What do you think?
Rate this book
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #4
Free Fall
Private detective Elvis Cole takes Jennifer Sheridan's case, which involves her decorated Los Angeles-cop boyfriend in some mysterious trouble, and Cole and his partner Pike are soon plunged in police corruption, gangs, and the depiction of themselves as armed killers.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
1,696 people are currently reading
2,354 people want to read
About the author
Robert Crais
153books4,404followers Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction. Other literary influences include Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, and John Steinbeck.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person� narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person� narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
July 26, 2023
A solid James Garner on the GRS-MV*
1--Tony Shalhoub
2-- Peter Falk
3-- Benedict Cumberbatch
4-- James Garner
5-- Tom Selleck
Robert Crais is my new BFF. Maybe I exaggerate a bit. But I've been looking for a new detective series for so long, I'm a bit like an addict who has found a new fix. It didn't even bother me that this one was clearly set in L.A. in the 90s.
I was in L.A. in the 90s, but Elvis Cole clearly visited different parts than I did and spent a lot more time in Watts, especially watching X in the park. Although we did hang out with a uniformed cop one time. I'm not even sure how that happened--who lets a uniformed cop hang out with campus kids in the dorm? Clearly something untoward was happening in the L.A.P.D., as Crais elaborates.
It also didn't bother me that this felt almost entirely like a t.v. episode, because I happen to like over-the-top happy endings. Maybe that didn't come out right. I mean, I don't mind if there's some property damage and liberally distributed roundhouse kicks as long as everyone pays for their crimes in the end, even if it's only three days in county.
*Genre Rating Scale (Male Version)
(thanks Dan 2.0 for being the catalyst there)
(scale edited to provide clarification for certain friends. You know who you are
1--Tony Shalhoub
2-- Peter Falk
3-- Benedict Cumberbatch
4-- James Garner
5-- Tom Selleck
Robert Crais is my new BFF. Maybe I exaggerate a bit. But I've been looking for a new detective series for so long, I'm a bit like an addict who has found a new fix. It didn't even bother me that this one was clearly set in L.A. in the 90s.
I was in L.A. in the 90s, but Elvis Cole clearly visited different parts than I did and spent a lot more time in Watts, especially watching X in the park. Although we did hang out with a uniformed cop one time. I'm not even sure how that happened--who lets a uniformed cop hang out with campus kids in the dorm? Clearly something untoward was happening in the L.A.P.D., as Crais elaborates.
It also didn't bother me that this felt almost entirely like a t.v. episode, because I happen to like over-the-top happy endings. Maybe that didn't come out right. I mean, I don't mind if there's some property damage and liberally distributed roundhouse kicks as long as everyone pays for their crimes in the end, even if it's only three days in county.
*Genre Rating Scale (Male Version)
(thanks Dan 2.0 for being the catalyst there)
(scale edited to provide clarification for certain friends. You know who you are
February 28, 2021
The fourth entry in the Elvis Cole series is the best yet, and clearly Robert Crais was beginning to his his stride with this book. As it opens, a young woman named Jennifer Sheridan shows up in Cole's office, worried about her long-time fiance, Mark Thurman. Thurman is a decorated L.A. cop who has recently been assigned to an elite police team. Thurman has grown distant from Jennifer, but he won't tell her what's bothering him. She wants Elvis to investigate and figure out what's wrong. When Elvis tells her that the fee will be two thousand dollars, Jennifer says that she can't afford that much and gives him forty bucks. She promises to pay the balance at forty dollars a month. This is, of course, ridiculous, but like any P.I. worth his salt, Cole can't turn away from an attractive young woman in trouble.
Elvis naturally assumes that the problem most likely is that Thurman has become involved with another woman, but when he presents Sheridan with fairly strong evidence that this is, in fact, the case, she tells him not to be absurd, that Thurman would never cheat on her. She sees this simply as further evidence of the fact that her boyfriend is in serious trouble.
Before long, Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, are in pretty serious trouble too, with a lot of cops, some honest and others not so honest, hot on their trail, along with some nasty gangsters. The investigation ultimately involves gang warfare, police corruption, racial brutality and true love, which could turn out to be as dangerous as any of the other factors in the mix. Elvis will wind up working pretty hard to earn that forty dollars, assuming that he lives long enough to spend it.
The story moves along swiftly; there's plenty of action and a lot of unexpected twists and turns. All in all, the book is a lot of fun and will certainly appeal to fans of the series.
