• The Sentry

  • An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel, Book 14
  • By: Robert Crais
  • Narrated by: Luke Daniels
  • Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,304 ratings)

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The Sentry  By  cover art

The Sentry

By: Robert Crais
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
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Publisher's summary

Private investigators Joe Pike and Elvis Cole get double-crossed in this twisty, gripping New York Times bestseller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

When gangbangers shake down the modest owner of a Los Angeles eatery, Joe Pike intervenes. For all intents and purposes, Pike saved Wilson Smith's life. But for reasons of their own, Smith and his lovely niece, Dru, are curiously resentful. It's only when Pike's feelings for the woman deepen that he and his partner, Elvis Cole, discover that Dru and her uncle are not at all who they seem, and everything Pike has learned about them is a lie. But it's much more than a deception. It's a trap. And with every new twist it's proving to be a killer.

Investigate another case with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.
©2011 Robert Crais (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Sentry

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Vintage Crais

This is vintage Crais so if you have enjoyed his earlier books you will enjoy this. Pike is his silent, effective self and the plot is engaging. Excellent narration.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Robert???s Best?

I???m listened to all 14 Elvis Cole ??? Joe Pike books??????this could be the best.

Luke Daniels does a great job of making the characters in the Sentry come alive. The story moves at a quick pace and has just the right amount of both Joe and Elvis and as always, Elvis??? cat. (That???s my kind of cat)

It???s nice to see that Robert Crais still has good story lines for Elvis and Joe.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Getting a bit formulaic, but still good.

Robert Crais can still write up a storm, and Luke Daniels can narrate. A long long time ago, maybe 25 years, I was sitting outside of a bookstore reading one of his first books, and I was laughing out loud. A woman came over and asked what I was reading, as there really aren't that many LOL authors. Who knew that reading was a way to meet women?
In any case, Crais's plots are beginning to get repetitive. Elvis and Joe Pike continue to be interesting characters, although Joe's strong-but-silent act is starting to wear thin. And I found myself having a hard time keeping the bad guys straight here: the Mexican drug dealers, el M, the Bolivian drug cartels, and maybe somebody else. A thing that I thought really awkward was Crais's attempt to portray auditory hallucinations. Daniel, the primary bad guy, hears the voices of two people, one male and one female, and they talk silly. Not to be technical here, but hallucinations are not cute, and they don't repeat themselves in some kind of singsong way. Luke makes a good stab at it, but all told I think Crais should stay away from that. It sounds very odd.
Who am I to argue with success, though? Elvis and Joe have sold one heck of a lot of books, so I'm sure that Crais can do without my opinions. And, after twenty five or so years of buying his books, I will continue to do that, because, who knows? The next one might be fantastic. I do miss the humor, though. In the beginning he was funny on almost every page, and now he seems to have become much more a thriller writer and less a fun guy. Elvis is still a smartass, of course, just not as wry as he used to be.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Best Joe Pike Novel Yet

The Joe Pike novels up till now have been kind of shallow and hokey but fun. This one actually has a involved exciting plot as well as the fun simplistic Dirty Harry type action. Recommend it.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Great book, great narrator. I have read all of Crais and this is one of the best! Too short, I could have listened 3 or 4 more hours.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Pike grows on you

Crais' character Joe Pike grows on you. Tough guy loaner who has a heart and needs people more than he portrays or wishes to. A good listen. Fun, but don't expect super in depth writing. In the thriller/action dept. it has some good parts. Story development and character development are above average but fairly predicable and simple. I would recommend it but more for an easy, fun listen. Don't expect too much and you will enjoy this for what it is, a good story told well.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The Sentry

Luke Daniels did a good job reading this story. I like the silent Joe Pike he is the opposite of Elvis Cole. The story moves right along and some good nail biting moments. This is an easy listening book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Pike gets a woman ... kinda.

I like Elvis Cole ... but Joe Pike is minimalist cool. I thought the pace of this story was better then the first two. The usual twist at the end was unexpected. The biggest downside to the book is we are losing the mystery of the character ... which was a highlight of the Cole Series.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Robert Crass?

I've enjoyed the other Joe Pike novels, thought that they were cleverly written and that Joe's character was one I would follow for some time to come.

However, this installment was just plain crass. Over the top language, cheap characters with cheap lives, and in many cases downright weird. I got about half-way through and chalked it up as a loss.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's fine

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you're a fan of Robert Crais and the Elvis/Pike series, then I would recommend. I wouldn't recommend starting with this one if you've never read any of the series before.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Pike's motivation for helping the endangered people is not all that convincing --even when you're inside Pike's point of view. But the action is good, and as always the details about plotting out an assault or defense is interesting. Pike has his charms as the POV, especially his cool internal monologue when he's punching people/breaking their arms. The basic problem with these books when told from Pike's point of view is that Elvis Cole is the funny one, and without him being the main focus, they're not as entertaining.

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3 people found this helpful