The Sentry (Joe Pike)

Joe Pike kicks butt as usual in this great suspence novel. After Joe is "smitten" with Dru, she soon disappears. As his hunt increases, he soon learns that everything he knew about her was a lie. It's a great edge of your seat kind of book.

Nothing like a quick actionpacked read. The characters are developed enough to let you understand the momentum of the plot. Enough Crais acxtion and violence to keep true to the pike image while opening up a little emotional weakness. All the surrounding effect like locals and police actions are point on. A definite page turner.

Being a great fan of Crais' books, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. In the beginning books Elvis was the lead character - now Joe is the star. Really enjoyed it. Wish Mr Crais could write 2 or 3 a year - I'd read them all.

For those unfamiliar with Robert Crais' Elvis Cole & Joe Pike novels, there are many earlier novels in the series, but you will lose nothing by reading Sentry first. The novels follow either Elvis Cole, an L.A. Private investigator as he solves a case with Joe Pike called in to help or Joe will become involved in a situation and will need Elvis as back-up.

This novel begins with a vicious murder in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina then moves to the present.

Sentry is a Joe Pike novel, and Pike is the more complex and darker character. Fearless and humorless, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, Joe Pike is a loner with no interests beyond his personal need to be as strong as possible in the event he needs to be. Pike meditates and jogs for hours with 10 lb. bags of flour in his backpack. He owns a gunshop and is a former cop, soldier and mercenary. Joe Pike has seen it all and it has been bleak.

This story begins when Pike stops two gang members from beating up the owner of a small deli in what appears to be a robbery attempt. The owner's niece appears as her uncle, the deli owner, is carted off to the emergency room against his will and Joe feels there is something special about this woman, Dru. Wanting to protect her, Joe meets with the gang's leader and is assured that Dru and her uncle will be left in peace.

Almost immediately thereafter, something much more horrific happens at the deli and Dru and her uncle disappear. Joe is desperate to find them, certain they are in grave danger, calling in Elvis for help.

Nothing is what it seems to be and, even if you think you know where this plot is heading, you don't. This is Joe Pike as human, uncertain yet determined, and Elvis Cole as conflicted and, ultimately, faced with a shattering choice. Crais just gets better and better.

Not only the best Joe Pike / Elvis Cole ever, one of the best action adventure mysteries from Robert Crais.
This one was as complete and unexpected throughout as one could imagine. Joe Pike is maturing and an All-American guy as ever on the side of truth and right. Story surprisingly complex and hard to outguess, which kept me wondering the whole way start to finish. I could not wait to get back to it.
Very satisfying. Wish there were 10 more just like it, and hopefully to come.

Cole and Pike are back!

Though The Sentry by Robert Crais deals primarily with Joe Pike and his attraction to a woman who nearly gets him killed, Elvis Cole enters the story at the halfway mark and covers Pike's back to the end, which is what friends are for. Let's face it, it's pretty difficult for Mr. Crais to write a novel today about either Cole or Pike without having the other in the story, too. Cole and Pike, or Pike and Cole, are a team, and that's made clear in this new novel.

The Sentry starts out with Pike stopping at a gas station in Venice area of Lost Angeles County to put some air into the tires of his Jeep. While doing it, he spots two gang bangers walking down the sidewalk across the street, looking as though they're searching for someone to rob. They are. The two young guys duck into a sandwich shop and start roughing up the owner for the money. Pike leaves his Jeep at the station and darts across the street to the shop. He enters the sandwich shop and swiftly dispatches one of the bangers, while the other one takes off. The problem is that the owner of the shop and his niece are hiding from the Bolivian drug cartel because of several million dollars they stole and this draws attention to them big time.

Pike is smitten with the niece and offers to take care of any problems they might have with the local gangs. Unfortunately, the uncle and niece soon disappear and that's when Pike begins to find out about their past history. The Bolivians have sent a professional killer to bring them back, and this guy is definitely missing a can from the six pack. This guy loves to torture his victims, and he's not the least bit afraid of Joe Pike. He also talks to two voices he hears in his head and carries on conversations with them. Pike may have just met his match in this killer named Daniel, even with Cole covering his play.

Like all the novels in this tough, gritty P.I. series, The Sentry proves that Robert Crais is one of the top writers in his field and that few other authors can match his sheer talent for describing the Los Angeles area with edge-of-your-seat suspense and hard-hitting action. Ah, and lest I forget, there's also the author's famous brand of humor once Elvis Cole enters the picture. You just can't help but love the character and his optimism regarding life. The way Cole views things just brings out a laugh when you least expect it. Why a movie has been made from this series, I don't know. The two characters are deftly drawn and come alive in ways other authors can only dream about with their own writing. The stories are intricate in detail that suck you in without even realizing it; and, like Cole and Pike, you simply have to find out what's going on before you reach the last page.

This is certainly one of the best series on the market today, and if you've never sampled an Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel, you owe it to yourself to do so. You won't be disappointed. This is one great read!

My husband and I really enjoy reading books by Robert Crais. We started with his P.I. Elvis with Joe Pike as his partner. Now Joe is the main character with Elvis in a minor role. Gotta love Joe Pike.

Crais is the very best author for detective novels around. Period. He rates above all others for shear entertainment, suspense, and grit...in short, everything that makes for an engrossing read. In The Sentry, Crais is once again filling out Joe Pike's character in three dimensions. In the first half dozen Elvis Cole novels, I frankly couldn't tell if Joe Pike, as Elvis' partner, was a good guy or part time hit man. This novel answers that question. I like it and so will you.

Robert Crais has perfect my favorite style of writing. He sucks you in with every story so that you are in it whether you want to be or not. His characters are consistent and human and strong in their defined personalities.

Robert Crais always does his best to capture feeling and emotion along with action and drama. The story is believable and moves along well. What can I say? I'm a real fan Crais's work. He never misses.

An excellent crime drama set in current LA with all the authentic themes and props- gangs, South American Drug dudes, murder and to make it really interesting, Joe Pike is smitten. This is the same character backdrop as earlier novels by Crias - Elvis Cole and Joe Pike and their LAPD buds. This is a creative and well crafted tale that explores the Pike character with a fast moving story and an interesting supporting cast. A great story.

Robert Crais is one of my favorite authors and Joe Pike is my favorite character! This book was not my favorite of Crais'. It felt out of character for Pike and, although the story line was good, it was distracted by too many "players".