Elvis naturally assumes that the problem most likely is that Thurman has become involved with another woman, but when he presents Sheridan with fairly strong evidence that this is, in fact, the case, she tells him not to be absurd, that Thurman would never cheat on her. She sees this simply as further evidence of the fact that her boyfriend is in serious trouble.
Before long, Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, are in pretty serious trouble too, with a lot of cops, some honest and others not so honest, hot on their trail, along with some nasty gangsters. The investigation ultimately involves gang warfare, police corruption, racial brutality and true love, which could turn out to be as dangerous as any of the other factors in the mix. Elvis will wind up working pretty hard to earn that forty dollars, assuming that he lives long enough to spend it.
The story moves along swiftly; there's plenty of action and a lot of unexpected twists and turns. All in all, the book is a lot of fun and will certainly appeal to fans of the series.
December 1, 2011
I have to think that Robert Crais got a little freaked out during the O.J. Simpson murder trial when the allegations of racism against detective Mark Fuhrman came up because just a few years earlier he had written this book that had some corrupt LAPD cops including an officer named Mark Thurman.
“Life this is Art. Art, meet my good friend Life. Try not to imitate each other too much if you can help it.�
Private investigator Elvis Cole is hired by a young woman named Jennifer Sheridan because she’s worried that her boyfriend, LAPD officer MarkFuhrman Thurman, has been behaving oddly and she’s convinced that he’s gotten involved in something illegal. Elvis and his partner Joe Pike are soon caught up in a nasty mess involving South Central gangs and crooked cops
This one was humming along as an entertaining private detective yarn when Crais threw a huge curve ball in the middle of the story that I did not see coming at all. With that one twist, he spun the plot off into an unexpected direction and raised the stakes enourmously. Very nicely done, Mr. Crais.
I particularly like how Crais portrays the relationship between Elvis and Joe when things get hairy. There are no long speeches or discussion of how they know they can count on each other, but when the shit hits the fan, the two men are perfectly in sync and know the next steps they’ll need to take without even discussing it. It’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite tough guy partnerships.
“Life this is Art. Art, meet my good friend Life. Try not to imitate each other too much if you can help it.�
Private investigator Elvis Cole is hired by a young woman named Jennifer Sheridan because she’s worried that her boyfriend, LAPD officer Mark
This one was humming along as an entertaining private detective yarn when Crais threw a huge curve ball in the middle of the story that I did not see coming at all. With that one twist, he spun the plot off into an unexpected direction and raised the stakes enourmously. Very nicely done, Mr. Crais.
I particularly like how Crais portrays the relationship between Elvis and Joe when things get hairy. There are no long speeches or discussion of how they know they can count on each other, but when the shit hits the fan, the two men are perfectly in sync and know the next steps they’ll need to take without even discussing it. It’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite tough guy partnerships.
January 24, 2021
Jennifer Sheridan needs detective Elvis Cole’s expert talents. She’s worried about her fiance, a cop who has recently moved up to an elite investigative unit. He has grown very distant from her lately, and she is convince the problem isn’t another woman—Cole’s first thought—but instead that there is something wrong with the police unit itself. Cole begins to investigate, and at first it looks as if the problem may just be a woman, but Jennifer presses him to continue, and Cole becomes convinced that she may be right after all.
Soon Cole and his partner Pike become enmired in a difficult situation involving a “righteous� police shooting, drug-dealing gang-bangers, and before long our two heroes are fugitives from justice, trying to solve a murder before they are arrested for murder themselves.
I liked this book a lot. It was exciting, perfectly pitched, with just the right blend of snappy dialogue, genuine sentiment, excitement, and vicious violence. Still, there is something about this book that did not please me. Like Connelly’s Bosch books, Crais� novels seem a little too calculated, too perfectly targeted toward their audience. And even though that audience includes me, still a part of me keeps wondering: who is Robert Crais, anyway?
My favorite mystery writers--Ross McDonald, Bill Pronzini, Robert B. Parker, Lawrence Block--reveal their personalities as they tell their tales. But after four Elvis Cole books, I'm still waiting for Crais.
July 22, 2023
4.5 ⭐️. This was such a fun read. Light yet suspenseful at the same time. Just the right amount of tension throughout the story. I plan to skip the next two and then read “Indigo Slam� before reading “L.A. Requiem�.
September 14, 2024
LA Private Investigator Elvis Cole takes Jennifer Sheridan's case. She's engaged to Mark Thurman, an all-American good guy police officer, but recently, he's been withdrawn and secretive. She feels he's in trouble. She wants Elvis Cole to find out what kind of trouble. As Elvis investigates, he suspects Thurman is involved with another woman. Jennifer says that's impossible. Trusting his instincts that Jennifer knows her fiance, he probes further and gets pulled into major drug ring and crime operation with Thurman involved. This is another great crime thriller with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike working together with lots of action, shootouts, and clever detecting! In this one, we get a peek behind Joe Pike's sunglasses! My kind of hero!
