Rating: 
Summary: Robert Crais-The Best!
Review: Robert Crais has got to be the best author writing today. I really didn't think I would like this book because I am such a fan of Elvis and Joe. This book was right up there with his previous work. Loved it. I really like it when the author throws in a character from a previous book. Like in this one, he mentions Samantha Dolen, the cop who got killed in L.A. Requim. I kept thinking he was going to mention Elvis and Joe but it never happened. This was an excellent read. Trying to figure out the Pell character kept me on my toes. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Angel Indeed
Review: Robert Crais' writing is becoming darker. The early Elvis Cole books were rather flip and breezy, but this one is a dark story indeed. In a departure from the Cole series, Crais has given us Carol Starkey, an ex bomb squad tech who has been reassigned to the Criminal Conspiracy Section of the LAPD. Starkey has been maimed in body and mind by the bomb blast that also killed her lover, another bomb squad tech. Though this happened three years ago, Starkey is still living on gin and Tagamet and reliving the incident every night in her dreams. When a bomb technician is killed what seemed to be a routine bomb disarmament, Starkey is assigned to the case. Starkey and an ATF agent believe the bomb is the work of a notorious serial bomber who calls himself Mr. Red. Their investigation leads to some frightening Web sites and to interviews with people who derive pleasure from seeing things explode. When they make contact with Mr. Red, he claims that the bomber they seek is a copycat who may just be one of their own. A great suspenseful read. I finished it in one day. You may not find Starkey likeable, but she is altogether admirable in her tenacity to solve this crime and to reclaim her life.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, but who cares?
Review: I knew this book wouldn't be as much fun as the Elvis Cole novels. I knew it was going to be a departure from the books Crais has written in the past.What I didn't know was how little I would care about the characters in the book, especially Starkey, the lead character. The people in this book just aren't appealing people. In other Crais books I found myself relating to several characters, even the mysterious Joe Pike (who's temperament is about as far from my own as possible). But in Demolition Angel...well, there wasn't anybody that I found compelling. The writing is superb, better in many ways than other Crais books. The story line is great. It was a good read. But I hope Crais doesn't try to make a series of books around Starkey.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Crais has Written a Winner
Review: Demolition Angel begins with the harrowing scene of a bomb squad member being blown to bits and never lets you go. Crais introduces a new character, Detective Carol Starkey, a former bomb squad technician who was almost killed three years ago in a similar bombing that killed her partner and lover. Left scarred both physically and emotionally and drinking to excess, Carol gets to work to find this serial bomber before he strikes again. What she begins to realize, as she investigates, is this terrorist is after bomb squad techs, and she is the one that got away. This is a fast paced, compelling story with strong, realistic characters. The writing is gritty and true to life. The scenes vivid and frightening. Mr. Crais has obviously done his homework on the bomb squad and bomb building techniques and this adds real credibility to the story. Demolition Angel will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there to its very satisfying ending. A terrific, suspense-filled read that will pull you in and keep you turning pages all night long.
Rating:
Summary: Damp Powder
Review: Something is missing in this one...it lacks the spark that keeps us up all night with Elvis. When the villian is more cozy than the good gal, something's wrong. Maybe Crais knows women who really act like men you'd cross the street to avoid. Not in my backyard, thanks. Still, readable to the end. Not a dud, but nothing spectacular, either.
Rating:
Summary: Taut, well-plotted departure
Review: Taking a break from his Elvis Cole series, Crais introduces us to the very believable Carole Starkey who is, literally, back from the dead. Men rarely write female protagonists well, but Starkey is a credit to Crais' writing skills. She is entirely real as an angry, wounded investigator searching for clues--no matter how small--to the death of a bomb squad member. On a purely incidental note, it's amusing to see how the author deals with a number of Apple products, particularly the misadventures of one i-book. For Mac users, this is almost an inside joke. I have to hope that we'll see more of Carole Starkey.
Rating:
Summary: Demolition Angel
Review: Excellent---As good as and maybe even better thanL.A. Requiem. Loved them both! He really knowshow to tell a story. I'm going to order his lastbook and work my way back!
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Crais, Whither Goest Thou
Review: Another of my favorite authors has fallen under the curse. Like Tom Clancy, Crais gets me hooked with a series of best sellers then decides to change his approach. In his latest book, I struggled thru the first 50 awkward pages strictly out of loyalty to his past works, hoping against hope he would somehow develop this new central character into someone interesting. Then, I gave up and went onto to another book.
Rating:
Summary: Carol Starkey has a very bad attitude
Review: Is it possible to like a book and not like the main character? I guess so, because I liked the story very much, but found yet another unlikeable main character in Carol Starkey. So, she got blown up and died and was revived, but lost her bomb technician partner/lover. I think someone should explain to the author that (1) people who suffer tragedy are able to put their mournful thoughts and angers in a box and be more than a pitiful, one-dimensional person. Yes, the box is flimsy. Yes, anyone can open it. But typically one can get through a day keeping his thoughts to himself and appearing normal, not constantly jumping down everybody's throat; and (2) when a man loves a woman, he is incapable of seeing her scars. It's not necessary for the author to make her possible lover someone who is going blind. But the story, otherwise, is quite good. I loved how, through police investigation, the puzzle slowly took shape. I felt as if I were part of that intellectual endeavor, determining in which direction the investigation should go, and fitting new pieces into the puzzle. Nice. But for those looking for action, especially the kind that Elvis Cole and Joe Pike deliver, you'll have to look at Crais' earlier books or wait for his latest one.
Rating:
Summary: Bring Back Elvis
Review: Being a big fan of Robert Crais, I really wanted to give the new character of this novel, Carol Starkey, a chance. But I really found myself not caring about her or her problems in the least until things heated up well toward the end of the book. The style of this Crais novel, told in the third person, didn't have the endearing or humorous quality of previous Elvis Cole novels. Good plot here but feels like we're going through the motions to get through the story. Maybe Starkey needs to spend some time with Elvis to lighten up a bit (even Pike's more fun)- or maybe she just needs a cat. Still waiting patiently for the next Elvis Cole adventure.
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