One thing I can count on to always be an entertaining roller coaster ride is an Elvis Cole & Joe Pike novel. It’s going to be a fast read that introduces a desperate person in an unusual situation that only the unique skills the boys possess can handle; a mystery that slides ever so slightly into a couple of explosions of violence while being unraveled, just before ending way too soon.
In A Dangerous Man, Joe Pike witnesses an abduction attempt involving Isabel Roland, a young woman who works at his bank, which he thwarts by ambushing and apprehending the abductors with his usual direct approach. The mystery deepens when one of the men insists that he’s her boyfriend and they were just having an argument. Despite Isabel’s protests, the police aren’t quite sure who to believe, so their investigation isn’t exactly fast tracked, plus they are suspicious of Pike on top of everything else.
Things heat up when the two abductors are found murdered, with Joe Pike being the prime person of interest because of his determination to keep Isabel safe. While she doesn’t understand why anyone would want to kidnap her, the ongoing threat to her safety is real, and it’s up to Joe and Elvis to get to the truth of what’s going on, and give Isabel her life back.
The twists in this one are fun, and they shine a light on what can happen when secrets cross generations and remain unknown stories or truths for the surviving family members. Secrets becoming separated from their sources, forgotten or otherwise buried, and turning into dangerous liabilities is one of those unknowns that can haunt people for decades. Imagining how far someone might go to get to a truth that no one else they have been asking knows exists can be a terrifying prospect. Given how many real families could have secrets that bring trouble back around to unsuspecting doorsteps, it’s not too far to stretch a truth like that into heart-pounding fiction like this story.
And yes, these novels are nearly impossible to put down once the action starts, and the need to keep turning those pages almost always mean that you’ll finish the book way too fast to savor. But with this series so far, I’m good with that!
If you’re already familiar with who Joe Pike and Elvis Cole are, this story fits right into the chronology following the previous stories. If you’re new to this pair, you might not get a quick grasp on the dynamic between the two, but that’s not a detriment to being able to enjoy the story. But if you are new to the series and want to jump in without starting at the first novel (A Dangerous Man is the 18th), try L.A. Requiem. That one brings a fresh approach to Elvis Cole, the private detective, and Joe Pike, the silent but lethal partner, which continues through all the subsequent novels (The Watchman, The First Rule, The Promise being my favorites of those, and including this one.
And don’t miss our interview with Robert about A Dangerous Man!
Joe Pike didn’t expect to rescue a woman that day. He went to the bank same as anyone goes to the bank, and returned to his Jeep. So when Isabel Roland, the lonely young teller who helped him, steps out of the bank on her way to lunch, Joe is on hand when two men abduct her. Joe chases them down, and the two men are arrested. But instead of putting the drama to bed, the arrests are only the beginning of the trouble for Joe and Izzy.
After posting bail, the two abductors are murdered and Izzy disappears. Pike calls on his friend, Elvis Cole, to help learn the truth. What Elvis uncovers is a twisted family story that involves corporate whistleblowing, huge amounts of cash, the Witness Relocation Program, and a long line of lies. But what of all that did Izzy know? Is she a perpetrator or a victim? And how far will Joe go to find out?
A Dangerous Man (An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel) by Robert Crais
Series: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel (Book 18)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons; First Edition edition (August 6, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525535683
ISBN-13: 978-0525535683
Robert is currently on tour promoting A Dangerous Man:
August 9 – New York, NY: Mysterious Bookshop, 6:30 PM
August 10 – Ann Arbor, MI: Nicola’s Books, 3 PM
August 11 – Milwaukee, WI: Boswell Book Company in conversation with Nick Petrie, 3 PM
August 12 – St. Louis, MO: St. Louis County Library, 7 PM
August 13 – Naperville, IL: Anderson’s Bookshop, 7 PM
August 14 – Parma, OH
Cuyahoga County Library (Parma-Snow Branch) with Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry, 7 PM
August 15 – Denver, CO: Tattered Cover Bookstore (Colfax), 7 PM
August 17 – Orange, CA: Book Carnival, 11 AM
August 17 – Huntington Beach, CA: Barnes & Noble, 4 PM
August 18 – San Diego, CA: Mysterious Galaxy, 2 PM
August 19 – La Jolla, CA: Warwick’s, 7:30 PM
Author
"A Dangerous Man" by Robert Crais
Summary
In A Dangerous Man, Joe Pike witnesses an abduction attempt involving Isabel Roland, a young woman who works at his bank, which he thwarts by ambushing and apprehending the abductors with his usual direct approach. The mystery deepens when one of the men insists that he’s her boyfriend and they were just having an argument. Despite Isabel’s protests, the police aren’t quite sure who to believe, so their investigation isn’t exactly fast tracked, plus they are suspicious of Pike on top of everything else.
Leave a Reply