Every Robert Crais book featuring Elvis Cole and Joe Pike is like a warm hug on a winter's day. Never mind said hugs are occasionally given by serial killers, rapists, and other assorted dickheads. When you read a Crais novel, you instantly recognize his distinct style. Crais uses Los Angeles as a main character and captures the heart and soul of Los Angeles-- the good, bad, and ugly--better than almost anyone.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Big Empty via NetGalley.

Like all the Robert Crais books before. this one doesn't disappoint. It was filled with his usual humor, drama and two of the best characters in fiction. It's a fast paced and intense story starring Elvis Cole & Joe Pike. It was suspenseful and had a great ending leading me to believe Lucy will feature in the next book. I highly recommend this hard to put down thriller.

It's always a pleasure to read a new Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel. Robert Crais, unlike some other authors, remains true to his characters. This is a good story with some fun twists. Definitely worth a read.

One of the things I admire most about Robert Crais is that he seems to be constantly pushing himself. He may stick with his series characters, but the plots and even the tone and genre of the books keeps evolving. THE BIG EMPTY is no different. It's another giant leap forward for Crais, this time delving into some of his darkest material yet. I couldn't put it down.

When Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike are offered a case involving a ten year old disappearance, Elvis is somewhat reluctant but he takes the case anyway. The client is a young social media influencer, daughter of the missing man. Traci Beller is convinced her father would not have willingly walked away from his family and is determined to find closure.

Traci's mother and her uncle, who was in business with her father, are close-mouthed about the whole thing and not in favor of Traci digging into the past. She and Elvis persist though and Cole begins to wonder what he has gotten himself into when he's followed, beaten, threatened, and other people begin to die. The stakes go up and it's difficult to tell who are the victims and who are the predators. With everything that's been stirred up, Elvis is sure there is information to be found and he's determined to find it. But as he uncovers more about the case, he's not sure Traci will want the answers he finds.

This fast-paced action book will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end. Recommended for fans of Robert Crais and for those who enjoy unexpected endings.

Elvis Cole is back to solve another mystery and his friend Joe Pike is there to help when things get rough. A social media star hires Cole to find her missing father, and he thinks it's probably hopeless after this many years, but he stirs things up by asking questions and gets attacked.
The story went in surprising places and was entertaining, as usual. I always enjoy the interactions between Cole and Pike.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Elvis Cole & Joe Pike are back! The west coast version of Spenser & Hawk, team up when Elvis takes on a missing person case that turns into something way deeper and more dangerous than even Elvis can handle. True to form, Crais delivers another great mystery! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this great novel!

Robert Crais has again written a fantastic page-turner with The Big Empty. I just love these characters, Elvis and Joe are great, and of course the fun cat! I am thinking it might be time to re-read from the beginning of the series, which I don't usually do. The books have a great mixture of investigation, action, and character development. Highly recommend anything by Robert Crais. He is one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Reading a new Elvis Cole book is like hanging out with an old friend who still makes you laugh and reminisce about the good ol' days. Another solid entry into the series. It's been more than 2 years since the last entry and, in that time, I've been binging Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. The early Cole novels definitely see that influence, but I can also see where the branch split and Elvis and co. go off in their own direction. Crais's novels feel like a different LA than the one Michael Connelly writes about. But, since I live in LA, I also recognize Crais's vision of it. It's like eating at two amazing restaurants that serve the same kind of food. Different, but still great. The only thing I hate about Crais is that I have to wait a bit longer for his novels than Connelly's. Even so, Elvis and Joe are still fun to be around. Even in a long-running series such as this, the visits feel fun and never tiring. I'm with him until the end. You would too, with the World's Greatest Detective.

Another good Elvis Cole/Joe Pike book from Robert Crais. Not much to say about it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every year, some 600,000 persons go missing in the United States, about one-third of them adults. Although many of these people left their homes and lives voluntarily for various reasons, the possibility of foul play has provided endless grist mystery writers and true crime podcasts. Two popular network TV crime dramas, “Found” and “Tracker,” focus almost exclusively on missing persons cases. One of our best mystery writers, Robert Crais, now turns his attention to a case of a man missing for ten years in his new Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel, “The Big Empty.” While I’m accustomed to surprise twists in books like this, “The Big Empty” surprised me with its power, skillful writing, and a healthy dose of neo-noir.

