Chasing Darkness (Elvis Cole, #11)

by Robert Crais

book data

546 ratings, 3.88 average rating, 145 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		22%
4		48%
3		23%
2		4%
1		0%

edit

published

July 1st 2008 by Simon & Schuster

binding

Hardcover

isbn

0743281640 (isbn13: 9780743281645)

description

After the fabulous success of THE WATCHMAN, Crais comes roaring back with his Elvis Cole series. Elvis was a hero when he cleared an innocent man of a...more

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | compare prices ($2.01)…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Novel Ladies: * 2009 Group Read Nominations Listing	10	60	22 days ago, 01:08AM
Novel Ladies: Group Reads for May 2009	94	61	05/26/2009 10:29AM
Novel Ladies: Mailbox Monday - March 30, 2009	21	25	04/07/2009 10:00PM
Novel Ladies: Nominations For May's Group Reads	67	36	03/18/2009 11:22AM

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 775)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

08/12/08

Nadine rated it:

bookshelves: mysteries

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: private eye series fans

I've enjoyed watching the Elvis Cole character evolve through the many books Robert Crais has written. Like many other private eye types, Elvis has a personal code of honor, a faithful side kick, and a solid footing in a specific geographic place: Los Angeles.

This Elvis outing was more plot than character driven, but was a good read during a rainy New England weekend. There's a depth of history to the players in this series by this point, but I prefer it when Mr. Crais develops ...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

03/08/09

Diane rated it:

Read in March, 2009

I love immersing myself in Elvis Cole's noir Los Angeles, but the plot of this book kept straying into a kind of sleepwalking. I suppose it was necessary for Cole and Pike to have the violent encounter with the Repko brothers in order to get more clues to nail down the serial killer, but that plot detour doesn't add much to the narrative.

Lacking in this book is the edginess that makes the earlier Elvis Cole books fun to read. Even Joe Pike, the silent but powerful sidekick character...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

10/13/08

Becky rated it:

Forced evacuations during one of Los Angeles's many wildfires lead to the discovery of a man who's been dead for several days, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot. Found near the body: a "memory book" with graphic photos of seven murdered women, photos that could only have been taken by the killer himself. Two years earlier evidence discovered by Elvis Cole helped to clear this man of the murder of one of the women...and two of the murders have taken place since then.

Elv...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

08/25/08

fbuser1412633581 rated it:

Read in July, 2008

So I'm beginning to feel like all of the big names in pop thriller/crime fiction - Lee Childs, James Lee Burke, James Patterson, and now Robert Crais, are getting either bored or lazy, or have somehow managed to misplace the passion and fiery writing that placed them in their well deserved positions (well, except perhaps Patterson) on the big best seller lists. Yes, I'm a Robert Crais fan. The early Elvis Cole was smart, funny, and in your face - definitely an updated, more hip, and slightly mor...more So I'm beginning to feel like all of the big names in pop thriller/crime fiction - Lee Childs, James Lee Burke, James Patterson, and now Robert Crais, are getting either bored or lazy, or have somehow managed to misplace the passion and fiery writing that placed them in their well deserved positions (well, except perhaps Patterson) on the big best seller lists. Yes, I'm a Robert Crais fan. The early Elvis Cole was smart, funny, and in your face - definitely an updated, more hip, and slightly more irreverent version of the venerable Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe and today's answer to the hard boiled LA that Chandler invented. And Joe Pike? In Crais' prime, can you think of a supporting cast member more menacing - a more cleverly and intelligently rendered butt-kicker - the hands down candidate for the guy you'd least want to have on the other side of a street fight - or any kind of fight? Leaves me yearning for "LA Requiem", "The Monkey's Raincoat", or Crais' outstanding stand alone effort, "The Hostage".

