Rating: 
Summary: Elvis is in the house.....
Review: ...and am I ever glad he's back after a long hiatus. In this one Elvis' girlfriend's son, Ben, is kidnapped! Who'd have thought? The plucky little guy is abducted by some evil evil men and all signs point to our man Elvis as the reason for the heinous act. Or so it would seem. Some real thorough detective work is done in this book, some really bad characters are involved, and we learn a lot more about Elvis' mysterious childhood and Vietnam experience. There are cracks in the iron shield surrounding Joe Pike. Girlfriend Lucy's ex-husband is also featured here . The violence is turned up all the way to "high" on the dial. It's fast, suspenseful reading,and I recommend it to every Elvis Cole fan out there, but beware, the violence is extreme. I was pleasantly surprised by a not-unexpected little twist in the story line and am looking forward to Robert Crais' next book(s) featuring Elvis and Joe. They are such great characters, I love them both, and the descriptions of Los Angeles are so well done. I have to say I enjoyed the earlier books in the series more, but The Last Detective is very well done and if you're an Elvis Cole fan, you will be greatly rewarded.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense, Emotional. Revelatory. (Literature)
Review: If you haven't read any of the Elvis Cole mysteries, you will enjoy meeting "The Last Detective." If you are familiar with Elvis, the wisecracking private eye, and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike, you may be surprised by the somber tone of the newest installment of Robert Crais's excellent series. Either way, strap yourself in. This is one hell of a read. Continuing the themes (and form) of "L.A. Requiem," Crais explores the past of his protagonist, fleshing out two of the more complex characters in genre literature. Cole and Pike are revealed in scene after tension-filled scene. The subtle moments never slow down the plot. From the dread-filled prologue on, "The Last Detective" is relentless. And no tidy endings. There are real consequences for everyone. The best "thrillers" convince the reader to share the "thrill." Crais runs that through an amp, turning up the volume until we cringe, because- and here's the trick- we care about his characters. "The Last Detective" gave me an emotional hangover that lasted two days. Part mystery, part thriller, part Greek tragedy, this book takes an honored place on my "favorites" shelf.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, fast read.
Review: as with the other Cole books, the book is
an excellent fast read. I read it in one day.
The story moves fast and the tone is darker than
some of the other Cole books.
It does become obvious to the reader what is really
happening long before the characters in the book see it, but
it is still a fun ride.
Rating:
Summary: Five, five, five STARS!
Review: Crais is a favorite of mine because he takes chances and seems to grow with his characters. For four years, fans have been waiting for a new Elvis Cole book -- and this tense, fast paced story will not disappoint many! Be prepared for the darker tone we saw in L.A. Requiem; there is little for Elvis to wisecrack about; no one has brought him a case to strategically solve, instead he's vilified as the party responsible for the kidnap of Ben Chenier. Crais gives us strong dialogue and emotion, change ups in the story's point of view, some blind alleys and some down right insightful detective work. Layers of Elvis' past evolve, and, for the first time, we see Joe Pike as vulnerable and unsure. Crais adds Carol Starkey, tough cop from "Demolition Angel" as the Juvenile cop assigned to the case. Starkey and Elvis are a potent mix. True responsibility for the kidnapping is somewhat easy to guess, but Crais makes up for it by insuring that the story ends in a way that much of life does...everybody loses, but some lose more than most. If there is a better writer in this genre today than Crais, please let me know who he/she is! Crais' work is outstanding... Highly recommended, but more so if you've read previous novels in the Cole series. You can't invest as much in Elvis and Joe as characterized here, unless you've glimpsed the past.
Rating:
Summary: A six stars writer
Review: Definitively RC is a six stars writer, the way he explains what are thinking all the characters at the same action in the book is excellent, the way he combine the characters of L.A. Requiem and Demolition Angel and explain them the easiest way so you don't have to read these books to understand this one is also excellent.
