Customer Reviews

The Monkey's Raincoat

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Monkey's Raincoat, grabs you from the first chapter, puts you on the edge of your seat and keeps you there to the climactic end of the book. Meet Elvis Cole, Viet Nam vet, ex-security guard turned private investigator. He's a hard boiled, wise-cracking detective who gives Mike Hammer and Sam Spade a run for their money. The case begins as Ellen Lang hires Elvis to find her missing husband, Hollywood agent, Mort, who's taken their son and disappeared. Unfortunately, the case is a bit more complicated than just a simple missing person. Mort is soon found shot dead in his car, there's no sign of the son and Ellen is missing too. Elvis Cole is now on a mission to find mother and son and it involves missing drugs and some pretty frightening bad guys. Robert Crais has created a great mystery with a tight plot, full of terrific, interesting characters. His writing is crisp and sharp with witty and irreverent dialogue and action packed scenes. This is a fast paced, page turner that won't let you down. Mr. Crais deserved all the nominations and awards this book won.

I was intrigued by the reviews of "LA Requiem" and, since I live in SoCal, thought I might be interested in Robert Crais' work. I selected "The Monkey's Raincoat" because it was his first novel, and the reviews were mixed. I was pleasantly suprised by his effort. What this book has done, besides entertain me for a few evenings, is to whet my appetite for the rest of the Elvis Cole series. As a matter of fact, I just finished ordering all of Mr. Crais' books.

Possibly one of the most delightful moments for a crabby old reader and reviewer of mystery stories is to discover an excellent author whom he has somehow missed. Of course, in this case it is also a bit embarrassing. Robert Crais is the author of, among other things, 'L.A. Requiem,' indicating that this reviewer is not only unobservant, but a bit stubborn as well. I am not always a fan of the hard-boiled detective/hero genre, and most of those I don't like seem to live around Los Angeles.

Deciding to break with a long tradition (for me), I ordered this book, the first in the Elvis Cole series, for my trial dip. I was ill prepared for a small but potent bombshell that won its author several awards and nominations. Gasping for breath, I settled in for an unexpectedly wild and enjoyable ride.

Elvis Cole is the anti-detective incarnate. In an office filled with Disney memorabilia, shared with an invisible partner, Cole meets with new client Ellen Lang and her best friend Janet Simon. The problem - Ellen's husband Mort and her son Perry have disappeared. Ellen is a difficult client, but Mort definitely was not a perfect husband, and Cole proceeds on the assumption that this is a straightforward parental snatch and run.

Cole discovers Mort's girlfriend is missing as well, and that his business partners in the film business are a bit sleazy, but he is caught by surprise when this suddenly becomes a murder case. The badness mounts as Cole finds his clues lead from film moguls to the top of the narcotics trade. Soon Cole, on a grim search for the boy, is having his strings pulled by people who would just as soon kill him as look at him. With unusual adeptness, the detective switches from Jiminy Cricket quotes to guns and fists. Joined by his partner, Elvis Cole goes to war.

The success of this genre of detective fiction rises and falls on the quality of main characters. Between John MacDonald, Raymond Chandler, Robert Parker, etc., etc., original plots are hard to come by. So a unique character like the wisecracking, 1966 Corvette driving Elvis Cole is too precious to waste. If you are looking to breathe some fresh air on your musty old mystery shelves, don't even consider passing this one by.

This is the first entry in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and is a great read. Crais is a former TV writer who wrote for Emmy Award winning series such as L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues. In Elvis Cole, he creates a charcter who, on the surface, seems to be just another wise cracking private eye, but is actually so much more. Along with his perpetually sunglassed partner Joe Pike, Elvis owns a P.I. Agency in Los Angeles. Pike is quite interesting as well. He says little and lives life according to a strict code of discipline. He reminds me a little bit of Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti western days. The book opens with Elvis meeting with Ellen Lang & her friend Janet. It appears that Ellen's husband Mort has kidnapped their son. Elvis reluctantly takes the case and what appears to be a routine case of a missing person turns into something much bigger. Through many twists and turns involving small time Hollywood agents and actresses, he eventually comes face to face with a Mexican crime lord, who is a former bullfighter. He thinks Elvis has his missing cocaine and the story ends with Elvis searching for the cocaine and a showdown in the crime lord's compound. Crais weaves many interesting characters into a fast paced, humorous tale. The book contains the right amount of twists and turns to keep you on your toes, but not too many as to seem implausible. He reveals just enough about Elvis & Pike for us to get know them, but leaves somethings about them uncovered, so they can be explored in future books. This book is as entertaining as any I ever read and if you enjoy mystery novels, you love this one.

If the mere hint of a private investigator with Disney figurines and a Pinochio clock in his office isn't the least bit interesting, I don't know what is. Robert Crais has created a wonderful persona in Elvis Cole.

Cole, a former security guard turned private investigator, is hired by Helen Lang to find her missing husband, Mort, and son. Before you can even begin to wonder about kidnapping, Mort is found dead in his car, and their house has been trashed, with the boy still missing. Throw in the mafia and a spanish bull-fighter turned aristocrat, and you have one exciting novel.

Cole is a wonderful, wise-cracking character, complimented nicely by his mercenary partner, Joe Pike. Together, they make a sensational team. The storyline is nicely developed and the suspense is great. Crais is talented writer.

Overall, this is an excellent book, and a really good start to the Elvis Cole mystery series. This faced-paced story doesn't stop with the thrills until the heart-stopping, wild ending.

