The Last Detective

Honestly, who let me start reading a thriller after 8 pm? I knew it was dumb, but I have no self-control about these things. In case you are wondering, yes, I stayed up until 2 am to finish. Yes, I read most of the words to do so.

Elvis Cole is thinking things are going swimmingly when his girlfriend's son is kidnapped from his back yard. When the kidnappers call, it seems like there might be a connection to Elvis' past in Vietnam, putting a strain on their relationship. Before long, Lucy's ex-husband Richard flies out to L.A., manages to get Elvis sidelined from the official investigation, giving him and Joe Pike a chance to get off the chain.

While it is mostly told from Elvis' perspective, there is the occasional short piece from Ben, show more as well as couple from the kidnapper. None of them are particularly lengthy, so it doesn't feel like an interruption as much as a way to assuage or increase mild tension. I'll note that the first scene from Ben ended up being fairly horrific, leading me to get rather ticked at Crais for using such cheap techniques. He redeemed himself by giving Ben more agency and less outright terror than many kids would get from their authors.

Plotting is straight forward, with a mild twist that wasn't the least surprising. I prefer it when Crais tries to give his readers a little more in the mystery department, but since it was a satisfying story, I won't complain.

On the thriller scale, it's above average, despite relying on the low bar situation of a kidnapped child. On carol's library scale, it isn't worth owning, but then, I can't think of any thrillers that are. I'm giving it a sincere four stars, but don't confuse the thriller scale with a regular read scale. show less

From Amazon:

P.I. Elvis Cole’s relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. Then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son Ben is staying with Elvis, the boy vanishes without a trace. When the kidnappers call, it’s not for ransom, but for a promise to punish Cole for past sins he claims he didn't commit. With the LAPD wrestling over the case, and the boy’s estranged father attempting to take control of the investigation, Cole vows to find Ben first. But Cole’s partner, Joe Pike, knows more about this case than he has said. Pike lives in a world where dangerous men commit crimes beyond all reckoning. Now, one of those men is alive and well in L.A.—and calling Elvis Cole to war.

My show more Thoughts:

Be prepared for the darker tone we saw in the previous books. 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. The writing is first rate, the action is nonstop, and there are many surprises...just what we have come to expect from Robert Crais. show less

Elvis Cole has been taking care of his girlfriend Lucy's 10-year old son Ben for a couple of days while she has been out of town. The same afternoon that Lucy is coming back, Ben disappears. We soon find out that he was kidnapped while playing in the small canyon behind the house.

The Los Angeles police are called in, but in parallel Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike conduct an investigation of their own. There are almost no leads at all, but Elvis and Joe go to work on what little they have. To complicate things further, Lucy's wealthy ex-husband Richard flies in with investigators of his own.

This is a real page-turner novel, with good detective work by Elvis and Joe. A kidnapping case makes for a good thriller, and the sense of show more urgency here is heightened by the chapter titles, each stating the hours and minutes that Ben has been missing for.

This was the first novel by Robert Crais that I've read, and it left me wanting to read more by him.

As it happens, this book has a lot of similarities with The Hard Way by Lee Child, which I read not long ago. Both books are kidnapping dramas, featuring ex-military men as the investigators (and both of them feature atrocities committed in Africa). In both of them, the protagonists track the kidnappers by working the few clues available - something that in my mind is done very well in both books. And they both feature action-packed final show-downs (they wouldn't be thrillers if they didn't).

I liked both of them, but with a slight edge for THE HARD WAY. So if you liked this one, check out THE HARD WAY by Lee Child as well. show less

The return of Elvis Cole is well worth the wait.

Robert Crais moves Elvis right into action during the first chapter. He is caring for his girlfriend's son and in just one moment the boy disappears. The ensuing search for the boy centres upon Elvis' Vietnam memories, and a box hidden in his closet that contains medals and pictures. This is not a mystery solved easily- lots of turns and tangles. Old nemesis and the return of Detective Carol Starkey from a previous novel keep this storyline fresh and right on the edge of your seat. Action and deep thought are all a part of the story. Elvis digs deep to keep his relationship with the boy's mom on an even keel, but this may be the last chance that won't work out. The return of Starkey gives show more us renewed hope that she will be part of Elvis Cole's next case and maybe a new romance now that his relationship with Lucy Chernier seems to have played out. The development of long-standing offsider Pike is also fascinating Interestingly, Crais salutes fellow author Michael Connelly by having Cole bump into Harry Bosch, who lives down the road. They promise to get together for a beer. Very nice touch – two of my favourite fictional detectives between the same covers! I found the italicised afterword very odd, though – way too new age for my liking, and not in keeping with the rest of the story.

