Robert Crais

Given the fact that Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are getting on in years and their exploits are becoming a bit of a stretch given their access to senior discounts at the mega-mart, it was time for Robert Crais to give us another couple of characters to follow. He's come up with a twist on the buddy act - a cop and his dog. Not a pet. A partner. Two cops. One gun. Six legs. All heart.

I don't read a ton of detective thrillers, but enough and I can't recall another K-9 duo. I guess Turner and Hooch show more of movie fame is close, but since I haven't seen it, I can't really give an opinion. So as changes of pace go, it's a nice one. Scott and Maggie are both beaten up and basically discarded by their respective units; in Scott's case the LAPD and in Maggie's, the Marines. Battle-scarred and weary they end up together because no one else will have them.

Early on, Scott is of the opinion that working as a K-9 officer will be easier because if he loses another partner it's just a dog. I shook my head ruefully because I knew that attitude couldn't stand and wouldn't last as soon as the two bonded. I was right. Soon Scott begins to see Maggie's intelligence and after a few episodes he begins to trust her. There's nothing magical or extrasensory about their communication; it's still dog and master, but the connection feels real. So does Scott's alienation. Once part of the team at LAPD and on the move to bigger and better units, now after almost being killed he's grudgingly allowed to stay on the force, but his options are limited. Not only does he have to deal with these circumstances, but he's still healing from his multiple gunshot wounds and has daily rounds of pain-killers which make him feel conflicted. He doesn't want to get addicted or take the easy way out, but the agony of the twisting scar tissue both inside and out makes him need the meds.

Chapters are divided into sections featuring the thoughts and actions of different characters, Maggie included. At first I was leery of these thinking they'd be anthropomorphized versions of what Crais imagines a dog thinks. Luckily he didn't go there. Instead Maggie's parts feel like they come from a dog. Very single-minded and simple. Pack. Crate. Protect. Protect Pack. Protect Crate. Her initial confusion and isolation make us feel for her plight. Then there are the smells. Smells are to dogs what colors and lights are to us. Dogs live by their noses in ways we can only dream about. Crais does a good job illustrating that otherness of how dogs slip through the world, but even though it's alien, it's also comforting and knowing and relatable. Maggie's character almost makes me want to get a dog of my own. Almost.

Because it seems Crais was so enmeshed in giving us character, background and relationship it seems that he took his eye off the ball when it came to plot. Yes Scott does some actual detecting and things become clearer with each link in the chain he produces, but the ending seemed kind of rushed. The real villain is discovered, coerced, trapped and taken down in just a few pages. I'd have liked a bit more of a dance, but that's just me and my experience of the Cole novels. Maybe he's trying out something a bit more dynamic with this set of characters and circumstances. It wasn't unsatisfying exactly. The time we spend with Scott while he's actively squirming on the hook is emotionally engaging, but it is short.

Overall I like the direction I think this series (and who are we kidding, it's going to be a series) will take and I'll be up for the next installment for sure, even if it's just for another pervy cameo from John Chen. show less

I find it funny how quickly we become accustomed to how the reality of the little things are in whatever period of time we live in. My husband is still laughing at the question I voiced more than once while reading this book. This novel was written in 1992. I found myself wondering and commenting on why Elvis Cole didn't "just call and let people know what kind of trouble was headed their way"? My chuckling husband reminded me that the cell phone mania didn't even exist during this period, show more so all Cole's detective work had to be done the good "old fashioned" way...standing outside in the weather feeding quarters into a big chunky black, pay phone. In spite of the lack of a devise that wouldn't become attached to our hands until a good 10 or so years in Elvis Cole's future, this showcased the really hard work by this hard-boiled private detective with a heart of pure gold. In this case there was two of them, Elvis and his friend, Joe Pike, who found themselves stepping over bodies and taking on the New York mob. What actually makes this story good is the dialogue...the not too complicated story line...the believable characters, and the occasional, even if predictable, outcome. A lot of people are murdered. Don't even try to keep up with that. The New York Mafia characters, while full of stereotyped speech and mannerisms, still manage to capture your interest. It's been quiet sometime since I read an Elvis Cole book, so I had forgotten how much I loved the smart-a** answers often delivered by Cole. They somewhat reminded me of the John Cory character in Nelson de Mille's books. It was great visiting with Elvis and Joe again. show less

Robert Crais knows how to capture my attention from the first page and hold it to the end and “The Promise” illustrates that perfectly. Crais arouses my curiosity in the opening paragraph by describing a “small, round, and dumpy” woman wearing a fringed leather jacket in a darkened room who was clearly afraid and reminded the observer of an overripe peach. Things are not always as they seem and that will turn out to be the case in this instance, but for most of the book Crais allows show more us, and Elvis Cole, to hold fast to our mistaken impressions.

Hired by a woman claiming to be a friend of the “overripe peach,” Cole sets out to find the woman. Almost immediately he comes under suspicion as the police search for a terrorist with possible gang connections. For his part, Cole believes the terrorist is responsible for the woman’s disappearance.

Cole enlists the help of his partner, Joe Pike, but two characters introduced in earlier books figure more prominently than Pike. Jon Stone, a former Delta Force operator who now works as a military contractor plays a prominent role. Stone has appeared in minor roles in earlier Cole/Pike novels such as “The First Rule” and he was featured more prominently in “Taken,” the previous novel in this series. Although our initial impression is that Stone is a shallow individual who lives for whoring and fighting, he emerges as an enlightened, philosophical, and thoughtful man of great depth. And for all of that, he is still as badass as Joe Pike. The final scene in the novel belongs to Stone.

Scott James and his K9 dog Maggie, introduced in the stand-alone novel “Suspect,” also figure prominently. Readers who hoped to hear more of Scott and Maggie after making their acquaintance in “Suspect” will find their appearance here to be rewarding. Scott and Maggie are critical in bringing the search for the suspected terrorist to a close.

I can’t wait to move on to #17, “The Promise”, in the Cole/Pike series, and I was delighted to read in a 2017 interview that Crais intends to feature Stone along with Joe Pike in #18. I’m hoping that we will see more of James and Maggie in the future as well. All are interesting characters quite capable of carrying a story by themselves. show less

Start of a Beautiful Relationship

It's been awhile since we've read a Crais book, and we're happy to see he's lost none of his skill at writing a compelling tale, if this 2013 outing is indicative of his current work. What makes this effort so special is how he is able to portray the developing relationship between Officer Scott James and his K-9 corps dog Maggie. If you have any heart at all, any feeling for your fellow man and for beautiful, loyal, and determined dogs, you'll find yourself show more growing misty-eyed in the final moments of the book.

Maggie is an ex-Marine dog. She suffers from the loss of her Marine handler killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, as well as PTSD and wounds in the attack. Officer James also suffers from PTSD and wounds received in a brutal shooting incident, as well as the loss of his partner. They come together at the LAPD canine training facility.

As we follow them learning about each other and developing a trusting relationship, we develop an attachment and affection for their partnership, and, in particular, for Maggie, the best friend a man could ever have. Our education about military and police canines, their almost incredible abilities and their unbreakable loyalty to their handlers, is the real strength of the novel. Crais does a good job of putting us into the mind of Maggie, so much so that by the end we feel as attached to her as Officer James does.

There's not much more to say, except pick up a copy and discover a crime story with real heart. show less