Robert Crais

Thanks to writer and pod-caster extraordinaire Joanna Penn I ran across Robert Crais’ writing. I can’t remember exactly how it happened, but I was binge watching her channel on YouTube and got wind of his name. The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike idea stuck in my head and over the last few months I have read 10 or 11 of the novels in this series.

I love to binge read an author’s work, especially when those works are a continuing story. I did this with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series in 2017 and am now waiting for the next one to be available.

At the risk of being obvious, I suppose the first thing I would say is that the Elvis Cole series is a powerful read. They can really pull you through. I read three of them in 5 days during this year’s Christmas holidays. Perhaps the reason for this is that they feel remarkably real. Not your everyday real and boring, but real nonetheless. Characters with lots of real-life-possible strong points and the corresponding real life weak spots. Characters who hurt and who cook dinner. Who love a grumpy cat. Real. Thus, we/I, the reader cares. The lives of his character’s matter to us. We cheer when Elvis Cole pulls off the hail Mary attempt at saving his client or clearing his friend. And when someone is hurt… well, it hurts.

I look forward to reading my way through the rest of Robert Crais’ work. As a writer it feels a little like combining a great afternoon read with taking a Master Class.