| Title | : | The Watchman (Elvis Cole, #11; Joe Pike, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0743281632 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780743281638 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 292 |
| Publication | : | First published February 27, 2007 |
| Awards | : | Barry Award Best Thriller (2008), Anthony Award Best Novel (2008), ITW Thriller Award Best Novel (2008) |
The Watchman (Elvis Cole, #11; Joe Pike, #1) Reviews
-
It’s probably a good thing that Robert Crais has a strict policy against selling the film rights to his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike characters because I can see how this could go horribly off the rails in the wrong hands. The bad Hollywood pitch for this movie:
“There’s this rich girl, like a Paris Hilton type, right? And she gets into a car accident, but the people in the car flee the scene even though they’re injured. She identifies one of them as this big time money launderer that the Feds want, but she is attacked by a small army of hit men. That’s where Joe Pike comes in. See, he’s this real bad ass. He’s been a soldier and a cop and a mercenary, and now he sometimes partners up with this guy named Elvis in a detective agency. The Elvis guy would make for a funny supporting character. Maybe we could get someone like Seth Green to play him?
Anyhow, this Pike is a real intense dude. Wears sunglasses all the time and has these red arrows tattooed on his arms. Kids these days love tattoos so that’ll make him relatable. And of course, he and the rich girl don’t get along at all. He’s trying to protect her, and she’s being a real pain in the balls.
Funny? Well, the book isn’t really that funny because of all the killing. But we could downplay that and punch up the interactions between Pike and the girl. Maybe get more of a romance going between them. And since this girl is like Paris Hilton, why not see if the real Paris Hilton is interested? For Pike maybe… Vin Diesel? He‘d be good, but I don‘t think we got the budget ….I got it! Steven Seagal would be perfect.
That’s the tricky part about this. This story could have turned out like a typical Hollywood set-up, but as usual Crais has the skill and ability to take an action movie scenario and add just enough depth and heart to it to make it about more than a bad ass racking up a body count. I thought Joe Pike seemed like a stereotypical cartoon in the early Cole books, but through the course of this series Crais has established that Pike doesn’t wear his sunglasses at night and rarely speaks because he’s trying to be cool. Pike behaves like that because he’s an emotional cripple who has genuine problems interacting with people. That makes him both tragic and scarier than just a tough guy playing at being stoic.
This also adds another wrinkle to the Elvis Cole series because we aren’t getting his first person viewpoint as the lead character, we’re seeing Elvis from an outside vantage point and that adds another dimension to him, too. (This reveals several plot resolutions from previous Elvis books so anyone interested in the series should read them in the published order to avoid spoilers.)
Crais was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America last week, and with books like this, it’s easy to see why. -
The Watchman is the first book in the Elvis Cole series that switches focus to Elvis’ best friend and agency co-owner, Joe Pike. It’s a solid thriller, though for me, less impressive than other books in the series.
The plot of is classic bodyguard
subtypes Reluctant-Bodyguard, Financial-Mismatch, and Sexual-Tension. If you think you’ve seen this before, it’s because you probably have. It’s obvious from the first that there’s an insider leak jeopardizing the client, so Joe decides to play it solo. Except, of course, for a little help from his friends Elvis Cole and forensics analyst John Chen.
Though there are any number of reviews fangirling over Pike (male and female alike; using the word ‘fangirl’ in its non-literal sense), the Strong Silent Type to the exponential degree. I don’t necessarily mind this trope, but I feel Crais often overplays it. The biggest problem in this case is that Pike doesn’t do dialogue, which means the reader is often left with a) a lot of description, or b) witnessing ‘the girl’s’ fruitless attempts to engage him in dialogue. To compensate, Crais has to switch the narrative around, including John Chen, Elvis, and the client, a twenty-something year-old woman with the ridiculous name of Larkin Conner Barkley. Complicating this narrative are some time frame changes, in regards to the current protection gig as well as related to Joe’s past with LAPD.
Once you get past the first narrative hijinks and settle into the actual storyline, the plot grabs on and doesn’t let go. I’ll note that reading this kept me awake during my late afternoon sleepy-time, causing me to miss my old-person nap. I was wise enough to put it down last night after reading the first couple chapters, so I was ready for the thriller pacing today.
