall context is one of suspense and mystery, the one-liners and observations that Elvis Cole delivers will have you absolutely busting a gut.

Good Start.......2006-08-26

According to many of the other reviewers, this is one of Crais' weaker efforts and the series only gets better from here. If that's true, I'm in for a treat.

I'm a little [...] when it comes to my detective series...I try to always start out by reading the first in the series and continue on sequentially. In the days of Agatha Christie, the mystery was the thing, it was the reason to read the book. "Figuring it out" was the primary goal when reading.

Nowadays, at least for me, the characters are what keep me coming back for more. And I think that after reading the first Elvis Cole novel, I'll be back for more with the second one. Crais has done a good job of introducing us to Cole, but still has a lot of room to develop the "secondary" characters Lou Poitras and Joe Pike, who I'm assuming will be present throughout the series.

The first in the series was well written. You'll get a chuckle out of some of Cole's one liners (a la Spenser), and though the plot was somewhat formulaic, it certainly held my interest. The book was a good read and well worth your time and money.

On to the next one!!!

Average customer rating:

One of his better books
Tight, solid detective story
Bones and Bosch
ONE OF THE WEAKER BOSCH MYSTERIES
A serviceable detective novel. Realistic and well-written

City of Bones (Harry Bosch)
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0446611611
Release Date: 2003-02-24

Amazon.com

In City of Bones, Connelly's eighth Bosch title, Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, and the growing feeling that he's fighting a losing battle about which no one cares, and the usually stoic Bosch is pushed to his limits. This isn't the strongest plot Connelly has concocted for Bosch, but it leads to an ending the whole series has been building toward. The conclusion may not shock longtime fans, but it will leave them wondering where the series will go from here. --Benjamin Reese

Book Description

Since his first appearance in 1992's Edgar-winning The Black Echo, Detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch has joined Dennis Lehane's Patrick and Angie, George Pelecanos's Derek Strange, and Greg Rucka's Atticus Kodiak in the pantheon of new-school hard-boiled detectives. Rather than giving Bosch a clever gimmick (like Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, who is a quadriplegic), Michael Connelly embraces the noir archetype: Bosch, an L.A. homicide detective, is a chain-smoking loner who refuses to play by his superiors' rules. Although he has quit smoking, Harry's still the same tightlipped outsider, taking each crime as a personal affront as he tries to cleanse his beloved city of the darkness he sees engulfing it. In City of Bones, Connelly's eighth Bosch title, Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, and the growing feeling that he's fighting a losing battle about which no one cares, and the usually stoic Bosch is pushed to his limits. This isn't the strongest plot Connelly has concocted for Bosch, but it leads to an ending the whole series has been building toward. The conclusion may not shock longtime fans, but it will leave them wondering where the series will go from here. --Benjamin Reese

Download Description

Replace Annotation with: When the bones of a 12-year-old boy are found scattered in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn into a case that brings up the darkest memories from his own haunted past. The bones have been buried for years, but the cold case doesn't deter Bosch. Unearthing hidden stories, he finds the child's identity and reconstructs his fractured life, determined that he not be forgotten.

At the same time, a new love affair with a female cop begins to blossom for Bosch--until a stunningly blown mission leaves Bosch in more personal and professional trouble than ever before in his turbulent career. The investigation races to a shocking conclusion, leaving Bosch on the brink of an unimaginable decision--one that will leave readers breathless and hungry for Michael Connelly's next masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

One of his better books.......2007-07-10

This was a solid police/mystery novel. The death of the "main" female was depressing but a good twist nonetheless. This book made me want to rush out and buy more of his work.

Tight, solid detective story.......2007-04-03

City of Bones delivers a streamlined mystery that follows one trail after another until finally turning the corner that leads to the answer. The story is interesting and entertaining, providing several emotional twists. The climax is somewhat weak and not as satisfying as others from Connelly. Connelly's other books have set his readers' expectations high---at the 5 star level. This one isn't quite there but still will entertain readers with its more than adequate writing.

Bones and Bosch.......2007-01-14

Mr. Connelly's Harry Bosch continues to be one of the most intriguing characters in crime fiction. This story revolves around a set of newly discovered bones on a hill side in Laurel Canyon. The bones are 20 years old and Harry sets about unravelling the mystery. What sets Bosch apart is his depth and flaws. Mr. Connelly's scores big in several ways. First, is the depth he adds for all his characters. Secondly, his crisp writing moves the plot along at a good pace. Lastly, the touches of the police procedural are like no other writer that I have encountered in crime fiction. His writing is addictively good. This ranks with "The Poet" as my 2 favorites - so far.

ONE OF THE WEAKER BOSCH MYSTERIES .......2006-12-24

I am a fan of Michael Connelly's mysteries and think his books are among the smartest popular fiction mysteries being written today, but I found "City Of Bones" to be one his slighter, more pro forma efforts. At its best, Connelly's prose can rise to the Chandleresque. His descriptions of post-modern Los Angeles are dead-on and can be tinged with a poetic melancholy. In "City of Bones" Connelly's writing is, as always, effortless and highly readable, but more servicable than literary.

Unlike some other Bosch mysteries this story lacks any personal high stakes and there was no sense of surprise in the ultimate reveal. Bosch seems oddly unmoved by the death of a character with whom he was close. And there were other rarities for a Connelly mystery novel -- such questionable procedural details. The skeletal bones central to the story are identified without the use -- or even mention -- of DNA testing. And the exact cause and motivation of a central character's death remains surprisingly muddled and unresolved, a loose end I expected to be central to the stories conclusion.

