The Last Detective

An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel, Book 9

By: Robert Crais

Narrated by: James Daniels

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Elvis Cole is back...

With his acclaimed bestsellers, Hostage (a New York Times Notable Book) and Demolition Angel, Robert Crais drew raves for his unstoppable pacing, edgy characterizations, and cinematic prose. Now, in The Last Detective, Crais returns to his signature character, Los Angeles private investigator Elvis Cole, in a masterful page-turner that probes the meaning of family and the burdens of the past.

Elvis Cole's relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. When she moved from Louisiana to join Elvis in Los Angeles, she never dreamed that violence would so easily touch her life - but then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son, Ben, is staying with Elvis, Ben disappears without a trace. Desperate to believe that the boy has run away, evidence soon mounts to suggest a much darker scenario.

Joining forces with his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, Elvis frantically searches for Ben with the help of LAPD Detective Carol Starkey, as Lucy's wealthy, oil-industry ex-husband attempts to wrest control of the investigation. Amid the maelstrom of personal conflicts, Elvis and Joe are forced to consider a more troubling lead - one indicating that Ben's disappearance is connected to a terrible, long-held secret from Elvis Cole's past.

Venturing deep inside a complex psyche, Crais explores Elvis's need for family - the military that embraced him during a troubled adolescence, his rock-solid partnership with Pike, and his floundering relationship with Lucy - as they race the clock in their search for Ben. The Last Detective is Robert Crais' richest, most intense tale of suspense yet.

Investigate another case with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

©2004 Robert Crais (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

One book and I was hooked

Any additional comments?

I came to crime fiction quite by accident and surprised myself about 2 years ago when i was looking for a new book and found THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly. now I don't much want to read anything else.I found the Elvis and Joe series via Crais' SUSPECT, which I loved. I immediately bought the first three Cole/Pike-s. I have now been through most of them I was reluctant read the Pike-centric books because I am so wild about Elvis, but I now love the Still Zen quality of Joe. I hate guns. I am not so into this much violence, but I still really like the books. the Last Detective and LA Requiem are my favorites, but I like the whole series very much. not as much as Michael Connelly, but I like Crais enough to be wondering what will come next. To me, finding new authors is one of the great pleasures of reading.

A Scheme that Backfires!!

This is a good tale of suspense highlighting how an under-handed scheme can backfire. The Audible description of this story is good. The real thick of this story revolves around the question: At what lengths will a person go to in order to get what they want? Be careful of the scheme you concoct for it can become your worst nightmare! This is an enjoyable story. I found no fault with the narrator.

Great listen! Great narrator!

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

If you like Jack Reacher then you should love the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike duo. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story line, fast paced but with emotions you can identify with.

What other book might you compare The Last Detective to and why?

I would compare to Lee Child's Reacher series.

What does James Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

James Daniels brings humor and down to earth emotion to his characters. They have flaws but they continue to struggle onward.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As soon as I finished this book, I looked for the next one in the series with the same author!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoy the way Joe's character plays off Elvis's.

Can't get enough

Since I read the first book in this series I cannot get enough of Elvis and Joe. The books are gripping from start to finish. Crais needs to start turning them out because I'm almost at the end of the series. I give these 5 stars.

Gratuitous use of racial epithet

The 1st occasion of telling us that a police officer's baton-type weapon is referred to as a "nig*ger knocker" could be overlooked. The 2nd time was unnecessary, served no purpose and even outside the character of the child who said it. So it was clearly grotesquely gratuitous. I listened to the rest of the book to have a full view and not rush to judgment. And Crais had a 2nd character, a serious jerk this time, refer to his African partner, in his partner's presence, as a nig*er without his partner even batting an eye. Instead, Crais depicted a large, dark-skinned, brutal-in-every-way assimilated African may remain silent, not even a glib stare, when brutalized with 1 word, complicit in his own destruction or admitting agreement with his silence. Sigh. Sadly, much was revealed about Robert Crais, his editors and other associates who used an oppressor lens to allow this to remain in this book. Even if they were oops, the ignorance of grown-ass folks says the same thing and has the same end, perpetuating excessively harmful stereotypes, feeding unwarranted fear used to undergird allowed brutality that's centuries-old, and creating a laugh, smirk or chuckle at the expense of the vulnerable. Using power like this is why racial oppression has remained steady, strong and powerful for over 4 centuries and with no end even fathomable and says even more why the powerful manufactured the idea of race in the 1st place and will do anything and everything to keep it working for them, why racial power in a "good" 10-yr old white boy is just fine just like it is for killers. So, I'm done with this author. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the 1st time." I've been shown and believe.

Outstanding!

The story and narration were exceptional. After I read this book I downloaded all of Robert Crais' books. Highly recommended.

Casual use of racial slurs

Casual use of the n-word for no reason. Disappointing for such unnecessary racism to appear in a novel like literally no reason.

RACIST

RACIST JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I FOUND A NEW AUTHOR!!! How did this even make it to Publication?

Felt like written for teenage readers.

The story seems to be dumbed down, almost like it's written for teenage readers. Cole and Pike are way too clumsy and inept to be considered long term book "heros". The narration makes it even worse, sounding like a bad South Park episode at times, and a Scooby Doo cartoon at others. Cole sounds like a 150 pound drama king, and Pike sounds like Michael Keaton as Batman...and that is NOT a compliment. If you want to hear the likes of Jack Reacher, this series just doesn't fill that.

not his best

predictable plot. ..disappointed . other stories in the series much. better developed plot lines..overalll i would skip