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Elvis Cole is Back--In a Desperate Fight to Clear his Name...

It's fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. When police and fire department personnel rush door to door in a frenzied evacuation effort, they discover the week-old corpse of an apparent suicide. But the gunshot victim is less gruesome than what they find in his lap: a photo album of seven brutally murdered young women -- one per year, for seven years. And when the suicide victim is identified as a former suspect in one of the murders, the news turns Elvis Cole's world upside down.

Three years earlier Lionel Byrd was brought to trial for the murder of a female prostitute named Yvonne Bennett. A taped confession coerced by the police inspired a prominent defense attorney to take Byrd's case, and Elvis Cole was hired to investigate. It was Cole's eleventh-hour discovery of an exculpatory videotape that allowed Lionel Byrd to walk free. Elvis was hailed as a hero.

But the discovery of the death album in Byrd's lap now brands Elvis as an unwitting accomplice to murder. Captured in photographs that could only have been taken by the murderer, Yvonne Bennett was the fifth of the seven victims -- two more young women were murdered after Lionel Byrd walked free. So Elvis can't help but wonder -- did he, Elvis Cole, cost two more young women their lives?

Shut out of the investigation by a special LAPD task force determined to close the case, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike desperately fight to uncover the truth about Lionel Byrd and his nightmare album of death -- a truth hidden by lies, politics, and corruption in a world where nothing is what it seems to be.

Chasing Darkness is a blistering thriller from the bestselling author who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime writing.

Average Customer Rating:

An Engaging, Fast-paced Read

Customer Rating:

I found the latest novel, Chasing Darkness, from the Elvis Cole series to be engaging and entertaining and it totally kept my interest throughout the reading. I realize that the novel lacked the in-depth character development of L.A. Requiem, The Forgotten Man, or The Watchman, but having read those, I feel as if Elvis and Joe Pike are old friends and I do not need to have a rehashing of their personal histories everytime I pick up a book. That said, there are still new insights revealed about Joe Pike. He is becoming more talkative and apparently has captured the hearts of more than a few women. I also like that Robert Crais continues to include the characters from the older novels. I like to hear from Lucy, even if it is to say that they are only friends, and Starkey's appearances add enough hints of possiblities that I am anxious for the next novel to see what, if anything, happens with that subplot. Robert Crais has never disappointed me yet. This book may be lighter in terms of character development, but it is still a good weekend read. You won't be bored.

Reviewing: "Chasing Darkness: An Elvis Cole Novel"

Customer Rating:

It was the fire in Laurel Canyon and forced evacuations that led to discovery of the dead man in a house. One Mr. Jones who had a bad foot was found dead apparently from a self inflicted gunshot. Clearly, he had been dead for awhile and maybe the photo album at his feet was the cause. A photo album filled with pictures of seven women at the moment of their deaths at hands of a maniac. The reclusive Mr. Jones to all his neighbors was actually Lionel Bryd. He had been brought to trial three years ago in the murder of a local prostitute. Hired by his defense attorney, Allan Levy, the World's Greatest Detective Elvis Cole proved that he was miles away at the time Yuonne Bennett died. He simply couldn't have done it. Yet, her death picture is in his album. Along with six other brutally murdered women. The LAPD Task Force is convinced Bryd was their man all along. They are convinced that Elvis, by getting Bryd cleared, allowed him to kill again. The case is closed, finished and disappearing rapidly and they really don't want to talk to Elvis about any of it. But, if Bryd did do it, how was he in two places at the same time? While that is the biggest question, there are several more. It just doesn't add up and Elvis isn't going to leave it alone just because members of the task force blame him and tell him to go away. While he doesn't care about the folks on the task force, he does care about the victims and the fact that he could have made a horrible mistake. If he did, he is responsible. And even if he didn't, he still is responsible. Not only does he hold himself responsible so do the brothers of the latest victim. Wracked with guilt and angst and yet sure he was right, Elvis along with his sidekick Joe Pike, begin to investigate not only the cases but the task force itself. There are connections between the victims and the power elite in both the LAPD and the city and Elvis isn't about to let the real killer get away. At it's heart, this is an angst novel. The families of the victims are shattered in so many ways. Elvis feels tremendous guilt over his role in events. And while he feels it, demonstrates it and talks about it, it never really comes out and touches the reader. While this is a perfectly decent novel, this latest novel in the series isn't epic or incredible. The old themes of corruption or at least the possibility of corruption at high levels is trotted out again. So too is the detective full of guilt and sorrow because he might have not only been used as a pawn, but helped a nut job go free. We have seen these themes done many times before with mixed results. In the end, while not the best book ever in the series, it is a fairly good entry that does little to expand the character. It does however provide a solid vehicle for Elvis to gaze at the hills from his porch and think morose thoughts. That and tell a story that while predictable in many spots, does contain a few surprises, along the way in the hunt for yet another dark evil. Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

DO NOT BUY IF YOU CANNOT PLAY MP-3's !!!!!	Customer Rating:
Ordered as I have with 20 other books from amazon and this is a single mp-3 cd that does not play in my travelling vehicle !!! Too bad they didn't qualify that when I ordered it and now I have to pay shipping to return.

Losing My Patience

Customer Rating:

I have read all of the Elvis Cole novels, so I know what I'm talking about when I say Mr. Crais has been on a downslide as of late. For me, his high point was L.A. Requiem (Elvis Cole Novels), but since that, all of his Elvis Cole novels and his one outing with Joe Pike The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel (Joe Pike Novels) have been exercises in self-indulgence, much like the TV series Moonlighting - Seasons 1 & 2 once Dave and Maddie hooked up. These novels of which I speak have become more and more about the main character and less about the case at hand, and I for one am losing my patience. The only good I can say is that I am glad I checked this out from a library rather than plunking down money to read this.

Great book, great series overall

Customer Rating:

I had never read any books by Robert Crais prior to 2 months ago when I picked up Chasing Darkness. I had seen the name Elvis Cole here and there and thought any book with a PI named Elvis was probably going to be a joke, literally and figuratively. I am glad I overcame my own foolish preconceptions and give the series a shot. I am not one to review a book by writing cover-flap copy and then applying stars, because I don't find those helpful. Nonetheless, this is a great book and it hooked me well enough that I have so far now read 12 Robert Crais novels in the last 2 months. I am reading them in no particular order, and I love them all just fine. Surprisingly, even the older books from the early 1990's are compelling and entertaining. this is probably because the author put in many years honing his chops writing for some of the best crime TV series of all time back in the 70's and the 80's and on. Elvis Cole is not a caricature, but is in fact very likable, very tough and very real, in the sense that he reminds me of a few people I know, and not just a fictional creation. I attribute this to the excellent writing, or more correctly the excellent storytelling, powers of the author. The sense of place is vivid, the action is always well paced, with humor, humanity counterbalanced with tension and violence (they are crime novels after all). You experience the best and worst of human behavior in these books, and they are tactile and riveting. Elvis' partner, Joe Pike, is one of the most ingenious characters in fiction, and while there is only one book so far where he is given center stage (The Watchman), I really hope there are more. However, his role as secondary to Elvis Cole is a good pairing because Joe is so unbelievably intense, it is his relationship with Elvis that allows them both to shine brightly. Pike is hard to describe, because you really have to experience him in a story to really appreciate his other-worldliness. In life, he would be frightening to encounter, but he has unexpected layers that change your view of him over time. All and all, I give Robert Crais entire body of work the highest marks. I mean the novels I have read, of course; his complete work is much more extensive. As soon as I put one down, I am reaching for another. I am disappointed that I only have 3 more left to read. These books are the my best find this year. Very highly recommended.