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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:�??Elvis Cole provides more fun for the reader than any L.A. private eye to come along in years.�?��??Joseph Wambaugh WINNER OF THE ANTHONY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL �?� NOMINATED FOR THE EDGAR AND SHAMUS AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL Meet Elvis Cole, L.A. Private Eye. . . . He quotes Jiminy Cricket and carries a .38. He�??s a literate, wisecracking Vietnam vet who is determined to never grow up. When quiet Ellen Lang enters Elvis Cole�??s Disney-Deco office, she�??s lost something very valuable�??her husband and her 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, 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. For Ellen, it isn�??t Funtown anymore. For Elvis, it�??s just a living . . . He hopes. Praise for The Monkey's Raincoat �??Outstanding characters, tight plot, and scintillating prose style. . . . This fast-paced story speeds Elvis Cole to a chilling, heart-stopping ending.�?��??Mystery Scene �??Is Bob Crais good? Put it this way: if they're taking you out to put you against the firing squad wall, and you want to enjoy your last moments on earth, pass on the last cigarette and ask for an Elvis Cole novel.�?��??Harlan Ellison �??Far and away the most satisfying private eye novel in years. Grab this one�??it's a winner!�?��??Lawrence Block�??The best private eye novel of the year . . . lots of action; bright, crisp dialogue; and sharply drawn characters.�?��??The Denver Post�??Robert B. Parker has some competition on his hands. . . . Elvis Cole is an appealing character and Crais's style is fresh and funny.�?��??Sue Grafton�??In Crais, a new sta… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I'm afraid this struck me as shallow and predictable as a television episode. The detective, Elvis Cole, reminds me of Magnum, PI. The copyright of 1987 puts it during the first run of that show--and this does read as very, very eighties with all its pop references. When the novel opens, Cole's
Cole is the kind of private investigator that annoys me. Too prone to violence and way too willing to break the law from the get go. Moreover, he feels so sorry for his pitiable client, Ellen Lang, he tears up her check. How does he pay the rent? (Which he had to show her how to write by the way, because she's been so under her husband's thumb since high school--she's now 39 years old--that she's never before written a check.)
By page 100, when we met the twirl-the-mustache villain, Domingo Duran, I was sure this novel had nothing original to offer. However, since this was mercifully short and I was already half way through, I persisted. I should have followed my first instinct. Not a terrible novel, just terribly mediocre.
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wearing a Hawaiian shirt and like Magnum he's a Vietnam veteran. However, for that Chandler cache, this novel is set in Los Angeles and told first person. Cole is the kind of private investigator that annoys me. Too prone to violence and way too willing to break the law from the get go. Moreover, he feels so sorry for his pitiable client, Ellen Lang, he tears up her check. How does he pay the rent? (Which he had to show her how to write by the way, because she's been so under her husband's thumb since high school--she's now 39 years old--that she's never before written a check.)
By page 100, when we met the twirl-the-mustache villain, Domingo Duran, I was sure this novel had nothing original to offer. However, since this was mercifully short and I was already half way through, I persisted. I should have followed my first instinct. Not a terrible novel, just terribly mediocre.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
Genre: Private Investigator, #1 Elvis Cole mystery
First Line: "I'm sorry, Mr. Cole, this has nothing to do with you."
Several years ago people began mentioning Elvis Cole to me. Hmm...my last name, my mother's favorite singer.... I duly filed away the information. The people doing the mentioning
Elvis Cole is a private investigator with a shadowy partner, Joe Pike. Joe isn't around all that much, which suits most people just fine. Let's face it-- the man scares people to death, and according to Elvis, "Pike thinks Clint Eastwood talks too much." Elvis has a life that suits him just fine. A Vietnam vet, his hero is Peter Pan, and he thinks very highly of Jiminy Cricket. (So do I. Jiminy taught me how to spell encyclopedia.) I also have to admit that the Pinocchio clock he has on his office wall fascinates me. Peter Pan...Jiminy Cricket...Pinocchio...when Ellen Lang walked into his office to hire him to find her missing husband and son, I knew that I was about to embark on a rather unusual investigation. I was led to a viper's den of criminals, drugs and sex, but I feared not, for Cole and Pike were with me.
