Rating: 
Summary: Elvis Is King
Review: This is the first entry in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and is a great read. Crais is a former TV writer who wrote for Emmy Award winning series such as L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues. In Elvis Cole, he creates a charcter who, on the surface, seems to be just another wise cracking private eye, but is actually so much more. Along with his perpetually sunglassed partner Joe Pike, Elvis owns a P.I. Agency in Los Angeles. Pike is quite interesting as well. He says little and lives life according to a strict code of discipline. He reminds me a little bit of Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti western days. The book opens with Elvis meeting with Ellen Lang & her friend Janet. It appears that Ellen's husband Mort has kidnapped their son. Elvis reluctantly takes the case and what appears to be a routine case of a missing person turns into something much bigger. Through many twists and turns involving small time Hollywood agents and actresses, he eventually comes face to face with a Mexican crime lord, who is a former bullfighter. He thinks Elvis has his missing cocaine and the story ends with Elvis searching for the cocaine and a showdown in the crime lord's compound. Crais weaves many interesting characters into a fast paced, humorous tale. The book contains the right amount of twists and turns to keep you on your toes, but not too many as to seem implausible. He reveals just enough about Elvis & Pike for us to get know them, but leaves somethings about them uncovered, so they can be explored in future books. This book is as entertaining as any I ever read and if you enjoy mystery novels, you love this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Disney Figures In His Office!
Review: If the mere hint of a private investigator with Disney figurines and a Pinochio clock in his office isn't the least bit interesting, I don't know what is. Robert Crais has created a wonderful persona in Elvis Cole.Cole, a former security guard turned private investigator, is hired by Helen Lang to find her missing husband, Mort, and son. Before you can even begin to wonder about kidnapping, Mort is found dead in his car, and their house has been trashed, with the boy still missing. Throw in the mafia and a spanish bull-fighter turned aristocrat, and you have one exciting novel. Cole is a wonderful, wise-cracking character, complimented nicely by his mercenary partner, Joe Pike. Together, they make a sensational team. The storyline is nicely developed and the suspense is great. Crais is talented writer. Overall, this is an excellent book, and a really good start to the Elvis Cole mystery series. This faced-paced story doesn't stop with the thrills until the heart-stopping, wild ending.
Rating:
Summary: Elvis is the King
Review: "Monkey's Raincoat" is the first novel in the Elvis Cole L.A. Private Eye series. The main character is a cynical, yet soft, private eye, with a penchant for morning yoga stretches and Disney collectibles. You can't help but enjoy a main character who has a Pinocchio clock in his office, loves spicy food, and has a sidekick with an empty office. As another reviewer pointed out, this book is more of an "action" novel than it is mystery. There are no major plot twists that leave you in shock. There are no subtle clues at the beginning of the story you should pay attention to. You feel more that you are the listener to Elvis' outloud ramblings that help him in solving the case. The book flows, and I found myself absorbed in the whip sharp dialogue and wondering how Cole can eat what he does while still remain healthy and on top of his game.
Rating:
Summary: A fun read, but NOT a great mystery
Review: Having read all of the terrific Michael Connelly police detective mysteries, I was alerted to Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books as another fine hard-boiled Los Angeles-based mystery series. I was advised to read them in order, so I began at the beginning with *The Monkey's Raincoat*. Overall, this book was well worth reading, but I must conclude that at least in this first effort, Crais has produced more of an "action thriller" than a true mystery. The tough, wise-cracking Viet Nam veteran Cole is an appealing protagonist, and the quirkiness of his survivalist sidekick Joe Pike adds a bizarre and colorful element to the story. Crais is an excellent writer with an eye for the ironies of contemporary American life and a wry sense of humor, and these skills enrich the book immeasurably. Make no mistake about it, this is a can't-put-it-down read that stands head and shoulders about the typical work of private eye pulp fiction. I was disappointed, however, in the simplicity of the plot itself. There really was precious little "mystery" at all in the story, and very few of the surprises-one-might-have-foreseen-from-a-tiny-clue-early-on that one comes to expect from a first-rate practioner of the genre such as Michael Connelly. Where a true mystery offers such unexpected twists and turns, Crais offers a surfeit of blood, guts, and mayhem. Elvis Cole is forever getting himself into difficult situations from which he can extricate himself only through popping someone in the nose, spraying blood everywhere (of course), or by shooting a whole bunch of bad guys. The body count in this book is alarmingly high, to tell the truth. I would add that although I realize that the sudden plunge into bed by the hero and whatever attractive woman happens to be handy is a standard part of the private eye genre, Crais' handling of this aspect of the novel is nothing special. Overall, this is a lively read that shows Crais to be above average in his literary skills (certainly on a par with Robert Parker, whose work is highly uneven). This first effort, however, is simply not a fully satisfying *mystery*. Still, I'm definitely going on to read his second book.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is the mystery?
Review: I read this book hoping the next page would bring some sort of unexpected twist. Nothing, nada, zip, nilch... nothing in this book is unexpected. In fact, you can read the first half and pretty much guess how the rest of the book plays out. It was a disappointing read after reading the works of Harlan Coben and Dennis Lehane. Perhaps Crais' later works are a lot better, but this is just a simple cut-and-dry action book, with a lot of killing. I'm not sure why this is labeled a mystery. That being said, the dialogue in this book was fantastic, and character development was pretty comendable as well. Any weakness in the book can be forgiven since it is his first novel, provided that his later works are a lot better.
