The Wanted

Wow, what a great story. Robert Crais is certainly one of my favourite Authors, and I’m glad I came across his Elvis Cole series back in the early 90’s. Joe Pike and Elvis Cole are such great characters, and they work so well together. I loved the way this plot was put together, and the way Elvis moves through with the investigation, along with his quick wit and dry humor. It’s definitely entertaining, and well worth the 5/5 Star rating.
Elvis Cole is pretty certain that 17 year old Tyson is probably doing something illegal, with all the money stashed inside his bedroom. After all there aren’t too many teenagers around with thousands in cash hidden away that aren’t legitimately working, or their parents are filthy rich. Tyson’s mum, Devon Connor knew her son had issues, but she really had no idea what he was up to when he wasn’t home, especially not breaking into people’s homes. It’s unfortunate for Tyson and his two friends that they picked the wrong house to break into, and take something that the owner will do anything to get back. The three of them are quite oblivious to how much their lives are in danger, and it’s up to Elvis and Pike to try and keep them alive. From start to finish, this is a fabulous story. Do yourself a favour and read this book, it really is that good.

A Robert Crais novel is always a sure fire great read. He covers the same LA ground as Michael Connelly (wouldn’t a joint book from those two be great,) and his characters Cole and Pike are as welcome reads as Bosch.
When solo mum Devon asks Elvis Cole to help her find her missing son, he has no idea the path it will take. It soon appears two other people are after the son as he unwittingly has something they want.
Tyson has fallen in with two other teens who are robbing the rich and selling the goods at the flea markets. When one of the teens is murdered and another stall holder also killed, Cole enlists his sidekick Pike to help out, they must find the two kids and keep them safe whilst looking for the laptop the crims seem to be after. Page turning stuff.

The Wanted Robert Crais
Elvis Cole # 17. Joe Pike# 6
Robert Crais comes up with another compulsive read in this, the latest in the long-running Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series, with seamless narrative, great cliff hangers, characters that arouse our sympathy or horror, and - not least Elvis and Joe - two inimitable “soft-boiled /hard-boiled” private eyes who’ve seen the worst side of life and are still willing to risk their lives for the best of it.
Full disclosure - I’d read anything with Elvis and Joe in it, and I was indignant when I saw recently that a reviewer had called Elvis “flaky.” “No way!” For this reader, Elvis is quirky but admirable, and his latest outing in The Wanted doesn’t disappoint.
I have to declare I’ve read lots of the Elvis Cole series – not all of them – but a lot – and I love Crais’ idiosyncratic main man. Him and Joe both – they’ve decided what they will and won’t tolerate and they’ve crafted lives for themselves that may often be imperilled and insecure, but allow them to remain true to their heart’s call.
Crais said in a recent interview that he’s “never spent five minutes trying to decide if Elvis is hard-boiled or soft-boiled. I don’t think there needs to be a laundry list of rules as to what detective fiction should be . . . I’m a story teller, and I’m using the books to explore things that I want to explore. I just hope that the books are entertaining.”
I think this statement sums up what’s great about Elvis Cole in general and The Wanted in this particular instance. . . Crais is a gifted story teller, and his tale has a free flowing freshness that’s remarkable when you recall this is Book Number 17 in the series. If there is a “soft and “hard” boiled to it, I think Elvis would be the former, and Joe the latter – but who cares? They are both compelling heroic figures.
Crais has continued to “break the mould” in the “hard-boiled” genre anyway – a trend he started with his 1999 break out book LA Requiem when he experimented with combining different genres within the detective novel. Dropping the classic first person viewpoint, Raymond Chandler style, he introduced different points of view, combined aspects of the police procedural and suspense thriller and gave himself freedom to allow more outside influences to impact his story – and influence Elvis and Joe.
That’s nearly twenty years ago, and he’s continued on that path ever since. The Wanted opens from the baddies view point and it’s clear within the first few pages that as villains, Harvey and Stemms are truly nasty pieces of work – smart, inventive, totally ruthless and amoral, with a huge but anonymous bankroll behind them. Elvis is flying solo, his client San Fernando Valley solo mum Devon Connor with predictably modest income who hires him to find out where her teenage son Tyson got the Rolex watch she found in his bedroom.
An apparently simple story of teenage burglary spins off into something much more sinister – a kind of 2017 version of the ‘Bling Ring’ of delinquent teens rip off rich people’s homes as some sort of crazy adventure and get caught in a deadly whirlpool after they steal a laptop without realising it contains encrypted explosive evidence related to a controversial murder case.
What ensues is classic Elvis Cole – another entertaining thriller with insight into the venality of LA celebrity, enough vulnerability and poignant parental failure to make it real and human as well as enthralling action …. Crais has no need to be concerned about “hoping they’re entertaining.” The Wanted is a Five Star roller coaster!!!.

