The Monkey's Raincoat (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: double chocolate banana, Ellen Lang, Janet Simon, The Eskimo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Taking the mystery community by storm, this Elvis Cole novel was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, and Macavity awards and won both the Anthony and Macavity for Best Novel of the Year. Crais, a VP at Paramount, was previously head script writer for Quincy, Hill Street Blues, and Cagney and Lacey.

About the Author

Robert Crais is the author of the Elvis Cole novels. He has won the Macavity and Edgar awards and been nominated for an Edgar. He lives in L.A. with his wife and daughter. William Hootlkins was the reader for LA Requiem, His biog is on that AI but I cannot open that file to add it here. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Crimeline (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553275852
• ISBN-13: 978-0553275858
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #2 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Crais, Robert
  #10 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Hard-Boiled

• This is item 1 in The Elvis Cole Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First of a Great Series!, August 9, 2000

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Start!, January 18, 2000

By	Richard F. Fonvielle "agswin" (San Clemente, CA) - See all my reviews

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.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Jiminy Cricket, September 26, 2002

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.