To be fair, "Chasing Darkness" is by no means a bad read. In fact, it starts out with an intriguing "murder in a locked room-like" premise that is genuinely gripping, and definitely held my attention. And without the distraction and baggage of Cole's annoying girlfriend Lucy hanging around to mush up the action, I was getting ready to declare that "Crais is back" after what a thought were a couple of sub-par installments. But before long it starts feeling a bit tired with crooked cop conspiracy theories and all too familiar themes. And the intimidating Pike is relegated to a near cameo role, emerging with only enough adrenaline to help Elvis beat up some kids. At the end of the day, the enigma unravels too easily, and if you devote more than a few seconds to dissecting the mystery, you'll find a hole big enough for Cole's 'vette and Pike's Jeep to drive through - side-by-side.

When all is said and done, "Chasing Darkness" is mostly an entertaining ride, but essentially flat - a journeyman's effort that had that "got-to-do-this-to-meet-my contract" feel to it. The Crais aficionado - like me - will want to read it, but it is far from his best effort, and a sure sign that the talented Mr. Crais should take the hint from Dennis Lehane and William Lashner, and take some well deserved time off to recharge his classic crime-busting mojo. And should he take this hiatus, Crais fans take heart - their are plenty of great new writers - Huston, Swierczynski, Gischler, McKinty, Doolittle and more - to fill the gaps while the old guys like Crais and Child take a vacation to remember the kind of writing that got them to the top. (less)

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

08/02/08

Jen rated it:

bookshelves: detective-fiction, favorites, male-author

Read in August, 2008

Lionel Byrd is found dead in his home, apparently of suicide, when Los Angeles' law enforcement officers are evacuating people due to fires in the area. The death in and of itself wouldn't be alarm-setting, but the photo album full of pictures of dead women is a problem.

Lionel had been accused of murdering one of the women, Yvonne Bennett, in the book a few years earlier. Elvis Cole found evidence that set him free. Now the Los Angeles police department is saying that Elvis got two m...more Lionel Byrd is found dead in his home, apparently of suicide, when Los Angeles' law enforcement officers are evacuating people due to fires in the area. The death in and of itself wouldn't be alarm-setting, but the photo album full of pictures of dead women is a problem.

Lionel had been accused of murdering one of the women, Yvonne Bennett, in the book a few years earlier. Elvis Cole found evidence that set him free. Now the Los Angeles police department is saying that Elvis got two more women killed by helping to set Lionel free in the first place - the two women murdered after Yvonne.

Elvis is SURE that the evidence he found three years ago was legitimate, and something hinky is going on. When more oddities start popping up, Elvis sets out to prove what actually happened once and for all.

Crais is back in true form with Chasing Darkness. The best statement I ever heard made about Robert Crais was, "Crais on a bad day is better than most writers on their best days." Let me assure you that Chasing Darkness WASN'T a bad day!

From page one, Crais starts building up a theme of corruption in reality. There are evils destroying the world around Elvis. First the fires are burning his city. Then he receives news that his exterminator has found termites at his house, corrupting the foundation. A ransacking break-in even results in Elvis' Mickey Mouse phone being broken. Crais has to glue him back together, but you can still see the cracks...the damage. And the corruption continues to build up to the ultimate level of law enforcement and the government.

As is the case with any Crais novel, the plot constantly feeds you twists and turns. It is pointless to try to predict the ending to a Crais novel because he'll get you. You are down to the last twenty pages or so and you know he's leading you down the final path...the one to the answers, and you know he's fed you enough information to figure out the "who done it" and then IT TWISTS AGAIN! GOTCHA!!

Crais is a master of the character. Have you ever noticed the theme with my reading preferences? One must have great characters for me to really connect. Crais' characters always manage to take up residence inside my head for days, sometimes weeks, after I've finished reading one of his books. They are so real for me that they become a part of my world in a sense. No matter how many of Crais' books I read, I never tire of hearing about Joe Pike. And something as simple as "[Pike's:] machine picked up with a beep. Pike doesn't have an outgoing message. You just get the beep" says oceans about Joe. He didn't play a very big role in this novel, but when he is present, he fills the room.