Fiction - Crime

Score : 8/10


I always get excited when a new Elvis Cole and Joe Pike comes out because they are so far and few between these days. It was vintage Cole and Pike with Elvis being brought in by a mother to find her missing child who was part of a group of teenagers breaking into expensive LA homes. When they rob the wrong family who send killer thugs out to get the group, Elvis does what Elvis always does, brings in bad ass Joe Pike to help him save the day. Hooray.

A great read as always, thank you Mr Crais!

It wasn’t until I finished reading The Wanted by Robert Crais that I realised that this was one of many in a series featuring private detective Elvis Cole and his silent side kick Joe Pike. So not having read one of them before certainly doesn’t make it difficult to follow, so quite easily can be read separately. This is a positive as it is sometimes difficult to read a book in a series when there is an assumption that you have prior knowledge of the characters.
This was a fast moving story that held your interest for most of the time. Must admit that the two really bad guys in this story had a few chapters that I felt could have been deleted and that wouldn’t have detracted from the story - for example if the reflection back on a night playing music with a young lad in the past was supposed to add depth to their characters I don’t think that succeeded. I found myself skimming this chapter as I was keen to find out what happened next!
I did like Elvis Cole who comes across as a tough but sensitive guy. Joe Pike a man of very few words but moves quickly when required. The other characters were probably a bit stereotyped like the computer geek, The Carl, the bullied main character Tyson, the wild ‘child’ girl Amber and Devon Connor the very caring mother of Tyson who while threatening ‘to kill him’ when she finds does quite the opposite!
The story is intricate but moves along quickly, holding your attention as you follow the mystery.
I haven’t read anything written by Robert Crais before but I certainly enjoyed his writing style and the inclusion of light banter and humour into the characters and the storyline.
An excellent read. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a copy to read and review.

Well-paced private detective mystery which starts slowly but quickly builds into a page-turner.

3.5★s for me.

I have to admit that I’ve never previously read a Robert Crais book. No particular reason. I think that from being such a creature of habit, I tend to stick with Authors that I already know and love. But thanks to NetGalley, I’ve now had my reading tastes shift to now include such interesting characters as Elvis Cole and Joe Pike on my reading menu.

I was truly surprised after finishing this to see that this is book No. 17 in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. How did so many books not enter my reading orbit?

Tyson Connor is a troubled teen, who gets in with the “wrong” crowd. His mother is worried with the appearance of a rolex (watch) in his room, along with some very expensive threads (clothing), that he simply could not afford as a student. Enter Elvis Cole, private eye, and (by the sounds of it), all round decent bloke. Elvis endeavours to track down Tyson (who has disappeared), and as these stories tend to go, things get distinctly murky....there’s more to Tyson’s five-fingered discounts, than a stolen rolex.

I really enjoyed the quirkiness of the Elvis Cole character.
"When you live with a cat, you talk to the cat.”

This was an easy page turner, and on this basis of how quickly I finished this book, I’ll definitely consider reading more of Robert Crais’ books.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to read, in exchange for an honest review. This was my first ever NetGalley read, and I'm looking forward to many more of them.

My review can also be read on Good Reads (link below).

‘Harvey and Stemms were making progress, but they couldn’t just blow into the club and flash the picture. The photograph of Unknown Male Subject Number One was dangerous.’

Devon Connor is a single mother, concerned when her teenaged son Tyson suddenly seems to have a lot of money. She’s concerned that he may be dealing drugs, so she contacts private investigator Elvis Cole to see if he can find out what Tyson is up to. Elvis quickly discovers that Tyson, with two others, has been responsible for several burglaries. But Tyson and his friends have stolen something that the owner wants returned at any cost. He’s has employed a team of his own to track down the thieves.

When one of the three is murdered, Tyson and his girlfriend disappear. Will Elvis Cole, with the assistance of Joe Pike, find them before the others do? As Elvis and Joe race to find Devon, they are also trying to find out what was stolen, and to whom it belongs.

‘The window was closing, but not closed.’

While some of the characters seem to be stereotypes (especially the computer geek ‘The Carl’, and the bad guys Harvey and Stemms) they fit into the story perfectly. Bad guys and computer geeks need to be a bit predictable, surely. Especially when there are a number of other layers to the story.

