AsI have stated before, I have been a diehard fan of Robert Crais/Elvis Cole/Joe Pike for 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 A Dangerous Man from Penguin Group/G.P.Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley in return for my honest review.
In this latest installment, Joe Pike is minding his own business on a beautiful Southern California day when he goes to the bank. As he is leaving, he sees a young woman named Isabel “Izzy” Roland, who works in the bank, being abducted by two men. Being Joe Pike, he leaps into action, rescues her, and the men are arrested. Should be settled, right? No chance, as Izzy disappears and Joe calls on Elvis Cole to help him unravel a complex mystery that includes whistleblowing, the Witness Protection Program, millions of dollars that may or may not have been stolen by Izzy’s mother, and a boatload of lying.
It isn’t clear what Izzy really knows about the whole thing, and whether she is a victim or a criminal. Joe and Elvis take the reader on a classic Pike/Cole ride to justice, with lots of action and good writing along the way.
In addition to just absolutely loving Elvis, I love Robert Crais’s writing, including structure, setting, character and plotting. The chapters in this book rotate among the main characters, including Joe Pike, Elvis Cole, law enforcement types, and the bad guys. The various areas of Los Angeles are familiar, and well described as Joe and Elvis search for Izzy, although I did have a “huh?” moment, when Joe is driving: “They followed Sunset Boulevard through the Palisades on a winding downhill slide to the sea. The rain slowed to a dying drizzle. Pike turned west on the Pacific Coast Highway, and followed the black edge of the ocean.” Nice writing, but PCH runs North and South, unless things have changed a lot since I left Southern California. But that’s a minor quibble as Crais continues his usual way of capturing the vibe of Southern California, noting how the “…warm night air was rich with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and orange blossoms…” Joe Pike is his usual self: “The blond man waited for Pike to say something, but Pike said nothing. The blond man filled the silence.” Crais is a master of having a character’s silence speak volumes, and as seen in this section, we have truly come to know the two main characters.
Or have we? Frankly, the relationship between Joe and Izzy is surprisingly warm and fuzzy, and I will not be surprised if we meet Izzy again in a future book in this series. But whether Joe will really become warmer and fuzzier or whether then action he takes in the final chapter (which may shock some readers) represents the man he has become (or maybe always has been?) is a big question.
In any case, I had a great time reading it, and look forward to the next adventure featuring Joe and/or Elvis. Five stars.