Rating: 
Summary: Weakest of the Elvis Cole Series
Review: I'm a big fan of Crais' work, including the early novels, but Stalking the Angel lacks the energy and sparkle of the others. The plot holds few surprises and the wisecracks seem forced. There's a flatness to this work, despite some good moments, and the key character, a 16 year old girl, never really comes to life. If you haven't read any of the early Elvis Coles, don't start here -- I'd suggest beginning with the first one, The Monkey's Raincoat, then moving on to Lullaby Town.
Rating: 
Summary: Love Me Tender Elvis
Review: In this second book of the series, Elvis Cole is back, spouting witty dialogue, trying to save the girl, and eliminate the bad guys. Sound pretty much appropriate for a detective story? Not when it involves a Disney-figurine-loving guy driving a yellow corvette.A priceless Japanese manuscript is stolen and snappy private investigator Elvis Cole is hired to find it. Bradley Warren and the best looking woman he has seen in weeks, Jillian Becker, need Elvis to find the Hagakure, and money is no object thanks to the blank check they left him. In the process, Warren's daughter, Mimi, is kidnapped by the Japanese mafia, making Elvis' work that much harder. Elvis' trail runs cold several times, as the storyline takes several unexpected twists. Elvis is once again, complimented by his sociopathic, always-wearing-shades partner, Joe Pike. Straight-faced cop Lou Poitras is also back in a minor background role, but always adding a dry humor to the novel. Mimi, the kidnapped daughter, is a very interesting character in this book, as she is the focal point of the investigation, and it is her that brings out Elvis' human side. If anything, STALKING THE ANGEL, opens the readers eyes to Cole's serious, yet sensitive feelings. This human element made for a much more complete novel. This was a very good book, that reads exceptionally well. The flow is quite nice, with the amusing hero in Elvis taking center stage. This is another solid effort from Robert Crais.
Rating: 
Summary: Needless detail and annoying sarcasm
Review: In this second, and probably the weakest Elvis Cole novel, Crais seemed to spew a book out without any thought. Instead of a well thought out novel, Crais spends needless time on pointless details and intermingles random sarcastic thoughts that only seem to slow down the book to a crawl. The book starts off well with Elvis in charge of finding a priceless Japanese book. Then the book just moves to the absurd, with a flashy nightclub, family incest, and a strange cult spliced together to form some sore of plot. The worst part is the detail that takes away from the weak plot. A prime example is a four-page interlude where Crais describes a man drinking coffee and how a room is arranged. Worst of all, the coffee and the room mean absolutely nothing to the book. Approximately ten percent of the book is devoted to what the detectives eat. Crais tries to save this book with sarcasm. Of course when every other page contains a supposedly witty remark, the lines get tired and old after a while. Unless you plan to read all the Elvis Cole novels, it'd be best to skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: A letdown
Review: Not half the book its predecessor was. Friends tell me the next book is not very good, either, but that the more recent books are as return to form. Sure hope so: "The Monkey's Raincoat" whetted my appetite for more.
Rating: 
Summary: The return of Elvis Cole - what a ride!
