- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Orion; First UK edition edition (20 Feb 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752851985
- ISBN-13: 978-0752851983
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 633,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Last Detective
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
For The Last Detective Robert Crais fields something of a crime busting dream team; his regular duo, private detective Elvis Cole and enigmatic partner Joe Pike, hook up with Carol Starkey, the feisty, chain-smoking heroine of Demolition Angel in a tautly plotted kidnapping caper.
Crais has always spiced his elaborate LA procedurals with the gamier elements from action thrillers and this book, which pits his gumshoes against a gang of vicious mercenaries as well as the intractable red tape of policing law, is no exception. The drama kicks off when Ben Chenier, Cole's girlfriend Lucy's ten-year-old son, is abducted with military precision from outside Elvis' own home. Stunned by the kidnappers' audacity, Cole receives an even bigger shock when the gang phone. There is no ransom demand; instead the caller reminds him of a horrific incident from his past. As a Ranger in Vietnam, Cole's unit, number Five-Two, had come under heavy attack. Only he had survived the assault. Now more than 20 years later, the kidnappers accuse Cole of murdering his colleagues and maintain that Ben has been taken in retribution. Could the snatcher be a bitter relative with a grudge or perhaps, a disgruntled old army buddy out for vengeance?
Elvis and Pike, along with renegade LAPD cop Carole Starkey, start to hunt for Ben. Meticulously tracking leads and drawing on their military know how they start to build up a profile of their prey. While they make headway Cole is still left feeling "as if each piece of the picture was from a different puzzle and no matter how hard" he tries "to arrange them it made no sense". Their efforts are further hampered by Ben's father, Richard. Richard has always despised Cole and accompanied by Myers, his personal investigator, he begins stirring up trouble for Elvis with Lucy and with the authorities. But when Cole's researches start paying off, things in this page-turner become far, far murkier. --Travis Elborough
Review
The author of LA Requiem, Hostage, Demolition Angel and other big-selling novels has produced a new one which sounds hugely saleable. I have only had a chance to read the opening 50 pages or so, which tell how private eye Elvis Cole is looking after his girlfriend's son Ben when he is kidnapped under Elvis's nose from his house outside LA. The kidnapper telephones saying, "I've got the boy. This is payback." Also mentioned is 'Five-two', which was his unit's designation in Vietnam. That is another part of his life which he has not thought of for 20 years, but it is obvious that retribution is what the kidnappers are after, not money, and he's going to have to look back into his past if he is to secure the future. His latest thriller looks like another big bestseller for this American author, and has an explosive beginning.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Detective Story,
By
This review is from: The Last Detective (Hardcover)
I agree with the previous reviewer that this was a long anticipated book.After the ending of L.A. Requiem there was a fear that Crais was retiring Elvis and Joe. However his fans are rewarded with another superbly crafted work. The character development continues and you learn more about Cole and discover that Pike may no longer be the superman he seemed to be. Crais has also woven in his heroine, Starkey, from Demolition Angel to add to the pot. For those fans of Michael Connelly we also get a homage to his Heironymous Bosch character. Thankfully this is far better done than the high tech thrillers where they just say "it was just like something from a Brown/Clancy/Bond book". Unless you know the character you'll miss the link. The story zips along and you won't want to stop reading. The story alternates between the viewpoint of Cole, Pike and Ben. The plot is believeable and never relents. You hate the breakdown of his relationship with the boy's mother and hope that it will survive. Like Connelly he breathes life into an L.A. that every knows, even if they've never been there. However just one word of warning. There are 7 previous Cole/Pike stories and not 4. I recommend that you read them all before starting this. For those who read Crais for the first time you don't know what you've missed. You WILL want to read more.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Cole novel yet....,
By S Bullen (Hampshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last Detective (Hardcover)
As much as I love the Elvis Cole books, they've always felt a little 'pulpy' - crime, crime-solving, go home. Then came 'L.A. Requiem', turning the relationship between Cole and his partner Joe Pike into something more than just a buddy-buddy situation - a very real friendship. We also got a look in at the before- unknown past of Pike. Now arrives 'The Last Detective' and we finally get to see into Cole's life. How he grew to become the man he is. This really helps to turn Cole into the three-dimensional character he had always destined to be. This book is not only the best in the Cole series, but also the most mature. Cole still has his witty comback lines and Pike is still, well Pike, but they feel more human, adding to the dangerous situations they find themselves in by making them finally seem fallible. A masterpiece and a must read for any Elvis Cole fan.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unputdownable!,
By Sian Lewis-Evans (enfield, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last Detective (Paperback)
Having only read one Robert Crais book before this and found this lurking at the back of my bookcase, I decided to give it ago. What have I been missing out on?The book does not let up on the pace. The last detective being Elvis Cole along with his trusty not very talkative sidekick Joe Pike become involved in a race against time battle with three mercenaries to rescue Elvis's girlfriends son Ben who has been kidnapped by them. What follows is the fight to find the men and rescue Ben. Expect some twists and to be kept on the edge of seat reading.
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