For those who enjoy Connelly's mysteries, there's no reason to skip this readable effort. For those seeking an introduction to this excellent mystery writer, I recommend one of Connelly's earlier books.

A serviceable detective novel. Realistic and well-written.......2006-11-06

Like much of what Connelly writes, this novel is a realistic look at how detective work actually takes place. The plot is almost too authentic in that pointless tragedies occur, and the whole storyline is very downbeat and depressing--just like real police work. In Connolly's LAPD there are departmental politics, professional rivalries, and infighting--just like any real city police force. This is not an uplifting novel or story. Quite the contrary. The ending is realistic and plausible--not the clever "tie all the pieces together" ending that many detective stories culminate with. In this one, there are loose ends and dead ends. The ending is less than satisfying albeit believable.

The strengths of this novel are its realism and, of course, Connelly's writing, which is always pretty good.

Average customer rating:

poorly written
When the daughter of a tortilla tycoon is murdered, a detective ...
Only one criticism
Great addition to series
Joe Pike steals the show

L.A. Requiem (Elvis Cole Novels)
Robert Crais
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Free Fall

ASIN: 0345434471
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

Robert Crais (Free Fall, Monkey's Raincoat) returns with his eighth Elvis Cole mystery, L.A. Requiem, a breakneck caper that leaves the wise-cracking detective second-guessing himself. Cole's partner, the tight-lipped, charm-free Joe Pike, gets a call from his friend Frank "Tortilla" Garcia. Not only is Garcia a wealthy businessman, he's a political heavyweight and father of Karen, Joe's ex. Frank sends the gumshoe duo out to find his girl, but the boys are beaten to the punch by the men in blue: Karen is found in a park with a bullet in her brain. The two stay on the case, but when another murder points to Pike as a suspect, things take a turn for the worse. The boys on the force are all too willing to put Pike away--he has a checkered past. When Cole attempts to save Pike, he finds a lot more than he bargained for.

Crais's knack for snappy dialogue and clean-cut scenes bespeak his former days as a writer for the award-winning Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law: "Krantz's mouth split into a reptilian smile, and I wondered what was playing out here. He said, 'I want this man questioned, Lieutenant. If Pike here knows the vic, maybe he knows how she got like this." Pike said, 'It won't happen, pants.' Krantz's face went deep red, and an ugly web of veins pulsed in his forehead. I moved close to Pike. 'Is there something happening here that I should know about?'"

Book Description

The day starts like any other in L.A. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for private investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.

Now Karen's powerful father calls on Pike (a former cop) and his partner, Elvis Cole, to keep an eye on the LAPD as they search for his daughter's killer--because in the luminous City of Angels, everyone has secrets, and even the mighty blue have something to hide. But what starts as a little procedural hand-holding turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. For a dark web of conspiracy threatens to destroy Pike and Cole's twelve-year friendship--if not their lives. And L.A. just might be singing their dirge.

Customer Reviews:

poorly written.......2007-09-29

I am beginning to think only those who love a book write a review. Others immediately dismiss it and go on to better reading. L.A. Requiem is my second attempt at Robert Crais. The first was Forgotten Man. This book was flat, characters were jumbled but I made my way through it. This highly touted L.A. Requiem just had to be better, but it isn't. The writing is poor. Elmore Leonard says to writers; don't write what they don't read. In Crais books I was skimming and scanning more than ever. At the rate I was skipping I could have finished it in nothing flat. Joe Pike, okay so he had a poor upbringing, he is just a rude man. Elvis Cole, oh who cares.

When the daughter of a tortilla tycoon is murdered, a detective ..........2007-08-07

... must solve the crime before his mysterious mercenary partner goes to prison as the prime suspect. Absorbing. Longer review available at my website the Impatient Reader. See My Amazon profile for URL.

Only one criticism.......2007-07-08

This is my third Elvis Cole novel. I find them exciting, "page turners", with humor. They are well written and intersting. There is one thing that reall bothers me, the totally unnecessary and gratuitous profanity, particulary using Jesus name in vain, that really bothers me. Thanks

Great addition to series.......2007-02-10

This is the 8th installment of the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. Elvis is a wise cracking but hard working gumshoe in LA. Joe is a man of few words but incredible action and redefines the term "silent partner". In previous books Elvis has been the narrator/main protagonist with Joe slipping in and out when needed and the author has done a very good job of not bringing Joe into the fray to save the day a la Mr. Wizard. Because of this, those of us who have read the series know Elvis fairly well - Joe, not so much. That all changes in this book. The "case" in this volume begins when one of Joe's friend's, (!), daughter disappears and quickly spirals into the pursuit of a serial killer - all with Joe Pike as the fulcrum. I try to read series such as this in order, both for simple chronology reasons and also to enjoy an author's development. This book is a case in point of the latter. As stated in earlier reviews, the reader gets a whole new perspective on Joe Pike and he says more in this book than in all the previous combined. We learn of his past and even get inside his head. The story slides back and forth in time as well as in narrative perspective - not just Elvis this time - without missing a beat. Even with a couple of fairly predictable plot "twists" this is an extremely entertaining book. Highly recommended.

Joe Pike steals the show.......2006-12-24

With "The Last Detective" I read it for Elvis Cole. With this book I read it for Joe Pike. There was a lot of great aspects to this book. But, mostly the great characters keep you reading. Robert Crais has a way of developing a character exactly how you want them to be or how you would want them to act. Oddly enough I did not really like Elvis's girlfriend Lucy, this time. But, I think that was intended. The one problem with this book is that I felt it dragged a little in the middle. Several times in order to get to the actual scene you had to navigate through some (although very well written) divergence. That said I only read two of the Elvis Cole books and I intend to read the rest of them.

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