Stalking the Angel

I really enjoy ‘early’ Robert Crais. Elvis Cole, ace private detective, is still sort of being defined as a character, as is his trusty nearly nonverbal sidekick Joe Pike, and in this episode Cole is hired to find a stolen rare Japanese manuscript. Before he knows it, he finds much more than he bargained for, and brings Pike in to get things moving. He’s fired from the job by the dickish guy who hired him but keeps working at it because there’s more to the story. Seems the guy’s young daughter is having some emotional issues that tie into the investigation.

Crais’ ‘schtick’ from the beginning with the great Cole character has been his sense of humor and his sharp tongue. That’s certainly the case here. His writing style show more is breezy, but the plot is a serious one and there’s some violence involved. The procedural stuff, although Cole is a PI and not a cop, seems solid and the story moves along at a fast clip. This is an early book in the fine ‘Elvis Cole’ series but well worth a look. show less

From Amazon:

Hired by a hotel magnate to locate a priceless Japanese manuscript, L.A. private eye Elvis Cole encounters the notorious Yakuza, the Japanese Mob, and is drawn into a game of sexual obsession, amorality, and evil.

My Thoughts:

Robert Crais presents us with a lovable hero with a smart mouth and eyes that don't miss much. But don't be deceived - this is no cozy. Violence is real, but not unjustified. Ethical lines are understandably blurred and happily ever after isn't part of the plan. Robert Crais' characters are never one sided. If anything, they defy the common stereotypes. Cole and Pike don't simply hunt villains and right wrongs; they hold intelligent conversations, (even if some are with a cat), and understand the issues show more they must deal with. Good plot, great characters and a fine eye for detail makes all Elvis Cole stories memorable. It's diffidently one that will drive you back to the bookshelves looking for more. show less

First Line: I was standing on my head in the middle of my office when the door opened and the best looking woman I'd seen in three weeks walked in.

When Bradley Warren and his assistant, Jillian Becker, try to hire Elvis Cole to find a stolen (and priceless) Japanese manuscript, Cole isn't all that eager to accept the case. Warren rubs his fur completely the wrong way. But when Warren's young daughter is kidnapped, the P.I. puts aside his differences and starts tracking down the bad guys.

When I read the first Elvis Cole mystery, The Monkey's Raincoat, I fell head over heels for Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike. Unfortunately, while reading this second book in the series, the bloom was off the rose. The plot, the pacing, the writing are show more just as good, and I still love Elvis and Joe, but reading Stalking the Angel made me realize something:

The reason why I don't read many mysteries featuring the hard-boiled types of private investigators is because I have a very low tolerance for the plots.

The plots all seem to be the same. Some drop dead gorgeous broad clacks her way into the P.I.'s seedy office, bats her eyelashes, and persuades the manly investigator to do something he really doesn't want to do. There's usually an obnoxious male cretin on hand as a foil for the P.I. and his wisecracks. At least 30% of the characters are pond scum, and the P.I. hero has to have the crap beaten out of him at least once. Preferably twice.

Unfortunately (for me) the plot and the formula went hand in hand in this book. I still love Elvis and Joe, but I think this love affair just has no room for growth. And before any of you die hard fans gang up on me, let me say once more that these books are well-written and the two main characters are fantastic. Even though the story lines aren't my cup of tea and I seriously doubt that I will read any more books in the series...

...if you give me an ELVIS AND JOE 4EVER!!!! bumper sticker, I'll cherish (and use) it with pride. show less

I really like Crais. Elvis and Pike are such wonderfully written characters. They are real to me, even though Pike could easily be written as a very one-dimensional character. The juxtaposition of humor and the dark side of humanity somehow works. Some of these characters were so evil, not by design necessarily but through circumstance and choices. No clear cut answers. No easy solutions. Life is painful -- you have to laugh.

Crais' second outing with Los Angeles private eye Elvis Cole offers the same pleasures as the first (fluid writing, a solid sense of place, and smartass dialogie reminiscent of Robert B. Parker and Gregory McDonald). It also adds a little--just a little--depth to the characters of Elvis and his quiet, lethal partner Joe Pike. The plot is standard private-eye stuff, but Crais handles it competently and the climax departs from your expectations in satisfying ways. Overall, a competent journeyman effort that makes satisfying escapist reading.

Elvis Cole is an interesting guy. He’s a pretty good private detective in the classic mold, but his clients tend to think he’s a little weird. Especially when they find him in his office, standing on his head. Surrounded by Disney figurines. Elvis also has a soft spot for children in trouble, and that’s what pulls him back to this case, even after being fired. Soon, it’s not about finding the Hagakure, it’s about finding his client’s daughter, Mimi. There’s a lot more going on here than a missing book, and it gets difficult to figure out who is on whose side, and who is telling the truth. Elvis is a smart-ass, and he’s found his perfect partner in Joe Pike, who probably says less than 50 words in the entire book. He may show more not say much, but he’s always there when Elvis needs him. show less

I'll start off by noting that Elvis Cole is quick with a joke. So quick, he had me laughing out loud by Chapter One. That's pretty quick.

He meets his client, a Mr. Bradley Warren, standing on his head (Elvis, that is -- Warren is on his feet). Warren is in a suit. He blusters and frowns. This seems to be his specialty. That and glancing at his Rolex. He has a female (of course) assistant who is attractive (of course) and who abides her employer's attitudes (of course) for reasons only she knows.

Here's the problem: Someone has stolen a priceless Japanese manuscript called the Hagakure. Well, not really priceless -- worth more than three million dollars (BIG money in the late 1980s when this was first written). It belongs to one of his show more clients. Boy, do they need it back. The cops are involved, but they aren't getting the job done nearly fast enough. (Glancing at Rolex. Frowning.) Oh, and by the way, Warren is supposed to receive the Man of the Year Award in some big deal ceremony. Now isn't that special?

At this point, Cole takes quick action. He tells the would-be client to go pound sand.

*sigh* If only things were that simple. But then there would be no story, so ...

Cole takes the case. What follows is the obligatory visit to Warren's mansion, where comparisons are made to things so gargantuan that even Raymond Chandler might find them to be a bit of a stretch. :) Warren's wife, Sheila is dressed for tennis (what else?) and drunk before noon. Their daughter is teenaged, detached and (maybe) stoned. Hard to tell. Okay, so what's new?

All right, so even if we have seen this particular scenario before, that is so not the point. It's not that it's been done before, it's the WAY it's done that counts. And no one does it quite like Robert Crais.

No one else can take you into the heart of Little Tokyo, where Elvis has to go to investigate the case, and not only make you feel you're there, but ratchet up the suspense as he discovers a body killed in a most gruesome way, probably at the hands of the yakuza (the Japanese version of the Mafia).

To read the entire review, see: http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-stalking-angel-bantam-books-1992.... show less