Taken

Since Crais turned over top billing to Joe Pike, longtime second banana in the Elvis Cole series, his books have jumped a few notches on most best-seller lists. This time the pair PI Cole and freelance mercenary Pike share the limelight, though in the course of the action, they're rarely seen together. That's because, a few chapters into the tale, Cole becomes a hostage, and Pike, a hard man but a loyal friend, is pulling out all stops to rescue him. It starts with a simple missing-person case. Krista Morales and her boyfriend have disappeared, inadvertently captured by bajadores, bandits who capture and then sell illegals as they cross the border from Mexico. Cole quickly figures out what happened and almost as quickly finds himself in the hands of the bad guys. With two stars, Crais needs a new supporting actor, and he finds a doozy in Jon Stone, a mercenary with less regard for conventional ethics than even his pal, Pike. We know Pike and Stone won't be denied in their quest to find Cole, but even so, Crais works considerable tension from the hostage situation. The series is at its best when Cole and Pike have more opportunity to interact, but with three characters fighting for screen time, we can't expect everything in one book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: If the formula of more Joe Pike equals more sales holds true, Crais' latest may not do quite as well as his previous Pike novels, but this one has enough of everything tension, banter, and head-banging to keep fans happy.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2010 Booklist

At the start of bestseller Crais's satisfying 15th Elvis Cole novel (after 2011's The Sentry), Jack Berman, a USC dropout, and his girlfriend, Krista Morales, a star student at Loyola Marymount, get caught in a battle between human traffickers and "bajadores"-predators who prey on other criminals-while visiting the site of an old desert plane crash near Rancho Mirage, Calif. Krista's mother, who's seen a flattering magazine story about Cole, hires Cole to find her daughter, who she suspects is pretending to be kidnapped as part of a scheme Jack cooked up to extort money so they can get married. While the tension level isn't up to Crais's usual standard, Cole and sidekicks Joe Pike and Jon Stone all get a chance to shine as Cole plays a dangerous game that makes him a prisoner of the deadly bajadore known as the Syrian. Told from multiple points of view, this installment would make a fine action-packed film with three strong male leads. Author tour. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Crais presents a fast-paced tale set in the gritty, violent world of human trafficking. Successful businessperson Nita Morales hires L.A.-based detective Elvis Cole to locate her missing daughter. The girl and her boyfriend were kidnapped-along with a group of illegal aliens-by bandits who prey on other criminals. To locate the pair, Cole has himself taken by the gang, while his partner, Joe Pike, works with rival criminals to free Cole and the others. The work's main appeal is the characters. Crais fills the story with larger-than-life heroes possessing military and intelligence backgrounds, who battle merciless criminals, and both sides appear to have unlimited access to firearms and explosives. VERDICT Reader Luke Daniels does an excellent job presenting the novel. This audiobook is recommended to listeners who enjoy action stories with over-the-top characters. ["Crais's captivating plot together with his crisp dialog makes for swift and satisfying reading," read the review of the New York Times best-selling Putnam hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 1/13/12.-Ed.]-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Since Crais turned over top billing to Joe Pike, longtime second banana in the Elvis Cole series, his books have jumped a few notches on most best-seller lists. This time the pair—PI Cole and freelance mercenary Pike—share the limelight, though in the course of the action, they're rarely seen together. That's because, a few chapters into the tale, Cole becomes a hostage, and Pike, a hard man but a loyal friend, is pulling out all stops to rescue him. It starts with a simple missing-person case. Krista Morales and her boyfriend have disappeared, inadvertently captured by bajadores, bandits who capture and then sell illegals as they cross the border from Mexico. Cole quickly figures out what happened and almost as quickly finds himself in the hands of the bad guys. With two stars, Crais needs a new supporting actor, and he finds a doozy in Jon Stone, a mercenary with less regard for conventional ethics than even his pal, Pike. We know Pike and Stone won't be denied in their quest to find Cole, but even so, Crais works considerable tension from the hostage situation. The series is at its best when Cole and Pike have more opportunity to interact, but with three characters fighting for screen time, we can't expect everything in one book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: If the formula of more Joe Pike equals more sales holds true, Crais' latest may not do quite as well as his previous Pike novels, but this one has enough of everything—tension, banter, and head-banging—to keep fans happy. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Crais's entertaining 15th Elvis Cole/Joe Pike thriller (after the New York Times best-selling The First Rule and The Sentry) features a multinational cast of bandits who buy, sell, and steal one another's kidnapped victims. When professional kidnappers capture a college-age couple who venture into the desert south of Palm Springs near the Mexican border, the young woman's mother hires Cole to find them. Through a series of undercover efforts, Cole, Pike, and their talented sidekick Jon Stone begin to decipher the power balance in this international matrix of cartels and move cautiously yet decisively to infiltrate the smugglers' web. But when the bandits capture Cole, Pike and Stone must find a way to use his misfortune to their advantage, thwarting the kidnappers and bringing justice to the victims. Verdict Crais's captivating plot together with his crisp dialog makes for swift and satisfying reading. Fans as well as general mystery readers will enjoy this latest effort.-Jerry P. Miller., Cambridge, MA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

At the start of bestseller Crais's satisfying 15th Elvis Cole novel (after 2011's The Sentry), Jack Berman, a USC dropout, and his girlfriend, Krista Morales, a star student at Loyola Marymount, get caught in a battle between human traffickers and "bajadores"—predators who prey on other criminals—while visiting the site of an old desert plane crash near Rancho Mirage, Calif. Krista's mother, who's seen a flattering magazine story about Cole, hires Cole to find her daughter, who she suspects is pretending to be kidnapped as part of a scheme Jack cooked up to extort money so they can get married. While the tension level isn't up to Crais's usual standard, Cole and sidekicks Joe Pike and Jon Stone all get a chance to shine as Cole plays a dangerous game that makes him a prisoner of the deadly bajadore known as the Syrian. Told from multiple points of view, this installment would make a fine action-packed film with three strong male leads. Author tour. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency. (Jan.)