Crais never needs a lot of words to build a character. John Chen in all his paranoia, returns in this novel and Crais describes him: "Chen was tall and skinny, and watching him get out of the wagon was like watching a question mark unfold. He studied the surrounding buildings as if he were checking for spies, then hurried to my car." Holy Cow! Who doesn't conjure up a vivid image from a description like that?

I found Crais allusions to The Wizard of Oz very fitting for this theme. They played right into the idea of reality and what one sees and believes. He's another author who doesn't waste a word when he's writing. It all works toward the theme of the book. Is it any wonder I had to finish this book in one day?

Chasing Darkness is another stellar performance from Robert Crais. (less)

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

02/05/09

Bookmarks Magazine added it

Elvis Cole has been around for more than 20 years, and he has aged like fine wine. Chasing Darkness contains the classic crime elements that have made Crais's series so popular, but the novel seems, as a few critics commented, more like a straightforward crime thriller this time around. Material Witness felt that the novel was perhaps less psychologically intense than previous installments, but nonetheless still as compelling in its exploration of crime and backroom politics. A tight, plausible

...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

07/04/09

Pam rated it:

bookshelves: california, suspense-thriller

Read in June, 2009

CHASING DARKNESS by Robert Crais
2008, Simon & Schuster, 273 pgs/ PI Mystery-Suspense
Read: 06/27/09 Rating: 5/A
1st Line (Prologue): Beakman & Trencherd could smell the fire -- it was still a mile away, but a sick desert wind carried the promise of Hell
1st Line (Ch 1): Our office was a good place to be that morning. There was only the tocking of the Pinocchio clock, the scratch of my pen, & the hiss of the air-conditioning fighting a terrible heat

Several years b...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

11/06/08

Ursula rated it:

bookshelves: detective

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Crime writer Robert Crais brings back his popular private eye Elvis Cole, “The World’s Greatest Detective,” in a page turner that keeps the reader guessing and eliminating suspects in a complicated serial murder case.

When L.A. firefighters are clearing residents from an imminent hillside conflagration, they discover the body of Lionel Byrd, an apparent suicide, surrounded by evidence of a string of grisly unsolved murders—one of which he had been under investigation for two...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/02/09

Jim rated it:

Read in April, 2009

This is one of a series of books written by Robert Crais that features the character Elvis Cole a private investigator in Los Angeles.

I have to admit that I love novels that take place in Los Angeles, so I can say "I know where that is!" In a way, it makes it more real for me.

This story starts with a "locked room" type of mystery. It appears to be an open and shut case, but it quickly unravels. The case appears to be related to an old case that ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/23/09

Ryan Mishap rated it:

bookshelves: mystery-crime

Crais has developed over the years into a crime writer almost as good as Michael Connelly. It seems like every other book is awesome, and this is one of the good ones.
Elvis Cole, the ponderously named detective, cleared a man of murder three years ago. Now that man has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot and evidence suggests that he was, in fact, guilty. Elvis, his conscience twinged, investigates and stirs up a pot of trouble with the LAPD and the victim's families.
...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/17/08

Anna Hanson Bevens rated it:

bookshelves: library-book, mystery, read-in-2009

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: mystery fans

I like Elvis Cole. He's in my Top 10 all time favorite fictional characters. And honestly, that's why this book is getting 4 stars. Because Crais would have to turn a Cole mystery into a Tarentino bloodfest for me to knock the book down to 2 stars.

Elvis Cole is a Nice Guy. So when he discovers that a man that he'd cleared of murder 3 years ago has been found dead, victim of an apparent suicide, while clutching a gory "murder album" with pictures of 7 murdered women that...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

09/02/08

Zach rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-books, mystery--private-eye-tough-guy

Read in September, 2008

Robert Crais is the love child of Elmore Leonard and Raymond Chandler!!!