I enjoyed this novel. It is a fast-paced story, and the 17th book in the Elvis Cole series. It isn’t necessary to read the novels in order, each one can be read as a standalone story.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This book hooked me in...This is book 17 in the Elvis Cole series but the first that I have read. It read fine as a stand alone story but there wasn't too much insight into the characters.

Elvis is hired to look into how a teenager at high school has suddenly come into large amounts of cadh and expensive clothes. This begins a rollercoaster of a mission to get to the bottom of it.

I would like to read more by the author, it was fast paced and I enjoyed the writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for an advance copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was privileged to receive an ARC of The Wanted, by Robert Crais, and I loved it.
This story starts gently enough if you overlook the killing of a busboy for very little apparent reason, but as the murders mount up the tension builds. The more I read, the more engrossed I became.
The Wanted has a rip-snortingly good plot which moves at a clipping pace throughout. Even though you think you know what’s going to happen next, you really don’t. I was on the edge of my chair until the last page.

EXCERPT: "...these kids leave prints and DNA everywhere."
The world slowed when I heard him.
I said, " Kids."
"They're kids. Three morons."
I said it again, just to be sure.
"Kids."
"Teenagers, young adults, whatever. A female and two males. I'm not saying they're little children."
I stared out the window. Wilcox described big nasty mothers and multiple burglaries.
"How many burglaries are we talking about?"
"Seventeen, eighteen, something like that. The number's in play. The task force is playing connect-the-dots with fingerprints."
"A task force has the case?"
"This is big, brudda man. You mess with rich people, you get the fullcourt press."
"They have prints and DNA, but no IDs."
"It happens. Never been busted, so they aren't in the system. They hood up, they're good about ducking the cameras, but the one kid, he finally screwed up. Unknown Male Numero Uno. We got him. First Tier got his face."
Dave was so proud of himself he laughed.
"Can I see his picture?"
"Sure. On the way."
My phone chimed when the picture arrived.
I knew who I would see even before I opened Dave's email.

THE BLURB: It seemed like a simple case before the bodies starting piling up. Investigator Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, take on the deadliest case of their lives, in the new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times bestselling author
When single mother Devon Connor hires private investigator Elvis Cole, it's because her troubled teenage son Tyson is flashing cash and she's afraid he's dealing drugs. But the truth is devastatingly different. With two other partners in crime, he's been responsible for a string of high-end burglaries, a crime spree that takes a deadly turn when one of them is murdered and Tyson and his girlfriend disappear.

They stole the wrong thing from the wrong man. Determined to get it back, he has hired a team that is smart and brutal, and to even the odds, Cole calls in his friends Joe Pike and Jon Stone. But even they may be overmatched. The hired killers are leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. A few more won't make any difference.

MY THOUGHTS: In the almost four years since I joined Goodreads.com, so many people have told me that I must read/will enjoy Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. They were right. Sometimes I am a little slow . . .

Yes, I know that I have joined the series at #17, but it really doesn't matter. The book is written so that it can be read as a stand alone. References to past history are few and well explained.

The Wanted is fast paced, action filled, and yet is remarkably tender when dealing with the emotions of the teenagers. And the teenagers are teenagers. They play follow the leader; the leader being the most assertive, the one who knows best, the one who is sure that the adults know nothing, the one who can manipulate, the emotionally damaged one.

As I said, this was my first encounter with the Cole/Pike team. It won't be my last. I am joining their massive fan club.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Wanted by Robert Crais for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Fabulous!! All of the great reviews don't do this book justice. really loved everything about it!!

Excellent book with great story and characters. Recommended for lovers of a good detective story.

I loved the drama in this book. Right from the start there is drama and it doesn’t stop until the end.

I am a huge fan of Private Investigator books. They’re more entertaining than your ordinary cop book because the P.I. generally gets a bit dirtier in their tactics than an officer of the law would. So I was really happy to find Elvis Cole is a P.I. hired by a teenage boys mother to find out what he’s up to, after she discovers a watch that is way out of his price range. During the investigation Elvis finds some pretty interesting stuff out about our boy Tyson and his cohorts that lead to some very dangerous times, but you’ll have to read the book to discover this yourself.

Let’s move on to Stemms and Harvey, two heavies hired to find something for their client. These two character are something else. They will stop at nothing to get what they’re after and they always seem to be a step ahead of Cole. Stemms and Harvey have a special bond that reveals itself throughout the book and even makes you stop and go ‘aww’. But it’s not long before they’re back in the thick of the action.

Read the book to find out about these two, Tyson and his cohorts, Elvis Cole, what the heavies are after, who they work for and much more. Enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this for an honest review.

