LA Requiem by
Robert Crais
pbk out March 00
(Orion)
at £6.99
For some time now I've been enjoying the Elvis Cole series although, along with others, I've felt it could easily start flagging. I'm not sure how popular the series is here but perhaps it's a bit of a sleeper. In any event, my guess is that this will be the breakthrough book.
I like a series that develops. In the first couple Cole is a kind of "smart ass Spencer clone with a weakness for comic book and cartoon memorabilia" (to quote an expert in the field, Kevin Smith, whose excellent web site, the Thrilling Detective, is worth a visit). The plots followed the accepted PI formula: kids, women in trouble. Joe Pike, the other half of the partnership, was the sort of guy it's good to have in your corner.
As it progressed the series became less comical and more serious in tone. "Lullaby Town" was a highlight and had Cole hired by a Stephen Spielberg type to track down a long-ago-discarded wife and kid.
With "L.A. Requiem" Crais takes the series up a notch, and not before time. He takes chances and, in doing so, raises the stakes (in much the way, for example, Block with "Everybody Dies" did). It's certainly much darker than anything Crais has done before and is a powerful book despite a weak ending (rumour has it that the publishers ordered a rewrite).
I don't usually agree with publishers hype but for once I agree; get into Elvis Cole while the going is good.
LA Requiem by
Robert Crais