Chasing darkness: an Elvis Cole novel

When Lionel Byrd is charged with murder, his attorney hires Elvis Cole. The PI corroborates Byrd's alibi through a convenience store security tape, but murders similar to the one in which Byrd was a suspect continue. Then Byrd is found in his small rental in the Los Angeles hills, the victim of an apparent suicide. Beside his body is a notebook with pictures of all the victims, taken at the moment of death. The consensus among the cops, the press, and the victims' families is that Cole freed a killer. Cole stands by his work and digs in again, but this time, his goal isn't to clear Byrd, it's to find the killer. The Cole novels are always thoughtful and entertaining, but sometimes a little short on mystery usually readers know who but not necessarily why. Here the killer isn't revealed until late in the game, and it's a genuine a-ha! moment. Mix in the usual sterling dialogue, the shadowy presence of Cole's sidekick Joe Pike, and an extended appearance by former bomb squad technician and semi-pro smart aleck Carol Starkey (Demolition Angel, 2000) for an intense and very satisfying thriller. Crais is one of the very best, and this novel encompasses all of his strengths.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2008 Booklist

After earning a law degree, James Daniels quit recording audiobooks, but returned to read Crais's newest Elivis Cole and Joe Pike mystery (his previous Crais recordings include The Forgotten Man, Hostage, The Last Detective, Lullaby Town and The Watchman). It's a welcome return and Daniel's no-nonsense reading elevates one of Crais's lesser efforts and turns it into an enjoyable listening experience. Slipping back into these characters, Daniels easily distinguishes Cole's wise-guy banter from Pike's steely resolution, and he gives this outing's enigmatic villain, Lionel Byrd, just the right note of weirdness. A fire unearths evidence that someone Cole helped prove innocent of murdering a prostitute six years ago may actually have been guilty--and may have killed many other women. Cole and Pike dodge bullets as they dig around to find out the truth. A Simon & Schuster hardcover (Reviews, May 19). (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike battle L.A. bad guys. With a 13-city tour. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The shooting of an apparent serial killer allows the LAPD to close the books on seven murders--but private eye Elvis Cole won't have it. Dead suspects don't look any more guilty than Lionel Byrd. In his hand is the gun that fired the fatal shot into his head; at his feet is an album with Polaroids of seven women who've been killed at the rate of one a year, each photo snapped moments after the subject's death. Homicide detective Connie Bastilla is only too happy to write finis to a troublesome case. But Cole, who produced the evidence that allowed Byrd's lawyer to verify an alibi for the fifth murder, isn't convinced. And he comes up with enough evidence to convince the seventh victim's brothers to quit beating him up and help him investigate further. The harder Elvis digs, the more Byrd's suicide looks like a murder whose evidence the cops are deliberately sweeping under the rug. But how far does the cover-up extend, and how high up are its beneficiaries? With some help from Detective Carol Starkey, late of the bomb squad, and his partner Joe Pike, whom nobody's ever accused of being too sensitive, Cole follows the trail through a string of well-placed twists to a satisfying climax. Some of the twists are more convincing than the last one, which leaves a few loose ends. But it's great to see Cole (The Forgotten Man, 2005, etc.) back in action. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

When Lionel Byrd is charged with murder, his attorney hires Elvis Cole. The PI corroborates Byrd's alibi through a convenience store security tape, but murders similar to the one in which Byrd was a suspect continue. Then Byrd is found in his small rental in the Los Angeles hills, the victim of an apparent suicide. Beside his body is a notebook with pictures of all the victims, taken at the moment of death. The consensus among the cops, the press, and the victims' families is that Cole freed a killer. Cole stands by his work and digs in again, but this time, his goal isn't to clear Byrd, it's to find the killer. The Cole novels are always thoughtful and entertaining, but sometimes a little short on mystery—usually readers know who but not necessarily why. Here the killer isn't revealed until late in the game, and it's a genuine "a-ha!" moment. Mix in the usual sterling dialogue, the shadowy presence of Cole's sidekick Joe Pike, and an extended appearance by former bomb squad technician and semi-pro smart aleck Carol Starkey (Demolition Angel, 2000) for an intense and very satisfying thriller. Crais is one of the very best, and this novel encompasses all of his strengths. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike battle L.A. bad guys. With a 13-city tour. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Crais returns L.A. PI Elvis Cole to center stage after 2007's The Watchman , which showcased Cole's partner, Joe Pike, though Cole doesn't wisecrack as much as usual and he has only a few scenes with close friends to reveal his warmth and decency. This one is all about plot; the story opens with a bang and never slows. While clearing houses in the path of a forest fire in Laurel Canyon, police officers find the body of Lionel Byrd, an apparent suicide. Three years earlier, Cole, working for Byrd's attorney, uncovered evidence that cleared Byrd of a murder charge. Now new evidence suggests that he was guilty of that murder and six others, two of them committed after Cole helped exonerate him. Torn by guilt, Cole plunges into his own investigation, which leads in startling directions. Established fans will enjoy a dramatic story built not on mere twists but on hard 90-degree turns. To get the full richness of Cole and Pike, new readers should start with one of the early novels. (July)