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!
#TheBigEmpty #ElvisColeAndJoePikeBk20 by #robertcrais #putnambooks #penguinrandomhouse
#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.

It's been a couple of years since Elvis and Joe have made an appearance, and it's always a delight to go on an adventure with them. There is never enough Elvis and Joe interaction, and their relationship is spectacular. Elvis has a smart mouth and crazy skills. Joe is deadly.

Elvis is hired to find out by a young woman the truth about her father who has been missing for a decade. She is an influencer with a lot of opportunities opening up, and Elvis, who has never heard of her, can't help but agree to try. While memories fade after time, occasionally people are more willing to answer and sometimes they admit things they left out. But the more Elvis digs, the worse things get.

This story turns dark with some really surprising twists. The investigation follows intuition and excellent detective work, keeping a complicated story realistic and interesting. Elvis and Joe are well-established characters, and it's always a delight to spend a few hours in their world.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to lovers of detective novels and sarcasm.

Not family friendly due to violence, profanity, and dark plot elements.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Elvis Cole has had a lot of cases since becoming a private investigator, and he is proud of his ability to have solved most of them. But this one is something else.

Elvis has never heard of Traci Beller, but some of his friends certainly have, so when she hires him to find her missing father, they consider it a BIG DEAL. Traci was only 13 on that day 10 years ago when her father never came home from work. Now, with the 10-year anniversary approaching, she wants to try one more time to find out what happened, because the father she knew would never have simply abandoned his family, as her mother has always assumed. There WAS a thorough investigation, by another private detective, one who Elvis knows would have done a thorough job, so he doubts he will find much. When he receives the case files from the other PI, he finds few loose ends, but does decide to try a few other routes.

What he finds is NOT what Traci wants to hear, and he doesn't want to tell her, but she is his client and he owes her the answers she seeks. During his investigation, he is attacked by several men and left for dead in a rural area, where he is found only by luck by some sheriff's deputies and taken to the hospital. At that point, he calls in his friend and partner Joe Pike to help him, as he is not very mobile and his concussed brain is playing tricks on him. Together, they get to the bottom of the story, but there are two murders, and possibly another one, before the end.

I LOVE Elvis and Joe and they ALWAYS find what they are looking for, even when it is NOT what they want to find.

Robert Crais does it again! I look forard to his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels and he never disappoints. Elvis gets hired by an up and coming you-tube/tik-tok baker for missing persons cold case. Her father disapperaed 10 years earlier and she does not think he is dead ( even though other PIs have tried to find him and failed). Once Elvis accepts the job, it becomes much much more than a simple missing persons case. A gang of serious, dangerous criminals are now involved and there is a weird connection with Anya and her ex-con mother. Working with his partner Joe, Elvis tries to untangle the mystery and find Traci's dad. Elvis Cole's character is the best. He is smart and funny. Crais gives him fantastic comments, I love his blase relationship with his feral cat. Joe Pike is his formidable sidekick- the complete opposite of Elvis's personality bu tthey mesh together so well. Plus- the storyline is always top-notch. I can never figure it out and they keep me guessing until the very end.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S THE BIG EMPTY ABOUT?
I'm tempted to skip this part and rush to the bit where I insist you go pick this up, throw up the five stars, and call it a day. But I won't—I'd feel guilty about it. But honestly, feel free to skip this. It's just filler until I get to the .jpg with the stars.

The Baker Next Door is an Internet sensation, she's moving on to TV and brick-and-mortar stores. But her success isn't enough for her, something's been chewing at her for a long time, so Traci Beller comes to Elvis with a cold case. The ten-year anniversary of her father's disappearance is coming up, and she wants some answers. She'd prefer Elvis find him hale and hearty, but she doesn't expect it. But she wants to know what happened before. Five years ago good investigators that Elvis knows couldn't find him, and the state declared him deceased. But Traci wants to try again.