In “The Big Empty,” Cole is hired by Traci Beller, a 23-year-old social media star, to find her missing father, Thomas. He was a loving father whom Traci adored. Thomas owned his own heating and air conditioning repair business and disappeared after completing a day’s worth of routine maintenance calls. After his last stop, he called to tell his wife he was on the way home but was concerned about traffic. Neither he nor his van was ever seen again. Traci had hired another investigator to look into the case five years earlier, but the first PI found nothing. Now, with the tenth anniversary of Thomas’s disappearance coming up, Traci wants to try once again before putting the matter to rest.

Unlike the previous investigator, Cole traces Thomas to a fast-food restaurant where the missing man stopped before going… somewhere. He also locates Lori Chance, a former employee at the restaurant who’s now a liquor store clerk. Cole gets additional information from her, but he also gets the attention of several unsavory characters. They deliver the customary obligatory warnings to Cole about nosing around where he’s not wanted. Later, they deliver a more personal message in a nighttime brawl that leaves Cole badly beaten and several of them the worse for wear as well. Cole is able to contact Joe Pike, who gets help and enters the case.

No one who has ever read a crime novel will be surprised to learn that Thomas’s disappearance is linked to some sinister goings on, as Cole eventually discovers. As I read “The Big Empty,” I kept envisioning various scenarios that explained Thomas’s disappearance and the appearance of the various shady characters in the book. However, when I finally learned the truth, I was stunned. The revelation, which occurs a few chapters before the book’s end, changes the entire tenor of the story and makes it a far more powerful drama. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil any reader’s experience, but the actual ending makes the book far better than any of the scenarios I imagined.

Most of “The Big Empty” is narrated by Elvis Cole. He’s witty and observant, but more upbeat and less cynical than many private investigators in crime novels. His moral code and tendency to stick up for people are evident on multiple occasions. A good running joke in the book has Lori Chance reminding Cole several times that she’s available for a date, an offer he never takes her up on. When Cole is laid up in the hospital, the author shifts the point of view to Joe Pike, who is more direct. What’s most apparent in the book from that point on is the mutual friendship and respect the two men have for each other.

I also enjoyed the subplot involving Traci Beller. She’s an average girl with a knack for cooking who struck it big with a highly popular website, “The Baker Next Door,” and her daily baking videos. She’s got two less likable members of her entourage, a personal assistant and a controlling business manager, Kevin, who is more interested in protecting the brand than caring for Traci as a person. The author could easily have expanded on that dynamic, as well as Cole’s interactions with Kevin, without diluting the book’s attraction for readers.

The author also introduces another subplot in “The Big Empty” that isn’t as effective. Besides the chapters told from Pike’s perspective, the author labels a few chapters: “The Kill Car.” These chapters are told from the point of view of the mysterious driver of a nondescript vehicle who follows Cole for much of the book. Readers will probably try to guess who the driver is and how they fit in with the book’s other characters. These chapters are trite and unnecessary; the book reads better without them. Worse, the driver occasionally talks to their car, who they treat as their best friend and confidante. These conversations take the Kill Car chapters from annoying to silly.

“The Big Empty” was my first experience with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, but I had no difficulty picking up the characters and their interactions. The author also did an excellent job of establishing the secondary characters. Thanks to a great revelation, the book morphed smoothly from a typical private eye novel to something considerably more powerful. The “Kill Car” subplot and chapters were a disappointment but one that the author easily made up for in the rest of the book. “The Big Empty” is full of entertainment for crime novel enthusiasts.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Elvis ends up with the ultimate conundrum. What to do in a situation when a case throws two of your values in opposition. When the client wants you to go forward but you know that going forward with the investigation will cause pain to both the client and others. Crais handles the hard with a great deal of grace.

Book #20 in the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series. These two men are a perfect investigative team. Each of them have strengths that make them an unbeatable voice for the innocent. With Robert Crais building the story, his star team keeps readers turning the pages just trying to keep up. In this instance, they are looking for a man missing ten years with no trace to follow. As they kick up the dirt, there's more to this than meets the eye. Another great 5 star read from Robert Crais.

4.25⭐
Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series continues with an excellent entry, full of action with a touch of heart break. Co-owners of a PI agency in LA, Elvis is the face of the company while his best friend Pike is a silent partner but full-time backup. A young influencer hires them to look into what happened to her father ten years ago. Once Elvis turns up a fresh lead, things get out of control quickly. The plot is fast moving and this is one ending I couldn't predict at all.

