wegmarken2006's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
bookhawk's review against another edition
5.0
I have enjoyed books 1 through ten of the Elvis Cole series yet Chasing Darkness eclipsed all of them. Crais was at the top of his game with this one. The pacing is great and the writing is clear, descriptive and concise. The plot is strategically unveiled with twists along the way. I highly recommend this book if you like police or private investigator mysteries or for anyone who likes a thriller.
chazmo1431's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why, but before Chasing Darkness, I only read one other novel by Robert Crais. I read a fair amount of crime fiction and Crais is one of the better known authors in the genre so it is strange that I hadn't read anything by him.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
For the most part I enjoyed the novel. I liked the Elvis Cole character and I appreciated that this PI actually does a reasonable amount of detecting. I find that a lot of the time the PI's in this type of novel tend to stumble onto the solution of a crime rather than actually solving anything.
I gather this is not the best example of the author's work (I have been meaning to read Monkey's Raincoat & LA Requiem - but haven't yet). I may not be a regular reader of the author, but even I can tell that Crais is just going through the motions here. The solution to this mystery when revealed has a pretty significant hole in its logic and there are some annoying unresolved issues that seem to have been forgotten by the author.
All in all, I found Chasing Darkness to be a quick, entertaining read. It's not great, but an enjoyable diversion. I plan to read one of his earlier novels so that I can experience Crais at his best. Even so, based on this effort and even if he is underperforming here (which I assume he is) he's still an author worth reading.
lwalker77's review against another edition
4.0
Another great entry in the Elvis Cole series. This series is as good as any of its genre out there. Highly recommend!
marbles66's review against another edition
4.0
Elvis Cole is a private investigator who helps with a murder case getting the charges dropped for Lionel Byrd. Lionel who is going by the name of Lonnie Jones is found dead along with a photo album of pictures of dead women. This starts another investigation and this is the story of what happens.
Really enjoyed this book.
Really enjoyed this book.
boleary30's review against another edition
3.0
Great writer, two of the best characters in the genre, but too many useless steps along the way.
muddypuddle's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 I really enjoy Robert Crais' writing. A lot. He writes believable mysteries that keep me guessing. I love Elvis Cole. He's fun and funny. I want to learn more about Joe Pike, but I like that he's kept a bit mysterious. You can read this series in any order - I have and it works just fine. Bring 'em on!
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
3.0
I do like the plot as whether Cole, through his investigation helped an alleged killer avoid prison. LAPD has evidence and believes Cole did help the suspect resulting in more homicides.
This was a quick read, but one that my interest kept drifting away. I'm giving three stars as I know Robert Crais can tell a better story.
This was a quick read, but one that my interest kept drifting away. I'm giving three stars as I know Robert Crais can tell a better story.
martyfried's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fast and fun read, although not as much humor as many of the previous books.
In this story, a man that Elvis helped get off by proving he could not have committed the crime is later believed to be guilty, but Elvis doesn't believe it. There are a few things that make it unlikely, but the case seems to be signed, sealed and delivered. Even the lawyer that Elvis worked for at the time now believes the man did it. The police don't want Elvis to investigate at all, but he lives by his own rules. Besides, everyone thinks he got a killer off who killed again, and are not too happy about it, so he needs to clear his name. Several twists later, he figures it all out.
In this story, a man that Elvis helped get off by proving he could not have committed the crime is later believed to be guilty, but Elvis doesn't believe it. There are a few things that make it unlikely, but the case seems to be signed, sealed and delivered. Even the lawyer that Elvis worked for at the time now believes the man did it. The police don't want Elvis to investigate at all, but he lives by his own rules. Besides, everyone thinks he got a killer off who killed again, and are not too happy about it, so he needs to clear his name. Several twists later, he figures it all out.
tommyro's review against another edition
3.0
A very strong series. Well written well plotted strong characters. It never drags or sags. A definite plus.