Something about her and her determination gets to Elvis, and he agrees to look at the LAPD's file—as well as the records from the other PIs. Also, Traci gave him muffins. It probably doesn't hurt that Ben Chenier is fan, either.

Still, it's a cold case. It's not going to be easy to find something new—and it's only something new that will move the case forward. Otherwise, he's just going to be doing what his predecessors did, just probably less fruitfully. Thankfully (otherwise this would be a short story, not a novel), Elvis asks the right question and gets the answer he needs.

On the other hand, he might have preferred the less eventful version.

ELVIS AND JOE
At this point, Joe Pike is practically a super-human, or maybe a human so fantastic as to be unbelievable—like Batman or Jack Reacher. And I don't care (I don't think anyone does)—because he's not infallible and we all love to see him come in to save the day.

Meanwhile, Elvis has always seemed pretty mortal. Something happens in The Big Empty that emphasizes this mortality. It is not like what happened to Spenser in Small Vices, but it reminded me of it. But Crais handles it better and more believably—Elvis is not infallible, he's not invincible, and it's good for the reader—and for him—to get a reminder of it.

Still, it appears that Crais has taken the "stop the characters aging" route—we don't get references to Vietnam anymore to keep them from seeming as old as they are (see also: Spenser dropping references to Korea). I don't care how much Tai Chi or whatever Elvis does—he's too old to do half of what he does. I'm absolutely okay with that, I don't need to see inconveniently-timed sciatica messing up Pike's silent approach to a building or Elvis needing a cane or a hearing aid to get through the day.

Basically, I wouldn't change a thing about what Crais has done with these characters, nor what he's doing with them now—and The Big Empty is one of the best books to showcase the strengths of his approach to the characters since The Last Detective.

ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE JOHN CHEN
Really, truly, John Chen is a lousy excuse for a human being—he's a decent criminalist (it seems) and he's really easy for Elvis to manipulate into getting what he needs. But the guy is about as self-aware as a piece of toast. His self-delusions are at the level of Pike's omnicompetence—this doesn't make him any less entertaining (or cringe-inducing) to read, but wow...some growth in his character would restore some of my faith in humanity.

I was so happy when he showed up in these pages, and I loved every moment with him. (so, yeah, I really don't want him to grow or develop as a character)

But what I really want—and I don't know how this could happen—is a short story/novella where John Chen and Roddy Ho have to team up. It would be the ultimate in HR nightmares, and the two would hate each other (I assume). But boy howdy, would it be fun to watch.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE BIG EMPTY?
Yes, it's almost a foregone conclusion that I'm going to love a new Elvis Cole novel. But that shouldn't take away from just how ____ing good this was. If this was my first time reading Crais, it would not have been my last—and I'd have a stack of library books next to me now (which would be replaced by a stack of paperbacks fresh from the bookstore after I read one or two more).

There's just something about Crais' prose that makes you race through it. Because of the pace at which he puts books out lately, I wanted to take my time and savor it. Relish each paragraph. But you just can't do it—the prose is so smooth, so well put together, that every time you try to slow down, Crais comes along behind you and gives you a nudge and you remember that you're on a bobsled hurtling down the track. That almost sounds like you're out of control—but you're not. Maybe a better metaphor would be that you're in a Lamborghini Murciélago, trying to drive slowly down a deserted highway to take in the scenery. But that car isn't built for 35 MPH, and before you notice, you're doing at least 80.

Also, that wasn't me complaining (too much) about the pace Crais is publishing lately—if he was faster, that prose wouldn't be as honed. He can take as long as he wants.

We got a larger-than-usual cast of supporting characters for a Cole or Pike novel (or so it seemed, I didn't do a headcount, nor am I going to go back and do one for the last few books). I thought they were all great—from the antagonists, to the villains, the witnesses, and the innocent parties that got sucked up into something they shouldn't have been. I believed them all and would like to see almost all of them again (if only it were possible). I can't tell you the best characters because it would ruin too much, and I want to stay on Putnam's good side. But when you get to the last chapter, the character there that I haven't mentioned in this post? That's the best character (by a nose) in this one.

