Rating: 
Summary: passable
Review: Another decent Elvis Cole/Joe Pike story, with the heros
traveling to New Orleans and Baton Rouge to help a Hollywood
TV actress trace her roots. A lot of typical action,with a
series of memorable characters made this a very readable
book, but of only passable mystery value.
Unhappily, the author rather mixes up '50s and '60 cultural
sensibilities with modern views when he tries to explore the
emotions of these characters and how they relate to their
problems.
He too quickly overcomes the shame of racial mixing, which practice
was almost universally condemned in that earlier era, by applying present-day indifference, and his quick glossing-over
of such problems rather reduces the ability of this story to
hold the attention of attentive readers.
This is a passable read, but not one to grip most readers.
Rating: 
Summary: mildly humorous swamp romp
Review: Elvis gets a call to help out a TV actress discover info about her biological parents, which leads him to a small town in Louisiana. Interesting characters abound, including a giant snapping turtle. Soon, Elvis realizes another detective is on the scene, and not everything is as it first appears. The storyline also involves some romance with Elvis first meeting Lucy Chenier (who appears in subsequent Elvis stories), a lawyer from Baton Rouge. Somewhere about 2/3rd of the way into this book, the storyline changes as Elvis takes on a mission to right the wrongs of several folks in the back woods.
Rating:
Summary: mildly humorous swamp romp
Review: Elvis gets a call to help out a TV actress discover info about her biological parents, which leads him to a small town in Louisiana. Interesting characters abound, including a giant snapping turtle. Soon, Elvis realizes another detective is on the scene, and not everything is as it first appears. The storyline also involves some romance with Elvis first meeting Lucy Chenier (who appears in subsequent Elvis stories), a lawyer from Baton Rouge. Somewhere about 2/3rd of the way into this book, the storyline changes as Elvis takes on a mission to right the wrongs of several folks in the back woods.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: Fast-paced and action-packed, I loved this book. I love Elvis Cole. I love Joe Pike, too. Lucy was a bit main-strean and boring, but there is no accounting for taste. This one takes us to Cajun country, and Crais handles all the different types of characters well. I found the final action/reaction of this books "damsel-in-distress" a little bit unreal, but it brought closure to the story. I wish it had more Joe Pike and the cat; I missed the cat.
Rating:
Summary: Weak Entry For Elvis
Review: Have to admit I found the fifth in the Elvis Cole novels a disappointment. Three reasons to be exact: 1) The location change. Part of the appeal of Crais novels are their Southern California locale. Here the plot takes him to the heart of Louisiana to uncover the mysterious past of television starlet Jodi Taylor. 2) A pretty lack luster romance. I'm all for giving your characters a little libido boost, but does it have to be so milk toast and uninteresting? For the first time in any of his books I thought the dialogue seemed false and forced. The relationship between Elvis and Lucy Chenier seemed more like something to fill up pages than anything I cared about seeing develop. Which brings me to my third point. 3) Where's Joe Pike? Crais best character is without a doubt Elvis' partner, Joe Pike. Here he doesn't make an appearance until nearly two thirds of the way through the novel. Consequently I didn't feel the book really kicked off until then, with the thin plot feeling a little dated and contrived. Such a bummer from a usually great writer. Personally I'd suggest any of his first four instead such as "the Monkey's Raincoat."
Rating:
Summary: When's the movie coming out?
Review: Having just read Hostage, Demolition Angel, and LA Requiem, I am now reading Voodoo River. I guess you could say that I like Robert Crais" writing.
The back page always refers to Mr. Crais' credentials as a screenwriter for LA Law and Hill Street Blues, both excellent TV shows from years gone by. Why hasn't any of his books been considered for full-length movies? It seems to be a natural consequence, given his prior work.
I can't help but visualize each of the characters, especially, Joe Pike. I think of Jan Michael Vincent as Joe Pike, cat-like, etc.
Given the success this year of the movie version of Mystic River, I think it might be time to consider one of Crais' novels for a similar treatment. The difficulty lies in deciding which one to do first. LA Requiem was good for the action and character of Joe Pike. Might be a good one to begin with. I'll have to read the rest of the books so I can assess them all.
Later.
Rating: 
Summary: The Second Half was Tired and Cliched
Review: I've read most of the Elvis Cole series, and this is by far one of the worst ones. This book has the feel of two different novels pasted together. The first half is very intriguing, where Elvis has to search for a Television star's biological parents. Elvis searches Louisiana and comes up with even more mysteries and secrets, making it interesting and a page turner. I almost felt the anxiety and the hot muggy air when I read the first half.
Then, all of a sudden, a horrible travesty of a book breaks out. Suddenly, Elvis somehow becomes involved in multi mob-boss fighting and immigration issues involving government stings, racial tensions from long ago, and horribly over-sentimental goals. The fluidity of the book is lost. The motivations and character involvement's are convoluted at best. Compared to the first half of the book, the second half is pure garbage.
Crais took a good book and sabotaged it.
