Rating: 
Summary: Surprized
Review: I have been a fan of Robert Crais, thats why I was VERY SURPRIZED with The Last Detective. I was dissapointed at its length at first, 300 pages, but James Lee Burke can write a great book in just 300 pages, so, maybe can Crais. I was wrong! Very dissapointing. And what was the bear thing all about?
Rating: 
Summary: Read this terrific book!
Review: If you don't have a date on friday night, read this book. If you are taking a metal health day from work tomorrow, read this book. If you have been eagerly waiting for the next book in the Elvis Cole series, definetly read this book! Robert Crais has returned to his principle series with an engaging and fast paced plot and a depth to his writing that will win him new fans and satisfy throughly his old ones.With the inclusion of the heroine from his "Demolition Angel" and the brief un-named guest appearance by another author's beloved mystery character, "The Last Dectective" joins a distinguished group of the LA crime novel genres' top titles.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: Being an avid Robert Crais fan, especially a fan of the Cole/Pike series, I found this book to be a big disappointment. This is the Cole/Pike series, not the Cole/Pike series with a foul mouthed female Carol Starkey thrown in for good measure. After waiting several years for the series to pick up where it left off after L.A. Requiem I expected more from the book then what it offered. Joe Pike should have received more focus in the book.
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: worth the wait!
Review: all i can say is, this book was damn worth the wait and the delay. A compelling, very fast-paced book, this is an immensely welcome return to his brilliant duo (probably the best detective team in all fiction) Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. An approximation of the plot is quite simple: Ben Chenier, son of Elvis's longterm girlfriend Lucy, goes missing, and then they recieve a sinister phonecall rom the kidnappers, clearly signalling that the disapperance is an act of terribly vengeance for something that Elvis did when he was a young solider in Vietnam... Of course, things are slightly more complicated than that. Richard, Lucy's ex-husband and Ben's father, has never liked her relationship with Elvis, convinced that it can only put his son into danger, and he blazes into town from Louisianna, and desperately tries to close Elvis out from the case. Cue much squabbling, arguing, and going it alone. We also see the return of Carol Starkey (of Demolition Angel fame), whose now working on the uvenile services unit. Coarse and hared edged as ever, she goes above and beyond the call of duty trying to keep Elvis and Joe in the loop as they desperately seek clues concerning Ben's disappearance. This is a long-awaited novel, and it delivers everything that is expected of it. While L.A. Requiem was really Joe Pike's book, The Last Detective is really about Elvis, and there are some incredibly moving insights into his past re Vietnam and his boyhood. One or two scenes may even lead long-term readers of the series who have grown to care immeaureably for Elvis, the PI who dont like to grow up, yet who is older than his years, to shed a few tears. It's very fast-paced, exciting, and very well written. If anything, im slightly disappointed that i let myself read it so quickly, because now i know i have quite a long an torturous while to wait for a new Elvis and Joe adventure! If you've not read anything in the series before, what are you waiting for??? Go to "The Monkey's Raincoat" and devour your way through. If you're an existing fan, what are you waiting for??? This is another Elvis and Joe book, for heavens sake!
Rating:
Summary: Elvis Cole is Back!
Review: Once again Robert Crais has managed to produce another page turning thriller with the characters he started with, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. What's so great about Crais is he manages to churn out nail biting suspense while at the same time revealing more of the personalities and personal demons of his characters. For those who have never read him before, you could read this as a stand alone, but the experience is much deeper if you've read all the previous Cole novels. In this one, Lucy Chenier's son Ben is kidnapped by a man who is bent on revenge for something Cole had done in his past. Elvis with the help of a worn and recovering Joe Pike hunts him down. Fast paced with plenty of twists, my only fault with the book, is that it was over too soon.
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: Worth the wait!!!
Review: It was worth the four-year wait for Elvis Cole to return in "The Last Detective" by Robert Crais. I read it in less than 24 hours. The plot catapults at a relentless pace. Down-to-earth, practical detective work is what solves the crime in this ticking clock child kidnapping. Since the child is the son of Elvis Cole's girl friend, the hunt is both personal and professional'and therefore all the more chilling, The point of view switches between the characters (Elvis is in the first person) and is smooth as silk and most engaging. The reader learns the clues as they unfold for Elvis, going thru the stages of frustration to hope to possibility to solution with Elvis and his archangel Joe Pike. The supporting cast, especially Carol Starkey (from "Demolition Angel") is outstanding. We learn a lot of Elvis' past via flashbacks that propel the plot. The scene from his Vietnam days is as intense as any I have read. It is a compelling novel that truly showcases depth of Robert Crais as a writer. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Crais has written the ultimate suspense novel!