The first chapter was great—maybe it didn't do much in terms of story, but it gets you right back into Elvis and Lucy. Then we meet Traci and her manager (that you want Elvis to punch almost as much as he wants to), and you're with Elvis in wanting to help her—and the book keeps building from strength to strength there—right up to the perfect closing paragraph.

The sole quibble I have with this was the way that the relationship between Elvis and the Sherriff Department's detective. It just seemed off the way it developed from the natural antagonism to the endpoint where it seemed more (not completely) collegial easier than it should've.

So, yeah, I think I've made it clear that I really enjoyed The Big Empty, I don't think it's the best thing that Crais has written—but it's gotta be in the top 5 (it could be recency bias talking, but I don't think so). I'd have to think long and hard to come up with many (other than The Promise, because of Maggie). Regardless of how it stacks up with the rest of Crais' oeuvre, it's a dynamite novel, one of the highlights of 2024 for me—and I predict many people will say it's a highlight of 2025 for them when it's published next week.

Get your pre-orders or library holds in now, friends, you want to get your hands on this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Putnam Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

I was inordinately pleased to learn I had been approved to receive an advance copy of the new Elvis Cole and Joe Pike thriller via NetGalley. Publicists for popular authors like Robert Crais can pick and choose who will be allowed an early look and I did not expect to be one of the selected. However, I lost no time in downloading a copy in case someone decided to reverse the decision, and I tucked the PDF file away for my Christmas reading treat.

I am happy to report that The Big Empty (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2025) is every bit as good as its 19 predecessors. Elvis Cole is at loose ends when Traci Beller’s assistant calls. Traci is a trendy influencer on social media, known for her cooking videos and her bubbly persona. She is on the brink of going mainstream but she can’t forget her father, who disappeared 10 years previously when she was 13, and it is disrupting her focus. The police decided at the time that Beller abandoned his family. Traci simply cannot believe it. She hired a private investigator to look for him five years ago without success and now she wants Cole to look again.

Cole is reluctant to take on what seems to be a futile task, though he agrees to review the file from the last search. The reports are thorough if not downright exhaustive. A quick check shows no sign of Beller or the van he was driving in the intervening five years. Cole talks to a few of the witnesses in case an additional detail or two surfaces and surface they do. Following the threads of fragmented new information results in a group of thugs threatening Cole and he calls in Joe Pike for back-up. The data leads to startling revelations which force Cole to decide how much to tell and to whom and what to hold back, if anything.

A surprising story in many ways with a nuanced examination of the impact criminals have on those who love them. And how sometimes we simply have no good options among the choices facing us; the best we can do is pick what seems to be the least bad and hope. A running secondary theme is just how hard poor people work to stay alive with no clear way of improving their situations. The single mothers here struggle desperately to provide for their children and feel themselves going under anyway.

I wish I could say that Traci’s greedy and opportunistic business manager is not credible but unfortunately I’ve worked with people a lot like him. He’s all too real. Cole and Pike remain two of the most likable, reliable, and conscientious investigators around. And I was happy to see that Cat is still delivering purrs and head bonks. Recommended.

To be released on 14 January 2025. Starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

Death, danger, and suspense take center stage in the next private detective case of Elvis Cole in The Big Empty by Robert Crais. Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared ten years ago in Rancha, a town two hours from Los Angeles, California. There was no sign of foul play and most believed Tommy Beller abandoned his family. But not his daughter Traci, who is now a popular social media influencer.

Elvis isn’t excited about taking on a ten-year-old missing persons case, but he agrees to go to Rancha to see if he can pick up any new threads for the investigation. When he learns that someone might have information not discovered ten years ago, he finds that a gang of criminals are following and threatening him. Not one to be cowed, he calls his friend and silent partner in the detective agency for help. Joe Pike is a no-nonsense ex-Marine who will always have Elvis’s back. As they follow Tommy’s trail, the danger and suspense escalate as do the bodies. Can Elvis and Joe solve the case before one or both of them become the next victim?

