Rating: 
Summary: I'm a new fan
Review: What started off as a seemingly simple assignment for private eye Elvis Cole turned out to be a deep plot planned painstakingly. The thrills, twists, combined with moving and subtle touches of male-bonding, bitter sweet romances kept me turning the pages. This is the first book by Mr Robert Crais which I've read and I will definitely read the others!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was my first Robert Crais novel, but it won't be my last. I can't wait to read the other books with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike as the lead characters. Well written. Fast paced. An excellent plot line dotted with thoughtful prose and subtle humor. A spectacular conclusion. This was the best detective novel I've read in a long, long time.
Rating:
Summary: L. A. Requiem
Review: I loved this book for several reasons, the two that stand out the most for me are the easily identifiable and interesting characters and the the way Mr. Crais brings the sights and sounds of LA to life. Having lived there myself I know he his dead on in his description of Southern California. Engaging story, great writer.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Crais hits a home run with this one
Review: Crais' lastest Elvis Cole book is great. In this book, Crais focuses more on Joe Pike and it really, really works. Elvis is still Elvis, a chronic genre tough guy with a quick wit. But this novel focuses way more on Pike and Coles relationship and Pike's background. If you like mysterys, you will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: OPPRESSIVE DEPARTURE
Review: Surely an impressive thriller, but not what I wanted from Crais: the style becomes slowly and increasingly obsessive, gloomy, introspective. By the end of the book, everything has fallen apart, and you are left depressed and exhausted. The sudden changes of pace (Cole's 1st person, then Pike, then the killer, then flashbacks of various nature, etc.) leave you discontented, interrupted, on unwanted cliffhangers. You long for Cole's resumption of narrative, yet you find him different, gradually mutating mood and even character. You can see from the beginning that Crais wants to create an ambiguity between Pike and the killer, and you get nervous, because you already know that in the end it'll be impossible... I want the original back!
Rating:
Summary: An Exceptional Book
Review: As with most of the reviewers, I've followed Robert Crais from the beginning and this is his best book yet.It starts with Joe Pike's ex-girlfriend, Karen Garcia, being gunned down by the Hollywood Reservoir as she's out jogging. Karen's father, an Hispanic with huge political clout, doesn't trust the police to work the case so he asks Joe to act as an overseer to the case, and Joe involves Elvis Cole. As more evidence surfaces it looks like a serial killer may be at work and when the prime suspect is himself murdered, Joe Pike is arrested for the killing. First, the plot is very well done. It has the requisite twists and turns and I don't think many people will figure this one out before the author wants you to. Secondly, the writing is superb. Crais has always been a good writer in a mild breezy way, but with this book he shows us he can handle deeper emotions. This is a darker, more serious, book than his others and he handles it with aplomb. I, at first considered this series as a Spenser wannabee, but his writing has now pushed him beyond that. He is a very good writer. Third, his characterization is rich. Joe Pike, who up until now has been Elvis Cole's spear carrier, emerges as the complex human being we've always felt he might be. Far from being the emotionless killer, we find that Joe's emotions are there but well hidden. The book does a wonderful job of explaining what made Joe the way he is. Some others have remarked that Joe is a little too unbelievable, but I don't think so. There really are men like this in the world. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I gave it five stars and I don't give out that rating lightly. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Detective and murder mystery. Elvis and Joe Pike are hired to solve the murder of a friends daughter. The killing is one of a series. This story brings in crooked cops, old loves, mafia type friends, lots of detecting, and strong relationships. My first Crais book, and now I will read them all.
Rating:
Summary: Elvis Is Alive!
Review: My favorite entry in the highly entertaining Elvis Cole series. The author takes a true leap in style and substance. It kept me enthralled tothe very last paragraph.
Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: Much of the book was quite good; I enjoyed the whole "L.A." setting. It was refreshing that what seemed like a good relationship (Elvis and Lucy) dissolved. The main objection(s) I had concerned the Joe Pike character. Come the heck on, I mean sunglasses all the time! It just seemed like yet another "strong/mysterious/silent guy" cliche. I found the sparse/clipped dialogue of Pike especially contrived and annoying. Further, the fact that Pike was so naturally adept at all things "masculine" and police oriented was rather pathetic. Then again, I did read the whole book, ...
Rating:
Summary: This one gives up the goods on Joe Pike!
Review: If you've read any of the Elvis Cole books, that header will have you clicking the "buy" button right away. If not, well, listen up. Over the course of the Elvis Cole series, there have been a number of constants. One: Quality. All of the books are excellent. Two: likeable protagonist. You'll love Elvis Cole. Three: the strong, silent, enigmatic Joe Pike. Not just a sidekick. Pike has been Cole's guardian angel throughout the series. And now in L.A. REQUIEM we get to find out how Joe Pike became Joe Pike! On top of that, you've got a locomotive of a suspense novel roaring down the tracks. The book is inventive in form and style, but always accessible. It's a crime novel, a mystery novel, a literary novel. It's about childhood and the love between man and woman and between friends. It's about everything that's important in life and if you only read one book this year, it should be this one. L.A. REQUIEM transcends genres and achieves greatness. Don't miss it.
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