By the time I finished, I had some new friends in Elvis and Joe. (I have a healthy respect for Joe, but he doesn't scare me. Yet.) The investigation itself isn't all that complex or unusual, but it moves quickly and taught me to pay attention to small clues and subtle nuances. The real reason why this book is such a standout rests squarely on the shoulders of Elvis Cole. It's as though, once he made it out of Vietnam in one piece and decided he wanted to be Peter Pan, his decision stripped away several layers of adult apathy and cynicism. This man can eat ice cream, watch an obnoxious customer torment the counter girl...and be incapable of pretending it isn't happening. When Mr. Obnoxious is persuaded to leave, Elvis leaves his business card with the girl. "If anyone ever bothers you...let me know."
And that's the strength of Elvis Cole--he cares. If that's what happens when a person decides to be Peter Pan, I say we should all start flapping our arms and taking flying lessons. In The Monkey's Raincoat, Robert Crais has set his stage with two superb characters in Cole and Pike, and I just happen to have Acts Two (Stalking the Angel) and Three (Lullaby Town) waiting in the wings.
Now if I could only find myself one of those Pinocchio clocks....
First Line: "I'm sorry, Mr. Cole, this has nothing to do with you."
Several years ago people began mentioning Elvis Cole to me. Hmm...my last name, my mother's favorite singer.... I duly filed away the information. The people doing the mentioning
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probably thought I'd blown them off, to which I would reply: Just because I don't lay rubber the second you mention an author I might like doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. Sometimes I think part of my brain is an aquifer; it takes time for some of these authors to percolate down to the Do Something Level. I finally reached the Do Something Level with Elvis Cole, and now I've got a big smile on my face knowing what I've got in store for me.Elvis Cole is a private investigator with a shadowy partner, Joe Pike. Joe isn't around all that much, which suits most people just fine. Let's face it-- the man scares people to death, and according to Elvis, "Pike thinks Clint Eastwood talks too much." Elvis has a life that suits him just fine. A Vietnam vet, his hero is Peter Pan, and he thinks very highly of Jiminy Cricket. (So do I. Jiminy taught me how to spell encyclopedia.) I also have to admit that the Pinocchio clock he has on his office wall fascinates me. Peter Pan...Jiminy Cricket...Pinocchio...when Ellen Lang walked into his office to hire him to find her missing husband and son, I knew that I was about to embark on a rather unusual investigation. I was led to a viper's den of criminals, drugs and sex, but I feared not, for Cole and Pike were with me.
By the time I finished, I had some new friends in Elvis and Joe. (I have a healthy respect for Joe, but he doesn't scare me. Yet.) The investigation itself isn't all that complex or unusual, but it moves quickly and taught me to pay attention to small clues and subtle nuances. The real reason why this book is such a standout rests squarely on the shoulders of Elvis Cole. It's as though, once he made it out of Vietnam in one piece and decided he wanted to be Peter Pan, his decision stripped away several layers of adult apathy and cynicism. This man can eat ice cream, watch an obnoxious customer torment the counter girl...and be incapable of pretending it isn't happening. When Mr. Obnoxious is persuaded to leave, Elvis leaves his business card with the girl. "If anyone ever bothers you...let me know."
And that's the strength of Elvis Cole--he cares. If that's what happens when a person decides to be Peter Pan, I say we should all start flapping our arms and taking flying lessons. In The Monkey's Raincoat, Robert Crais has set his stage with two superb characters in Cole and Pike, and I just happen to have Acts Two (Stalking the Angel) and Three (Lullaby Town) waiting in the wings.
Now if I could only find myself one of those Pinocchio clocks....
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LibraryThing member crazybatcow
I picked this up because I was looking for a "replacement" for Lee Child's Reacher books. This book is certainly not a Reacher novel. I'm hoping its "introductory" nature (i.e. it's the first in a series with the same characters so there was a lot of groundwork laying) and that future books are a
As a detective book, it's sort of okay - decent enough that I finished it, but not good enough that I enjoyed finishing it, or that there was enough suspense that one might be tempted to look ahead to see what was going to happen. The story premise was a bit lame (like some gangbanger is going to go through all this hassle for such a little bit of coke?). And it's a bit dated, and the women characters are useless and/or stereotyped - I'm hoping this is a result of the datedness and not of the author's inability to write women who aren't useless.
Anyway, I will read the next in the series and cross my fingers that they get better.