Elvis is intelligent and has amazing insight. He may come across as a little laid-back, but that is deceptive. His sense of humor adds another layer of depth to his character. Joe is enigmatic, dependable, and dangerous if you’re on the wrong side of the case. While most of the story is from Elvis’s point of view, readers also get some chapters from that of others, including an antagonist.

When it seems that the initial investigations by the police, as well as another private investigator, left no gaping holes, missed opportunities, or cut corners, Elvis doesn’t expect to find new information. However, the well-conceived plot has multiple layers that will keep readers guessing as they follow the investigation and new insights become known. The author does a great job building suspense

This twisty thriller is a full of gripping scenes embedded in a well-crafted and riveting plot that hooked me from the very beginning. One of the twists was exceptionally surprising. The book was a page-turner that kept me engaged throughout the storyline. The ending is satisfactory and doesn’t leave readers with a cliffhanger. Themes include, grief, loss, family, lies, secrets, post-traumatic stress disorder, murder, and much more.

Overall, this crime novel was suspenseful, tragic, and includes some intense scenes. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. Those who enjoy crime thrillers and private investigator novels will likely enjoy this series. It has just the right amount of mystery, danger, and creative twists to make this book a winner.

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam – G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Robert Crais provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for January 14, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

4.5 stars leaning closely towards 5

This is the 20th installment in a long series featuring the partnership of Elvis Cole, private detective, former Vietnam vet and his sidekick Joe Pike, former military badass and best friend who always has Cole’s back. Joe is a man of few words, cool, calm, collected, but lots of thought goes into his actions and nobody gets the better of him.

Elvis takes on a missing persons case in this investigative thriller. Hired by a celebrity chef to find her father on the 10th anniversary of his going missing when she was just 13 y/old. With more twists than a bag of pretzels, this story delivers a punch to the gut, and nary a boring page.

“Loss left a hole and sometimes the hole was so big and empty it couldn’t be filled…”

Elvis Cole being “The Worlds Greatest Detective” self-professed, and fondly referred to, we readers know he will find the man especially after enlisting Joe’s help. The journey is not without pain however, for his client, for others involved in his disappearance, or even for Cole himself and he’s left with the scars to show for it, both physical and emotional.

I’m a fan of Robert Crais’ writing, especially when he gives us readers a nod after referring to something he’s told us about by stating “You see?” Haha. I enjoy his pacing, his inner dialogue, wit and descriptive narrative which balances out the dark subject matter of this offering. He has given us a layered mystery that is not just vivid but both entertaining and suspenseful with a resolution that will shock you.

If you are new to the series and liked this you might want to take a look at book 1 featuring these two characters: The Monkey’s Raincoat released in 1987. If you like it you will be excited to know there are 19 more to read. Happy face here :)

Release date is Jan 14, 2025. Don’t miss this one.
My thanks for the e-ARC
#NetGalley
#RobertCrais
#PenguinGroup/Putnam

Robert Crais does it again. The Elvis. Ike/Joe Pike series is one of my all time favorites. With engaging characters, a fast paced plot and a well timed sense of humor, this is one of the best in the series. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader copy.

The Big Empty by Robert Crais is a very highly recommended, excellent investigative thriller and the twentieth novel in the series featuring PI Elvis Cole and his partner ex-Marine Joe Pike. For those new to the series this would work well as a standalone too.

Thomas Jacob Beller, disappeared ten years ago when his daughter Traci was thirteen. No evidence of foul play was discovered by the police and it was assumed he abandoned his family. Traci, a 23-year-old influencer with 8.2 million followers on her site The Baker Next Door, never believed her father would abandon her and she hires Elvis to find him.

Thomas, who owned a heating and air-conditioning company with Traci’s uncle, disappeared after a service call. Elvis begins looking into the case. The evidence says Thomas was last seen at the SurfMutt hamburger stand and Elvis's visit there leads him to potential witnesses with new evidence. The inquiry also attracts some malignant attention.

