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chartsh's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
Great as usual!! This was a really good Elvis Cole novel. I really liked the closing paragraph:
"The darkness frightens me, but what it does to us frightens me even more. Maybe this is why I do what I do. I chase the darknesss to make room for the light."
Loved it!
"The darkness frightens me, but what it does to us frightens me even more. Maybe this is why I do what I do. I chase the darknesss to make room for the light."
Loved it!
papidoc's review against another edition
3.0
Vintage Robert Crais...in the style of Robert B. Parker, but not as ponderous, a little more light-hearted.
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
The World’s Greatest Detective is back with a lot less angst and more action. Reminded me of the leaner books earlier in the series and I also enjoyed seeing Starkey again.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
A man Elvis Cole cleared for murder years ago turns up dead with a photo album of seven female murder victims in his possession. Did Cole help clear a killer? Why is the task force still working if the case has been closed? And what is the glory-seeking police chief trying to hide? That's what Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are trying to find out...
I have to admit, I had my doubts about this one at first. I should have known Crais had pulled the wool over my eyes yet again when I thought I knew who the killer was about halfway through.
Chasing Darkness continues the saga of Elvis Cole. It's not as weighty as the last three books, more of a run of the mill case. Cole, with help from friends Joe Pike, John Chen, Carol Starkey, and some of the other regulars, works to figure out if he helped clear a serial killer, leaving him free to kill again.
Like I mentioned before, Crais had me off in the wrong direction for a good portion of the book. Still, when the cops are like Marx and Munson, it's easy to assume the worst.
For an Elvis Cole book, Chasing Darkness is surprisingly light on gun play and for the first time in a while, neither Cole nor Pike end up in the hospital. Hell, it doesn't even have the usual Cole and Pike ending of a shoot out with the bad guys. Still, it was quite an engaging read. There were some tense moments when Elvis did some illegal things during the course of the investigation.
Any complaints? Only that I wish Elvis would cut Lucy Chenier out of his life and set up house with either Carol Starkey or Joe Pike. Four stars.
I have to admit, I had my doubts about this one at first. I should have known Crais had pulled the wool over my eyes yet again when I thought I knew who the killer was about halfway through.
Chasing Darkness continues the saga of Elvis Cole. It's not as weighty as the last three books, more of a run of the mill case. Cole, with help from friends Joe Pike, John Chen, Carol Starkey, and some of the other regulars, works to figure out if he helped clear a serial killer, leaving him free to kill again.
Like I mentioned before, Crais had me off in the wrong direction for a good portion of the book. Still, when the cops are like Marx and Munson, it's easy to assume the worst.
For an Elvis Cole book, Chasing Darkness is surprisingly light on gun play and for the first time in a while, neither Cole nor Pike end up in the hospital. Hell, it doesn't even have the usual Cole and Pike ending of a shoot out with the bad guys. Still, it was quite an engaging read. There were some tense moments when Elvis did some illegal things during the course of the investigation.
Any complaints? Only that I wish Elvis would cut Lucy Chenier out of his life and set up house with either Carol Starkey or Joe Pike. Four stars.
chazmo1431's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why, but before Chasing Darkness, I only read one other novel by Robert Crais. I read a fair amount of crime fiction and Crais is one of the better known authors in the genre so it is strange that I hadn't read anything by him.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
wegmarken2006's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
bookhawk's review against another edition
5.0
I have enjoyed books 1 through ten of the Elvis Cole series yet Chasing Darkness eclipsed all of them. Crais was at the top of his game with this one. The pacing is great and the writing is clear, descriptive and concise. The plot is strategically unveiled with twists along the way. I highly recommend this book if you like police or private investigator mysteries or for anyone who likes a thriller.
chazmo1431's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why, but before Chasing Darkness, I only read one other novel by Robert Crais. I read a fair amount of crime fiction and Crais is one of the better known authors in the genre so it is strange that I hadn't read anything by him.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
lwalker77's review against another edition
4.0
Another great entry in the Elvis Cole series. This series is as good as any of its genre out there. Highly recommend!