The Watchman

An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel, Book 11

At last, the enigmatic partner of Elvis Cole (The Two Minute Rule) takes center stage in this pulse-racing thriller. When Joe Pike is charged with safeguarding a wealthy heiress, he discovers protecting the sole witness to a crime is nothing compared to protecting an LA party girl from her own self-destruction...

Larkin Conner Barkley lives like the City of Angels is hers for the taking. Young and staggeringly rich, she speeds through the city during its loneliest hours, blowing through red after red in her Aston Martin as if running for her life. Then suddenly she sees another car’s metal-on-metal explosion of a terrible accident and, dazed, finds herself the single witness in a secret federal investigation.

For maybe the first time in her life, Larkin wants to do the right thing. But in doing so she becomes the target for a relentless team of killers. And when the US Marshals and the finest security money can buy can’t protect her, Larkin’s wealthy family turns to the one man money can't buy - Joe Pike.

Pike lives a world away from the palaces of Beverly Hills. He’s an ex-cop, ex-Marine, ex-mercenary who owes a bad man a favor, and that favor is to keep the uncontrollable Larkin alive.

Pike commits to protecting the girl, but it becomes clear someone in their circle is selling them out. Taking matters into his own hands, Joe drops off the gird with Larkin and follows his own survival rules: strike fast, hit hard, hunt down the hunters. With the help of private investigator Elvis Cole, Pike uncovers a web of lies and betrayals, and the stunning revelation that even the cops are not who they seem. As the body count rises, Pike’s biggest threat might come from the girl herself, a lost soul in the City of Angels, determined to destroy herself unless Joe Pike can teach her the value of life...and love.

Investigate another case with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.©2007 Robert Crais (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Elvis Cole's mostly silent partner, Joe Pike, now has a book of his own. His character, manner, and ethic resemble that of Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry), and thanks to James Daniels, so does his voice."--AudioFile

"Joe Pike, the intriguing, enigmatic partner of L.A. PI Elvis Cole, takes center stage in this intense thriller....The breathless pace and rich styling are sure to appeal to readers of hard-boiled fiction."--Publishers Weekly

Joe Pike is a real person: no longer a cartoon.

Where does The Watchman rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's up there in the top 15 to 20%. I have been reading Robert Crais for about 25 years now. He used to make me laugh out loud. As time has gone on, Crais has developed a real life for Elvis Cole, and in this book he develops a sort-of real life for Pike. Pike has been a silent, super-strong Superman who always came to Cole's rescue when the chips were down. In this book, which was published in 2007, Pike gets caught up in an extremely complicated web, with a seductive, rich, gorgeous young woman at the center of it. They fall in love, but...well, I won't spoil the end of the book. Extremely enjoyable, if somewhat convoluted and contrived at the last ninety minutes or so.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pike is clearly the star here. Crais has put Elvis in the middle of so many adventures that it is high time for Pike to have his own. And he does, and it is a whopper.

What does James Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is extremely good at slipping from one character to another, and from one mood to another. There are a lot of characters, and Mr. Daniels has mastered them all. Pike's hoarse, throaty voice is the distinctive center of the action. Daniels does the females with respect and substance. Crais has written them as real women, as he did with the woman that Cole fell in love with years ago, Lucy Chenier. I heard not a false moment from Mr. Daniels.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Again, this is not what I do. As far as I know, at least one book has been made into a movie, and it was depressingly, vividly violent. I am fairly confident that Mr. Crais enjoyed the financial reward, but he probably had lots of problems with the final product. Hollywood. Ugh.

Edge of your seat ride

I got this book because it was on sale and I had read a lot of Roberts books in the past. This turned out to be one I had read before and didn't realize it when I purchased it. Then I remembered this is the book I read first and fell in love with the author.

nice!

I don't like Pike's "Batman" voice. overall fast-pace and enjoyable. Good book, great author. Will be listening to more.

Pike and Elvis are back in this fast paced thriller. I couldn't put it down!

So Exciting

The best yet. Could not wait for next chance to listen. Narration perfect. Believable and sympathetic.