Synopses & Reviews
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are joined by Suspect heroes Scott James and his K-9 partner, Maggie, in the new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author.
Loyalty, commitment, the fight against injusticethese are the things that have always driven Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. If they make a promise, they keep it. Even if it could get them killed.
When Elvis Cole is hired to locate a woman who may have disappeared with a stranger she met online, it seems like an ordinary caseuntil Elvis learns the missing woman worked for a defense contractor and was being blackmailed to supply explosives components for a person or persons unknown.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, LAPD officer Scott James and his patrol dog, Maggie, enter an abandoned building to locate an armed and dangerous thief, only to discover far more than they expected: The fugitive is dead, the building is filled with explosives, and Scott and Maggie are assaulted by a hidden man who escapes in the chaos, all as a bloodied Joe Pike watches from the shadows.
Soon, Scott and Maggie find themselves targeted by that man, and, as their case intertwines with Elvis and Joes, joining forces to follow the trail of the missing woman as well. From inner-city drug traffickers to a shadowy group of Afghan war veterans with ties to a terrorist cell, the people they encounter on that trail add up to ever-increasing odds, and soon the four of them are fighting to find the woman not only before she is killed . . . but before the same fate happens to one of them.
Review
“Crais keeps the reader off-balance with…unexpected plot twists and a breathless pace that makes you feel as if you're smack in the middle of an action film.” —
Huffington Post “A thriller in every sense of the word… This is magnificent, bold writing from one of the absolute best.” —Bookreporter.com
“[Crais’s] best-selling Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series gets better with every new book, and…Taken, is no exception.” —OregonLive.com
Review
"Robert Crais is hands-down the World’s Greatest Crime Fiction Writer, and that’s no joke” --
Huffington Post “Most crime novel fans have a shortlist of authors they will buy on name recognition alone. If Robert Crais isn’t on that list, he should be. His novels get better with every new book” --Portland Oregonian
Review
Praise for SUSPECT
“The most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year just may turn out to be a dog—and a hard-boiled dog, to boot… A read-in-one-sitting thriller."--Booklist (starred review)
Praise for Robert Crais
"Robert Crais is hands-down the Worlds Greatest Crime Fiction Writer, and thats no joke” --Huffington Post
“Most crime novel fans have a shortlist of authors they will buy on name recognition alone. If Robert Crais isnt on that list, he should be. His novels get better with every new book” --Portland Oregonian
Review
Praise for SUSPECT
"Action-packed, deeply touching and sure to be one of the best-written and most original crime novels of the year."—Associated Press
“The most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year just may turn out to be a dog—and a hard-boiled dog, to boot… A read-in-one-sitting thriller, plot- and character driven in equal measures.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Maggie is one gorgeous girl, altogether worthy of playing a leading role in SUSPECT, Robert Craiss heart-tugging novel about two wounded war veterans who nudge each other back to life after suffering a traumatic loss . . . [Maggie] holds us captive, enthralled by Craiss perceptive depiction of her amazing capabilities.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Praise for Robert Crais
"Robert Crais is hands-down the Worlds Greatest Crime Fiction Writer, and thats no joke” —Huffington Post
“Most crime novel fans have a shortlist of authors they will buy on name recognition alone. If Robert Crais isnt on that list, he should be. His novels get better with every new book” —Portland Oregonian
Review
and#8220;An intense, fast-paced, and thrilling page turner.and#8221;and#8212;CNN.com
and#8220;A read-in-one-sitting thriller.and#8221; and#8212;Booklist (starred review)
and#8220;[A] heart-tugging noveland#8230;Maggieand#8230;holds us captive, enthralled by Craisand#8217;s perceptive depiction of her amazing capacities.and#8221;and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
and#8220;An emotional masterpiece. Suspect is without a doubt Craisand#8217;s best novel to date.and#8221; and#8212;Author magazine
Review
Praise for Suspect
“Action-packed, deeply touching, and sure to be one of the best-written and most original crime novels of the year. Crais is one of the masters of modern crime fiction.” —Associated Press
“An exceptional novel. A rare hybrid—a first-class crime thriller and a story about love between two friends.” —The Huffington Post
Synopsis
From the New York Times-bestselling author who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime-writing comes a blistering thriller featuring Joe Pike and Elvis Cole.
The Watchman put Joe Pike, Elvis Cole's strong, taciturn partner, front and center, and not only won Robert Crais new audiences but remarkable reviews. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Robert Crais elevates crime fiction and now with The First Rule he does it again.
The organized criminal gangs of the former Soviet Union are bound by what they call the thieves' code. The first rule is this: A thief must forsake his mother, father, brothers, and sisters. He must have no family-no wife, no children. We are his family. If any of the rules are broken, it is punishable by death.
Frank Meyer had the American dream-until the day a professional crew invaded his home and murdered everyone inside. The only thing out of the ordinary about Meyer was that- before the family and the business and the normal life-a younger Frank Meyer had worked as a professional mercenary, with a man named Joe Pike. The police think Meyer was hiding something very bad, but Pike does not. With the help of Cole, he sets out on a hunt of his own-an investigation that quickly entangles them both in a web of ancient grudges, blood ties, blackmail, vengeance, double crosses, and cutthroat criminalA-ity, and at the heart of it, an act so terrible even Pike and Cole have no way to measure it. Sometimes, the past is never dead. It's not even past.
The First Rule is the most astonishing novel yet from the master of the crime thriller.
Synopsis
Joe Pike and his partner Elvis Cole must solve the murder of an old friend and his entire family in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.
When Frank Meyer and his family are executed during a home invasion, the police begin investigating the secret life they're sure Meyer had. Joe Pike's on a hunt of his own: to clear his friend's name, and to punish the people who murdered him. What starts out as a simple trail gets twisted fast by old grudges, double crosses, blood vengeance, and a crime so terrible even Pike and his partner Elvis Cole have no way to measure it.
Synopsis
From the "New York Times"-bestselling author who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime-writing comes a blistering thriller featuring Joe Pike and Elvis Cole. Unexpected twists . . . A beautifully crafted piece of storytelling.--"The Seattle Times." Available in a tall Premium Edition.
Synopsis
When Frank Meyer and his family are executed in their home, the police begin investigating the secret life they're sure Meyer had. Joe Pike's on a hunt of his own: to clear his friend's name, and to punish the people who murdered him. What starts out as a simple trail gets twisted fast by old grudges, double crosses, blood vengeance, and a crime so terrible even Pike and his partner Elvis Cole have no way to measure it.
Synopsis
When Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are hired to find her missing girl, the investigation derails into a nightmare. Cole himself disappears and it’s left to Pike to burn through the deadly world of human traffickers to find his friend. But he may already be too late.
Synopsis
The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.
Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.
They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.
Synopsis
The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.
Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.
They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.
Synopsis
New from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series
LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Nine months ago, a shocking assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for dutyand#151;until he meets his new partner.
Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived two tours in Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler, her PTSD is as bad as Scottand#8217;s.
They are each otherand#8217;s last chance. And theyand#8217;re about to investigate the one case no one wants them to touch: identifying the men who murdered Stephanie. But what they find could ultimately break them both.
About the Author
Robert Crais is the 2006 recipient of the Ross Macdonald Literary Award. The author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Sentry, he lives in Los Angeles.