The Monkey's Raincoat

Rating:
Summary: this book combines the traits of suspense and humor
Review: The Monkey's Raincoat is an absolute joy to read. Crais combines suspense and action with the right mix of humor. Elvis Cole is one cool cat and an excellent character for a series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A hot new mystery writer, WOW!!
Review: With the Monkey's Raincoat Robert Crais joins the greats of mystery writing. This well plotted book tells the story of drug-dealing and the kidnapping of a young child. Crais's main character is a cool LA (left coast) private eye named Elvis. Crais's characters have depth and are believable. The book (now books) are easy reads and I look forward to the next one from this excellent author.

Rating:
Summary: good detective novel
Review: The characters, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, reminded me of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordano from Clive Cusslers novels. But Pike is one bad dude, much more menacing than his couterpart (Giordano). I found myself wanting to read more about Pike. The last 100 pages of this one were page turners for sure. Enjoyable

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Detective
Review: I have to say for a first novel this one is definately not lacking. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike shine as brightly as another dynamic dou next to Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis. It is jam-packed with action and mystery. A real page-turner ... You don't want to miss it!

Rating:
Summary: Elvis is Alive and Well!
Review: This was my first Crais novel and not, by any stretch, my last.
Finally, a detective series when the gumshoe doesn't spend his downtime at a AA meeting.
Elvis is real, bad, funny, and different. Joe Pike makes it even better.
If you enjoy a very readable mystery - this is the one. I have only read one but I have got to believe they only get better.
Super book.

Rating:
Summary: A good first novel...but greatness comes later...
Review: Crais and Elvis Cole, I imagine, will grow after this book. This was short read, but took me a long time to get through. The book didn't flow as well as Demolition Angel did. Cole however is really cool character as is Joe Pike. The odd pairing works. This book is a bit dated now, almost 17 years later. The story is not all that deep or surprising, but still fun. However, I think I will continue to visit with Elvis and his world and see how he has grown.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This made for an exciting first novel for Mr. Crais. Excellent. The period in a book where the author must establish the characters is quite often boring. But not for this author - the characters and plotline was laid out in a very slick format. The story was edgy and exciting. I can't wait for the next in the series!!

Rating:
Summary: Decent dialogue, weak plot
Review: This book was a bit of a disappointment to me, since I read it on the recommendation of numerous amazon.com reviewers who thought that Elvis Cole was a better character than Harlan Coben's sports agent/investigator Myron Bolitar. The dialogue is very good and quite humorous, but the plot is paper-thin and parts of the book (especially towards the end) had me laughing out loud in disbelief at their ridiculousness. The entire mystery was revealed about half-way through the book and I kept waiting for some sort of twist at the end, but there was none at all. I really wouldn't recommend this novel at all, as its good points are overshadowed by its weaknesses.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Detective
Review: I have to say for a first novel this one is definately not lacking. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike shine as brightly as another dynamic dou next to Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis. It is jam-packed with action and mystery. A real page-turner ... You don't want to miss it!

Rating:
Summary: A Good, Funny Detective Yarn
Review: Elvis Cole is not your typical P.I. When we first meet Cole, he's staring at the Pinocchio clock in his office waiting for a frightened woman to make up her mind. Finally she decides to hire Cole to locate her husband and son who have disappeared. Cole finds himself embroiled in a murder case involving drugs and sex, a Mexican matador, and a film starlet. Cole is a complex character--a tough-guy who is obsessed with his good looks, but also a comedian with a tender-heart. His loyal, enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, aids him in the case, but one wonders why Pike is so undeveloped in this first novel by Robert Crais. (It isn't until "L.A. Requiem" that readers find out what makes Pike tick.) Written in the first person, Cole doesn't tell readers what he's thinking about the case. Readers just follow him wherever he goes. The chapters are short and snappy, allowing for an easy, pleasurable read. No real plot twists here. Just a good, funny yarn. Elvis Cole will leave you in stitches.