If you're interested in tracking the evolution of an author, try reading an early Elvis Cole novel, (Lullaby Town is amazing) and then move directly to The Sentry. It's pretty staggering.
The confidence, complexity and power of Crais' narrative has increased by leaps and bounds over the years. If this seems obvious, try doing the same for, say, James Patterson or Stuart Woods. You'll need to check the publication dates to to determine chronology.
The literary heft Crais and his peers (Connelly, Lehane, Pelecanos, Vachss, etc.) have brought to the Crime Thriller Genre is powerful.
Specifically to our purposes here, Crais has moved from jokey, Chandleresque, L.A.valentines to searing tales of honor and betrayal, with rich characters and genuine consequences. Both formats are highly entertaining, and while we may miss the former (and even hope, one day, for a return visit) we must appreciate the power of the latter.
The Sentry once again explores the psyche of Crais' "other" genius creation, Joe Pike. We find Pike in the midst of a mundane task--auto maintenence. Events before his eyes force his action, because Pike is above all other things, a man of honor, and can't let such things as the threat of crime pass. He inserts himself into the situation (the honor thing again), pulling himself into a years-old trail of crime and violence.
But let's move back a bit.
Crais immediately builds a sense of dread, via a flashback to New Orleans, and a nightmare from Elvis. As longtime readers are well aware, Elvis has become something of a tortured soul lately, with some very dark events in his recent times. So the stage is well-set for what's about to happen to Joe, as he enters the world of Wilson Fisk and Dru Rayne, proprieters of a take-out deli and apparent victims of a street-gang shakedown.
Elvis is recruited, police are confronted, FBI agents are suspected.
And then, things get hairy. Crais brings Daniel into the mix, a hit man who is, quite simply, the creepiest dude he's yet created, and that's saying something. Daniel provides the random menace ratcheting things up to yet another level. Characters.
Very few authors are as skilled at setting the scene and then letting loose with action as Crais. He's still not afraid, to use his own vernacular, to "stack bodies like cordwood", and does so with a seamlessness never gratuitous. Largely because we know his characters so well, and the world they inhabit. Consequences.
As Pike gets sucked into the swirl of Wilson and Dru's troubles, he of course becomes emotionally and romantically vested. Dru Rayne is a damsel in distress, and Joe is nothing if not a knight. And, as you can imagine, little is what it seems on the surface.
Crais keeps the cast of characters limited, but it's really nice to see Lucy Chenier play a significant part of the doings, because we love how she and Elvis relate. They are Crais' Big Romance, and we know he's not done with them.
His followers need no influence from here to know this is a must-read. Those new to Crais' world, take comfort--in The Sentry, he has created a great jumping-on point to begin your addiction. By the time he puts out his next, you'll be caught up!
Just know this....The Sentry is intense, and emotional. Events here will have lasting impact, we're certain, throughout future books. And the end? Well, bring a hankie, that's all we're saying.
Parker: You’ve got a new novel coming out in January of 2011. I haven’t read it yet, so can you tell me a bit about it? 
Parker: Can you describe a typical work day? 
