The First Rule (Wheeler Hardcover) by Robert Crais (2010-01-12)

I really really like most of Robert Crais's books. But I appear to be in the minority regarding the Joe Pike series. They just feel rather flat to me -like an action movie with too many CG effects. I have a hard time thinking of Pike as a real person - he comes off better as the dark partner where Cole is the main character. I also miss the humor. It is fine to be dark and angsty, but there needs to be something with wit in it, somewhere, or it just becomes a swampy mess. I also think the books seem to be getting more viscerally nasty and violent. How many people can one person kill? The headcount must be getting astronomical, and no legal repercussions. The physical feats are verging on superhero action. And yes - this is fiction I know. That said, I still recommend it to the Joe Pike fans. Crais is a terrific writer, so even the books I'm not happy with are still far better than most.

The Pike books are like the hero. Painted red arrows going straight ahead. Not subtle. Direct. To action and no bs. Exactly what the reader wants. Elvis is there, but this is Pike's show. Good, good, good. A man to watch your back.

This book was a great price/value - great condition and low price. One of my favorite authors; reading it now and enjoying it as I always enjoy Robert Crais' characters, especially Elvis Cole and Joe Pike

Robert Crais is incapable of writing a bad book. He can't even do mediocre - his books are absorbing, suspenseful, often amusing, always a joy to read. I can hardly wait to get my hands on anything new he writes - and I have re-read many - well, just about every one of his books - some of them more than once. Do yourself a favor and just read this man's writing. The Monkey's Raincoat is a classic, and Suspect will blow you away. All his books are heads above just about anything else written by anyone else in the detective/mystery genre.

I've come to expect twisty plots from Crais, where things aren't what they seem, but I didn't see this twist coming! Wow. Elvis and Joe have to depend on each other because somebody is lying and the lies could get them killed. In the secondary plot, the one that weaves through all the books, allowing us to get to know Elvis and Joe a little bit better as time goes on, giving them depth, making them feel real, we get to see more of the Joe that's hidden behind the sunglasses. I love these characters and fondly hope that Crais will never tire of writing about them.

In this rather strained crime novel, Joe Pike, ex-Marine, mercenary, and private investigator, goes toe-to-toe with not one, but two, Serbian criminal gangs operating in LA, involved with sex-for-sale, credit card skimming, illegal arms - you-name-it. Unfortunately, it is the death of his former bud in the security world, Frank Meyer, and his entire family in a home invasion that draws Pike into this organized crime underworld. But what is the connection of Frank, a straight shooter, with these sorry characters? Frank did run a business importing clothes; perhaps he veered off into illegal arms.

The entire story basically consists of Pike taking scraps of information and tips and confronting a series of hulking, brutish bad guys, moving ever closer to those who orchestrated this latest action resulting in his friend's death. Of course, he immobilizes all of them with quite a display of hand-to-hand combat moves, rarely resorting to firearms. Perhaps a little surprising, Pike seems to have no connections to law enforcement, preferring to operate on the far side of legalities. The basic plot is very thin with the final scenario being both a hodgepodge and a fiasco.

The story is very no nonsense, yet somehow the author manages to suck the tension out. The characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts. Rina, a prostitute, both victim and member of the Serbian gangs, is a possibility but finally fizzles. Most disappointing is the superficial treatment of both Pike and his partner Elvis Cole, the main character in most of the author's books. Who is this Joe Pike hiding behind sunglasses, other than Mr. Invincible?

Mr. Crais' Elvis Cole novels rank up there with Michael Connelly, John Sandford, and Nelson Demille's works when at their best. His Joe Pike novels go a step beyond. The only criticism I have is I finished it in one day and have to wait for the next one. Keep up the good work Mr. Crais.