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“Terrific entertainment . . . A powerful portrait of Los Angeles in our time: swift, colorful, gripping, a real knockout.”—Dean KoontzThe day starts like any other in L.A. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for private investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.
Now Karen's powerful father calls on Pike (a former show more cop) and his partner, Elvis Cole, to keep an eye on the LAPD as they search for his daughter's killer—because in the luminous City of Angels, everyone has secrets, and even the mighty blue have something to hide. But what starts as a little procedural hand-holding turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. For a dark web of conspiracy threatens to destroy Pike and Cole's twelve-year friendship—if not their lives. And L.A. just might be singing their dirge.
Praise for L.A. Requiem
“One of the best crime novels I've ever read. Absolutely terrific!”—David Baldacci
“Darker, denser, deeper, and more satisfying than anything he’s written before.”—The Denver Post
“[A] whodunit with salsa and soul . . . [Crais] keeps his plot pounding along.”—People. show less
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The day starts like any other in L.A. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for private investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.
Now Karen's powerful father calls on Pike (a former cop) and his partner, Elvis Cole, to keep an eye on the LAPD as they search for his daughter's killer--because in the luminous City of Angels, everyone has secrets, and even the mighty blue have something to hide. But what starts as a little procedural hand-holding turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. For a dark web of conspiracy threatens to destroy Pike and Cole's show more twelve-year friendship--if not their lives. And L.A. just might be singing their dirge.
My Thoughts:
The plot is very well done. It has the requisite twists and turns. You may think you have it figured out but guess again. I don't think many people will get there before the author wants you to. the writing is superb. Robert Crais has always been a good writer in a mild breezy way, but with this book he shows us he can handle deeper emotions. This is a darker, more serious, book than his others and he handles it with perfect aplomb. We also see so much more of Joe Pike's past life in this one and even a glimpse into his childhood. At the end we come away with a better insight into what made Joe Pike the man he is. Another excellent read from Robert Crais. show less
The day starts like any other in L.A. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for private investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.
Now Karen's powerful father calls on Pike (a former cop) and his partner, Elvis Cole, to keep an eye on the LAPD as they search for his daughter's killer--because in the luminous City of Angels, everyone has secrets, and even the mighty blue have something to hide. But what starts as a little procedural hand-holding turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. For a dark web of conspiracy threatens to destroy Pike and Cole's show more twelve-year friendship--if not their lives. And L.A. just might be singing their dirge.
My Thoughts:
The plot is very well done. It has the requisite twists and turns. You may think you have it figured out but guess again. I don't think many people will get there before the author wants you to. the writing is superb. Robert Crais has always been a good writer in a mild breezy way, but with this book he shows us he can handle deeper emotions. This is a darker, more serious, book than his others and he handles it with perfect aplomb. We also see so much more of Joe Pike's past life in this one and even a glimpse into his childhood. At the end we come away with a better insight into what made Joe Pike the man he is. Another excellent read from Robert Crais. show less
I can't stop reading Crais.
In this one, our hero Elvis Cole is pulled into a case by long-time partner, Joe Pike. Despite seven earlier books, this is the first story that has Pike initiating an investigation. A very influential and wealthy father of an ex-girlfriend wants Joe to find her after she's gone missing. Elvis, much to his dismay, is pulled away from helping Lucy settle into her new L.A. apartment in order to help his closest friend.
"The Santa Anas continued to pick up as we drove north to the second Jungle Juice. Palm trees, tall and vulnerable like the necks of giant dinosaurs, took the worse of it. The wind stripped the dead fronds that bunched beneath the crowns and tossed them into streets and yards and onto cars."
Out of show more all the books I've read so far, this one most follows a traditional mystery format. Shortly after the woman goes missing, she's found dead. For a number of reasons, it becomes Joe and Elvis' primary mission to identify and capture her killer. The investigation takes a number of turns, a couple of which were entirely unpredictable. After decades of mystery books, I always enjoy it when a book manages to realistically surprise me, or at the very least, raise the eyebrows. Of course, as the story progresses, aspects become less plausible. I had trouble believing the character of the murderer, when they became known, and found the combination of cunning and reckless crazy implausible. As it was all in way of a positive outcome, I'm forgiving.