It is not Crais’ best work – I’d say ‘Last Requiem’ takes that title – but a page turning read nonetheless. show less

This is not one of Robert Crais' better offerings. Perhaps the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series is running out of steam.

The introduction of Lucy Chenier and her son Ben in Voodoo River was a positive development that gave Elvis Cole a chance to grow beyond the typical one-night-stand detective common in pulp thrillers (e.g., Jack Reacher and Virgil Flowers). Although authors seldom know what to do with the family of their protagonist (e.g., Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt), some do occasionally feature a family member in a way that creates an independently interesting character. A good example is Letty Davenport, the daughter of Lucas Davenport featured in Wicked Prey. Unfortunately, Crais' treatment of Lucy and Ben has not risen above the status show more of a lame plot device.

Lucy and in this book Ben have been used by Crais in an unsuccessful attempt to create a heightened sense of tension. The effort has been unsuccessful because readers have never been given a reason to believe that Lucy or Ben would be harmed. The novels are structured in such a way that the only feasible outcome is that Cole and Pike will succeed. That is the case in The Last Detective. Lucy is on a business trip to San Diego and Ben is kidnapped while staying with Lucas. Lucy, is panic stricken and blames Lucas. Her feelings spill over to Joe, who is also told in no uncertain terms that his presence in her life is unwelcome. How could this story possibly end without the unfairly accused Cole and Pike saving the day?

Crais' other plot elements are growing boringly routine. The police show little initiative and Cole and Pike quickly discover critical information while the primary role of the officials is to impede their investigation. We are led to believe that the kidnappers are extraordinarily efficient killers, despite the fact that the primary activity of two of them is terrorizing a ten year old boy. The climax features yet another battle to the death in which the outnumbered Cole and Pike manage to kill the kidnappers. This time it is Elvis' turn to be seriously injured when, desperate to save his life, he grabs the blade of a knife. Crais seems to lack the necessary background or imagination to know the almost certain outcome of such a behavior is the death of Elvis Cole.

Having decided that Lucy and Ben have outlived their usefulness, in the penultimate scene Lucy decides to leave Los Angeles. She is moving to a location where Ben can lead a normal life. I guess readers are supposed to overlook the fact that most of the abnormality she and Ben have experienced in Crais' novels has originated from the very place to which they are moving. Go figure!

Will Cole now become a one-night-stand detective, will he meet his next "true love," or will he spend the next couple of novels as a sad and lonely guy, lamenting the loss of his one true love? I don't know but I welcome the opportunity to see what Crais can come up without Lucy, Ben, and Richard Chenier as plot devices in the story. show less

Best book in the author's Elvis Cole series to date. Elvis is babysitting his girlfriend, Lucy Chenier's, 10-year-old son, Ben, when the boy is kidnapped. The kidnappers imply that this is payback for something that Elvis did in 'Nam. Then Lucy's obnoxious ex-husband, Richard, shows up and tries to take over the case. It's a race to save Ben's life and uncover the true villains. Multiple viewpoints and Crais's own grab-you-by-the-throat writing style make this a riveting read. Villains are scary without being superhuman. We learn more about Elvis's own background as well.

I didn't really like this one as much as most of the previous books in this series, perhaps because it simply didn't meet my expectations for an Elvis Cole mystery. The humor was not as good, for one thing. And Joe Pike, my infallible hero, who always saves the day when fighting is required, was not infallible. He seemed to be second-best, and unfortunately, the villain was first. Although, to his credit, Joe did seem to be recovering from a fight with a big bad bear.

And although Elvis did a pretty good job as the world's greatest detective, he seemed a bit desperate and almost lost much of the time. But he too had his problems to deal with. Not only was his girlfriend's son, Ben, missing while staying at his house, but the boy's show more father blamed Elvis, brought up some bad stuff from his early background that Elvis had neglected to tell his girlfriend that made Elvis look like someone not qualified to care for their son. And the kidnappers seemed to be blaming Elvis due to something he did in the past. I felt sorry for him, but still, he's supposed to be on top of everything, not some pathetic loser. I guess that's why his humor just wasn't up to snuff.

The story was pretty interesting, though, maybe more so than many others. The ending was a bit sad if you're following the ongoing romance, but that's not so important to his real fans.

If this had been my first Elvis Cole book, I think I might have liked it a lot more. Still, a very good read. show less