A Dangerous Man (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike #18) by Robert Crais #CrimeFiction in Los Angeles #FridayReads

Author: Robert Crais

Performed by Luke Daniels

Released: August 2019 by Brilliance Audio

Category: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Audiobook, Review

Joe Pike didn’t expect to rescue a woman that day. He went to the bank same as anyone goes to the bank, and returned to his Jeep. So when Isabel Roland, the lonely young teller who helped him, steps out of the bank on her way to lunch, Joe is on hand when two men abduct her. Joe chases them down, and the two men are arrested. But instead of putting the drama to rest, the arrests are only the beginning of the trouble for Joe and Izzy.

A Dangerous Man continues Robert Crais’ fantastic series featuring outgoing, sociable private investigator Elvis Cole, and the strong, silent, ex military Joe Pike. 

Two men, Karbo and Bender, have one objective. They are being paid to  kidnap a twenty two year old woman. Watching for their target, they didn’t didn’t pay attention to anyone else and so missed the man with a red arrow tattoo on each arm. Joe Pike has just left the bank when he sees Isabel Roland, the teller who helped him, forced into a car which then drives off. Joe calls the police as he follows, rescuing Isabel and subduing the men before the police arrive. 

Izzy is terrified when the men are bailed. She sees what she believes is their car outside her house and leaves a message for Joe.  But Izzy is nowhere to be found and not answering her phone. When the bodies of the two abductors are found Joe brings in his private investigator partner and best friend, Elvis Cole, to help uncover the truth. 

The phone rang three times. 

A familiar voice answered.

“Elvis Cole Detective Agency, two clues for the price of one. Discounts available.”

“I need your help.”

Cole’s voice turned serious.

“Anything.”

Joe and Elvis, with the help of John Chen, become entangled in mystery and murder orchestrated by an unknown person behind the scenes, with his small army of villains. They are drawn in deeper as plot unravels with the intervention of the US Marshall department and local police after a Marshall was found murdered. The trail takes them in unexpected directions, going back decades, with a convoluted story involving a huge amount of cash and misinformation. The question arises, why is Izzy being targeted. 

This long running series is a favourite and I always look forward to a new story. Robert Crais delivers another well written, fast paced and crisp narrative with good plots, sub plots, lots of action. Not forgetting the two main, engaging characters—differing but realistic individuals with positive traits that compliment each other. I enjoyed John Chen’s part in this one. He’s always on hand to surreptitiously help Elvis and Joe with forensics, but is this time one too many? Izzy and her best friend, Carly were spot on, the way they talk and act is believable of girls in their early twenties. Marshall Pryor Gregg is a new character who offers a lot of mileage, I hope he crops up again.

Told from the perspectives of Joe, Elvis and some of the villains, the pace reflects the fact the story covers a very short amount of time, the imagery and sense of place adding to overall feel.  Entertaining, humorous with lots of twists…and a great narration from Luke Daniels.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US | Hive 

About the Author

Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. A native of Louisiana, Crais moved to Hollywood in the late 70s where he began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues. In the mid 80s, following his success with the TV buddy genre, Crais created a series of crime novels based around the characters Cole & Pike. In addition, Crais has also written several bestselling standalone thrillers. Robert Crais lives in LA with his wife and family.

Author links ~ Website | Facebook