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little less character-development and a bit more in the story-development.As a detective book, it's sort of okay - decent enough that I finished it, but not good enough that I enjoyed finishing it, or that there was enough suspense that one might be tempted to look ahead to see what was going to happen. The story premise was a bit lame (like some gangbanger is going to go through all this hassle for such a little bit of coke?). And it's a bit dated, and the women characters are useless and/or stereotyped - I'm hoping this is a result of the datedness and not of the author's inability to write women who aren't useless.
Anyway, I will read the next in the series and cross my fingers that they get better.
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LibraryThing member jclyde
The Monkey's Raincoat is as fast-paced as Michael Connelley and a witty as the best Janet Evanovitch. It's also a perfect little time capsule for the 1980s (he wears a white blazer and looks for pay phones constantly). I must now read all of the Elvis Cole PI books, which will probably take a few
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weeks. Show Less
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
Ellen Lang's husband has gone missing and it seems like he's taken their 8 year old son with him and she wants Elvis Cole to find them. Elvis is a retired Vietnam vet turned PI who runs a detective agency with his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike. The case soon takes some nasty turns and he has to
There's not much new in this book which uses a lot of old staples of the genre but it does so with style and I found it to be a real page-turner. If I had the next in he series then I'd be very tempted to pick that as my next read. Unfortunately I don't own it (yet!) so it'll have to wait until I do.
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change his opinion of this being a simple domestic squabble into something much more serious.There's not much new in this book which uses a lot of old staples of the genre but it does so with style and I found it to be a real page-turner. If I had the next in he series then I'd be very tempted to pick that as my next read. Unfortunately I don't own it (yet!) so it'll have to wait until I do.
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LibraryThing member Joycepa
An entry in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series.
In Cole's office is a limp, beaten-down woman, Ellen Lang, whose husband Mort and her 9 year old son Perry are missing; she wants Elvis to find them BUT she doesn't want the police involved in any way. Elvis does his best under the restrictions laid out by
I would classify this novel as soft-boiled private eye as opposed to hard-boiled police procedural. Cole in many respects reminds me of Lehane's Patrick Kenzie of the Kenzie/Gennaro series; published in 1987, Cole is the predecessor. Both are the lighter, self-deprecating wisecracking detectives, rather than the hard-edged cynical type--much easier to like.
The writing is not dated, despite the 20 years that have passed, speaking very well for the book. There are some quaint anachronisms, such as Cole writing a report on a typewriter! Other than that and the models of some of the cars, the writing holds up really well.
Cole and Pike are both appealing characters in different ways, cole the more human, Pike because he is, so to speak, a softer psychopathic type. There's enough there to keep curiosity about what happens to the characters at a good enough level to want to read another book in the series.
The plot is very good and fans of such things will be more than content with the great attention paid to details about guns and ammunition. The locale, the Los Angeles Greater Metropolitan area, is adequately described.
A very good book in what seems to be an interesting series so far. Recommended.
In Cole's office is a limp, beaten-down woman, Ellen Lang, whose husband Mort and her 9 year old son Perry are missing; she wants Elvis to find them BUT she doesn't want the police involved in any way. Elvis does his best under the restrictions laid out by
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Ellen. Not only does he have very little luck but the Lang house has been ransacked professionally and without intending to, Ellen involves the police. The case turns nastier as it begins to be clear that somehow or another, the disappearances are linked to drugs.I would classify this novel as soft-boiled private eye as opposed to hard-boiled police procedural. Cole in many respects reminds me of Lehane's Patrick Kenzie of the Kenzie/Gennaro series; published in 1987, Cole is the predecessor. Both are the lighter, self-deprecating wisecracking detectives, rather than the hard-edged cynical type--much easier to like.
The writing is not dated, despite the 20 years that have passed, speaking very well for the book. There are some quaint anachronisms, such as Cole writing a report on a typewriter! Other than that and the models of some of the cars, the writing holds up really well.
Cole and Pike are both appealing characters in different ways, cole the more human, Pike because he is, so to speak, a softer psychopathic type. There's enough there to keep curiosity about what happens to the characters at a good enough level to want to read another book in the series.
The plot is very good and fans of such things will be more than content with the great attention paid to details about guns and ammunition. The locale, the Los Angeles Greater Metropolitan area, is adequately described.
A very good book in what seems to be an interesting series so far. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
I enjoyed this, my first Robert Crais and look forward to lots more.