January 24, 2011
A woman named Jennifer Sheridan hires Elvis Cole to watch her fiancee and find out what sort of trouble he's in. Only he's in a lot more trouble than Jennifer or Elvis Cole bargained for...
Robert Crais took me for another ride on this one. I thought I had a pretty good handle on things but then Crais jerked the rug out from under me. Cole and Pike take on gang members and possibly dirty cops and wind up on the run. Crais takes on controversial issues like police brutality, cover-ups, dirty cops, and life in South Central LA and manage to weave a very engaging tale. Ray Depente is introduced and much suffering supporting cast member Lou Poitras plays a role. Cole and Pike are Cole and Pike, like always. Tension builds and builds until the violence-gasm at the end.
As I've said before, I almost dismissed Elvis Cole as a Spenser ripoff when I first read The Monkey's Raincoat but now I'm solidly behind him. He's like Spenser but without the Susan Silverman baggage and much discussed code of ethics. Joe Pike's no Hawk but you can't have everything. Free Fall is a quality crime/mystery story and a good way to spend a snowy Sunday.
Robert Crais took me for another ride on this one. I thought I had a pretty good handle on things but then Crais jerked the rug out from under me. Cole and Pike take on gang members and possibly dirty cops and wind up on the run. Crais takes on controversial issues like police brutality, cover-ups, dirty cops, and life in South Central LA and manage to weave a very engaging tale. Ray Depente is introduced and much suffering supporting cast member Lou Poitras plays a role. Cole and Pike are Cole and Pike, like always. Tension builds and builds until the violence-gasm at the end.
As I've said before, I almost dismissed Elvis Cole as a Spenser ripoff when I first read The Monkey's Raincoat but now I'm solidly behind him. He's like Spenser but without the Susan Silverman baggage and much discussed code of ethics. Joe Pike's no Hawk but you can't have everything. Free Fall is a quality crime/mystery story and a good way to spend a snowy Sunday.
March 22, 2022
2nd read - Jennifer contacts Cole about her boyfriend Mark, young policeman on a special team. She thinks her long time honey is in trouble, but doesn't know why, how, or with who. She's in love, and Elvis jumps on his white horse and finds bad apple cops in bed with L.A. gangsters. Good action, with favorite enigma Pike pulling Cole's rear out of fires.
1st reading - Elvis is hired by an in-love girlfriend of a L.A. area special group policeman. She thinks he may be involved in some shady endeavors against his will. His fee - $40 down and $40 a month. Along with partner Joe, Cole runs into gang-bangers and maybe some crooked cops.
1st reading - Elvis is hired by an in-love girlfriend of a L.A. area special group policeman. She thinks he may be involved in some shady endeavors against his will. His fee - $40 down and $40 a month. Along with partner Joe, Cole runs into gang-bangers and maybe some crooked cops.
August 17, 2020
Carol. was right. Definitely James Garner level PI awesomeness. The audio narrator even reminded me of JG’s voice. The story sucked me in quickly and drove forward nicely. A great read for these times.
May 17, 2024
if he hadn't created a throw away character in this one I would have given it a much higher rating. His dialog and action scenes continue to get better and better. Here's hoping he doesn't do it again.
May 10, 2017
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike have their hands full with trying to stay out of jail after escaping, and trying to keep a client alive. To solve the case they must prove that dirty cops are involved with forcefully trying to make a family back down from filing a wrongful death case against the city for a police related death of a family member. As we continue reading we learn that everything the author led us to believe is not what it seems.A very worthwhile read.
December 29, 2018
I was't that impressed by the first book in this series, The Monkey's Raincoat. So I skipped the 2nd and went on to the third one, and like it a lot better. Now that I've read number four, I'm hooked. The humor is a little toned down, and fits much better. The story was a lot more involved and interesting, but still easy to follow, a good feature for audiobooks. It was so good, I'll probably have to go back and read the dreaded second book at some point. I may even go back to one I read years ago, before I joined ŷ.
This story was not only exciting, but it was somewhat thought-provoking. A group of cops got in over their heads, and try to cover it up digging themselves deeper and deeper into a big pile of manure. But they were mostly not bad guys really, but it turned out that they had to do bad things. This is probably not unusual for the police, and it's perhaps a good thing to remember if we find ourselves judging them too harshly.