Review: Robert Crais is best known for his signature character, L.A. Private Investigator Elvis Cole. Crais, however, is too talented a craftsman to rely on a single character, as demonstrated by his recent successes with the brilliant DEMOLITION ANGEL and HOSTAGE. Still, Crais could not keep Cole away forever and, at long last, has given us THE LAST DETECTIVE, a new Elvis Cole novel that will not only sate the appetites of Cole's fan base but also anyone who is a fan of the suspense genre. This is a book that will make you happy that someone took the time to teach you how to read. Crais wastes very little time in setting things up in THE LAST DETECTIVE. Cole's relationship with longtime love Lucy Chenier, already strained by the violence that plagues Cole's life, is further sundered when Chenier's son, Ben, disappears while Cole is babysitting him. Cole initially believes that Ben has temporarily run away due to the strain between Cole and Chenier, but a menacing telephone call soon demonstrates that Ben has been deliberately abducted for reasons of revenge having to do with Cole's dark past. At the same time, Cole's partner, Joe Pike, is dealing with the aftermath of injuries he sustained during the events of L.A. REQUIEM and finds himself unsure of his limits and abilities at a time when they, and he, will be tested to their utmost. Complicating matters further is the arrival of Richard Chenier, Lucy's ex-husband, a wealthy and obnoxious industrialist who attempts to take over the investigation. A surprise and welcome return also occurs with the prominent reappearance of Carol Starkey, introduced in DEMOLITION ANGEL and now working in the LAPD Juvenile Division. As Cole and Pike, the police and Richard Chenier conduct their investigations, often at cross-purposes, into Ben's disappearance, Cole is forced to confront his history and his life --- and how these elements affect those whom he loves. Crais, meanwhile, writes as if he is working against the stopwatch, ratcheting the suspense level up, up, up until it is almost painful. You won't get even a quarter of the way through this book without putting the completion of reading it on the top of your "to do" list. Be forewarned: this is a dark tale, one that eschews the wisecracking Cole of old. There is no humor here, no happy ending. The reader is given new insight not only into Cole, but also into Pike, perhaps one of the most interesting secondary characters in detective fiction since Robert Parker's Hawk. Pike is one of those people who would frighten you, even if he was on your side. God help you if he was coming for you. Seemingly invincible in previous Elvis Cole novels, Pike is slower, more vulnerable and, ultimately, more believable in THE LAST DETECTIVE. He is all the more frightening for it. If you haven't read anything by Crais for a while, or if you have never encountered him before, THE LAST DETECTIVE is a great place to begin the experience. Just leave some time to explore the backlist of this underrated author who is slowly but inexorably receiving the attention he has so long deserved. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: Trouble in Paradise
Review: "The Last Detective" is a bit of a departure from Robert Crais' standard Elvis Cole fare. The usually wisecracking Cole is subdued; the unflappable Joe Pike at times uncertain and and even shaken. The plot, centered around the kidnapping of Cole-girlfriend Lucy Chenier's young son, explains the somber tone, as few scenarios are more disturbing than one in which a child's life is in jeopardy. The author's treatment of the characters is more developed than in previous installments, dispassionately exposing the brutal and troubled pasts of both Cole and Pike. Considering the deteriorating relationship between Cole and Chenier, LAPD inter-office politics, the arrogant and scheming father of the boy, and a trio of truly bad... criminals, this is one dark and foreboding tale. There is ample mystery and some intersting twists, complemented by some very convincing crime scene forensics and detective work. Crais pulls this all off with his usual efficient grace and style, spinning a tight drama that once underway builds to a riveting and non-formulaic conclusion. If there is a criticism - and this is minor - it is a unsettling sense that with the number of important issues uncovered, there were simply not enough pages allowed to adequately address them all. I couldn't help feeling that an over zealous editor stripped away much of the author's intended content which, while not confusing the story, leaves a vaguely unfinished feeling to some of the most important messages Crais apparently wants to convey. But don't let this put you off. "The Last Detective" is a solid and fast read, unique in the series, and well worth the investment of time and money. As always, I'll be anxiously awaiting his next effort.
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