Rating:
Summary: Elvis Falls in Love in Bayou Country
Review: If you have yet to begin the marvelous Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais, you've got a great treat ahead of you! Few series get off to a stronger start than Mr. Crais did with The Monkey's Raincoat, which won both the Anthony and Macavity awards for best novel while being nominated for the Edgar and Shamus awards as well. Stalking the Angel followed powerfully with classic noir style of the 1930s hard-boiled detective up against evil moderated with wise cracks. Lullaby Town updated the 1930s detective stories about Hollywood. Free Fall looked hard at the corruptibility of the police and found them wanting. And the books just keep getting better from there in their characterizations, action, story-telling and excitement. Elvis Cole is the star attraction, the co-owner of The Elvis Cole Detective Agency. He's now 40ish, ex-Army, served in Vietnam, ex-security guard, has two years of college, learned to be a detective by working under George Feider, a licensed P.I. for over 40 years, does martial arts as enthusiastically as most people do lunch, and is fearless but not foolish. He's out to right the wrongs of the world as much as he is to earn a living. Elvis has a thing for Disney characters (including a Pinocchio clock), kids, cats, scared clients and rapid fire repartee. He drives a Jamaica yellow 1966 Corvette Stingray convertible, and usually carries a Dan Wesson .38 Special. His main foil is partner, Joe Pike, an ex-Marine, ex-cop who moves quietly and mysteriously wearing shades even in the dark . . . when he's not scaring the bad guys with the red arrows tattooed on his deltoids, which are usually bare in sleeveless shirts. Although he has an office with Elvis, Pike spends all of his time at his gun shop when not routing the bad guys with martial arts while carrying and often using enough firepower to stop a tank. Pike rarely speaks . . . and never smiles. A standing gag is trying to catch Pike with a little twitch of his lips indicating he might possibly be amused. But he's there when you need him. He drives a spotless red Jeep. Robert Parker's Spenser is the obvious character parallel for Elvis, but Spenser and Elvis are different in some ways. Cole is more solitary, usually being alone when he's not working. Cole is very much L.A. and Spenser is ultra blue collar Boston. Cole is martial arts while Spenser boxes and jogs. What they have in common is that they're both out to do the right thing, with money being unimportant. They both love to crack wise as they take on the bad guys. The bad guys hate the "humor" in both cases, and can't do much about it. The dialogue written for each is intensely rich. Mr. Crais has a special talent for making you care about his characters, especially the clients and their kids. You'll want to know what happens to them. With a lot of experience in script writing, Mr. Crais also knows how to set the scene physically and make you feel it. He may be out finest fiction writer about physical movement. He gives you all the clues to picture what's going on . . . but draws back from giving so much detail that you can't use your own imagination to make things better. On to Voodoo River, the fifth book in the series. The title refers the mysterious evils that can lurk amid the Louisiana bayous. Mr. Crais is from Louisiana originally, and he credibly moves the locale for this story from Los Angeles to his first home. Those who love the L.A. color to his novels will be disappointed. Those who want a little more mysterious and colorful backdrop will feel rewarded. It takes a little work to follow all of the bayou and food references in the book. I've been to Louisiana many times, and I was stretched. Keep your dictionary handy. Television star Jodi Taylor hires Elvis to find her biological parents so she can understand her health history better. Elvis travels to Louisiana to work with an attorney, Lucy Chenier, who specializes in handling the delicate Louisiana law for arranging such contacts. He quickly uncovers the answer, and finds out that there are lots of hidden motives involved in his assignment. From there, he has to take on some truly imposing villains to right the wrongs that began many years before. In the process, Elvis falls deeply in love with Lucy. Now, he has something to lose when he faces the bad guys . . . and it makes him both more vulnerable and appealing as a character. It was only a matter of time before Elvis climbed down off of his pedestal and became a regular, vulnerable human being. Voodoo River marks the first of several novels that develop around his relationship with Lucy and her son, Ben. Those who like a love interest in their detective novels will see this as a major plus. Those who do not will like the series much less well from here. Pay particular attention to the evolution of the characters of Elvis Cole and Jodi Taylor. Mr. Crais stresses both to their core, and they come out changed by the experience. The book's story-telling style differs from the earlier books in the series. Voodoo River reads like a series of novellas strung together like jewels on a necklace by a common theme. Since I liked all but the last novella quite a bit, this structure made the book more appealing. It was like getting five stories for the price of one. After you finish the book, I suggest that you think about what your values are. To defeat a great evil, which of your values could you feel compelled to abandon? Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Rating:
Summary: A bit deeper than before...
Review: This is a good mystery. There are some solid surprises. The real joy comes from Elvis finally finding love. The story is solid and the characters reliably odd and/or scary. I've now read 5 Elvis Cole novels and I am dying to know his back story. I hope I learn it soon. On to the next!
Rating:
Summary: Voodoo River
Review: To know Elvis Cole is to enjoy him. Once again, Craig brings his excellent dialogue, intriguing plot lines and sense of humor to life. Crais writes as well as anyone in this genre. Additionally, each time he takes on different topics in which to set his mysteries. In Voodoo River Elvis takes his "world's greatest detective" agency to Louisiana and enters the worlds of adopted children growing to middle age and immigration. Despite the change in locale away from LA, Mr. Crais does not a miss a beat. If you are an Elvis fan this is everything you have come to expect. If you have not yet met him, you will enjoy him and look forward to finding another Elvis book. Crais' writing style enhances the telling of terrific story lines.
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