This story was not only exciting, but it was somewhat thought-provoking. A group of cops got in over their heads, and try to cover it up digging themselves deeper and deeper into a big pile of manure. But they were mostly not bad guys really, but it turned out that they had to do bad things. This is probably not unusual for the police, and it's perhaps a good thing to remember if we find ourselves judging them too harshly.
September 17, 2015
Gotta love Elvis Cole!
February 3, 2017
3 Stars for the story then I added 1 star cause I just love ELVIS Cole- A really fun series!
February 12, 2024
This book was very intense and definitely the highest body count to date.
Elvis gets hired to investigate an active duty cop and then things spiral out of control.
Pike and Cole are in peril most of the book. It was a roller coaster ride never knowing who the good guys were or the bad guys. The conclusion was 🤯🤯
Elvis gets hired to investigate an active duty cop and then things spiral out of control.
Pike and Cole are in peril most of the book. It was a roller coaster ride never knowing who the good guys were or the bad guys. The conclusion was 🤯🤯
March 17, 2013
Ok, a few rambling thoughts on Robert Crais. Who is this guy, where'd he come from, how'd he get so popular? Well the first thing to know is that Crais is not from California at all. He is a native of Louisiana, grew up in a blue collar family, and read his first crime novel when he was 15. And that's all it took. Chandler gave him his love for writing. Other authors that have inspired him were Hammett, Hemingway (seems like that's true of all the crime writers), Parker, and Steinbeck (huh?).
How'd he get so popular? In short: television and . Robert Crais has a very impressive resume as a screenwriter for such television series as Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice (damn, I loved that show too!), Cagney & Lacey. But what hits home the most with Crais himself is his work on the 4 hour mini series Cross of Fire which is about the Ku Klux Klan and is probably more relevant to his home state of Louisiana than it is to Hollywood. Following a growing dissatsifaction of a screen writer's constraints, Crais began writing novels. L.A. Requim, which is the 8th Elvis Cole novel, is what landed him as an author that defied all genres and in it outsurpassed even the legendary Ross Macdonald.
Enough about Crais, the guy's good. So, what about Elvis Cole? Naming someone Elvis had to have been a fairly deliberate decision. To me the name seems iconic, Warholish, Disneylandish, a bit theatrical if not cynical. In fact his novels and trinkets therein are suffused with cultural icons: Spider Man mug, Jiminy Cricket (latent fantasy of wanting to be Peter Pan?), and his yellow Corvette. Even his slogan seems hamstrung with Hollywood's obsession with icons: Elvis Cole is The world's Greatest Detective! But in reality there's nothing ridiculous about Cole: he's tough, honest, ponders morality and ambiguity and hypocrasies while staring out the balcony window in his office.Yes, he's cynical, a smart ass, a comic relief in many ways...but behind the seeming humor lies a Dan Wesson .38, the Vietnam War, martial arts and his biggest gun of all: Joe Pike.
Joe Pike, the avenging angel, is a tool used sparingly by Crais. Use him too much and you wonder why he isn't the main character (we know Crais has struggled with this as he produced featuring Pike as the hero); use him too little and you start wondering why the big guns aren't being pulled out by Elvis. What you want to do is increase the anxiety level of the reader towards the hero, not get the reader frustrated with him. Crais handles this expertly...and uses Pike to increase the anticipation in readers.
The Elvis Cole novels should be considered hard boiled detectives primarily in that Crais deviates from the traditional Romantic tradition found in detective stories and crime fiction by introducing Cole as a detective with a decidedly cynical attitude towards the emotions (i.e. apprehension, horror, terror, and awe such as are found in other crime and thriller stories). And yet, we find sprinkled throughout the books insightful observations of the world as seen through Elvis's eyes. In the following passage, Elvis observes the effects of dry brush fires raging through L.A.:
Picture the detective at work in his office, fourth floor, Hollywood, as the Devil's Wind freight-trains down from the desert. Though dry and brutally harsh, the desert wind is clean. It pushes the smog south to the sea and scrubs the sky to a crystalline blue. The air, jittery from the heat, rises in swaying tendrils like kelp from the seabed, making the city shimmer. We are never more beautiful than when we are burning.
Like I said, it really came together following the publication of his 8th Elvis Cole novel. Pike his side kick, Lou Poitras (Cole's detective friend) gruffy as ever, shifting view points, a relaxation of Cole's zany character...it all came together following L.A. Requim. So, believe me. All in all, you will not be disappointed with the Elvis Cole series. There are a lot of these novels so sit back and enjoy! I most certainly did.
