As I have stated before, I have been a diehard fan of Robert Crais/Elvis Cole/Joe Pike for over THIRTY YEARS. Seriously, when The Monkey’s Raincoat was published in 1987, I was working in a public library, grabbed it as soon as it came in, and was HOOKED. Since then, this has been one of the most reliable series in the mystery genre – consistent as in “OMG, <blank> has a new book coming out! YAY!” So I was happy to receive a copy of Racing The Light from Penguin Group/G.P.Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley in return for my honest review.
This one was great fun! It features both Elvis Cole and his partner/sidekick/friend Joe Pike, who are working on behalf of a worried mom Adele Schumacher, whose adult son, Josh Shoe, is missing. Josh has a controversial podcast, an adult film star girlfriend, and a ton of theories about topics like Area 51. Josh and his long-time buddy Ryan had been obsessed for years with old radio shows about UFOs. alien encounters, and how the government misled the public. They were “obsessed with learning the truth…(it) was out there, as real as a white light on a horizon They devoted themselves to catching it, but thelight had remained out of reach. It was like a race they vowed not to quit. If they could reach the light, the truth would be revealed.
It turns out that Adele is a retired scientist, and her work was so highly classified she still has a security detail to protect her. She brings “a bag filled with cash, bizarre tales of government conspiracies, and a squad of professional bodyguards.” It seems like finding Josh should be simple, right? But Elvis knows better: “The people who hired me to find someone they love, almost never wanted the truth. And when I found the truth, I often wished I hadn’t found it.”
Elvis and Joe soon find out they aren’t the only ones searching for Josh, and the hunt brings them into a boatload of interesting characters and action, including “porn stars, conspiracy theorists, retired black ops weapons designers, Chinese thugs, crooked city councilmen, bent real estate developers and a homeless man living in Griffith Park. “
In addition to Joe Pike, Elvis’ old flame Lucy Chenier and her son Ben show up, in LA for a visit. It is classic Elvis Cole, and it is as much fun to read today as it was way back in 1987. The descriptions of LA are perfect: “Driving to the far end of the Valley was like driving to Mars.” Doesn’t get more LA than that!
The “world’s greatest detective” is back in the house, and after thirty+ years, I still love reading about him. Five stars.