"We asked the people at the flower shop if they had seen anything, but they hadn't. We asked every shopkeeper in the strip mall and most of the employees, but they all said no. I hoped they had seen something to indicate that Karen was safe, but deep down, where your blood runs cold, I knew they hadn't."
Character development is solid, with the bulk of it fleshing out Joe and his history. I found myself appreciated the background, as most of the observations Elvis makes about his best friend tend to be consistent (why, why must he always describe the tattoos and the sunglasses?) and underwhelming. In fact, I'm not sure how much of the Joe backstory is actually known by Elvis. Regardless, it added a lot to the story, and I'm sure future books, even if the general psychology of the individual (as Poirot likes to say) was unsurprising. But I appreciate congruence, that the back-story fits the man we've come to barely know. Elvis' characteristic moments of humor that continue to provide lighter moments, as does the surly attitude of Elvis' cat. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed the direction Elvis' and Lucy's relationship took, but it felt largely organic, reminding me of their first encounters in Voodoo River.
Overall, an enjoyable, diverting read. Took me right out of this rainy fall day to the hot, smoky atmosphere of L.A. Bravo. Thankfully, Crais has already written a few encores.
Re-read: didn't hold up quite as well for me. But you know what? It provided distraction during a time when nothing else was distracting, so I'm going to let the stars stand. show less
In this one, our hero Elvis Cole is pulled into a case by long-time partner, Joe Pike. Despite seven earlier books, this is the first story that has Pike initiating an investigation. A very influential and wealthy father of an ex-girlfriend wants Joe to find her after she's gone missing. Elvis, much to his dismay, is pulled away from helping Lucy settle into her new L.A. apartment in order to help his closest friend.
"The Santa Anas continued to pick up as we drove north to the second Jungle Juice. Palm trees, tall and vulnerable like the necks of giant dinosaurs, took the worse of it. The wind stripped the dead fronds that bunched beneath the crowns and tossed them into streets and yards and onto cars."
Out of show more all the books I've read so far, this one most follows a traditional mystery format. Shortly after the woman goes missing, she's found dead. For a number of reasons, it becomes Joe and Elvis' primary mission to identify and capture her killer. The investigation takes a number of turns, a couple of which were entirely unpredictable. After decades of mystery books, I always enjoy it when a book manages to realistically surprise me, or at the very least, raise the eyebrows. Of course, as the story progresses, aspects become less plausible. I had trouble believing the character of the murderer, when they became known, and found the combination of cunning and reckless crazy implausible. As it was all in way of a positive outcome, I'm forgiving.
"We asked the people at the flower shop if they had seen anything, but they hadn't. We asked every shopkeeper in the strip mall and most of the employees, but they all said no. I hoped they had seen something to indicate that Karen was safe, but deep down, where your blood runs cold, I knew they hadn't."
Character development is solid, with the bulk of it fleshing out Joe and his history. I found myself appreciated the background, as most of the observations Elvis makes about his best friend tend to be consistent (why, why must he always describe the tattoos and the sunglasses?) and underwhelming. In fact, I'm not sure how much of the Joe backstory is actually known by Elvis. Regardless, it added a lot to the story, and I'm sure future books, even if the general psychology of the individual (as Poirot likes to say) was unsurprising. But I appreciate congruence, that the back-story fits the man we've come to barely know. Elvis' characteristic moments of humor that continue to provide lighter moments, as does the surly attitude of Elvis' cat. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed the direction Elvis' and Lucy's relationship took, but it felt largely organic, reminding me of their first encounters in Voodoo River.
Overall, an enjoyable, diverting read. Took me right out of this rainy fall day to the hot, smoky atmosphere of L.A. Bravo. Thankfully, Crais has already written a few encores.
