Reviews

5 Stars. My favorite Cole & Pike book yet. Great characters that were easy to like, even Clark and Charles. The mystery was solid and even though I figured it out too soon it worked. Great to see Elvis and Lucy moving forward but I think there’s going to be more to the ex-husband situation. Great to be back on track, I didn’t love the last one but this series it too respected not to except excellence.

carol26388's review

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3.0

Fast, solid ride. A great beginning, where the reader witnesses the moment three children and their father leave their home in company with the U.S. Marshals. Cut to Elvis Cole in the office, being visited three years later by said children, who want him to look for their father. It's a nice way to build the sense of anticipation for the reader, waiting for Elvis to discover and explain what happened so long ago, but it turns out that was just the surface. The Space Needle on the cover implies Seattle, and it's true, there is a section in Seattle, but it's strangely limited. Most of the time is still in L.A.

Meanwhile, on the personal front, Elvis' S.O. Lucy is negotiating for a job in Los Angeles. Although Elvis finds his attention is split between his relationship issues and the children's case, Lucy's situation is generally a less interesting one. I appreciate that Crais didn't go into expected territory with the ex-husband, keeping attention more on the children's missing father. I understand wanting to give your main character a personal life, but at times the situation with Lucy is just distracting. I suppose he might be trying to counter the 'lonely private eye' trope.

The case escalates fast, somewhat unrealistically and into thriller territory, somewhat similar to the plotting pattern in Voodoo Blues. I found it worked less well for me than the last book, but I still enjoyed the story. Wrangling the children and their wayward father certainly made the case more challenging. I found one of the revelations at the end (mild spoiler)

explaining the father's behavior

to be mildly eye-rolling, but as Crais has earned a lot of leniency from me, I ignored it. It felt like a crutch, both with the earlier actions and with resolving the case lawfully. Still, overall, a pleasant way to spend the afternoon on a cold, rainy day. Tucked up in a comforter with two dogs as heating pads and a good story--what more could one want?

dennisb's review

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4.0

Another fast read from Robert Crais as snarky P.I. Elvis Cole and his 'silent but deadly' sidekick, Joe Pike, save a father and his children from the clutches of Russian gangsters and Vietnamese revolutionaries.

ibeforem's review

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3.0

I think this is the first Robert Crais book I’ve read. I have vague memories of listening to something called “L.A. Requiem”, but I don’t know if he was the author. Anyway, it was pretty good. I won’t turn down other books in the series. And how did I end up with #7 first? That’s what happens when you get piles of paperbacks from your father.

I liked the Elvis Cole character, but I have no earthly idea what “Indigo Slam” means

kimberlyp's review

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funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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