Robert Crais is another author I pick up without bothering to see what the book is about. He's never disappointed me yet.The Promise is his latest book and it's the 16th book featuring private eye Elvis Cole and the enigmatic Joe Pike. But Crais really mixes it up this time, bringing in characters from other series. LAPD officer Scott James and his K9 partner Maggie and the also enigmatic Jon Stone make appearances.
Elvis is hired to find a missing woman as her employer is quite worried - for a number of reasons. Elvis's initial search takes him to a house in LA's Echo Park - and lands him in a load of trouble. There's a dead guy in the house, along with a huge amount of explosives. And Elvis talked to the guy who left the house and disappeared.
I always enjoy Elvis's sense of humour, snappy comebacks and his attitude. He's loyal to his customers, dogged and determined. Not always by the book, but he gets results. Joe Pike is the quiet one, the dangerous one and yes, the mysterious, kinda sexy one. Scott James is a bit of an innocent, but his loyalty to his dog makes for a great look at K9 policing. And as he's fairly new to readers, it's nice to get to know him a bit better. Jon Stone is a friend of Pike and I enjoy the glimpses we get to see of this mysterious man. (I think it's time for Jon to have a book of his own.) There's a fifth character and she has her own voice in The Promise. That's Maggie - the K9 officer. I have to tell you, I was sniffling during her chapters. (and then I went and hugged my dog)
Although I enjoyed seeing so many favourite characters in one place, it ended up being a very busy book. Lots of POV's. It changed the tone and timbre of the book, giving Elvis less time and space to be, well, to be Elvis. And I always want more Pike. Mr. Rollins, the antagonist in the book, is also given a voice. So many POV's took away from the plot for me. But The Promise was still a good read for me. On the other hand, if you haven't sampled Crais' writing yet, this is a great book to meet his protagonists and choose what series to delve into next. Read an excerpt of The Promise.
My mystery group just read SUSPECT and I wrote about it yesterday. It was pretty universally loved. And it's Maggie and Scott's story. Several members also read THE PROMISE and gave it a thumbs-up. I understand that Mr. Crais will continue to write Scott/Maggie books and Elvis/Joe books, but he says his next book will be about Joe and Jon. FYI.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried this author yet but think all those points of view might drive me crazy.
ReplyDeleteOhh, I will be looking forward to the next one Kay - thanks for the heads up. Kathy, this wasn't one of the best for me, but I do really enjoy his books.
ReplyDeleteI will be keeping an eye out for this author. Both series and author new to me.
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