"Elvis Cole provides more fun for the reader than any L.A. private eye to come along in years."--Joseph Wambaugh WINNER OF THE ANTHONY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL - NOMINATED FOR THE EDGAR AND SHAMUS AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL Meet Elvis Cole, L.A. private eye . . . He quotes Jiminy Cricket and carries a .38. He's a literate, wisecracking Vietnam vet who is determined never to grow up. Praise for The Monkey's Raincoat "Outstanding characters, tight plot, and scintillating prose style. . . . This fast-paced ...
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"Elvis Cole provides more fun for the reader than any L.A. private eye to come along in years."--Joseph Wambaugh WINNER OF THE ANTHONY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL - NOMINATED FOR THE EDGAR AND SHAMUS AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL Meet Elvis Cole, L.A. private eye . . . He quotes Jiminy Cricket and carries a .38. He's a literate, wisecracking Vietnam vet who is determined never to grow up. Praise for The Monkey's Raincoat "Outstanding characters, tight plot, and scintillating prose style. . . . This fast-paced story speeds Elvis Cole to a chilling, heart-stopping ending." -- Mystery Scene "Is Bob Crais good? Put it this way: if they're taking you out to put you against the firing squad wall, and you want to enjoy your last moments on earth, pass on the last cigarette and ask for an Elvis Cole novel." --Harlan Ellison "Far and away the most satisfying private eye novel in years. Grab this one--it's a winner!" --Lawrence Block "The best private eye novel of the year . . . lots of action; bright, crisp dialogue; and sharply drawn characters." -- The Denver Post "Robert B. Parker has some competition on his hands. . . . Elvis Cole is an appealing character and Crais's style is fresh and funny." --Sue Grafton "In Crais, a new star has appeared on the private eye scene--a dazzling first novel." --Tony Hillerman
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Add this copy of The Monkey's Raincoat (an Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel to cart. $6.90, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Brilliance Audio.
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Add this copy of The Monkey's Raincoat (an Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel to cart. $49.82, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Brilliance Audio.
Elvis Cole is original; he' a wise-cracking private eye with a side-kick whose other name should be Rambo. However, it is Joe Pike. This is the first in the series but I've read several of the Elvis and Joe Pike books before.
I have a personal belief that the strength of the author can be seen by just how nice the villain is (versus the totally nonredeemable degenerate that most new writers create for their bad boy). Crais' former matador is charming and interesting -- as well as being a Mexican drug lord.
It was more interesting to see the Elvis - Joe Pike relationship, rather than wading through thousands of words trying to describe a very complex association.
This book is not as good as the later stories but sets up the characters for the future. Elvis is a cross between a sarcastic cynic and a psychologist. Elvis' thoughts carry the plot; he helps Joe Pike navigate a world where Joe seems to be a semi-alien.
Elvis Cole
1. The Monkey's Raincoat (1987)
2. Stalking the Angel (1988)
3. Lullaby Town (1992)
bookwormandapple
Aug 28, 2011
A Good Place to Start
I read this book 20 years ago and remembered it fondly enough to pick it up again this year. In fact, I decided to read the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels in chronological order this summer.
What I discovered was a real treat. The Monkey's Raincoat is actually only a fair novel. You can tell it was his first with a less polished style and a heavy reliance on dated cultural references that makes reading the novel now a little harder.
But stick with it and then continue on. What you will see is both a real development of a writer and of the characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Somewhere along the way, Crais really develops his skills and by the time I hit L.A. Requiem, I thought, this is a damn fine story and the characters became fully fleshed out and compelling.
Subsequent books are a little uneven, but the writing quality is still high, and with every book, I fall in love with Elvis and Joe a little bit more.
You might, however, skip Crais' stand-alone novels. Demolition Angel was good, but the others seem like a miss after the Cole and Pike books.