Re-read: didn't hold up quite as well for me. But you know what? It provided distraction during a time when nothing else was distracting, so I'm going to let the stars stand. show less
This is without question one of the best detective stories I have read in a long time. Actually, "listened to" might be better more accurate, and I admit that on numerous occasions I pulled into the parking lot only to sit for several minutes to hear the end of a chapter or section, not to mention walking around the house - "there goes Dad again in his own little world" - to hear more.
This is my first Crais and the seventh in the series starring Elvis Cole and his mysterious and mercenary partner, Joe Pike. Pike's former girlfriend, Karen Garcia, has been shot dead while jogging - I have always maintained that jogging is hazardous, here's another reinforcement. Pike is an enigma; he speaks as little as possible, yet reeks of dangerous show more potential. The point-of-view shifts from the mysterious serial killer - Karen's death is merely the random fifth in a series of killings all using a bleach bottle as the silencer for the gun - to Pike's background (he had a miserable childhood, became a sensational independent soldier in Vietnam, and shot his partner while a policemen - all tidbits told in such a tantalizing way as to raise one's suspicion that he may be the killer).
When a second killing occurs, much of the evidence points to Joe and he is arrested. Samantha Dolan, the Robbery-Homicide cop working on the case, falls for Elvis; that ticks off Lucy Chenier, Elvis's girlfriend and attorney, who is already very angry because Elvis's loyalties seem to be with Joe at crucial moments,rather than with her. The tension rachets up several notches, leavened by Elvis's unvoiced, hilariously sarcastic wisecracks.
Excellent, hard to put down novel. show less
This is my first Crais and the seventh in the series starring Elvis Cole and his mysterious and mercenary partner, Joe Pike. Pike's former girlfriend, Karen Garcia, has been shot dead while jogging - I have always maintained that jogging is hazardous, here's another reinforcement. Pike is an enigma; he speaks as little as possible, yet reeks of dangerous show more potential. The point-of-view shifts from the mysterious serial killer - Karen's death is merely the random fifth in a series of killings all using a bleach bottle as the silencer for the gun - to Pike's background (he had a miserable childhood, became a sensational independent soldier in Vietnam, and shot his partner while a policemen - all tidbits told in such a tantalizing way as to raise one's suspicion that he may be the killer).
When a second killing occurs, much of the evidence points to Joe and he is arrested. Samantha Dolan, the Robbery-Homicide cop working on the case, falls for Elvis; that ticks off Lucy Chenier, Elvis's girlfriend and attorney, who is already very angry because Elvis's loyalties seem to be with Joe at crucial moments,rather than with her. The tension rachets up several notches, leavened by Elvis's unvoiced, hilariously sarcastic wisecracks.
Excellent, hard to put down novel. show less
Elvis Cole, the Hawaiian shirt wearing, wise-cracking, ex-Army Ranger turned P.I., is the frontman for the Elvis Cole Detective Agency. Joe Pike is his partner, an ex-Marine who never even cracks a smile, let alone cracks wise. L.A. Requiem, published in 1999, is Robert Crais' eighth novel and Cole and Pike's eighth outing together, but it's the first to offer deep and meaningful insight into Pike's enigmatic character (Has he ever smiled? Just what do his eyes look like under those always present sunglasses?).
Their cases are always intense, but this time it's personal. Karen Garcia, an ex-girlfriend of Pike's, with whose father he's still very close, has disappeared. The police won't even think about an investigation until she's been show more missing for more than the single day it's been, and at the request of the father the guys begin searching for Karen. Mere hours into their involvement, though, the young woman is found murdered; her father, a former gangbanger turned businessman and behind-the-scenes political mover, pulls strings to get the two private investigators allowed on the official police investigation.
They soon discover that something's not quite right. The police seem to be lacking a certain urgency, and it's not long before Cole and Pike figure out that her murder is the fifth in a series of murders with similar signatures...but no apparent connection or similarity among the victims. And, not only is there an apparent serial killer working the City of Angels, but the officer in charge of the task force is one who bears a deep, abiding, vengeful grudge against Pike, who was a police officer for several years after leaving the Marines.
Whew.