He has Chandler's ear for first person narrative and asides, Leonard's dialogue and ability to constantly keep a story moving. That is Crais' best attribute, he keeps the story moving from the discovery of the body to ever shifting suspects.

However to keep such a strong pace, character development often suffers (there are so many police detectives coming in and out of the story, they all blur toge...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

08/05/08

LJ rated it:

bookshelves: california, contemporary_post_1945, male_author, mystery, private_investigator, so_cal_la

Read in July, 2008

CHASING DARKNESS (PI- Elvis Cole-Los Angeles, CA-Cont) - VG
Crais, Robert – 11th in series
Simon & Schuster, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780743281645

First Sentence: Beakman and Trenchard could smell the fire--it was still a mile away, but a sick desert wind carried the promise of Hell.

Three years ago, Elvis helped prove Lionel Byrd innocent of killing a prostitute. Now, Byrd's body has been found with a book containing the photographs of seven women who had...more

Like this review? yes

1 comment

07/18/08

Steve rated it:

bookshelves: mystery, suspense-thriller

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: Mystery fans of Robert B. Parker and Harlan Coben.

Anyone who follows my reading list will have noticed a fairly eclectic variety of genres but fairly focused types within the genre, if that makes sense.

Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels are similar to the detective stories that Robert B. Parker first started in his Spenser series; the wise-cracking detective with the enforcer partner. This formula has been duplicated by Crais, Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series and others. Though this formula is similar to other writers, it should no...more

Like this review? yes

1 comment

06/27/08

Rita rated it:

bookshelves: loved-, most-recent, mystery

I liked it. It wasn't like the best thing in the world (meaning there could have been more Joe Pike). Lots of quips from Elvis and Crais has moved the books well into the techno-age with PDAs and cell phones and people texting each other. I finished it in two days and now what am I gonna do for the next year or so?

If you're new to the series, the author recommends (somewhere, on his website???) that you start with L.A. Requiem, which is kind of in the middle of the series. I had ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/01/09

Beverly rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, audio, crime-series

Read in June, 2009

Love Elvis, love Crais, getting tired of one- dimensional Pike. Pike doesn't figure too much into this story which finds Elvis second guessing himself. He cleared a man of being a serial murderer several years ago; since then two more victims have been claimed. Was Elvis wrong? He doesn't think so, and plunges in to finding the real killer. Great plot, less psychology than usual. Most of the Elvis-counseling comes from Lucy, his annoying long-distance girl friend who should stay in New Orleans a...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

07/24/08

Stephanie rated it:

bookshelves: want-to-buy

Read in July, 2008

I love Robert Crais. I KNOW his characters...although when I first read his Cole stuff, I thought "Elvis Cole? cute" - but this one is just the best ever.

Plot has surprises, I had a hint that one character might not be totally OK, but I didn't guess the ending at all. I enjoyed reading it, every page.

And I just glanced at the other reviews and see I am not alone in my fondness for Crais. Wish he'd come to town, I'd love to hear him speak about his work.

...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/20/09

Davecon rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Elvis Cole was involved exonerating Lionel Byrd from a murder rap a
couple of years prior to this story and gets involved again when Byrd
is accused of murdering several women. Cole gets involved again to
find out the truth and the suspects and coverups make it look like a
dirty cop is involved. Cole gets to the truth, of course, in a below
average Crais effort.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/01/09

Coral Lukies rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Elvis has to prove that a job he did 3 years before, clearing a man of murder, was correct. Now Byrd's found dead with evidence he's killed more women. It's an open and shut case for the cops but what are they covering up? Elvis, with Joe for backup, follows the trail that looks more and more like police corruption, but is it? A good read.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/29/09

Joy rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Elvis Cole series. Elvis was "the man" when he cleared a guy of a murder charge three years before. But when that "innocent" man is found dead with disgusting photos of the victim, Elvis feels it is imperative that he investigate what went on and it looks like the higher ups of the police dept. are intimately involved.

Like this review? yes

add a comment