Chasing Darkness

Ever made a mistake and regretted it? Well, Elvis Cole knows he didn't make a mistake and so sets out to prove it. This completely absorbing novel of two of my favorite characters -- Elvis and Joe Pike (I like the cat too) -- sets out with a hard to believe premise. It carries you along through page after page of entertaining and mind-bending questions. How could this happen? How could Elvis have been SO wrong? After all these years, I still find myself writing Robert Crais' name down on slips of paper to give to friends. He's SO good at what he does! Thanks for another thoroughly enjoyable read, Robert!

Crais is back, in my humble opinion. I will say that I gave up on his work a while back. The stories and their touchy-feely relationships (I have enough of those with Robert B. Parker) with unintersting plots lost my interest...then on a whim at the library I picked up and read the first pages of THE WATCHMAN and was sucked right in and enjoyed it immensley. I wondered if he would carry this on, and Crais does. In a mirror image of his last book, Pike is a mere guest character and that is fine with me as this allows Crais to flesh out Elvis and does so in a way that does not get mired down in romantic relationships. CHASING DARKNESS opens up well well with enough mystery, suspense, surpirse, etc. to keep the reader going. This was one of those thankful reads with which I slowed down near the conclusion as I did not want it to end. Frankly I had all but given up on this series, and the author after a few unsatisfying books, but after Pike in The Watcman and Cole here in CHASING DARKNESS...I am happy to repeat - Crais is back to form!

Personally, I was glad to have Elvis back at the center of the story again, and thrilled that Lucy was relegated to nothing more than a single phone call. Joe Pike takes a back door as well, but that didn't bother me this time. I think for any of these mystery writers who have had characters that continue in multiple books it becomes a huge challenge to make the plots fresh while moving the characters forward. I think Crais does it here, and for me this was a page turning fun summer thrill ride.

Joe PIke is along as well and so is Carol Starkey, but this is Elvis' story. A putative suicide is found as the result of a fire, a man exonerated by Elvis in the past. Now it appears that the man was a serial killer and Elvis was responsible for providing him the freedom to kill others. Elvis goes to work, sorting things out. The result is a classic novel of detection, in which the protagonist knocks on doors, asks people questions, knocks on more doors, asks more questions and does not stop (no matter how many obstacles are placed in his path) until he has the answers he seeks. While Elvis gets off a few good one-liners this is less the wisecracking Elvis Cole of the early novels and more the serious one of the more recent books. The plot is suitably complex, but the pace is perfect--a driving narrative that hurtles toward a plausible but unexpected conclusion. The ethos is pure Chandler, with apparent villainy in high places and a complete tour of L.A. from the dark booths of the Pacific Dining Car to the gritty, sad cottages of Sylmar and the sunny, but blood-soaked lawns of Santa Monica. It is hard to say if this is Crais's best book, because he consistently sets and meets a high standard. Suffice to say it is an excellent one, one of the best of the summer. It is exceptionally well-written, with memorable observations and descriptions that are delivered economically and with great skill. The polish on the individual sentences gleams. Highly recommended.

A fire in the hills and canyons above Los Angeles leads to the discovery of the body of a man detective Elvis Cole had, years before, shown to be innocent of the murder accusations leveled against him. But evidence found with the body seems to indicate that Cole may have made the biggest mistake of his career, and helped set a serial killer free to kill again. This is a darker and more brooding novel than that which we typically associate with Crais's Elvis Cole character, and given the nature of the issues at stake, that's entirely appropriate and actually welcome. It adds another layer of humanity and complexity to the character, and makes it all too clear that though Elvis is usually the master of the arch wisecrack, he does take his work and life seriously when the bottom line is reached. The complexities of the case are masterfully addressed; a blend of LA politics thrown into the mix with dogged detective work. The characterizations are richly realized with the deft strokes Crais has mastered so well: the telling movement, the revealing phrase, the details of place and setting. Few do it as well as Crais, and he brings all his skills and talents to bear in this book. Of course, Joe Pike is there to cover Elvis's "six", as well as former LAPD bomb expert Starkey to lend a much-needed hand. But the real joy was in seeing this other side of Elvis; as much fun as the character's always been, he's now so much more. A very strong five stars. Read this book.