Elvis Cole, Vietnam Vet has gone into the private eye business with partner Joe Pike. In this episode, he is faced with trying to find his client's missing husband and 8 yr old son. As Elvis begins detecting, he finds himself
The plot is well written, the character are particularly well drawn -- I found it easy to feel like I knew them and their motivations, and the setting was perfect for drugs, crimes, sex, abduction and murder. Can't say too much else without spoiling.
Elvis Cole, Vietnam Vet has gone into the private eye business with partner Joe Pike. In this episode, he is faced with trying to find his client's missing husband and 8 yr old son. As Elvis begins detecting, he finds himself
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embroiled in a nasty fight over drugs, with the requisite dealers, Hollywood talent scouts, domineering friends, Mexicans, Eskimos, a friendly cop willing to help him, and the stereotypical upper level "special ops" cop pushing him out of the picture. At one point, all I could think of was Rockie and Dennis in The Rockford Files. The plot is well written, the character are particularly well drawn -- I found it easy to feel like I knew them and their motivations, and the setting was perfect for drugs, crimes, sex, abduction and murder. Can't say too much else without spoiling.
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LibraryThing member Jim53
I re-read this recently and wasn't as impressed as I was the first time. Crais sets up Elvis Cole as a quirky character, with the yoga, feeding the cat beer, and his smart-aleck remarks about almost everything. But I don't see how these quirks affect him when the action gets going; he loses a lot
Elvis walks a fine line between working with the police and going around them when he's so inclined, and a lot of his actions are ethically questionable. I didn't like him as well as I did the first time i read the book. However, he and some of the other characters (including Joe Pike, who according to Elvis "thinks Clint Eastwood talks too much") are interesting enough that I'll try at least one or two more of Crais's books about them.
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of his personality and becomes more of a standard action hero. Maybe that's the point, that when the chips are down our idiosyncracies disappear, but I don't think so. Elvis walks a fine line between working with the police and going around them when he's so inclined, and a lot of his actions are ethically questionable. I didn't like him as well as I did the first time i read the book. However, he and some of the other characters (including Joe Pike, who according to Elvis "thinks Clint Eastwood talks too much") are interesting enough that I'll try at least one or two more of Crais's books about them.
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LibraryThing member charlottem
If you like Robert B. Parker's Spencer novels you will like Robert Crais. Pike is to Cole as Hawk is to Spencer. The setting is Los Angeles instead of Boston. There is a cat instead of a dog. There is no Susan yet.
LibraryThing member LisaLynne
What do you read when you've worked your way through Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, Spenser and Nero Wolfe? Someone in the Mystery Book Group suggested Elvis Cole and I think I will soon be working my way through Cole's adventures. He's not as intellectual as Nero Wolfe but a little more
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sophisticated than Archie Goodwin. And considering he managed to sleep with not only his client but her best friend in the first 150 pages, there's the potential for plenty of action. He does yoga and has an actual mercenary - trips to southeast asian jungles and all - for a partner, but the cops still seem to like him. I'm really looking forward to more of this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member miyurose
I started this series with #7, but decided to swing back to the beginning. I like Elvis Cole. In some ways he's like your typical P.I., but he actually has a sense of humor. Plus, he feeds his cat beer and has a bit of an obsession with Disney characters. I have noticed that he has a bit of a habit
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of getting too involved with his clients, but I think that's what makes him special. I liked the mystery behind this one (a little bit of murder, a little bit of drugs, a little bit of kidnapping), but I wonder if Elvis and Joe are coming out of it a little too scott-free in the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member sfeggers
Fun with good characters and fast-moving plot.
LibraryThing member grigoro
Not a deep and meaningful read, but nevertheless very enjoyable. Elvis Cole is a wisecracking, smart but not too mature detective who helps Ellen Lang find her missing husband and son. Joe Pike is Elvis Cole's partner, and a memorable character he is. A human shark, he's a Vietnam veteran who never
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really came home. He's more comfortable when he's sneaking through the woods killing people. Crais gives us the source of the title in an epigraph at the beginning of the novel, but I must admit I was disappointed that there were neither monkeys nor raincoats (much less monkey's raincoats) in the novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member plunkinberry
Very good. This reminded me of Robert Parker's writing and the Spencer series. I enjoyed it quite a bit and will definately continue to explore this series. Elvis is quite good...
