The Wanted by Robert Crais- I read several of the Elvis Cole/ Joe Pike books by Robert Crais. Always entertaining and filled with page turning excitement. Elvis is always there with a funny aside or humorous observation and Pike is dark and intense with a no nonsense approach. In this adventure, some young almost adults are burglarizing homes of the rich, when they unknowingly take something that someone would kill for. A mother of one of them finds an expensive watch and fears the worst, asking Elvis Cole to find out what her son has gotten into. Meanwhile, two hit men are piling bodies left and right to track down these underage thieves. It's a well done outing, nothing you haven't seen before, but Robert Crais has such a deft touch with his characters and their language that he makes it seem brand new and very enjoyable.

Robert Crais writes another thrilling Pike and Cole book. We always recommend him to our patrons looking for an exciting mystery series.

Many years ago I picked up a little blue paperback that had a cool cover that had some disney elements on it. I read the first page and laughed and was hooked. That book was The Monkey's Raincoat and I was introduced to Elvis Cole. and Joe Pike. Lucky for me there were a few more books to devour at the time. But, then I caught up and had to wait every year to renew my friendship. All have been worth it.
With The Wanted, which is Elvis Cole #17, Elvis is hired by a woman who is worried about some items found in her son's room. Elvis finds that her son is part of a series of high dollar thefts and that he isn't the only one trying to investigate. In short order, those close to the boy are killed and it is obvious that there is more than meets the eye involved here. . With the help of Pike, Elvis takes on a some creepy bad guys and helps to solve
the mystery while hopefully keeping those around him safe and alive.
The Wanted is filled with Crais trademark humor and wonderful characterization. He has only gottne better over time as has Elvis and Pike. Highly recommended, but this is a series that begs to be read in order. Do yourself a favor and begin this fun and at times dark journey.

Elvis Cole fans will not be disappointed with The Wanted. When a single mother hires Cole to find out where her son got a pricey watch, she is not prepared for the answer. Fast-paced and intense, Crais' wonderfully plotted book is a roller coaster ride. Highly recommended.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Devon Connor is a single mom who is very worried about what her son Tyson might doing. She calls PI Elvis Cole because she is worried that he has gotten involved in selling drugs. Her proof is all the expensive things he has about the house, including a very expensive Rolex – and several thousand dollars tucked here and there.

It doesn’t take Elvis very long to find out that the kid is one of three young people who are burglarizing high end houses while the owners are away. The major clue was in the watch. Elvis contacts an old friend named Sherry Toyoda who works in an exclusive jewelry shop and asks about the authenticity of the Rolex. Finding out that it is listed on the police hot sheet gives Elvis a big clue as to Tyson’s activities.

The problems compound when the reader discovers that there are two hired killers named Harvey and Stemms out to find the burglars too. They have already killed and have absolutely no compunction about killing again. It seems that Tyson and his friends have burglarized the wrong man.

Then Tyson and his girlfriend disappear. When the action gets too hot, Elvis calls in his friend Joe Pike for assistance. The action gets hot and heavy to find out who locates Tyson and his girlfriend first.

This book is told from two alternating points of view: that of Harvey and Stemms and the main storyline from Elvis’. This novel is very well written and plotted as are all of Robert Crais’ books. It is a suspenseful and fast paced thriller. The Elvis and Joe characters are a delight and fascinating to watch as they go about their work. The bad guys are just plain bad and characters you love to hate.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy.

Robert Crais at his best. Elvis and Joe are back. Filled with Los Angeles crime and characters. A very fast read that leaves you wanting more.

Another great suspense novel by Robert Crais. Crais is one of my favorite suspense novelists and I eagerly await each book in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. As usual, Crais gives us a thrilling plot and believable characters as well as a touch of humor due to Cole's smartass attitude. Here, Cole and Pike are hired by a single mother who rightfully believes that her son is involved in something nefarious and wants to put an end to it, When her son disappears and his friends are found dead, the situation becomes much more terrifying. Great read, can't wait for the next one. Write faster, Mr. Crais!

It's been too long since the last Elvis Cole and Joe Pike book came out. For red blooded ‘murican(sic) women it's been way too long since the last Joe Pike was published. Just sayin'. This book went far too quickly considering how much I enjoy the smart-ass Elvis Cole and the ummm, strong, silent, stoic, and intriguing Joe Pike. Oh, I'm sorry; I got carried away there for a moment.
Elvis Cole is a L.A private detective, hailing from LA. Joe Pike is his silent partner who is called in when the going gets tough. The publishers need to change the book blurb; Jon Stone is not in this book. Should be a rule that either someone who wrote the book, edited the book or at least read the book should write the damn blurb.
Cole is hired by single mom, Devon Connor, to discover why her son is sporting high dollar watches and threads. She is afraid her socially awkward, anxiety-ridden son, Tyler has gotten involved in drug dealing.
If only. Instead, Cole quickly discovers Tyler has joined a small, smart, and almost lucky burglary crew who hit high end L.A. homes. Their luck disappeared when they hit the wrong home and now the owners will do anything, even sanction murder, to get their property back.
Cole is determined to save Tyler from himself after one of the crew is murdered and he goes on the run with a messed up young woman.
The semi-hero of the hour is a geeky gamer. Wow, what a surprise on that description.
Talk about a character stereotype. Just once, I would like to see the gamer/computer maven be portrayed as a normal kid. Not overweight, not with a spotty face, not living in some parent’s gamer ‘cave’ located in the basement or garage, and most of all one with normal social skills.
On the other hand, the pair of killers hunting for the young burglary crew constantly surprised me. Except for the killing part, they are cool and interesting. Way to go, Crais.
Another surprise, the young woman who seems to lead the crew turns out to have some moxie of her own unrelated to her burglary skills.
This book had few missteps. The story was fresh and fast-paced, the flow perfect. Cole with his trade mark humor was as usual a delight, Pike was Pike. The other characters all added to the story, and even the computer gamer/hacker/maven had his moments of charm. As an extra bonus, the mom, Devon Connor really nailed it with Lucy Chenier, Coles’ past, long-gone love.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Although maybe I should have warned NG that I’ve been huge Crais fan and would probably love his shopping list; as long as Pike was part of the shopping list.

5 stars You just can't go wrong with any book that has Elvis and Joe.
Single mother Devon has a son who she adores. When she finds a very expensive watch in his room, she is worried how he got it and doesn't believe his answer. She wants to keep him safe and out of trouble, so she hires private detective Elvis Cole when he disappears.
Cole hot on his trail gets more than he bargained for and calls in Joe Pike.
Together they unravel the mystery as only the two of them can. People are being murdered and they worry their client's son will be next.
Stealing from the wrong people leads to more than anyone bargained for.