Another great one by Crais. Love Elvis Cole, love Joe Pike even more, and Crais can really write a character you love to hate, case in point Peter Alan Nelsen (even if he does have the same middle name as me, haha). Great series, great book! ( )

This one was a little more complex than the first 3 books in the series, and it doesn’t take place in California.
The series is still entertaining and well written. ( )

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, 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. ( )

I'm glad I didn't give up on this series after the first book, Monkey's Raincoat. I wasn't crazy about that one, although it was not bad. But after reading a later one featuring more Joe Pike, I decided to skip to number 3 as others have recommended. It didn't disappoint.

The story was good, the humor seemed to fit in better, and Joe Pike came through. The style is a lot like the Spenser series, but I like it better, perhaps because it's a little less dated. And Elvis Cole is the world's best detective, so there's that.

One of the best Joe Pike lines in the book (and he doesn't say much) is one where they are being chased by 8 mafia guys trying to kill them, and the woman they're helping says:

“How can you stop them? There’re eight of them and we’re trapped here in the middle of nowhere with them.”
Pike chambered a round into his shotgun. “No,” he said. “They’re trapped with us.”

I'm looking forward to reading more now, and may reread one that I read long ago and forgot about. ( )

This series is always good. ( )