LibraryThing member NPJacobsen
The first installments in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Private Investigator series, and also the first that I've read, was in my opinion a very good book. I really liked the character of Elvis Cole. From his quick one liners to his collection of Disney paraphernalia and his overprotective
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"father" instincts toward his clients, Elvis Cole is a very likeable guy. Bring in his partner Joe Pike, the strong silent type, and you have the perfect match. The story was very good, if somewhat far fetched at the end, but I read it for entertainment and not the psychology of criminal behavior. I will definitely read more in this series! Show Less
LibraryThing member Tatoosh
In this novel Crais introduces Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, two characters that have been featured in more than a dozen books. The story is interesting but not particularly innovative. The plotting is suitably complex for a mystery and the characters are quite interesting. What stands out for me is the
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clever dialogue and side comments Crais inserts to bring the scenes to life and increase interest. I would have rated this novel a "5" based on the plot alone but Crais' writing style and the interesting characters (i.e., Cole and Pike) lifted the book a couple of notches. I'm interested to see if the plotting improves across future volumes. It that occurs and the dialogue and characters continue to fascinate Crais will join my list of favorite authors. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
That was a fun thriller with a couple of very memorable characters. I see Joe Pike has his own series & I'm intrigued. Luckily, I got the first 2 of his series with this book. Hopefully there won't be as many attempts at humor. They got rather flat after a while.
The writing wasn't bad. Good action
All in all, it was fun.
The writing wasn't bad. Good action
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scenes, but I didn't appreciate all the road directions through L.A.. They didn't mean a thing to me. Maybe if I knew the area. As it was, they read like filler.All in all, it was fun.
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LibraryThing member gogglemiss
This was an OK read.
It took awhile to get used to the writing style, and I thoughy of abandoning it a few times, but it picked up halfway through and was quite gripping
It took awhile to get used to the writing style, and I thoughy of abandoning it a few times, but it picked up halfway through and was quite gripping
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
Definitely the best Elvis Cole novel I've read so far. One of his earlier ones -- Cole has more of an edge (it seems to me) than in the later stuff I've read. I just noticed on the cover that this was his first novel -- that explains a lot. All of his passion was directed at making this a tight
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well-crafted piece. It worked. Not only are Elvis and Pike wonderful characters, but his secondary characters are fabulous as well, from the surprisingly resourceful Ellen Lang to the lowlife hoods to the scummy agents, all the way to Elvis' cat. Good plot, good characters, good reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member lamour
This is a cracking good detective yarn. Client Ellen Lang hires Elvis to find her missing husband. When her son is kidnapped as well things get tense and messy. Elvis discovers that it appears Ellen's husband stole some very expensive drugs from the home of a drug dealer while at a party. The
Elvis' partner, Joe Pike, is a very conspicuous character in this novel which is the first of the Elvis Cole series. Highly recommended for snappy dialogue, vivid descriptions of Los Angeles and complicated plot.
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dealer wants the drugs back in exchange for the boy.Elvis' partner, Joe Pike, is a very conspicuous character in this novel which is the first of the Elvis Cole series. Highly recommended for snappy dialogue, vivid descriptions of Los Angeles and complicated plot.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been reading some Chandler lately, but this guy Elvis sounds like he went to the Philip Marlowe School of detection. Always the snappy come back. Short, non-sentence inner-monologue one-liners tacked on here and there. Trouble with the cops. Hell on women.
It was a fast mover. Good dialogue. Enough description to give a nice sense of setting without getting lost in the details. Almost made me laugh out loud a couple of times, but not quite. Smiles though. Nice tight little mystery. The dope in the fishtank gag was pretty good. I should have spotted it earlier than I did but I didn’t. I’ll probably read more of these. They’re light reading w/just enough sex & violence thrown in.
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The only thing is the partner – Pike. He reminds me a little of Bubba in the Gennaro/Kenzie series from Dennis Lehane. Although Pike and Cole pre-date Angie & Patrick by almost 10 years.It was a fast mover. Good dialogue. Enough description to give a nice sense of setting without getting lost in the details. Almost made me laugh out loud a couple of times, but not quite. Smiles though. Nice tight little mystery. The dope in the fishtank gag was pretty good. I should have spotted it earlier than I did but I didn’t. I’ll probably read more of these. They’re light reading w/just enough sex & violence thrown in.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The first in his Elvis Cole series, I really enjoyed The Monkey’s Raincoat by Robert Crais Interesting characters that you want to know more about (especially the mysterious partner Joe Pike) and a story that holds your attention with snappy dialogue and fast-paced action.