As with all series reviews, this one covers all the Elvis Cole books. So if you've read this review of mine than you've read 'em all.
How'd he get so popular? In short: television and . Robert Crais has a very impressive resume as a screenwriter for such television series as Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice (damn, I loved that show too!), Cagney & Lacey. But what hits home the most with Crais himself is his work on the 4 hour mini series Cross of Fire which is about the Ku Klux Klan and is probably more relevant to his home state of Louisiana than it is to Hollywood. Following a growing dissatsifaction of a screen writer's constraints, Crais began writing novels. L.A. Requim, which is the 8th Elvis Cole novel, is what landed him as an author that defied all genres and in it outsurpassed even the legendary Ross Macdonald.
Enough about Crais, the guy's good. So, what about Elvis Cole? Naming someone Elvis had to have been a fairly deliberate decision. To me the name seems iconic, Warholish, Disneylandish, a bit theatrical if not cynical. In fact his novels and trinkets therein are suffused with cultural icons: Spider Man mug, Jiminy Cricket (latent fantasy of wanting to be Peter Pan?), and his yellow Corvette. Even his slogan seems hamstrung with Hollywood's obsession with icons: Elvis Cole is The world's Greatest Detective! But in reality there's nothing ridiculous about Cole: he's tough, honest, ponders morality and ambiguity and hypocrasies while staring out the balcony window in his office.Yes, he's cynical, a smart ass, a comic relief in many ways...but behind the seeming humor lies a Dan Wesson .38, the Vietnam War, martial arts and his biggest gun of all: Joe Pike.
Joe Pike, the avenging angel, is a tool used sparingly by Crais. Use him too much and you wonder why he isn't the main character (we know Crais has struggled with this as he produced featuring Pike as the hero); use him too little and you start wondering why the big guns aren't being pulled out by Elvis. What you want to do is increase the anxiety level of the reader towards the hero, not get the reader frustrated with him. Crais handles this expertly...and uses Pike to increase the anticipation in readers.
The Elvis Cole novels should be considered hard boiled detectives primarily in that Crais deviates from the traditional Romantic tradition found in detective stories and crime fiction by introducing Cole as a detective with a decidedly cynical attitude towards the emotions (i.e. apprehension, horror, terror, and awe such as are found in other crime and thriller stories). And yet, we find sprinkled throughout the books insightful observations of the world as seen through Elvis's eyes. In the following passage, Elvis observes the effects of dry brush fires raging through L.A.:
Picture the detective at work in his office, fourth floor, Hollywood, as the Devil's Wind freight-trains down from the desert. Though dry and brutally harsh, the desert wind is clean. It pushes the smog south to the sea and scrubs the sky to a crystalline blue. The air, jittery from the heat, rises in swaying tendrils like kelp from the seabed, making the city shimmer. We are never more beautiful than when we are burning.
Like I said, it really came together following the publication of his 8th Elvis Cole novel. Pike his side kick, Lou Poitras (Cole's detective friend) gruffy as ever, shifting view points, a relaxation of Cole's zany character...it all came together following L.A. Requim. So, believe me. All in all, you will not be disappointed with the Elvis Cole series. There are a lot of these novels so sit back and enjoy! I most certainly did.
As with all series reviews, this one covers all the Elvis Cole books. So if you've read this review of mine than you've read 'em all.
May 28, 2011
Some role-playing games reward players who let the characters they play have certain inherent weaknesses that make the plots/scenarios more interesting. In The Dresden Files Role-playing Game, one of these aspects is called, “Sucker for a Pretty Face.� One of my friends played a character with this weakness and he occasionally missed out on the excitement because his male gumshoe character was following some “red herring� or “dalliance� brought to his attention by a lovely lady. There were also times when that lovely lady was precisely the danger for which his character should have been watching. If you’re having déjà vu for one of Raymond Chandler’s private eyes here, that’s the model. The gorgeous woman in the office with the mysterious problem just may become your problem.
Elvis Cole definitely deserves the “Sucker for a Pretty Face� aspect. In every Elvis Cole novel I can think of, much of Cole’s motivation comes from a desire to help and/or bed these damsels in distress. Free Fall is no exception to the general rule, but it plays out differently. This time, the “damsel in distress� is significantly younger than Cole (but will that provide a disincentive?) and the “damsel� is only distressed about what is happening to someone else. In this case, someone else is her undercover cop fiancée who appears to have been lured to the dark side of the police force. Naturally, with Elvis� and Joe Pike’s prior interaction with LAPD, it is not a comfortable situation for them to be investigating what is, at best, an out of control “hat squad� (as per Nick Nolte in Mulholland Falls) and, at worst, a bunch of cops who have gone completely dirty. And, although I am satisfied with the ending of the novel, it seems like the reader still has to decide whether it’s the former, the latter, or something in between. The ambiguity is delicious in the context of a Cole and Pike adventure.