In addition to Elvis Cole's usual snappy first person narrative there are flashbacks, told in the more distancing third person, to Pike's past. We see Pike's turbulent childhood, complete with a drunken and abusive father and a beaten down, ineffectual mother; his entrance into an elite recon unit of the Marines and his time in Vietnam; and pictures of his time with the LAPD, which was short and not at all sweet.
The novel's action is relentless and often painful. Elvis Cole's relationship with lawyer Lucy Chenier, which is blossoming as it heads into a new phase, is severely tested, perhaps never to recover. More than one person central to the story is seriously injured; some are killed. Some trusts are stretched nearly to the breaking point. But Elvis Cole has the last word, and he remains cautiously optimistic:
"When I first came here, I fell in love with this place. During the day, Los Angeles is a great playful puppy of a town, anxious to please and quick with a smile. At night, it becomes a treasure chest filled with magic and dreams. All you have to do is chase your dreams. All you need is the magic. All you have to do is survive, but it's that way anywhere." show less
Their cases are always intense, but this time it's personal. Karen Garcia, an ex-girlfriend of Pike's, with whose father he's still very close, has disappeared. The police won't even think about an investigation until she's been show more missing for more than the single day it's been, and at the request of the father the guys begin searching for Karen. Mere hours into their involvement, though, the young woman is found murdered; her father, a former gangbanger turned businessman and behind-the-scenes political mover, pulls strings to get the two private investigators allowed on the official police investigation.
They soon discover that something's not quite right. The police seem to be lacking a certain urgency, and it's not long before Cole and Pike figure out that her murder is the fifth in a series of murders with similar signatures...but no apparent connection or similarity among the victims. And, not only is there an apparent serial killer working the City of Angels, but the officer in charge of the task force is one who bears a deep, abiding, vengeful grudge against Pike, who was a police officer for several years after leaving the Marines.
Whew.
In addition to Elvis Cole's usual snappy first person narrative there are flashbacks, told in the more distancing third person, to Pike's past. We see Pike's turbulent childhood, complete with a drunken and abusive father and a beaten down, ineffectual mother; his entrance into an elite recon unit of the Marines and his time in Vietnam; and pictures of his time with the LAPD, which was short and not at all sweet.
The novel's action is relentless and often painful. Elvis Cole's relationship with lawyer Lucy Chenier, which is blossoming as it heads into a new phase, is severely tested, perhaps never to recover. More than one person central to the story is seriously injured; some are killed. Some trusts are stretched nearly to the breaking point. But Elvis Cole has the last word, and he remains cautiously optimistic:
"When I first came here, I fell in love with this place. During the day, Los Angeles is a great playful puppy of a town, anxious to please and quick with a smile. At night, it becomes a treasure chest filled with magic and dreams. All you have to do is chase your dreams. All you need is the magic. All you have to do is survive, but it's that way anywhere." show less
A surprisingly thoughtful police thriller. While the plot itself wasn't particularly original or groundbreaking, the language and character development were. There is a particular subplot with the main character's girlfriend that could have been handled in a black and white/he's right she's wrong way that I was pleasantly surprised to find developed with nuance and heart. This was the first of the series I read (found it in a free library) but it will not be the last.
Fieldnotes:
Laurel Canyon, Contemporary (p.1999)
1 Wise-ass Private Detective
1 Taciturn Former Cop / Military Man
1 Missing Ex-Girlfriend
1 Rich Man Pulling Strings
1 Extremely Hostile Robbery/Homicide Detective
2 Doctored Reports
1 Serial Killer
1 Impostor
1 Hot Cop Stuck on Babysitting Duty
1 Girlfriend Who Moved Across the Country for an Immature Commitment-phobe
Romantic Woes of the Protagonists' Own Making
Flashbacks
1 Dead Former Partner
1 Chaste Mooncalf Lurve
Misplaced Sense of Honor
The Short Version
I liked reading Pike's backstory flashbacks and wish we had gotten to actually work cases with him rather than just moon about with descriptions of his ice-blue eyes.
Elvis Cole remains irritating, stuck in self-inflicted romantic woes because show more apparently everyone finds him so irresistible as to fall in love with him after 3 meetings (what??) and he doesn't know how to say no to this.
