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Title: The Monkey's Raincoat by ROBERT CRAIS ISBN: 0-553-27585-2 Publisher: Crime Line Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (61 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Elvis Is King
Comment: This is the first entry in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and is a great read. Crais is a former TV writer who wrote for Emmy Award winning series such as L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues. In Elvis Cole, he creates a charcter who, on the surface, seems to be just another wise cracking private eye, but is actually so much more. Along with his perpetually sunglassed partner Joe Pike, Elvis owns a P.I. Agency in Los Angeles. Pike is quite interesting as well. He says little and lives life according to a strict code of discipline. He reminds me a little bit of Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti western days. The book opens with Elvis meeting with Ellen Lang & her friend Janet. It appears that Ellen's husband Mort has kidnapped their son. Elvis reluctantly takes the case and what appears to be a routine case of a missing person turns into something much bigger. Through many twists and turns involving small time Hollywood agents and actresses, he eventually comes face to face with a Mexican crime lord, who is a former bullfighter. He thinks Elvis has his missing cocaine and the story ends with Elvis searching for the cocaine and a showdown in the crime lord's compound. Crais weaves many interesting characters into a fast paced, humorous tale. The book contains the right amount of twists and turns to keep you on your toes, but not too many as to seem implausible. He reveals just enough about Elvis & Pike for us to get know them, but leaves somethings about them uncovered, so they can be explored in future books. This book is as entertaining as any I ever read and if you enjoy mystery novels, you love this one.
Rating: 4
Summary: A fun read, but NOT a great mystery
Comment: Having read all of the terrific Michael Connelly police detective mysteries, I was alerted to Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books as another fine hard-boiled Los Angeles-based mystery series. I was advised to read them in order, so I began at the beginning with *The Monkey's Raincoat*. Overall, this book was well worth reading, but I must conclude that at least in this first effort, Crais has produced more of an "action thriller" than a true mystery.
The tough, wise-cracking Viet Nam veteran Cole is an appealing protagonist, and the quirkiness of his survivalist sidekick Joe Pike adds a bizarre and colorful element to the story. Crais is an excellent writer with an eye for the ironies of contemporary American life and a wry sense of humor, and these skills enrich the book immeasurably. Make no mistake about it, this is a can't-put-it-down read that stands head and shoulders about the typical work of private eye pulp fiction.
I was disappointed, however, in the simplicity of the plot itself. There really was precious little "mystery" at all in the story, and very few of the surprises-one-might-have-foreseen-from-a-tiny-clue-early-on that one comes to expect from a first-rate practioner of the genre such as Michael Connelly. Where a true mystery offers such unexpected twists and turns, Crais offers a surfeit of blood, guts, and mayhem. Elvis Cole is forever getting himself into difficult situations from which he can extricate himself only through popping someone in the nose, spraying blood everywhere (of course), or by shooting a whole bunch of bad guys. The body count in this book is alarmingly high, to tell the truth.
I would add that although I realize that the sudden plunge into bed by the hero and whatever attractive woman happens to be handy is a standard part of the private eye genre, Crais' handling of this aspect of the novel is nothing special.
Overall, this is a lively read that shows Crais to be above average in his literary skills (certainly on a par with Robert Parker, whose work is highly uneven). This first effort, however, is simply not a fully satisfying *mystery*. Still, I'm definitely going on to read his second book.
Rating: 4
Summary: Elvis is the King
Comment: "Monkey's Raincoat" is the first novel in the Elvis Cole L.A. Private Eye series. The main character is a cynical, yet soft, private eye, with a penchant for morning yoga stretches and Disney collectibles. You can't help but enjoy a main character who has a Pinocchio clock in his office, loves spicy food, and has a sidekick with an empty office.
As another reviewer pointed out, this book is more of an "action" novel than it is mystery. There are no major plot twists that leave you in shock. There are no subtle clues at the beginning of the story you should pay attention to. You feel more that you are the listener to Elvis' outloud ramblings that help him in solving the case.
The book flows, and I found myself absorbed in the whip sharp dialogue and wondering how Cole can eat what he does while still remain healthy and on top of his game.
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Title: Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais ISBN: 0553286447 Publisher: Crime Line Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Free Fall by Robert Crais ISBN: 0553565095 Publisher: Crime Line Pub. Date: 01 April, 1994 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Lullaby Town by Robert Crais ISBN: 0553299514 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 May, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Voodoo River by Robert Crais ISBN: 0786889055 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: L.A. Requiem by ROBERT CRAIS ISBN: 0345434471 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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