All in all however, this book could easily be a one-hour episode of some crime show on tv.
Rating:
Summary: Elvis is the King
Review: "Monkey's Raincoat" is the first novel in the Elvis Cole L.A. Private Eye series. The main character is a cynical, yet soft, private eye, with a penchant for morning yoga stretches and Disney collectibles. You can't help but enjoy a main character who has a Pinocchio clock in his office, loves spicy food, and has a sidekick with an empty office. As another reviewer pointed out, this book is more of an "action" novel than it is mystery. There are no major plot twists that leave you in shock. There are no subtle clues at the beginning of the story you should pay attention to. You feel more that you are the listener to Elvis' outloud ramblings that help him in solving the case. The book flows, and I found myself absorbed in the whip sharp dialogue and wondering how Cole can eat what he does while still remain healthy and on top of his game.
Rating:
Summary: Like Mysteries? Start This Series Here!
Review: I just finished re-reading this. I read about 30 mysteries in 2003 and I would put this near the top - highly recommended. If you do want to start the Elvis Cole series, this is the first book - fast-paced, idiosyncratic in spots, and humorous in turn. The rest of the reviews have told enough of the story. But it's hard to categorize Elvis Cole by comparison to other series detectives. The L.A. scene is laid on appropriately without being overbearing. There's a little character development - if this were a single book, you would want more, but the series as a whole allows for that in stages. I imagine there are a few frequent mystery readers who will not enjoy this series...but not many. And this first book is head and shoulders above the majority of mysteries. You can't go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Slick private eye tale
Review: Repressed and subservient housewife Ellen Lang,hires private investigator Elvis Cole to find her husband and son whom she thinks have been kidnapped. The body of the husband, Mort Lang is found in his car but with no sign of her son.Mort had been playing up with a small time starlet, Kimberley Marsh who introduced him to the world of drugs and big time crooks. When a large quantity of cocaine goes missing from the home of a mobster, Mort is suspected and everyone connected with him has their homes torn apart in the search for the drugs. Elvis is warned off the case by a detective from the Special Operations group and he begins to suspect a massive cover up which reaches into the police department. It;s a great, fast story with tons of action involving crooks, starlets and cops and doesn't let up for a moment.
Rating:
Summary: L.A.'s Toughest and Gentlest P.I. -- Done with Humor
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. 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 35, ex-Army, served in Viet Nam, 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 convertible, and usually carries his .38 Special Dan Wesson. 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. Although he's got 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 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. I grew up near Los Angeles, and get a special pleasure out of reading his descriptions of the differences in cities, neighborhoods, and buildings in the area. He gets in right . . . and in detail. It's a nice touch! On to The Monkey's Raincoat: "Winter downpour --
even the monkey
needs a raincoat."
--Basho Friend Janet Simon drags a dependent Ellen Lang to see Elvis in the opening chapter. Ellen's husband, Mort, and son, Perry, have left without warning and without a trace. Daughters Cindy and Carrie are still at home. Ellen's not sure what she should do. She's afraid husband Mort will be angry if she has Elvis look for him. Mort's a talent agent after all, and likes to call the shots. Elvis quickly finds out that Mort's in over his head in more ways than one, starting with "client" Kimberly Marsh. Also, there's no income, almost no money left, and Mort's got a high overhead to keep. Plus, he may have made some powerful people angry. Elvis has to find Mort and Perry before it all goes wrong. Then new problems arise, and Pike tries out his skills as a baby-sitter. Pretty soon Elvis and Joe are up to their eyeballs in bad guys from all directions. The story develops in small segments, usually in chapters of 4-5 pages in length, like a scene in a drama. Each change is a small one, but it either develops the plot or the characters. By the time you've read any three of these chapters, you've moved off into a totally new arena. So the story moves fast . . . but without leaving you behind. Pay particular attention to Ellen's emotional maturity as she deals with what seem like unsurmountable problems. Mr. Crais does a nice job of helping you understand her perspective and how the plot complications affect her. That's one quality that takes this book above the best of the Spenser books. After you finish the book, you might find it interesting to think about which characters benefited from their experiences in the book . . . and why. After all, that which doesn't kill us can make us stronger. What can you do to turn adversity into a character-strengthener for you? Donald Mitchell...
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Author
Review: Robert Crais is brilliant. The first 40 pages read so true that I off and bought myself the next five books in the series knowing I would not be disappointed. On his web site, Robert Crais mentions that he started writing novels because there are just some things that can't be done on TV. Very true. This quality of writing would not be evident on the screen. The written characters, scenery and situations are superb. Complaints? Very minor. A couple extraneous wise cracks and a small weakness in plot in that the bad guys had no reason to pick the battle they chose. The weaknesses are easily overlooked because each paragraph is so visually and believably written. After reading other reviews, it sounds like even my minor complaints won't be present in future Cole novels. Excellent! Crais is definitely capable.
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