Rating: 
Summary: Not much new here
Review: Pretty tired story line with a few cosmetic changes. I became impatient with the switch of story from character to character. It didn't seem to be any more effective than straight telling.
At the end, I skimmed because of the switching, predictable ending, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Very enjoyable - I read it in a day!
Review: Just a fantastic read - another entry in the life of Elvis Cole. Elvis has to deal with the abduction of Ben, the 10 year old son of Lucy Chenier his lover. As you might expect, Elvis is slowly freaking out as things fall apart around him, so obviously not as much humor here as in other entries in the series. The multiple points of view from Elvis, Pike, and Ben in Last Detective were also a refreshing change and added another dimension to the story. Too bad there were none from Lucy.
In the last few novels, I feel that Crais has made an effort to give more than just the same wise-cracking Spenser-esque detective and his silent and forbidding sidekick by exploring Cole and Pike's background and character. I've enjoyed all of his books, but his writing beginning with LA Requiem seems to have more depth. It'll be interesting to see which direction Crais goes with the next novel.Trivia time: look for Cole's brief encounter with Michael Connelly's Hieronymous Bosch outside the police station about halfway through the book!
Rating: 
Summary: A great read, but..........
Review: The Last Detective is, indeed, compelling reading from the first page...fast-paced, brutal at times, always pure Crais/Cole! The only disappointment was the solution of the kidnapping...a little bit contrived/unrealistic in my mind...but it's the kind of solution that satisfies the reader's human nature, too!
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling!
Review: If you haven't discovered Elvis Cole yet, this may not be the best one for you to start with (but buy it and put it aside for when you finish the rest of the series.) This is one of the darkest books in the the series, but is fascinating in it's exploration of Elvis' past, Joe Pike's hidden insecurities (who knew?!), and how one man's overwhelming desire to have his way can lead to frightening consequences. I have to admit I saw where the story was going pretty early on - but despite that, I couldn't put the book down. I read it straight through and I think I'll probably read it again soon to pick up the finer details I zoomed past in my desire to see what happened next. As good as Spenser in his finer hours, this book is definitely worthy of a place in your library.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Detective
Review: See book summary above. A fast paced thriller that is sure to be one of Robert Crais' best. It hooks you at the beginning and doesn't let up until it's riveting conclusion. Most likely a book you'll read in one or two sessions. Highly recommended.
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: Elvis Cole lite
Review: I love all the Elvis Cole novels - apart from this one. Very disappointed - very few witty one liners, Joe Pike not really doing much, the bird from Demolition Angel popping up, Elvis's unhappy childhood. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Skimmed through it in no time at all, didn't chuckle once. Boring and generic are the words that spring to mind. Will I read another one? - probably, but won't fork out top dollar for the large format paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Buckle your seatbelt...
Review: I waited what seemed like an eternity for the release of this book and, like all truly great things, it was worth the wait. Lucy Chenier, you may recall, has moved from LA to L.A. to be with Elvis Cole, "the world's greatest detective", and then one fine afternoon while Lucy is away and Elvis and Ben, Lucy's 10-year-old son, are getting along famously, Ben vanishes. And Elvis soon falls into a maelstrom of evil as he searches for the missing boy with the aid of the singular Joe Pike and LAPD detective Carol Starkey (who you may remember from "Demolition Angel"). The atmosphere is spine-tingling and the suspense is all but unbearable as Elvis and Joe put the pieces together to figure out who has Ben and why. The level of violence may even be kicked up a notch from Elvis's previous outings, and that is saying something. A complete tour de force would be an apt description of this novel. And then some. My only complaint is that it came, I gobbled it up, and now I have to wait a whole dang year for another Elvis fix. For my money, Robert Crais is the undisputed king of the hard-boiled detective genre. Long live the king!
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS A CLASSIC
Review: Since LA Requiem, the last Elvis/Pike book, Crais has found his writer's voice...blending the local LA color and sharp eye of Chandler with the classic relentlessness of Jeffrey Household's Rogue Male...add a first-hand knowledge of Ranger tactics and tools and you end up with an outstanding example of the action/detective genre. I've been reading Elvis Cole since the first book and it only gets better with each new adventure. I'm an avid reader, and for me, Roger Crais is simply one the very best American writers today.
Rating:
Summary: A Thriller Can't Get Any Better Than This
Review: The Last Detective is a fabulous emotional ride -- the most grabbing pageturner I can remember reading. I was right there in that book, feeling Elvis Cole's fear and his pain. I cried several times and the tension was absolutely incredible. The real world was left behind as I read this novel with record-breaking speed. Without a doubt, the BEST novel I have read in a LONG time.
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