Review: Now, if you're wondering how a hardboiled mystery could ever make you laugh, you obviously haven't met Elvis Cole. This is a series I resisted at first - I guess I was put off by the thought of a detective named Elvis. But I'm hooked and I think you will be too! Stalking the Angel hits the ground running on page one and I didn't put it down until the last page was read. Wise cracking Cole adheres to no one's standards and doesn't much seem to care who hires him. When he's approached by Bradley Warren, a pompous executive, to investigate the theft of a priceless manuscript, he takes the job even though the two clash from the first word. Meeting Warren's exhibitionistic wife and troubled daughter dampens what little enthusiasm he has for the case, but when the daughter is kidnapped after Cole promised her he'd watch out for her, it becomes personal. When suspects start dying torturous, violent deaths, Cole enlists the aid of partner Joe Pike and the two leave no stone unturned in bringing the case to a climactic end. Robert Crais presents us with a lovable hero with a smart mouth and eyes that don't miss much. But don't be deceived - this is no cozy. Violence is real, but not unjustified. Ethical lines are understandably blurred and happily ever after isn't part of the deal. Still, it's a highly enjoyable read and we can all look forward to Elvis' latest adventure - LA Requiem, due out in June.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: Now...I wonder why I didn't enjoy this book as much as his previous work. Troubled teenager was a bit too confusing in actions and words and never could figure out why Elvis was so extremely drawn to helping the teen. Much of the plot was muffled to me. Mind you, I really like Crais' style--thus my disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Great character, great writing, mediocre story
Review: Robert Crais has created an appealing and humorous protagonist for his Los Angeles-set crime novels in private investigator Elvis Cole. Cole is a fascinating combination of post-Viet Nam hardboiled cynicism and golden-hearted idealism, a wisecracking, Corvette-driving master of martial arts who is also a first-rate detective. Crais makes Cole's adventures all the more appealing through his lively and witty writing style; his stories are carried along by his colorful descriptions of places and people, and he punctuates his narrative with clever verbal "zingers" through which Crais demonstrates considerable insight into human beings and their foibles. In this, the second of the Elvis Cole novels, Crais focuses upon a crime scenario involving the *yakuza*, the so-called "Japanese Mafia." The first part of the book sets out the elements of a potentially intricate mystery involving the stealing of a precious Japanese sacred text; this leads to murder, kidnapping, and a fascinating foray into the Japanese-American underworld by Cole and his gun-toting associate, Joe Pike. The promise that is presented by the first part of the book, however, goes largely unrealized in the second. The "mystery" proves to be fairly easily solved, and the last portion of the story mainly involve a lot of chasing, fighting, and ultimately shooting of stereotyped Asian bad guys by Cole and Pike. Cole actually has a heart of gold (of course), and ends up doing much of his crime-solving work for free, because it is the "right thing to do." To a point, this is reasonable as part of the author's strategy for creating a hero appropriate to the genre. However, by the end of the book, the highly risky course of action followed by our heroes simply out of the goodness of their hearts seems way too implausible, and their methods for righting wrongs way too violent. The story actually impressed me as akin to something one might see in a private eye television series, i.e., light on intricacy of plot, heavy on "fightin' and shootin'," and with a highly simplistic differentiation between the "good" and the "bad" characters. Crais is an indisputably skillful writer who can turn a phrase as well as any of the best crime story writers around today. However, *Stalking The Angel* is lightweight fare when compared to the deeper, more substantial work of say, Michael Connelly. Having now read Crais' first two Cole novels, I am curious to read one or more of his more recent works. I want to see whether as Crais has developed his mystery writing acumen he has shown himself capable of developing books in which the appeal to readers is based not just upon private eye wisecracks, alluring locales, and a socko series of action-packed sequences, but also upon a more highly-crafted plot structure.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best author of detective novels
Review: Robert Crais is one of the rare authors of private detective novels to succeed in making me laugh as well as making me biting my nails. The plot is intense. Pike is at the same time hard and tender, and Cole is as much funny as eager to solve the mystery. Always a good reading. You are lucky, you who have not still read any the novels of Crais!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The development of the characters (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike) continues in this the second book of his series. It is excellent. Mr. Crais weaves a fine mystery - with lots of plot twists. Cole is very human, often mistaken in his perceptions of what he considers damsels-in-distress! This makes him a more interesting character than most PI's, who for some reason are always presented as omniscient!
An excellent read, I would recommend it to anyone!!
Rating:
Summary: What The?
Review: The realist in me feels like it is all a little too far fetched, and way beyond what most people can relate to however for those who enjoy a rollicking good ride, well, why not? Make believe can produce all sorts of wild and wonderful experiences, so I would have to recommend highly for those who like to step outside the straight and narrow. A real page turner!!
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