• L.A. Requiem

  • By: Robert Crais
  • Narrated by: Ron McLarty
  • Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,775 ratings)

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L.A. Requiem  By  cover art

L.A. Requiem

By: Robert Crais
Narrated by: Ron McLarty
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Publisher's summary

Edgar Award nominee Robert Crais’ L.A. Requiem is a gritty, harrowing look into the minds of a serial killer and the men determined to stop him. Elvis Cole and former cop Joe Pike have been partners in a detective agency for 12 years. After an ex-girlfriend of Pike’s disappears, the girl’s father asks them to help the police with the search. When the missing persons case turns into a hunt for a killer who has been stalking victims in Los Angeles, Cole and Pike find themselves battling both a hostile police department and a madman. Ron McLarty’s masterful narration subtly builds a sense of Cole’s and Pike’s growing desperation to find some link between the victims as the body count continues to grow.

©1999 Robert Crais (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about L.A. Requiem

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Equal to Bosch and Davenport

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.

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45 people found this helpful

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

Better than I anticipated

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.

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20 people found this helpful

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

Crais Does Everything I like

This book swirls together so many detective ideas but even if the pieces are familiar this guy Crais uses them to make that swirl go faaast. This is my first Robert Crais. Yeah, the characters ain’t deep. But that plot… is wickedly twisty and those characters are built to whip around the turns. Really liked this. Elvis may have left the building but I’m looking forward to Ron McClarty bringing him back just as soon as I can buy the next in this series. Totally entertaining.

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11 people found this helpful

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

One of my all time Favorites!

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.

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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

Crais hits his stride

Would you listen to L.A. Requiem again? Why?

It's not a question of "Would I", but more a question of "When". This book seems to mark a turning point for Crais. His early books are witty and fun. He next goes into his unfortunate Lucy Chenier phase. Then he arrives here at LA Requiem, with a story not only about the gritty present, but also about the past which forms one of the central characters. I enjoyed the characters presented in this book, and I really cared about how the story would turn out.

What did you like best about this story?

Crais does away with a lot of the superfluous elements of his previous books and concentrates on just telling a great story. He takes away some of the wittiness while maintaining the same Elvis Cole I enjoy reading about, and he drops much of the soap opera factor. Yeah, a love story is told here, but the story is hard and gritty and fitting to the overall story.

Have you listened to any of Ron McLarty’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to anything else read by Ron McLarty.

After the unfortunate treatment that David Stuart gave to the Crais books he read, I was thinking that ANYONE (even Gilbert Gottfried or Stephen Hawking) would be an improvement. But in steps Ron McLarty who knocks it out of the park. He is outstanding in his portrayal of all of the characters. He deftly gives us the information while lending good personality to the telling.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, several moments in this book particularly moved me. But this book is so tightly put together that to describe any of those moments would create spoilers.

Any additional comments?

In talking to other Crais fans, I'm told that this book is just the beginning of Crais's best several books. I'm really looking forward to getting at his next one.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Some plot issues were not well thought out.

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.

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7 people found this helpful

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

my first Crais

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.

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

Best yet

Better English usage. Fewer weak jokes from Cole.
Cole becomes more interesting rather than irritating
Satisfying background on Pike. The word “route” meaning a direction taken is pronounced “root” rather than “rought” meaning overwhelming attack!

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4 people found this helpful

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

What a Find!

I am brand new to this series and to be frank, picked this one bcause it was the longest!
I can't remember when I have been so interested in a story. The narrator is excellent, and has a variety of different vocal styles to keep things interesting. I loved the character development. The only thing I gotta say...a Puerto Rican accent is NOT like a Mexcian American one. But that's a small indiscretion. Thanks ... I will be picking up some more Joe Pike and company stories.

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

L.A. Requiem

I Loved this book, Robert Crais is becoming one of my favorite authors. This story has is a thriller, with so many dry humor points that made me laugh out loud, it was a joy to listen to.
Ron Mclarty narrates a lot of the books I have, he's got a great voice for the male charterers, but as in all the other titles, he has a female counter part than does the female characters voices, but in this book, its just him. I have to say I know why he usually has a female partner. if you can over look that most the women in this book sound just like the men, then you will truly enjoy it. I love Ron Mclarty's narrations, he's one of the best, so I hate to say anything remotely negative about him.
All in all its a great book!!

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