The Watchman.The Watchman WATCHMAN. An officer in many cities and towns, whose duty it is to watch during the night and take care of the property of the inhabitants. 2. He possesses generally the common law authority of a constable (q.v. Robert Crais Robert Crais (born 1954) is a contemporary American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. 1230 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10020 0743281632 $25.95 www.simonandschuster.com 800-223-2336 Robert Crais plunges the reader into the action from the first pages of The Watchman. In a well-plotted novel which brings the welcome return of Elvis Cole Elvis Cole is a fictional character in a series of Robert Crais' detective novels. Elvis, who jokingly proclaims himself to be "The World's Greatest Detective" on numerous occasions, is the classic private investigator: honest, straight-forward, and with a soft spot for a woman in and Joe Pike Joseph "Joe" Pike is the intimidating partner of fictional P.I. Elvis Cole, created by writer Robert Crais. Dubbed the "sociopathic sidekick," Pike is a quiet, joyless ex-marine, ex-LAPD cop who owns a gunshop as well as being a part-time soldier of fortune. , the book reverses their usual roles, with Cole, the p.i. who calls himself the World's Greatest Detective, playing back-up to Pike, ex-cop and former mercenary, who has been hired to protect a 22-year-old girl who is in Witness Protection before an impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. grand jury investigation. The body count starts to mount early and rapidly. Joe Pike is on the case, and Robert Crais fans will be pleased. Several attempts are made on the life of the girl [a Paris Hilton-type rich girl, described as the 'classic LA wild child'], three before Pike is hired and two more in the first 24 hours since, and then the bad guys come after Pike. Mr. Crais has in this novel has somewhat self-consciously given the reader insight into what makes Pike, variously described here as a "monster" and a man whose skills include the ability to rise "with the slowness of melting ice," tick. He is, as always, enigmatic [though a bit less so in this book, with background details filled in this time], self-sufficient, but then again, classic Joe Pike. The book is set for the most part in Southern California, including the Echo Park area most recently inhabited by Michael Connelly, an author with whose writing Mr. Crais' is frequently compared, not without reason. My overriding thought as the book got closer to the suspense-filled conclusion: This just keeps getting better. Recommended. |
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