2007: #33 – The Monkey's Raincoat (Robert Crais)
Book #33 was The Monkey’s Raincoat, the first book in Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole series. The back of the book reads:
When quiet Ellen Lang enters Elvis Cole’s Disney-Deco office, she’s lost something very valuable – her husband and young son. The case seems simple enough, but Elvis isn’t thrilled. Neither is his enigmatic partner and firepower Joe Pike. Their search down the seamy side of Hollywood’s studio lots and sculptured lawns soon leads them deep into a nasty netherworld of drugs and sex – and murder. Now the case is getting interesting, but it’s also turned ugly. Because everybody, from cops to starlets to crooks, has declared war on Ellen and Elvis.
I started this series with #7, but decided to swing back to the beginning. I like Elvis Cole. In some ways he’s like your typical P.I., but he actually has a sense of humor. Plus, he feeds his cat beer and has a bit of an obsession with Disney characters. I have noticed that he has a bit of a habit of getting too involved with his clients, but I think that’s what makes him special.
I liked the mystery behind this one (a little bit of murder, a little bit of drugs, a little bit of kidnapping), but I wonder if Elvis and Joe are coming out of it a little too scott-free in the end.
Page count: 245 | Approximate word count: 58,270
