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In fact, it might be that I like this book so much is because Elvis Cole lives in the same city and the books are very similar. It's amazing that I never read any of his books before this one. I really liked it. I can't get enough of LA murder mysteries as I'm a great fan of Michael Connolly's Bush series. All in all, I enjoyed the setting, the mystery and the characters. It's your basic LA private eye mystery, but Crais is a good writer and the book flows smoothly.
He doesn't get mentioned by name, but if you're a Harry Bosch fan, you'll recognize him right away. I came across this by chance and decided to take a chance. In fact, Elvis Cole meets Harry Bosch at the Hollywood station in one chapter. It was easy to read and I like the characters. Medium paced, but the important thing was that the book was easy to follow and read. Elvis even lives in the same area, on the same road I think and has the same pet.
Since then, I've actually read 3 more and I've ordered 4 more in this series so I'm a definite fan.
Byrd couldn't have done it, but who set him up and murdered him.Doubt begins to plague Elvis-what if he made a mistake and Byrd was the killer. A fire in Laurel Canyon brings about a grisly discovery of the body of a man accused of being a serial killer. Cole determines to find the truth.It's another great story from Robert Crais. Although acquitted the pall of suspicion continued to haunt Lionel Byrd.A photo album with the murder victims is found by Lionel's body and it looks as if he was guilty after all. Elvis Cole becomes suspicious, because he's the one who checked out Byrd's alibi for one of the murders. Well plotted as usual and it kept me turning the pages trying to figure out who the serial killer was. So far his stories haven't disappointed me; they've only made me want to read more of his work.
This is a book that gets better as it goes along. Cole and Pike start to pull on some loose threads and soon they have more trouble than they bargained for.This one is not as good as other Cole novels such as The Last Detective (which was so good that I pulled the cassette from my car in the garage and literally ran to the tape player in the house to see how one scene was going to end).
Solid, quirky, oftentimes funny, good detective stories throughout.Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike are on a dark, depressing case this time. Unabridged audiobook6 discs7 hours Read by James Daniels.In my mind, Robert Crais has the second best series in fiction going right now, just after Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series (his latest is Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch).
Cole is sure that his work in the original case is correct and this man is being set up after his death and the real murderer is still wandering the streets. Three years earlier Cole had proven that a man could not have committed a horrific murder.
Now, that man is found dead with evidence that he committed not only that murder but 6 others. This one starts out rather slowly but it builds to an ending filled with twists and turns followed by even more twists and turns.
Highly recommended.
The former LAPD bomb squad female detective who has a teen crush on Elvis is not much in evidence and that is always a good sign. First off this book is almost 400 pages and could have lost 25% of them and been a better story. Joe Pike just shows up, is super cool for a page, then disappears. It just drags. But as the end nears the pace picks up and the story actually becomes pretty interesting. Didn't he used to be more than a two dimentional prop. Anyway it is better that most new Cole books but not in the same league as the originals.
This novel has all the best elements of previous works. Cole's humour is back in full effect. His friendship with Pike, a sociopathic marine-turned-entrepreneur, is deeper and more electric than ever.Fans of the earlier books will delight in the humour, the unmistakable (and unbeatable) prose, and in the return of several hallmark characters. Fans of the later works will be greatly impressed with the intricate and complex denoument, an important feature that has been noteably absent in the recent works of other crime writing masters.Particular highlights include the introduction of a hardcore, no-nonsense senior police officer who considers Elvis as one would consider a newly sprouted grey hair; an intensely hilarious interchange between Elvis and his ultra-liberal neighbours; and, of course, the Pike-infested showdown.Who would have thought that good ol' Joe could be effectively utilised in a Poirot-esque ending.
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