Set in the late
Flashy and stylish but with lots of substance, The Monkey’s Raincoat is an extremely promising debut and I can hardly wait to see what happens to Elvis next.
Set in the late
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1980’s in L.A., this is a trip down memory lane via the fashions, music and trivia that is mentioned over the course of the book. Elvis Cole is a Vietnam vet who has become a Private Investigator. Quirky doesn’t even begin to describe Elvis with his Disney decorated office, marital arts, flippant tongue and beer drinking cat. This particular case involves a missing husband and son along with stolen drugs, played out on the fringes of Hollywood.Flashy and stylish but with lots of substance, The Monkey’s Raincoat is an extremely promising debut and I can hardly wait to see what happens to Elvis next.
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LibraryThing member WRXtacy
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CAWPILE score: 6.43 (45/70), Good/Very Good
FRTC
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CAWPILE score: 6.43 (45/70), Good/Very Good
FRTC
LibraryThing member NPJacobsen
The first installments in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Private Investigator series, and also the first that I've read, was in my opinion a very good book. I really liked the character of Elvis Cole. From his quick one liners to his collection of Disney paraphernalia and his overprotective
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"father" instincts toward his clients, Elvis Cole is a very likeable guy. Bring in his partner Joe Pike, the strong silent type, and you have the perfect match. The story was very good, if somewhat far fetched at the end, but I read it for entertainment and not the psychology of criminal behavior. I will definitely read more in this series! Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
It's really too bad I don't have a lot more of Robert Crais on my reading list. I fell in love with wisecracking private investigator, Elvis Cole, immediately. (My only other Crais is a Joe Pike mystery.) But, back to Elvis Cole. With Cole's affinity for Disney characters, yoga, and a cat named
When we first meet Elvis, he is about to launch into a new investigation involving a weepy woman's missing husband and son. All clues lead to Mr. Missing taking off with a sexy young girlfriend until he is found shot to death in the Hollywood Hills. What starts off as a simple missing case has now evolved into a murderous mystery involving high stakes drug deals gone wrong and bad ass thugs who will stop at nothing to regain the upper hand. It is up to Elvis and his silent (in more ways than one) partner, Joe Pike, to find Ellen's missing son and bring him back, dead or alive. The details are a little dated (these are the days of calling from street corner payphones and Wang Chung hits), but still a good read.
Mousy mom Ellen Lang was a mystery to me. She didn't get Cole's joke about the humor of paramedics (keeping one "in stitches") yet she understood that two years at the "University of Southeast Asia" meant a stint in Vietnam. Throughout the entire book she wasn't consistent to me. Someone who was consistent and I wanted more of was Joe Pike. The inside flap described him as an enigma and that just scratches the surface of Pike's personality. Can't wait to read more about him later.
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nothing, he is a bundle of personality and then some. He's thirty five years old, former military and security, likes to look at the ladies and isn't above saying something outrageous just to see someone's reaction. What's not to love? I took to his sarcastic kindness right away. When we first meet Elvis, he is about to launch into a new investigation involving a weepy woman's missing husband and son. All clues lead to Mr. Missing taking off with a sexy young girlfriend until he is found shot to death in the Hollywood Hills. What starts off as a simple missing case has now evolved into a murderous mystery involving high stakes drug deals gone wrong and bad ass thugs who will stop at nothing to regain the upper hand. It is up to Elvis and his silent (in more ways than one) partner, Joe Pike, to find Ellen's missing son and bring him back, dead or alive. The details are a little dated (these are the days of calling from street corner payphones and Wang Chung hits), but still a good read.
Mousy mom Ellen Lang was a mystery to me. She didn't get Cole's joke about the humor of paramedics (keeping one "in stitches") yet she understood that two years at the "University of Southeast Asia" meant a stint in Vietnam. Throughout the entire book she wasn't consistent to me. Someone who was consistent and I wanted more of was Joe Pike. The inside flap described him as an enigma and that just scratches the surface of Pike's personality. Can't wait to read more about him later.
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Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — 1988)
Anthony Award (Nominee — 1988)
Macavity Award (Winner — First Novel — 1988)
Shamus Award (Shortlist — 1988)