So, I think this is quite an important post! Why on earth would I say that? First of all, when I mention Rebus or James Patterson, maybe Harry Bosch or David Baldacci, I know that you all know about them and, at best, I’m looking for your views about them or, possibly, alerting you to the occasional book or character that you might not have come across. I’m probably not telling you very much, if anything, that you don’t know already.
So, if I can come up with something you haven’t come across before or something that you don’t know much about, that’s special and, to be honest, makes what I’m doing in the blog worthwhile. I’m not saying that I’m necessarily going to do that in this post but I have a feeling there might be a chance so, here goes!
About fifteen years ago, just about the time when I was really starting to expand my knowledge of detective fiction, I was sitting in a bar and I noticed a guy I had seen before, sitting, reading a book. When I had seen him previously, he was reading a Harlen Coben book so I thought our tastes might have coincided. The book he was reading was written by Robert Crais, an author I had never heard of. So, I asked him what it was like and he said ‘great’, it’s about a wise-cracking private detective called Elvis Cole.
I thought it was worth investigating and I discovered that the principal inspiration behind Robert Crais’s writing was Robert B Parker. That was enough for me. I bought a couple and discovered Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, two PIs who are right up there with Robert B Parker’s Spenser and, as I say in the title of this post, possibly the coolest two PIs around. That’s helped by the fact they’re based in Los Angeles! Elvis is the smart talker with all the good lines and, of course, he is tough. However, he’s not quite as tough as deadpan Joe Pike who leaves most of the good lines to Elvis but is always there to sort out any trouble.
Inevitably, they both have a history in special forces although it’s unclear where they fought. Too young for it to be Vietnam and, probably, too old for the Gulf War but it doesn’t matter because they are really good. As I’ve said, Elvis is the smart guy that we all want to be, tough but witty and the ladies like him, while Joe Pike is the very, very strong silent man – the perfect couple!
I’ve read them all and I would recommend that you do too. The plots are fine but not hugely different from all the others that we read. Enjoyable enough but it is the characters that make all the difference and certainly make may desperate for the next book to come out. Unfortunately, for some reason, Robert Crais has slowed down and he isn’t producing as many books as he was twenty years ago. One came out last year and it was excellent but it took no time to read it and it was gone with no indication when or even if the next one will be coming out. So, make sure you make the most of those that are available! Incidentally, I don’t think it’s vital to read them all in order on this occasion although it’s probably a good idea to read a few of the earlier ones first to get a feel for the characters and then move on to the later ones in order to see how their roles and lives develop. There have also been a few movies featuring the pair but I haven’t managed to catch any of them. I have had a look at one or two reviews but they have not been great. However, the reviewers all acknowledge how good the books are and what a good creation the duo are of Robert Crais’s imagination.
I know I am probably guided towards this by the fact that Crais has said that Robert B Parker was a major influence but, with the best will in the world, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are so like Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk. In addition, I find it a little coincidental that Parker’s cowboy duo are Hitch and Cole while Crais has Pike and Cole. Maybe nothing in that but it’s interesting.
Nothing much more to say on this other than to emphasise that Cole and Pike are real favourites of mine and I can’t help but feel that if you like the books and authors covered in this blog, you’ll like them too. Try them and let me know what you think – you won’t regret it, guaranteed!