The Big Empty caught my interest from the very beginning. The plot kept me guessing, and it made me want a muffin. I had trouble putting the book down until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and recommend it.

The Big Empty by Robert Crais is a fast paced story full of twists and turns and suspense. Highly recommend for both new and old fans of the series.

Oh Wow! This was a serial killer book and I didn't even know it. It starts out as a missing person that Elvis and later, Joe have to find. Not to do spoilers, this is a very exciting, non-stop action, book! Very hard to put down. Loved it, highly recommend. One of Crais' best!

Joan

While the majority of the more than 600,000 people reported missing in the United States every year are found, there are a host that are not located and/or resolved, somewhere around the five percent mark. In the pre 9/11 non RENDITION days, this made for fascinating cinema, notably in the Dutch euro fare THE VANISHING in 1988, its US remake five years later, and the Kurt Russell vehicle BREAKDOWN three years shy of the millennium. A desolate rest stop, a missing spouse, a frantic search, panic. Using this formula as stock for basic premise, THE BIG EMPTY is anything but; chock full of people who don't want to be found, violent enablers, gang related ruffians, solid detective work and...muffins, THE BIG EMPTY is a hard-hitting mystery featuring the hammer and anvil of detective fiction--Cole and Pike.

Stumbling on the coldest of cold cases, Elvis Cole knows what he's getting into, but a grand is a grand. Taking on a case that is ten years cold is almost always a loser, but Cole is the World's Greatest Detective, self-proclaimed, of course. In between clients, these ten Benjamins are a God-sent for the blowhard private dick who's always out to woo clients and annoy cops who are more annoying that he is. Known for 'Superior detection at affordable prices', and an all-purpose nod that serves him well, Cole offers oh-so-much-more, as lies are his business. Alongside a trusty .38 Special there's also Yoga, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and Muay Thai in his arsenal. Cole might just have to be registered as a LETHAL WEAPON. Book twenty of the series showcases the vast network and sources that Cole enjoys in the greater Los Angeles area including a most hilarious DEXTER-series styled Vince Masuka forensic dude and wholeheartedly includes the stoic Pike, the World's Greatest Friend. Coffee mug platitudes aside, Cole and Pike are on a rip-roaring bender, going deep into the black hole that is the void left by loss, drawing the universe into itself. THE BIG EMPTY.

Titled pretty close the Chandler's THE BIG SLEEP, what THE BIG EMPTY presents to gentle readers, is a hard-boiled, thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating mystery, establishing that detective work is an ugly business, thinking without proof is only suspicion, and that secrets are hard. Utterly engrossing and featuring shoutouts to David Baldacci and Tom Wolfe, THE BIG EMPTY dazzles with gumshoe lingo like voluntary absence, dead by decree, and rolling code three. To paraphrase SILICON VALLEY's character Russ Hanneman: Robert Crais, this guy WRITES!! While Love is Lost and Lost is Love, remember that there's no shame in being a Shamus and with Cole & Pike no one stays lost for long. Get ready to cruise the streets of Los Angeles with the most rough and tumble duo since Hooker & Gondorff, THE BIG EMPTY is a fast, entertaining and hilarious mystery where muffins ride shotgun.

private-investigators, missing, mystery, snarky, witty, action, investigations, secrets, lies, ambushed, beatings, ageless-characters, unputdownable, riveting, ex-cop, ex-military, influencer, family-drama, friendship, concussion, murders, criminalist, California*****

Disclaimer: I love this author's writing and this series in particular. So not unbiased review.
Elvis Cole is an experienced PI with a reputation for getting the job done. Joe Pike is Elvis' strong friend with a history of military and police service. Elvis takes the job from a young influencer who desperately wants Elvis to try anew to find her father who vanished without a trace ten years ago. Then the intensity begins and never stops.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected ebook file from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley. Thank you!
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#NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial #Mystery #barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #Suspense #bookshop_org_uk #kobo @#Waterstones #action #privateInvestigator #murders #missPer

Fast paced,edge of your seat, page turner that can't be put down should be enough said. I don't do book reports, the cover and other reviewers have given plenty of synopses to get the story. The characters are believable and the story gripping. Despite it being number 20 in a series it is easily read as a standalone. Read and enjoy! I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.