L.A. Requiem

It surprises me that Crais' name does not get linked with Connolly and Sandford more often. He certainly belongs in that company and, in fact, one of my fantasies is to find out what would happen if Elvis and Harry Bosch got together on a case.
This is definitely one of the very best of the Cole/Pike books and is eminently worth your time and credit. Characters and plot are beautifully balanced, and the LA setting is vivid and evocative. if you have not read any Crais, this would not be a bad place to start even though it is well along in the sequence. It does not substantially spoil any previous cases and actually sheds some very interesting light on the underpinnings of the whole series. I thoroughly enjoyed it far beyond the satisfaction of the well designed plot which moved the book along at a satisfying pace. I tried to find a reason to mark it down to four stars but could not. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.

4 stars for the Joe parts. 2 stars for the Elvis parts.

This is book 8 in the Elvis Cole series with two main characters Elvis and Joe Pike. The Elvis parts were done in first person. I did not care about Elvis. The Joe parts were done in third person and were excellent. I enjoyed reading about Joe and his back story. I would have preferred the entire book be third person.

I had a minor problem with two characters: Eugene Dirsh and Edward Deej. The names were too similar and I had a hard time keeping them straight - especially as an audiobook.

There were references to sex about four times. Three were hinted at or referred to with no details, for example “she was in his bed as he woke up.” The other was described as “we made love on the couch.” There was nothing more detailed than that.

I don’t mind suspending disbelief when something is fun. But here it wasn’t fun enough, so the plot problems annoyed me. For example, Joe took large bullets to the chest and walked away. The FBI were involved in the case and then sort of vanished. The author never completed that thought. Another problem is described in Spoiler below. It was the major climactic scene and made me angry.

The narrator was Ron McLarty. I can’t remember how I felt about him. I think he was fine.

Genre: mystery suspense, PI mystery



CAUTION SPOILER:
If a cop is going to inform someone that they are no longer a suspect and charges are being dropped, why would that cop take a swat team to deliver the message? Why not call the guy’s attorney or associates? The cop was hoping for violence. It didn’t make sense.

I listened to this book with no expectations. It was a random buy where I wanted to try something new from an author I haven't listened to before.

Wow, did I luck out! This was one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened too! I was unaware until mid through the book that this is the 8th book in a series. Most of the time you cannot start a book series part way through without it being confusing. However, the author does a great job of including all needed details and not leaving you confused.

The story itself is a PI murder mystery and felt very much like watching a Noir style PI film. The pace of the story isn't fast, but like a Noir film feels interesting and almost artistic in the way it bends.

The characters were intriguing and left me wanting more (in a good way). The way you feel a sentimental attachment to good characters.

The narrator does a great job I have no complaints, he was the perfect narrator for this book and all its characters.

Overall, if you aren't familiar with this book series or author and want to try this book. Go for it, the story was great, the narrator fabulous, and even though the storyline didnt feel fast paced the book as a whole felt like a fast read.
This book can be read as a stand-alone novel as well.

Last week I finished my first Robert Crais' novel, his newest book "Suspect", which if you are a dog lover is a must read! I was so pleasantly surprised that I chose L.A. Requiem for my next "listen". I rarely rate a book 5 stars, but I had to with this one because I was so completely blown away. Until now Michael Connelly has been my favorite author in this genre, I think now Crais is number 1, especially after the most recent Connelly disappointment. Crais delivers mystery, excitement and intrigue woven into a fast paced compelling story brought to life by well developed and believable characters and which reads like an Oscar worthy screen play.

Ron McLarty proves to be a versatile and talented audio performer who in my opinion rates second only to George Guidall. Overall this is one of my favorite books and I would highly recommend it to those who are fans of this genre. I am looking forward to my next Robert Crais book. My only complaint is that nearly all of them are less than 10 hours long.

A first time author for me, not even sure how I came to buy it. It was one of the books audible suggested to me, I might have bought it on a special sale, it was highly rated, 4.3 on the 5.0 scale and it was from one of my favorite genres; a crime thriller. Whatever it was, it was a really good book. Set in LA, where once again you see the seedy side of that city, it was action packed, good character development, some romance, and a good crime mystery. This was book #8 in the series so now I have to figure out whether to go back to the beginning or just go on from here. Robert Crais did spin a good yarn. Whatever the next one is, I'll look forward to it.

This book was another excellent Elvis and Joe story by Robert Crais! I was hooked from the very beginning as we begin to learn a bit more about the elusive Mr. Pike. The pace of the story was perfect, the narrator was excellent making this a very enjoyable listening experience!

Ron McLarty is about the best narrator I've listened to. Just a great voice & delivery. Made a huge difference in the listening experience

Whispersync is sketchy at best

A book has to grab me from the beginning, or I simply get bored, especially with cops.

After listen to many excellent books, I finally got a dud...so I cut my losses and stumbles on to this book and author. Love it and the narration was excellent. I am going to look into the series now! Happy Listening :D

No and there is no comparison. He is EXCELLENT!

No

I love the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. It was hard to take a break from listening to this story. Very supenseful. I did not care for the ending. Overall though it was a great book.

I liked Ron McLarty's tone of voice. He made the story very exciting an suspenseful.

There a few parts of the book that moved me. The bond and friendship that Elvis and Joe have is very moving. They would do anything for each other.