Indigo slam by Robert Crais

Elvis resorts to warm-hearted patronizing when young Teresa "Teri"
Haines tows her snotty 12-year-old brother Charles and sweet
nine-year-old sister Winona into his West Los Angeles office. Teri
announces that her decision to hire Cole comes from her library
research of old newspaper articles that praised him. She located him
through his Yellow Pages ad and is ready to pay cash for his time.
Clark Haines, the kids' father, has been missing 11 days. Haines
travels often, and their mother died five years earlier in a traffic
accident, so the children are used to being on their own. But this
extended disappearance has them worried.
While Cole's immediate inclination is to report the Haines kids to
Children's Services, he is impressed by Teri and agrees to consider the
job.

I have tried to read these books in sequence and I must say, although you could read them in any order and still enjoy them, some of the jokes are more apparent when read in sequence for example I love the old man at the airport that crops up in a coupl eof the books. The feeling of deja vu that Elvis experiences is similar to a reader that has read the books over a longer period of time, and would be missed if read in the wrong order.

Sunset Express by Robert Crais

When a wealthy LA restaurateur is arrested for killing his wife, his dream defense team hires PI Elvis Cole to investigate. The defense claims that Police Officer Angela Rossi planted the murder weapon at the scene. The evidence Elvis finds seems to support that theory until his doubts begin to mount and he digs deeper to find the truth with the help of his sidekick Joe Pike and his visiting friend, Louisiana attorney Lucy Chenier. Mystery fans will appreciate the writing, action, and distinctive supporting characters which highlight the vivid California setting with just the right amount of LA cool.

Voodoo River by Robert Crais

Los Angeles private eye Elvis Cole is hired by a famous television star
to find her biological parents, and is drawn into a frightening web of
deceit and danger when he discovers that the long-ago adoption was kept
secret for a very good reason.
I am really going through his books at a fair pace at the moment, and I must say, they are getting better and better. As I write this I am reading Sunset Express, the next in the series, and I *need* to order some more for the Easter break or I will be climbing the wall.

Free fall by Robert Crais

Elvis is back. No, not that one . . . the good one, the one who's
fun to read about. Elvis Cole, Los Angeles private eye, returns in the
fourth installment of a series in which there is way too much time
between installments. Jennifer Sheridan wants Elvis to find out what's
bothering her fiance, Mark Thurman, an undercover cop with an elite
LAPD unit. Jennifer is certain it's not another woman, but Thurman
himself tells Elvis the opposite. Elvis breaks the news to Jennifer in
a hilarious restaurant scene, but she convinces him to stay on the
case. Inevitably, Jennifer's suspicions turn out to be more than
wishful thinking. Take the Rodney King case and put this spin on it:
the guy with the camera was more interested in blackmail than justice.
Pretty soon Elvis and his borderline sociopath partner, Joe Pike, are
up to their smoking guns in renegade cops and angry gangs. Crais, who
also writes for television ("L.A. Law," "Hill Street Blues"), has
created a series hero who is tough, witty, resourceful, and even
romantic. Let's face it: we all want to be Elvis Cole when we grow up.

Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais

This is the second entry in the Elvis
Cole Los Angeles Private Investigator series. I guess this should be
more appropriately referred to as the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. I
read an interview by the author in which he stated that he didn't
suggest reading the books in order, as the recent books are much more
indicative of his style and the characters. In spite of that, I have
elected to read the books in order, and I am glad that I have. This
novel dwelves even further into the odd relationship between Pike and
Cole. Pike is at ease killing bad guys, or making Cole breakfast.


The mystery here, or case, involves the Japanese mafia, and one
very dysfunctional family that hires Cole to locate a missing Japanese
treasure. The story was enjoyable and the characters are outstanding.
The wise-cracking Cole had me laughing at several times as I read.
While Pike in all his stoic glory is a delight. This book really focues
on the true ambiguity that sometimes exists between right and wrong and
the good guys and the bad guys.

I also feel that the series is developing along the lines of the inspector Montalbano books in that there is more and more detail when describing food and how Elvis enjoys them.

Monkey's raincoat by Robert Crais

This is the first entry in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series and is a
great read. Crais is a former TV writer who wrote for Emmy Award
winning series such as L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues. In Elvis Cole,
he creates a charcter who, on the surface, seems to be just another
wise cracking private eye, but is actually so much more. Along with his
perpetually sunglassed partner Joe Pike, Elvis owns a P.I. Agency in
Los Angeles. Pike is quite interesting as well. He says little and
lives life according to a strict code of discipline. He reminds me a
little bit of Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti western days. The book
opens with Elvis meeting with Ellen Lang & her friend Janet. It
appears that Ellen's husband Mort has kidnapped their son. Elvis
reluctantly takes the case and what appears to be a routine case of a
missing person turns into something much bigger. Through many twists
and turns involving small time Hollywood agents and actresses, he
eventually comes face to face with a Mexican crime lord, who is a
former bullfighter. He thinks Elvis has his missing cocaine and the
story ends with Elvis searching for the cocaine and a showdown in the
crime lord's compound. Crais weaves many interesting characters into a
fast paced, humorous tale. The book contains the right amount of twists
and turns to keep you on your toes, but not too many as to seem
implausible. He reveals just enough about Elvis & Pike for us to
get know them, but leaves somethings about them uncovered, so they can
be explored in future books.

The Draco Tavern by Lary Niven

A series of short stories based in the Draco tavern. A tavern run by a human and finananced by E.T.'s in Siberia. It is the place that is used by crews and passengers of ships that stop in our Solar system.

Some fun stories but nothing special. I would rate it a 6