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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
First Tyson Connor started flashing much more cash and expensive material than any teenager should have. His working mother Devon didn't quite believe his stories about where it all came from but she couldn't prove him wrong. Then Tyson disappeared, so Devon has come to Elvis Cole to find her son. As Elvis digs deeper into exactly what Tyson and his friends have been doing, he learns that the kids themselves may not know what kind of trouble they have stirred up, nor who else is chasing them down. Even with his friend, the tough guy's tough guy Joe Pike along, there's no telling if Elvis can extract Tyson from the mess he's in. Or get out of it with his own skin intact.
The Wanted is the 17th novel featuring Elvis and Joe (three of the series have Joe as the POV character). Crais has been able to maintain his wit and keep Elvis in top form as a wisecracker. His penchant for Hawaiian shirts and Disney-character office accessories makes him seem deceptively lightweight until he has to pick up his end of a scuffle or bad-dude staredown. It's one of the things that's helped distinguish him from Robert B. Parker's Spenser. Pike is there to be stoic or menacing as necessary and he fills that role well; Crais doesn't make the mistake of using things we've learned about Pike from elsewhere to flesh him out of Elvis doesn't already know them.
That said, The Wanted isn't on the high end of the Cole-Pike series. For one, its pair of stalking hitmen owe more than a little to Jules and Vincent, but lack enough of the Travolta-Jackson charisma to make them amusing or interesting. For another, Tyson is a thoroughly unlikable little twerp whose friends are lightly sketched stereotypes that are even harder to like than he is.
Crais has been up and down through the course of the series, with some top-level work and some stuff that seems like setting the word processor on autopilot, so there's no reason to suspect Wanted signals a downturn. But its subpar status does make a reader a little more eager for the next volume and a little bit of redemption.
Original available here.
The Wanted is the 17th novel featuring Elvis and Joe (three of the series have Joe as the POV character). Crais has been able to maintain his wit and keep Elvis in top form as a wisecracker. His penchant for Hawaiian shirts and Disney-character office accessories makes him seem deceptively lightweight until he has to pick up his end of a scuffle or bad-dude staredown. It's one of the things that's helped distinguish him from Robert B. Parker's Spenser. Pike is there to be stoic or menacing as necessary and he fills that role well; Crais doesn't make the mistake of using things we've learned about Pike from elsewhere to flesh him out of Elvis doesn't already know them.
That said, The Wanted isn't on the high end of the Cole-Pike series. For one, its pair of stalking hitmen owe more than a little to Jules and Vincent, but lack enough of the Travolta-Jackson charisma to make them amusing or interesting. For another, Tyson is a thoroughly unlikable little twerp whose friends are lightly sketched stereotypes that are even harder to like than he is.
Crais has been up and down through the course of the series, with some top-level work and some stuff that seems like setting the word processor on autopilot, so there's no reason to suspect Wanted signals a downturn. But its subpar status does make a reader a little more eager for the next volume and a little bit of redemption.
Original available here.
Robert Crais was suggested as a good Los Angeles mystery writer in the same genre as Raymond Chandler so I read The Wanted. Robert Crais is a good writer; the dialog and description is much better than a lot of the self-published books I read.
The plot was very formulaic and towards the end I could predict pretty well what would happen next, how many stories have a climax where hero has a gun at his head about to die when a bullet from afar neutralizes the bad guy. I was bothered by what I thought were repeatedly stupid decisions that Cole made. He kept far too much information from the police and seemed to like to foster animosity for no reason. He also took risks in exposing himself for no reason.
Then there was the scenes with the uber smart kids which didn’t make a lot of sense to me and seemed to be an appeal the YA audience?
Finally, for an LA mystery it’s fine to mention driving down Laurel Canyon but other than some street names I didn’t get much of an LA feel. Lots of it took place in the suburbs and could have been anywhere.
Maybe this isn’t his best work, I’ll ask for another recommendation. But maybe the best recommendation is to read Raymond Chandler.
The plot was very formulaic and towards the end I could predict pretty well what would happen next, how many stories have a climax where hero has a gun at his head about to die when a bullet from afar neutralizes the bad guy. I was bothered by what I thought were repeatedly stupid decisions that Cole made. He kept far too much information from the police and seemed to like to foster animosity for no reason. He also took risks in exposing himself for no reason.
Then there was the scenes with the uber smart kids which didn’t make a lot of sense to me and seemed to be an appeal the YA audience?
Finally, for an LA mystery it’s fine to mention driving down Laurel Canyon but other than some street names I didn’t get much of an LA feel. Lots of it took place in the suburbs and could have been anywhere.
Maybe this isn’t his best work, I’ll ask for another recommendation. But maybe the best recommendation is to read Raymond Chandler.
Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels don't come out that often, but they're well worth the wait. Ever since The Monkey's Raincoat I've been a fan of Elvis and his partner/bestie Joe Pike.
The Wanted is another winner. Snappy dialogue, interesting characters, a solid mystery and a climax full of surprises you won't see coming, this one has it all. It's not to be missed by Crais' fans, but it also works well as a stand-alone for those new to the series. However, for true reading pleasure, I recommend starting with the first book and enjoying the ride.
The Wanted is another winner. Snappy dialogue, interesting characters, a solid mystery and a climax full of surprises you won't see coming, this one has it all. It's not to be missed by Crais' fans, but it also works well as a stand-alone for those new to the series. However, for true reading pleasure, I recommend starting with the first book and enjoying the ride.