Elvis is putting himself into a dangerous situation in this well-written, un-put-downable thriller. Elvis really puts himself into harms way in this outing. Expect Elvis's trademark humor and relaxed manner along with his intelligence and insight as he investigates. Joe Pike is a capable, intelligent enigma and continues to be a welcomed addition to the team.

The investigation is tension-packed, interesting, and complicated, with plenty of twists and new information uncovered along the way. The suspense increases with each flip of the page. Just when you think the case is solved, there is a big shake-up making the case even more devastating and troubling.

The Big Empty is a dynamic, exceptional investigative thriller. Thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Big Empty by Robert Crais falls into the Mystery & Thriller genre and has an expected publication date of January 14, 2025. The story opens with Anya calling to remind her mother Sadie to pick her up from the skate park. When Sadie arrives, Anya is missing. Fast forward to Traci Beller hiring private investigator Elvis Cole to find her father Tommy Beller, who abandoned her and her mother almost ten years previously. What will Elvis Cole discover?

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Big Empty by Robert Crais from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to be approved and receive this novel.

The main character, Elvis Cole, was an instant hit with me. He's just an extremely likable character. A somewhat insignificant character that I absolutely love is Cole's semi feral cat since I am a huge cat lover. Cole taking care of the cat is probably a huge factor in me liking him so much. I also really like his partner Joe Pike because he's a man of few words, very direct, and has Cole's back. As for most of the characters in this installment, I didn't care for Sadie, Anya, Kevin, Georgina, Lori, or Charley and his friends. It wasn't until I got much further into the story that I changed my mind about a few of them.

As for what I thought happened, I knew that Tommy had to been involved with Anya going missing. However, I wasn't sure what happened to him. At one point, I halfway thought he was still alive. Once all the details came together, my heart was pounding to have it put together. I didn't quite figure it all out, but the entire book played like a movie in my head. I also found myself wanting to do nothing but read the book and thinking about it when I didn't have time to read. That makes Robert Crais a fantastic author and story teller in my opinion.

Five out of five stars is what I gave The Big Empty by Robert Crais. I would love to see this book series turned into a television series. If you haven't read anything by this author, you need to buy one of his books stat.

Over the years, I've come to love the investigative team of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike; Elvis is charismatic, while all Joe needs to do is stand there and everybody knows what he's thinking. This latest adventure - the 20th - had me glued to my Kindle from start to finish.

It begins as Traci Beller, she of The Baker Next Door fame and fortune, asks (through her humorless promoter Kevin) Elvis to find her long-lost father, Tommy. A decade ago, he apparently abandoned his family and hasn't been seen since, and both police and private investigators turned up nothing. The owner of an HVAC company, his last known location was Rancha, a small town near Los Angeles.

Always a sucker for a pretty woman in distress - and knowing he's pretty darned good at finding people - Elvis decides to give it a try and sets off for Rancha, mostly to look for anyone who might remember Tommy or anything that might provide a clue as to what happened to him. Early on, though, his questioning of local folks - especially former convict Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya - puts him in the crosshairs of some nasty guys who clearly want him to cease and desist - or else.

That experience, in turn, leads to his calling his partner Joe for help, and it's a good thing he did; Joe is particularly skilled at dealing with nasty guys (and no doubt gals as well), and as the investigation progresses, those skills definitely will be put to the test. Clues - and fists and shots - are coming strong and fast, and only one thing is for certain: Traci's father isn't even close to the man she remembers.

Other than that, all I can say is it's a fight to the finish that I'm glad I got to read - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for making that possible by way of a pre-release copy.

Elvis Cole finds himself searching for the whereabouts of a man who has been missing for 10 years. As he works through the problem he is beaten and limps through the rest of the story, with his friend Joe Pike guarding his back. He finally solves the issue, but with mixed results. Robert Crais weaves another nail biter.

