The First Rule by Robert Crais A Fan's Book Review

The First Rule by Robert Crais just came out. I shot through it like a pale yellow ‘66 Corvette convertible on a deserted highway in the Hollywood Hills. This is the 13th novel in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series and it was excellent.

The book begins with the deaths of Frank Meyer and his family at the hands of a four- man home invasion crew. Frank was one of Joe’s guys when he was doing mercenary work and the rest of the book unfolds to show how Joe and Elvis work to make things right.

There is mystery, fighting, gun play,gangs, hookers, cops, feds, twists and turns, oh and a baby. Just when you think you know Joe Pike and Elvis Cole, Robert Crais changes things or develops something new.

I discovered Robert Crais at a used book store when I picked up one of the earlier books and saw the Elvis Cole character name. Not sure which book it was now, but it hit a lot of home runs for me: It was written in the first person, it was a P. I story, Elvis was a smart mouth and drove a Corvette, like that. (Sorry, RC I just had to.)

This is the second book to feature Joe Pike. I find it interesting that when RC writes a book featuring Joe Pike he drops the first person viewpoint. He uses that point of view so well in the Elvis Cole books I wonder why he changes.

Possibly, Joe even spooks Mr. Crais -- a little. That’s probably not a bad thing.