Rating: 
Summary: Seemingly decent story but basic, simplistic writing
Review: This is my first (and now last) Crais read. I got through about 50 pages before I gave up. The story is not the problem; it's the writing. It seems targeted towards the airport-reading crowd, with lots of extra word fill. (how many times can you possibly say "the lesser attorney" in a chapter? How about giving the attorney a name?)Save your time and try something else.
Rating: 
Summary: LA has a hot new private eye!
Review: This is my first Elvis Cole book, but it won't be my last. I disagree with the reviews that write Cole off as a Spenser-for-hire clone and his buddy Pike as a Hawk-wannabe. Cole is decent, and tough, and will do what has to be done to take on the bad guys and the establishment---often one and the same! The depiction of the rise and fall of Jonathan Green, world-class criminal attorney who will do anything (emphasize "anything"!) to get his millionaire client Teddy Martin off on the charge of murdering his wife Susan, is a joy to read. Anyone who has ever had reservations about lawyers will empathize with Elvis Cole as he starts to take Green down and get at the truth of the Martin murder case, as the people who could supply answers start turning up dead. Cole's romantic relationship with Lucy Chenier (of Voodoo River) is re-established, and the possibilities there (will Lucy move to LA with her son Ben?) are promising. Comparisons may be drawn with fictional character Angeli Rossi and real-life cop Mark Fuhrman, two LA detectives victimized by the so-called legal system. Fast-paced and entertaining! Keep 'em coming....
Rating: 
Summary: Investigating Crime in LaLa Land
Review: This is my first Robert Crais book and I am impressed! I am tired of depressing detectives, equally depressing characters that they are tracking down, and boring descriptions of where it is all happening. L.A. is alive in "Sunset Express" and so are all of the characters. Looking forward to reading more about Cole's adventures/misadventures.
Rating:
Summary: One of the better cole novels...
Review: Written around the time of OJ Simpson trial, it is nice to read one where the cops are the good guys. Even Greta Green Way shows up...shades of OJ. This is a good book, which built nicely on the novel before it. We learn more about Elvis' love life and he is growing here...I really enjoyed the mystery, the characters, and always, the humor. THe book is a fine and quick read.
Rating:
Summary: OJ with a twist
Review: You're not into this Elvis Cole case too long before you realize that Crais is using the OJ Simpson case as a model. And if you haven't read any of Crais' Elvis Cole novels, you'll also realize before too long that Elvis and his partner Joe Pike are similar in tone to Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. But Robert Crais has the ability to take these similarities and craft them into a series and a detective novel with it's very own flavor. Cole is hired to check out a detective who may have planted evidence. His findings aren't consistent with what the defense team wants and Elvis is forced to switch teams and work with Joe Pike to clear up a mess he helped create. Elvis' romantic tangle with a lawyer from Louisiana is brought into play and takes up a little too much page time, but the the climatic 3rd of the book is as satisfying a set of confrontations as anyything in the Spenser series. Not all of the bad guys get their just desserts and Elvis vows at the end to hound those who get away, which would make a nice story for a future case. A great PI novel especially for those who distrust lawyers and the media, which is just about everybody but lawyers and members of the media.
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