The story of the kidnap and the way everybody is related to that won't let you put the book down until you finish it, but when the book is done, you will ask for more.
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling, gripping detective story!
Review: Elvis Cole is a private detective. He has a past--and until now, it's been a mystery. But someone is dragging Cole through his own dirt, and revealing the skeletons in his closet.
Cole's girlfriend's son, Ben, has just been kidnapped. Whoever did it is a professional...he is used to stalking humans, and is NOT one for failure. Cole, along with his silent-but-deadly partner/friend Joe Pike, is about to enter a world where no one can be trusted, where danger lurks around every corner...and where hope may only be an illusion.
Robert Crais is a great writer. Though he has written other novels with different characters (Carol Starkey, who appeared in his novel DEMOLITION ANGEL, plays a role here), his best have always been his Elvis Cole mysteries. An engaging and multi-leveled character, Elvis Cole is often overlooked in today's reading world...but shouldn't be. And neither should Crais. THE LAST DETECTIVE is a great, thrilling read by a great, engaging author.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful
Review: Elvis Cole is once again coming to terms with his life as a private eye in the streets of Los Angeles. He loves his girlfriend Lucy Chenier, but their relationship is stretched to the limit when Cole's job brings danger very close her beloved son Ben. When Ben is snatched from Cole's secluded home, the demons from Elvis's past catch up with him. The kidnappers want retribution for an incident that happened twenty years ago in Vietnam. Now Elvis must embark on a journey into his past to protect his future...
Rating:
Summary: A Darn Good Mystery/Action Thriller
Review: Elvis Cole, LA private inspector, is baby-sitting his girlfriend's son, when all of a sudden the child disappears. Elvis's goal is to find the child, all the while working with tight lipped partner, the LA cops, his girlfriend's ex husband, and many other goons and low-lifes.
While not a literary masterpiece, this book is a fun page turner. The action and fluidity is constant, the plot is well conceived, and the stand-offs between Elvis and everyone else keeps things interesting. Though the plot is pretty standard, the unraveling of the plot is magnificent. Crais could have turned the book into a sappy kid story, but instead concentrated on the kidnapping hunt.
This is a great page turning read. One of those books where before you know, you've reached the end.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: First of all, I've been a huge fan of Elvis Cole and Robert Crais since I read The Monkey's Raincoat. This series has been incredibly enjoyable, to say the least. The turn that Crais took at LA Requiem was probably necessary to breath new life into the series and, in fact, that was my favorite of the bunch. The problem is that I miss the lighthearted banter! The new Elvis too closely resembles the real world, a world I'm trying to escape by reading these books in the first place. The biggest flaw with The Last Detective is the simple fact that I knew who done it the minute I read the story outline prior to actually reading the book. That occured while I was reading Indigo Slam a year ago! This is the first time ever in my experience that I knew who the guilty party in a mystery was before I even read the book. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it sure is incomprehesible to me that Elvis wouldn't have been immediately aware of who done it right away too. This book was written for new readers of the series who never picked up an Elvis Cole book prior to this. I enjoyed alot of the elements of this story but couldn't get past this part. The story would have been every bit as accessable to all potential readers if Elvis would have openly suspected the bad guy right from the start and then worked to prove him culpable. When his character walks around oblivious as to who done it, especially in light of many elements of the last 2 or 3 novels that point directly at the bad guy, this story lost alot for me. It's my least favorite in the franchise.
Rating:
Summary: Cole and Pike are the best
Review: I've just completed "The Last Detective", and I'm sad it's over, yet satisfied I've just read a very good book. The struggling insights into himself Cole is wrestling out of his experiences and the further development of Pike's cracking rigidity make the story of a kidnapping far more than routine. There is a lot hidden within the lines of a well written story. I recommmend it highly. If you can read them in order, (the Elvis Cole stories - check the copyright dates for the order of publication)the full evolution of the series comes to light easier. However, each book loses nothing when read out of sequence.
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