There is a tragic aspect to this novel, however. One is expectant of a certain amount of death in a murder mystery, but some of the sudden death in this novel hits me (as a person who used to work in South Central Los Angeles during my college years) a little too close to home. The victims in this book, in spite of the presumed main characters, seem mostly from the same ethnic group. It is a different ethnic group than Cole’s or Pike’s and several scenes in the story seem designed to remind us not to make assumptions about people on the basis of culture or race. These scenes aren’t heavy-handed. They’re actually pretty effective.
There is a rule in literature (and even in script-writing for film and games) that death really only impacts one when the reader/viewer/player has a relationship with the victim. Free Fall does a fabulous job of building empathy between the reader and the victim’s family, as well as between the reader and the good people (the other victims) in the victim’s community. If you’re looking for something different than the standard stereotypes of certain cultures or races, I believe that Free Fall delivers—even though there is some lamenting of the kinds of behavior that created such stereotypes.
Now, it could be my imagination, but Free Fall seemed more cinematic than, for example, The Monkey’s Raincoat. I visualized certain passages as scenes and that caused me to slip out of my suspension of disbelief on occasion. That’s really unusual for me when reading Crais� writing. Is it possible that this novel was squeezed in between some television scripting and some of the style of the more visual medium slipped in? Some of the descriptions read almost like EXT-INT: Cole and his informant are sitting in a car outside an inner city park, performing surveillance on an ice cream truck. You can almost see the long shot showing them in the car across from the park and the camera zooming in or using the dolly to move up on them for close-ups showing them in the car from the exterior of the car.
Still, the action was great, the mystery had enough complexity to be satisfying, and the conclusion was executed with consummate perfection. So, why do I only rate it three stars? I simply felt like there were too many places that caused me to step outside of the story. It could simply be my personal taste and not relevant to others.
Elvis Cole definitely deserves the “Sucker for a Pretty Face� aspect. In every Elvis Cole novel I can think of, much of Cole’s motivation comes from a desire to help and/or bed these damsels in distress. Free Fall is no exception to the general rule, but it plays out differently. This time, the “damsel in distress� is significantly younger than Cole (but will that provide a disincentive?) and the “damsel� is only distressed about what is happening to someone else. In this case, someone else is her undercover cop fiancée who appears to have been lured to the dark side of the police force. Naturally, with Elvis� and Joe Pike’s prior interaction with LAPD, it is not a comfortable situation for them to be investigating what is, at best, an out of control “hat squad� (as per Nick Nolte in Mulholland Falls) and, at worst, a bunch of cops who have gone completely dirty. And, although I am satisfied with the ending of the novel, it seems like the reader still has to decide whether it’s the former, the latter, or something in between. The ambiguity is delicious in the context of a Cole and Pike adventure.
There is a tragic aspect to this novel, however. One is expectant of a certain amount of death in a murder mystery, but some of the sudden death in this novel hits me (as a person who used to work in South Central Los Angeles during my college years) a little too close to home. The victims in this book, in spite of the presumed main characters, seem mostly from the same ethnic group. It is a different ethnic group than Cole’s or Pike’s and several scenes in the story seem designed to remind us not to make assumptions about people on the basis of culture or race. These scenes aren’t heavy-handed. They’re actually pretty effective.
There is a rule in literature (and even in script-writing for film and games) that death really only impacts one when the reader/viewer/player has a relationship with the victim. Free Fall does a fabulous job of building empathy between the reader and the victim’s family, as well as between the reader and the good people (the other victims) in the victim’s community. If you’re looking for something different than the standard stereotypes of certain cultures or races, I believe that Free Fall delivers—even though there is some lamenting of the kinds of behavior that created such stereotypes.
Now, it could be my imagination, but Free Fall seemed more cinematic than, for example, The Monkey’s Raincoat. I visualized certain passages as scenes and that caused me to slip out of my suspension of disbelief on occasion. That’s really unusual for me when reading Crais� writing. Is it possible that this novel was squeezed in between some television scripting and some of the style of the more visual medium slipped in? Some of the descriptions read almost like EXT-INT: Cole and his informant are sitting in a car outside an inner city park, performing surveillance on an ice cream truck. You can almost see the long shot showing them in the car across from the park and the camera zooming in or using the dolly to move up on them for close-ups showing them in the car from the exterior of the car.