Having read all of the terrific Michael Connelly police detective mysteries, I was alerted to Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books as another fine hard-boiled Los Angeles-based mystery series. I was advised to read them in order, so I began at the beginning with *The Monkey's Raincoat*. Overall, this book was well worth reading, but I must conclude that at least in this first effort, Crais has produced more of an "action thriller" than a true mystery.

The tough, wise-cracking Viet Nam veteran Cole is an appealing protagonist, and the quirkiness of his survivalist sidekick Joe Pike adds a bizarre and colorful element to the story. Crais is an excellent writer with an eye for the ironies of contemporary American life and a wry sense of humor, and these skills enrich the book immeasurably. Make no mistake about it, this is a can't-put-it-down read that stands head and shoulders about the typical work of private eye pulp fiction.

I was disappointed, however, in the simplicity of the plot itself. There really was precious little "mystery" at all in the story, and very few of the surprises-one-might-have-foreseen-from-a-tiny-clue-early-on that one comes to expect from a first-rate practioner of the genre such as Michael Connelly. Where a true mystery offers such unexpected twists and turns, Crais offers a surfeit of blood, guts, and mayhem. Elvis Cole is forever getting himself into difficult situations from which he can extricate himself only through popping someone in the nose, spraying blood everywhere (of course), or by shooting a whole bunch of bad guys. The body count in this book is alarmingly high, to tell the truth.

I would add that although I realize that the sudden plunge into bed by the hero and whatever attractive woman happens to be handy is a standard part of the private eye genre, Crais' handling of this aspect of the novel is nothing special.

Overall, this is a lively read that shows Crais to be above average in his literary skills (certainly on a par with Robert Parker, whose work is highly uneven). This first effort, however, is simply not a fully satisfying *mystery*. Still, I'm definitely going on to read his second book.

Elvis Cole is the comic-book version of Phillip Marlowe. He is wise-cracking, cynical and insightful; yet, he manages to chuckle where Marlowe would frown, and get the girl when Marlowe would be stonewalled. The introductory installation of the Elvis Cole series is an extremely entertaining read, with the thoughts and ruminations of the title character, instead of the plot, as the driving force behind the book.

What makes Crais compelling, and sets him apart from mystery contemporaries, is his concentration on character. Crais charismatically draws the super-sized Elvis Cole. Cole is never want for a witty remark, never loses his composure in the most unnerving of circumstances, and always gets the girl. In every moment that Phillip Marlowe would be subject to humane failure; Elvis Cole is gifted with heroic reserve. Cole's counter-part is Joe Pike, a sinewy misanthrope with a moral code that would rival a Kurasowa samurai. Pike is literally Cole's silent partner, whose character is developed though his actions, rather than his comments. Even Cole's adversary, a Mexican drug lord, is an almost likeable former matador.

The plot itself is somewhat pedestrian compared to the characters that it consumes. Ellen Lang hires Cole to find her missing husband, Mort, and her son, Perry. Lang is dominated by her overly assertive best friend, Janet Simonson, and relies on Cole as much for his psychological advice, as she does to find her loved ones. As many contemporary mysteries, the plot revolves around missing narcotics and the missing husband's young lover on the side. Cole is able to resolve all issues.

Ultimately The Monkey's Raincoat succeeds as a result of crisp commentary and quick-paced writing. The plot itself does not have the grainy realism of other true noir authors. Approach this book with an appetite for faced-paced clever writing and an acceptance of over-the-top Die Hard type action, and you won't be disappointed.

After reading the Monkey's Raincoat for the first time, I immediately went out and read two more of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series. I was hooked! Crais' main PI character is unlike the typical hard-nosed, no-nonsense detective you'll find in other series. Elvis Cole is eccentric, yet lovable (the guy has an office full of Disney figurines!). Doesn't sound hardcore enough for you? Well if you like a tough guy in your mysteries, Joe Pike, Elvis' Cole's friend, is the antithesis of everything Cole is--mysterious, serious, and a no-nonsense tough guy. You'll love this book for its mix of intrigue and humor.

I have heard only great things about "L.A. Requiem", the book by Crais where Joe Pike is the main character. Unfortunately, I haven't had a time to read it yet. But based on what I've seen in The Monkey's Raincoat, you can bet its going to be the next book I read.

Elvis Cole is my kind of detective! I don't think that there is any other writer quite like Crais and his excellent characters Elvis Cole & Joe Pike. If you like great thrillers that are humorous but keep you entertained and guessing throughout the whole story, then you will love The Monkeys Raincoat. Somehow, Crais is able to depict his characters so lifelike that you can actually imagine all the scenes, especially those with the high body counts!

This is the 2nd Crais novel (with Elvis) that I have read & I couldn't put it down! They are truly excellent books that will keep you laughing & guessing all the way to the bookstore when you get another one!

This is a perfect, beautifully crafted detective novel. Not surprising it was nominated for so many awards and won a couple of them. Wise-cracking Elvis Cole and his silent (but deadly) partner Joe Pike are a formidable pair. When Elvis sets out to find Ellen Lang's missing husband Mort and their young son, he can't help but repair her low self-esteem along the way. Elvis cares, and Joe (in his way) cares, too. Crais makes the reader care about all of his characters; this is a fully-fleshed novel that transcends genre, as the best genre writing does.

Highly, highly recommended. The action never lets up; it's a great read, one of the best in the series.