I received this free as an ARC from Netgalley, my first ever, which was exciting as Robert Crais is one of my favourite authors and I’ve always envied the people who get to read the latest in a series some time before publication. There was no pressure to review it, but I review everything I read anyway.

It has been a while since the last proper Elvis Cole book, as while Joe Pike does appear here, he features much less prominently than in the last few. The timeline is a bit vague, this is set sometime after the events of The Promise, but can’t be 2017, as Elvis (who fought in Vietnam, remember, would be much too old to be doing all this flirting and fighting. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose. This is number 17 in the series, and while it could just about be read as a stand-alone, you’d get much more out of it by reading the whole series in order - and why wouldn’t you, it’s a great series.

Here Elvis has been hired by the mother of a 17 year old to investigate how he’s come to have large amounts of cash, a Rolex and expensive clothes in his room. Discovering that the boy, Tyson, has been burgling rich people’s houses with two friends, he tries to get him to give himself up, but a pair of killers for hire are also hunting for them, as they have inadvertently taken something of great value. Told from various point of views, including that of the mercenaries - a slightly odd pair with more of a backstory than usual - this is a gripping and enjoyable ride, certainly as good as many of the earlier books, although I like the ones with more Pike and featuring Jon Stone the best, so hope he will return soon.

The wanted

This is a riveting book. Well written with interesting characters. Even the psychopathic killers have some detail spun about them, giving them some depth. One jewel of a short story that is triggered by a phone’s ring tone, and told in the midst of a short lull between two action filled scenes, is particularly memorable.

My only regret with this story is that I kept delaying starting reading It! I was put off by a glitch on the draft copy I am reviewing. Once past that it was an amazing ride with the young potential victims, the private investigator Elvis Cole and his sidekick. Lots of local detail of places I know nothing of but none the less have a feeling for given the spare but clear sketching of place by the author.

The action is intercut with a feeling of action to happen. I also liked that there was space for characters - particularly the kids who had done wrong - to achieve some redemption and a sense of some hope in their lives. The story line is sufficiently tense and intriguing to keep you hooked all the way through.

Thanks again to NetGalley for the chance to offer an honest review of a new book.

There's a question at the end of this book: "Is your name really Elvis?" The response should have been, "♪ Uh-hu-hu-huh. ♪"

Elvis Cole is called in to figure out how a worried mother's son came by a luxury watch. Elvis and Joe Pike proceed to investigate a series of high-end burglaries, a spate of murders, and why two professional cleaners are looking for the teen boy. They even get to shoot people for a change.

I do enjoy picking up the occasional Robert Crais novel. They are entertaining and well paced, and offer up a slightly different take on the crime-thriller novel. Admittedly, I actually prefer Crais' earlier books in the series as they had more humour, but his later novels are worth a read too.

What stops me recommending this novel more than the 4 stars I've given it is that, like any long-running series, there is a paint-by-numbers feel to the story. It is actually impressive that Crais hasn't resorted to a more obvious formula yet, but that could be a reflection of my not reading every Cole and Pike novel.

The Wanted is another solid Cole and Pike novel, and highly enjoyable.

I received an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Seventeen-year-old Tyson is a normal teenaged boy – he’s socially awkward, obsessed with video games, and always hungry. But his mother is worried that her sweet, nerdy son has started to change… and she’s just found a $40,000 Rolex watch under his bed. Suddenly very frightened that Tyson has gotten involved in something illegal, his mother gets in touch with a private investigator named Elvis Cole and asks him to do some digging.
Cole uncovers a connection between Tyson and eighteen unsolved burglaries in LA’s ritziest neighbourhood. Tyson spooks and runs.
And then the bodies start turning up…

What's not to love about a new Cole and Pike novel?

A worried mother thinks her son is involved in selling drugs after finding some expensive items in the house. Cole and Pike find much more...burglaries with two other kids and, when discovered, does the runner and then the chase is on...

Hitmen are trying to find the trio of kids, cops are trying to solve the burglaries, Cole is trying to keep the mother safe and gets Pike to take care of that. Everyone wants the kids - some for not-so-nice reasons...

What Robert Crais is able to do (unlike some of his contemporaries) is keep a long-running series fresh and original. Every novel is different enough to every other that the longevity of the series is guaranteed. While Elvis and Joe remain at the centre of most stories, it is the vast array of secondary characters that keeps this series moving. Always filled with diverse characters and multi-faceted storylines and plots, the Cole and Pike novels are a refreshing change in a world of paint-by-numbers series.


Paul
ARH

Thoroughly enjoyable read - it's hard to go wrong with the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike formula! A little melodramatic in parts, but full of suspense and a plot that drives you forward at all times. A great weekend read.