Still, the action was great, the mystery had enough complexity to be satisfying, and the conclusion was executed with consummate perfection. So, why do I only rate it three stars? I simply felt like there were too many places that caused me to step outside of the story. It could simply be my personal taste and not relevant to others.
August 27, 2016
A dame walks into a PI's office and gives him forty dollars and a promise of weekly payments to find out what kind of trouble her fiance, an LA cop, is in. And maybe get him out of it.
Elvis Cole is just the kind of quirky private investigator who can't say no to a beautiful woman and so he takes the case. It turns out that the fiance is in a lot more trouble than his client or Elvis could possibly have imagined, and the result is another fast-paced tale that just dares the reader to be able to put it down.
Within the confines of a typical violence-ridden Robert Crais plot, the author manages to tackle and address a number of controversial issues in Free Fall. He gives us a look at life in South Central LA with its gangs and, in some instances, an unspoken complicity between the gangs and the police. We see police brutality at its sickening worst and the cover-ups that are all too often the police's knee-jerk reaction to such brutality. Dirty cops and ruthless gangs are at the center of the engaging tale that Crais weaves and he constantly surprises us with the unexpected twists and turns which his plot takes.
As Elvis begins his preliminary investigation, he realizes pretty quickly that this case may be a bit much for him to handle on his own and he calls in his big guns, aka Joe Pike, his partner and gun shop owner. From that point on, the body count rises precipitously as it tends to do whenever Pike is on the scene.
Somehow though, no matter how the dead bodies pile up, Cole and Pike always come out smelling like a veritable rose garden. Achieving this requires a lot of help from their contacts on the police force and in the DA's office, but those contacts know that these are two righteous dudes who are always on the side of the angels and so they give their help unstintingly.
Moreover, Cole and Pike seem to have this knack for running into like-minded people in their community, people who will help them achieve their high-minded aims. People such as the former marine drill sergeant, now martial arts teacher in South Central who is appalled by the violence wracking his community and itching to get into the fight to clean it up.
This is the fourth in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and it has been a fun read so far. This book was no exception. It worked perfectly well for light summer reading, in spite of the dark story that it tells. In the end, the angels prevail and justice - well, a very rough justice - is served.
Elvis Cole is just the kind of quirky private investigator who can't say no to a beautiful woman and so he takes the case. It turns out that the fiance is in a lot more trouble than his client or Elvis could possibly have imagined, and the result is another fast-paced tale that just dares the reader to be able to put it down.
Within the confines of a typical violence-ridden Robert Crais plot, the author manages to tackle and address a number of controversial issues in Free Fall. He gives us a look at life in South Central LA with its gangs and, in some instances, an unspoken complicity between the gangs and the police. We see police brutality at its sickening worst and the cover-ups that are all too often the police's knee-jerk reaction to such brutality. Dirty cops and ruthless gangs are at the center of the engaging tale that Crais weaves and he constantly surprises us with the unexpected twists and turns which his plot takes.
As Elvis begins his preliminary investigation, he realizes pretty quickly that this case may be a bit much for him to handle on his own and he calls in his big guns, aka Joe Pike, his partner and gun shop owner. From that point on, the body count rises precipitously as it tends to do whenever Pike is on the scene.
Somehow though, no matter how the dead bodies pile up, Cole and Pike always come out smelling like a veritable rose garden. Achieving this requires a lot of help from their contacts on the police force and in the DA's office, but those contacts know that these are two righteous dudes who are always on the side of the angels and so they give their help unstintingly.
Moreover, Cole and Pike seem to have this knack for running into like-minded people in their community, people who will help them achieve their high-minded aims. People such as the former marine drill sergeant, now martial arts teacher in South Central who is appalled by the violence wracking his community and itching to get into the fight to clean it up.
This is the fourth in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and it has been a fun read so far. This book was no exception. It worked perfectly well for light summer reading, in spite of the dark story that it tells. In the end, the angels prevail and justice - well, a very rough justice - is served.
August 22, 2014
When I started this one, I was thinking, nothing ever really goes bad for these guys. Things generally just work out. Not so in this one. Couldn't put it down.
June 20, 2021
I keep saying this in my reviews but these books really do keep getting better and better. Crais has found his own voice and Cole is sounding less and less like Spencer from the Parker novels.
Elvis has a heart of gold which is really demonstrated in this book early on when Elvis is trying to turn a client away but finds himself saying yes anyway after some tears from his female client.