I would watch this as a TV show (where I don't actually expect the motives to make sense since I just look to be entertained for 48 minutes). But as a book, I'm annoyed at the motivations not making a lick of sense and the clues that would have been necessary to play along being misleadingly obscured. show less
Laurel Canyon, Contemporary (p.1999)
1 Wise-ass Private Detective
1 Taciturn Former Cop / Military Man
1 Missing Ex-Girlfriend
1 Rich Man Pulling Strings
1 Extremely Hostile Robbery/Homicide Detective
2 Doctored Reports
1 Serial Killer
1 Impostor
1 Hot Cop Stuck on Babysitting Duty
1 Girlfriend Who Moved Across the Country for an Immature Commitment-phobe
Romantic Woes of the Protagonists' Own Making
Flashbacks
1 Dead Former Partner
1 Chaste Mooncalf Lurve
Misplaced Sense of Honor
The Short Version
I liked reading Pike's backstory flashbacks and wish we had gotten to actually work cases with him rather than just moon about with descriptions of his ice-blue eyes.
Elvis Cole remains irritating, stuck in self-inflicted romantic woes because show more apparently everyone finds him so irresistible as to fall in love with him after 3 meetings (what??) and he doesn't know how to say no to this.
I would watch this as a TV show (where I don't actually expect the motives to make sense since I just look to be entertained for 48 minutes). But as a book, I'm annoyed at the motivations not making a lick of sense and the clues that would have been necessary to play along being misleadingly obscured. show less
You wouldn't know Pike and Cole are the good guys the way the Robbery-Homocide cops, particularly, 'Pants' Krantz treat them. L.A. Requiem is a quick,'tough male' type mystery set in Los Angeles.
Crais has a hard time with female characters; making them a combination of smart, tough, angry, sexy. Women seem to exist simply to provide sex or to be manipulated and disrespected by men. Frustrating.
Plot was weak.
Crais has a hard time with female characters; making them a combination of smart, tough, angry, sexy. Women seem to exist simply to provide sex or to be manipulated and disrespected by men. Frustrating.
Plot was weak.
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Robert Crais was born in 1953 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Before becoming a writer, he was a mechanical engineer. In 1976, he began writing scripts for television series including Miami Vice, Cagney and Lacey, and Hill Street Blues. He is the author of the Elvis Cole series and the Joe Pike series. The Monkey's Raincoat won the Anthony and Macavity show more Awards in 1988. In 2005, his novel Hostage was adapted into a movie starring Bruce Willis. He is the 2006 recipient of the Ross Macdonald Literary Award. In 2017 his title, The First Rule, made the IBook Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- L. A. Requiem
- Original title
- L.A. Requiem
- Original publication date
- 1999
- People/Characters
- Elvis Cole; Joe Pike; Samantha Dolan; Lucy Chenier
- Important places
- Los Angeles, California, USA; Palm Springs, California, USA
- Epigraph
- Do you know what love is?/(I would bleed out for you.) --Tattooed Beach Sluts
I've got the whole town under my thumb/and all I've gotta do is keep acting dumb//We say goodbye so very politely/Now say hello to the kille... (show all)r inside me. --MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Mama, Mama, can't you see/What the Marine Corps has done to me?/Made me lean and made me strong/Made me where I can do no wrong. --USMC marching cadence - Dedication
- For Ed Waters and Sid Ellis, who taught me more than words. "And dat's da' name o' dat tune."
- First words
- Uniformed LAPD Officer Joe Pike could hear the banda music even with the engine idling, the a.c. jacked to meat locker, and the two-way crackling callout codes to other units. -The Islander Palms Motel
That Sunday, the sun floated bright and hot over the Los Angeles basin, pushing people to the beaches and the parks and into backyard pools to escape the heat. The air buzzed with the nervous palsy it gets when the wind freig... (show all)ht-trains in from the deserts, dry as bone, and cooking the hillsides into tar-filled kindling that can snap into flames hot enough to melt an auto body. - Chapter 1 - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)So was I.
- Blurbers
- Baldacci, David
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813
- Canonical LCC
- S3553 .R264 .L15
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