Stalking the Angel (Elvis Cole, Book 2)
by Robert Crais
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Book Reviews of Stalking the Angel (Elvis Cole, Book 2)
Book Review: Love Me Tender Elvis
Summary: 4 Stars
In this second book of the series, Elvis Cole is back, spouting witty dialogue, trying to save the girl, and eliminate the bad guys. Sound pretty much appropriate for a detective story? Not when it involves a Disney-figurine-loving guy driving a yellow corvette.A priceless Japanese manuscript is stolen and snappy private investigator Elvis Cole is hired to find it. Bradley Warren and the best looking woman he has seen in weeks, Jillian Becker, need Elvis to find the Hagakure, and money is no object thanks to the blank check they left him. In the process, Warren's daughter, Mimi, is kidnapped by the Japanese mafia, making Elvis' work that much harder. Elvis' trail runs cold several times, as the storyline takes several unexpected twists.
Elvis is once again, complimented by his sociopathic, always-wearing-shades partner, Joe Pike. Straight-faced cop Lou Poitras is also back in a minor background role, but always adding a dry humor to the novel. Mimi, the kidnapped daughter, is a very interesting character in this book, as she is the focal point of the investigation, and it is her that brings out Elvis' human side. If anything, STALKING THE ANGEL, opens the readers eyes to Cole's serious, yet sensitive feelings. This human element made for a much more complete novel.
This was a very good book, that reads exceptionally well. The flow is quite nice, with the amusing hero in Elvis taking center stage. This is another solid effort from Robert Crais.
Book Review: The return of Elvis Cole - what a ride!
Summary: 5 Stars
Now, if you're wondering how a hardboiled mystery could ever make you laugh, you obviously haven't met Elvis Cole. This is a series I resisted at first - I guess I was put off by the thought of a detective named Elvis. But I'm hooked and I think you will be too! Stalking the Angel hits the ground running on page one and I didn't put it down until the last page was read. Wise cracking Cole adheres to no one's standards and doesn't much seem to care who hires him. When he's approached by Bradley Warren, a pompous executive, to investigate the theft of a priceless manuscript, he takes the job even though the two clash from the first word. Meeting Warren's exhibitionistic wife and troubled daughter dampens what little enthusiasm he has for the case, but when the daughter is kidnapped after Cole promised her he'd watch out for her, it becomes personal. When suspects start dying torturous, violent deaths, Cole enlists the aid of partner Joe Pike and the two leave no stone unturned in bringing the case to a climactic end. 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 deal. Still, it's a highly enjoyable read and we can all look forward to Elvis' latest adventure - LA Requiem, due out in June.Book Review: If you like your detectives with a smart mouth...
Summary: 4 Stars
I like smart-aleck detectives. People like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone, Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin, Robert Parker's Spenser, and Robert Crais' Elvis Cole. As you probably can tell from seeing my reading list, I'm pretty much a sucker for humor in any of its manifestations (okay, maybe not puns). Crais' style is close to Parker, yet Crais' competant detective doesn't have the macho baggage that Spenser carries. (To digress, that macho baggage is actually what marks the Spenser books above the crowd, as Parker forces he "independent, macho cowboy" type to interact with the modern, touchy-feely world. You can bet that Spenser is a "sensitive, new age guy.") Cole may not be as macho as Spenser, but he is still fearless--he is a Vietnam vet, after all--but most of the strong, silent type of detective stuff is handled by the secretive partner, Joe Pike, while Cole gets to zing all those one-liners with abandon at anyone who crosses his threshold.The mystery here is one that Parker would have taken to as well. Cole is hired by a wealthy businessman to retrieve on of the last remaining copies of the Hagakure, the book that defines Japanese feudal culture. Along the way, we get to meet the Yakuza (Japan's version of the mafia), some serious dysfunctional families, a cult, and thow in a bit of true love and a nice look at ethics, and you've got a Spenser novel (if you replaced Cole with Spenser and Pike with Hawk).(...)
Book Review: A Solid Three Stars
Summary: 3 Stars
As a huge fan of detective fiction, especially books with a sense of humor, I don't know why I waited so long to read the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais. His main character is both tough and quirky, the stereotypical wisecracking PI who knows how to use his fists as well as his rapier-sharp wit. It seems like a formula that should be successful every time out.
Stalking the Angel, the second book in the series, is not, however, the best. The jokes and puns that seemed fresh and witty in the first novel, The Monkey's Raincoat, now read like they were taken out of a huge volume titled "101 Jokes for Public Speakers." In plain terms, much of the humor is simply lame. The plot also seems like something that was hastily thrown together after an evening of watching kung fu movies on television; an ancient Japanese manuscript is stolen by the asian mafia and Elvis Cole is hired to get it back. It's a premise that's just too hackneyed to get very excited about.
What does earn the book three stars, however, is the set of characters who remain likeable even when the book fails in other areas. Stalking the Angel is also a fast read, so once you've breezed through the 260 pages you'll feel a bit excited but not overwhelmed. An entertaining if not fantastic read, this book is essential for those reading the Elvis Cole series in order.
Book Review: Elvis on the Case of the Missing Manuscript
Summary: 4 Stars
When Bradley Warren saunters into Elvis's office, the two men clash from the beginning. But Elvis still takes his case. Seems a rare and valuable manuscript from Japan that Bradley borrowed has gone missing and Bradley feels the police aren't doing enough to find it. Elvis soon picks up a trail that leads him to the underside of Little Tokyo. But when the Warren family begins receiving threatening phone calls, the heat really picks up. Can Elvis keep the family safe and find the manuscript?
Ok, I admit, I'm not much of a hardboiled fan. But something about this series intrigues me. Probably the fact that the main character is more passionate about Disney then I am. And I really do love Elvis. His sarcasm and quips had me laughing throughout the entire book. However, it's not all fun and games. The further you go, the darker it gets. That's probably my big complaint; it just got too dark for my personal tastes. On the whole, it's a great storyline that keeps you reading until the final page with a couple nice twists. And all the characters are interesting and very real.
I certainly recommend this book to fans of hardboiled PI's. It's very well written and engaging. Frankly, even though I'm not a fan of this sub-genre, I'm thinking I may need to continue with these characters myself. They're that intriguing.