This book as an almighty twist about half way through that I certainly didn't see coming at all. The pace of the novel picks up as things begin to unravel as the case moves along.
As always my favorite parts of the novel are when Joe and Elvis interact with each other, it just works. Crais has become one of my go to reads.
Elvis has a heart of gold which is really demonstrated in this book early on when Elvis is trying to turn a client away but finds himself saying yes anyway after some tears from his female client.
This book as an almighty twist about half way through that I certainly didn't see coming at all. The pace of the novel picks up as things begin to unravel as the case moves along.
As always my favorite parts of the novel are when Joe and Elvis interact with each other, it just works. Crais has become one of my go to reads.
June 23, 2024
ACAB
July 2, 2013
Elvis Cole is not Spenser - but who is? Joe Pike is not Hawk - but who is? In the past Robert Crais has been a respected puveyor of crime novels in the Robert B Parker genre; not as good but good enough. Free Fall is a major disappointment.
Characterisation is the problem. Jennifer, the young woman who becomes Cole's client, is one-dimensional. Her vacillating boyfriend is hard to credit. So is Floyd Riggens, a seriously unpleasant cop with a drinking problem. Race and drugs are nothing new in crime novels and this one adds little.
Plotting is lazy. Note the way Pike abandons a vital guardianship late in the story and then turns up again when most needed - neither event is explained.
One hopes that no reader will first encounter Crais through Free Fall. He has written many better books.
Characterisation is the problem. Jennifer, the young woman who becomes Cole's client, is one-dimensional. Her vacillating boyfriend is hard to credit. So is Floyd Riggens, a seriously unpleasant cop with a drinking problem. Race and drugs are nothing new in crime novels and this one adds little.
Plotting is lazy. Note the way Pike abandons a vital guardianship late in the story and then turns up again when most needed - neither event is explained.
One hopes that no reader will first encounter Crais through Free Fall. He has written many better books.
September 9, 2011
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike take on the Eight-Deuce Gangster boys of South Central and a Rogue team of LAPD Robbery Homicide Officers who got themselves in a bad position and are trying to strong-arm their way out. Crais once again captures the gritty feel of Los Angeles, this time in the graffiti tagged inner-city. The story takes place just after the Rodney King arrest and before OJ.. of note, one of the main Cops name is Mark Thurman.. coincidence? For an inside look at South Central Gang life, you might want to read Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shaku. written by a member of the Eight Tray Crips. I think Crais did a great job with this one. Strongly recommend for fans of crime and gang affiliated fiction.
November 16, 2024
Another Elvis Cole and Joe Pike book, set in LA in 1993, when it was written.
Elvis takes on a case to help a legal secretary, Jennifer Sheridan, who thinks her boyfriend, Mark Thurman, a LA cop on a special squad (REACT) is in trouble. Winds up that he is and Elvis and Joe, along with an ex-marine drill sergeant work against the gangs and crooked cops to find out what is going on.
Elvis takes on a case to help a legal secretary, Jennifer Sheridan, who thinks her boyfriend, Mark Thurman, a LA cop on a special squad (REACT) is in trouble. Winds up that he is and Elvis and Joe, along with an ex-marine drill sergeant work against the gangs and crooked cops to find out what is going on.
August 27, 2020
When I first started this book, it put me to sleep over and over again. The first half was very boring and at times, felt awkward. Then, Bam! Almost nonstop action and at that point, kept me glued to it. I would recommend this to fans of the series, just with a disclaimer to stick with it and they will be rewarded.
August 23, 2017
This series just gets better and better. In this one Cole finds himself tangling with a group of corrupt cops. He’s funny and likable as always and I like the writing enough to not roll my eyes when Pike pulls his ass out of the fire for the hundredth time.
August 21, 2012
Crais does it again. He is unstoppable. I wouldn't want it otherwise. Thanks Robert for another yarn well done...
April 16, 2013
Well done for the most part. 8 of 10 stars
December 21, 2017
I don't think I read this one the first time...if I did I forgot and I don't think I'd've forgotten this one. Great novel in the series. The friendship between these two men is amazing. I also love cat...Elvis's cat that never seems to have a name, but seems to love Elvis and Pike...if no one else! Great story as always.
September 2, 2020
In this book Elvis Cole and Joe Pike investigate alleged police corruption. I was struck by how our society is still grappling with some of the same policing issues explored in this novel from the early 90s. I really like the Elvis Cole character, but Joe Pike isn’t being developed very much. Maybe that will change in future novels. I highly recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.