The Big Empty took me by surprise with dark, intense secrets that ripped my heart out. Crais delivers a smooth, deftly written narrative with appealing characters. He maintains tightwire tension throughout this fast-paced thriller. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop.

Elvis Cole captivated me. This was my first book by Robert Crais, and it was completely satisfying as a stand-alone novel. His pitch-perfect humor is one of the surprise joys of The Big Empty.

There’s a reveal I saw coming, yet that didn’t detract from the novel’s power. I appreciated the complex issues, the gritty, even painful realism, and the respect for victims. The author and his powerhouse Cole and Pike team bring the right kind of humanity to dealing with crime. I look forward to reading more books by Robert Crais.

Highly recommended for non-squeamish thriller readers who are comfortable with possibly distressing content.

Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam, for the eARC via NetGalley for consideration. These are my unbiased opinions. I'll add the TikTok link closer to the publication date.

I have been a diehard fan of Robert Crais/Elvis Cole/Joe Pike for over THIRTY YEARS. Seriously, when The Monkey’s Raincoat was published in 1987, I was working in a public library, grabbed it as soon as it came in, and was HOOKED. Since then, this has been one of the most reliable series in the mystery genre – consistent as in “OMG, <blank> has a new book coming out! YAY!” So I was extremely happy to receive a copy of The Big Empty from Penguin Group/G.P.Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley in return for my honest review.

This is the TWENTIETH book in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series, and it is one of the absolute best. OK, there is a tiny possibility that I have thought that about every single one, but truly…this one is so good on so many levels. And it can easily be read as a standalone, so if you are unfortunate enough to be new to the series, don’t worry – just dive in.

Elvis Cole, the “world’s greatest detective,” lives and works in Los Angeles. As a refugee from Southern California, I am not a huge fan of LA, but for some reason, I enjoy the LA that Elvis calls home. Over the years, Elvis has changed some with the times, shown in this story where he is hired by a young woman named Traci Beller, an extremely popular influencer (a job title that to my knowledge has not appeared in any book in this series up until now). Traci’s father disappeared in a small town named Rancha near LA when Traci was just thirteen, and neither the police nor another private detective Traci hired five years earlier were able to find any clues as to what happened to him.

Traci never believed her father just abandoned the family, and now that she has millions of dollars to spend as she likes, she is willing to spend whatever it takes to get the answer to her mystery. As Elvis explores things in Rancha, he encounters an ex-con named Sadie who, along with her daughter Anya, might have clues to the disappearance of Tommy Beller. Once he really gets into the mystery, Elvis gets mixed up with a creepy violent gang, and he calls on his old friend Joe Pike,

I don’t do spoilers, but the superb plotting and storytelling in this one will likely keep you up all night. I love how it reveals more of the back story about Elvis and Joe, particularly Elvis. Prior books in the series have revealed some of this, including Elvis’s own search for his father, but I loved how this one tied it to Traci’s search, and how her anguish over her missing father evoked his own feelings. When talking to his (recurring character) long distance lover Lucy, he reveals that he had searched for his own father dozens of times. He knows Traci is suffering from the loss of her father, and as he knows “Loss left a hole and sometimes the hole was so big and empty it couldn’t be filled. All we could do was try, but the trying defined us.” (WOW).

I just can’t recommend this book highly enough. Great for fans of Crais/Elvis and fans of mysteries in general, particularly private detective stories. It is an excellent introduction to this series but, as noted above, it’s terrific whether you have read all, some, or none of the prior nineteen Elvis/Joe stories. With many thanks to Penguin Group/G.P.Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley, this one gets five stars!

It has been a few years since I've read a book by Robert Crais and The Big Empty was a great read. Elvis Cole is looking into the disappearance of a man from 10 years earlier (the case was never solved). Great cast of characters (a few sketchy ones), a story that will keep you guessing, the witty banter, drama, humor, and the cat.
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel and I highly recommend reading this one; come January of 2025.