The Last Detective

There are few writers in this genre who create characters of such enormous depth. Robert Crais is a brilliant writer and the Last Detective is a wonderful piece of reading. Once you get to know Elvis Cole and Joe Pike you will want to read all of Crais' novels.

The relationship between Lucy and Elvis breaks my heart. It seems Elvis's search for a united family just keeps missing the mark. The introduction of Starkey in this novel adds to the confusion. I am not sure I like her but that adds to the complexity of the story-line. I not only love these novels for the mystery, but more for the psychological development of Elvis and Pike. I would recommend anyone who enjoys this novel to read the next "The Forgotten Man"

I am never disappointed by Robert Crais- I hate it when the book ends. I am a 66-yr old non violent female but I still feel a connection to Elvis and Joe because of the toughness and humanity the author gives them...

Fast paced, but somewhat slowed down with intervening flashbacks and dreams. The final fight sequence is disjointed and prolonged by giving the different versions of the fight from different characters' viewpoints. I especially liked the reference to Michael Connelly's detective Harry Bosch around page 95.

I love all Robert Crais books but he really found his voice with L. A. Requiem, and hit his stride with The Last Detective. Right up there with the Patrick and Angela series from Dennis Lehane which is high praise indeed.

Great read, the plot is gripping and the depth of character developed by Crais for Cole & Pike drew me in deeper. More than another who done it. I highly recommend it for fans of Crais and if you're new to the series you will be pleasantly surprised!

Not as good as LA Requiem or Demolition Angel. There's far too little of Joe Pike and too much of Elvis Cole. Also Crais uses the tired vehicle of The Threatened Child to add emotional grab. The bad guy is impressive but barely shows up. Oddly, the best scenes are side-story vignettes set in Alaska (with Pike) and Vietnam (with Cole). But it's still a good read, especially if you know westside LA.