Listened to: "Monkey's Raincoat" by Robert Crais

Listened to: Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais, downloaded from Overdrive.com

Good. The first Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel. I read an interview that Crais did with Megan Abbott for a L.A. newspaper and Crais initially killed Pike off but then changed his mind. This came out in the mid-'80s with Cole at 35 years old. I don't know if Crais has aged Cole since then.

Elvis is hired to find a woman's missing husband. It looks like the guy ran off with a girlfriend. The guy is found shot dead and their nine-year-old son is missing. Elvis investigates. Elvis clashes with the police. Bad people appear looking for missing cocaine. Client disappears. Elvis is a smart-ass. Pike says little. Elvis meets main bad guy. Elvis does yoga and beats people up. Pike kills minor bad guys. Elvis rescues client. Elvis bangs client and client's best friend. Elvis and Pike rescue missing kid and Pike is shot.

Comments:
1. Jeff Deaver was at Muskego and specifically said that he never puts animals or children in danger in his novels. Not so with Crais. Crais has the nine-year-old under threat of death and, and, has the bad guys torture the boy to make him scream.
2. The issue of the missing boy was wrenching. Bad guy cop who takes over the case is willing to let the boy die to make an arrest.
3. Did Ruger ever make a .25? I don't think so. Does Crais have gun whiners complain about inaccuracies?
4. Evil girlfriend of missing guy. Her evil-ness is her complete disregard for others. She stole the missing cocaine and that theft got the client's husband killed, the boy kidnapped, the client/mom kidnapped, the boy tortured and threatened with death. She does not care or even consider that at all.
5. Killings at the end give a good release of revenge for me, the reader.