Although it was odd, I enjoyed seeing Elvis in the back-up role. Larkin proved to be a perfect foil for Elvis’ humor. It was also interesting seeing him actually detect, while Joe continued to do much of the muscle work.
Overall, an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. It was interesting to have the character focus change, the type of story change (even if it was rather a predictable one) and Crais is a solid writer. He has been one of the most reliable modern/long-series detective/thriller writers for me.
Oh, by the way, both Cole and Pike continuously refer to the person they are guarding as ‘the girl.’ I get that this is meant in an experienced-protective-old-man-way, and not a sexist-ancient-pig-kind-of-way, but it’s still annoying. Just how serious are those implications? Though she’s actively involved in the story, most reviews on GR don’t even mention her name. Half a star off for it. -
This is (sort of) the eleventh book by Robert Crais featuring L.A. detective Elvis Cole. When we first met Cole in
The Monkey's Raincoat, we discovered that he have a (very) silent partner named Joe Pike. Pike has an office next to Cole's, but eleven books into the series, he has never used it. Pike also owns a gun shop, and whenever Elvis needs his assistance, he usually reaches him there.
Up to this point, Pike has basically served as backup, joining Cole when the going gets rough and often bailing Cole out of tight situations. Pike, an ex-Marine and former L.A.P.D. cop, is very much the strong, silent type. As someone once observed of former president "Silent" Calvin Coolidge, Pike doesn't say very much and when he does, he doesn't say very much.
Pike is a man of action and in some of the earlier novels, I've had difficulty taking him very seriously. He's too much the superhero type for my taste--a man of seemingly impossible skills who can never be defeated, no matter the odds, and without whom Cole would have never survived past the second or third books in the series.
In this case, though, Pike takes center stage with Cole riding shotgun as needed, which is an interesting twist. As the book opens, a very rich and very spoiled young woman named Larkin Connor Barkley is racing her Aston Martin through the streets of L.A. in the middle of the night when she slams into a Mercedes that is backing out into the street. Barkley tries to render assistance to the three people in the Merc, but one of them runs off into the night and the couple in the car races away. Barkley dutifully notes their license number and calls the cops.
At which point, all hell breaks loose for poor Ms. Barkley.
The three occupants in the car turn out to be very bad news and the cops, the F.B.I., and a variety of other authorities are pumping Larkin Barkley for an identification of the man who raced from the scene on foot. And, fearful that she might be able to identify the man, the bad guys are now trying to kill her. Even worse, someone inside the investigation is apparently helping them to track her down.
One of the people trying to protect the woman calls in a long-standing favor and asks Joe Pike to assume the responsibility for protecting Barkley. He reluctantly agrees to do so and, inevitably, Pike and the young woman initially get along like oil and water. At this point in the hands of a lesser author, the story could have become very trite and predictable, but happily in this case, it doesn't. Pike and Barkley ultimately both prove to be characters with great depth and more than a little vulnerability. Watching the interaction between them is entertaining and, at some points, moving.
As the threat to Barkley intensifies, Pike will call in Elvis Cole to assist, which adds another nice element to the story. The action moves swiftly, and there are some interesting twists and turns. We learn a bit more about Pike's mysterious past, including his childhood and his brief service on the L.A.P.D. All in all, this is a very good addition to the Elvis Cole series and/or a very good beginning to the Joe Pike series. -
While Elvis Cole is on the mend, an associate of Joe Pike's calls in a favor. Joe is tasked with protecting a young heiress from the people trying to kill her. Things go south when there is a leak at the Department of Justice and Pike finds that the only people he can trust are Elvis Cole and himself...
Joe Pike takes the lead in this Robert Crais offering and gets saddled protecting a Paris Hilton type heiress named Larkin Barkley. As with
L.A. Requiem, Joe Pike's past is explored as the case unfolds. I loved the way the relationship between Pike and the spoiled heiress develops as they find they have things in common.
It's a nice change of pace to have Elvis Cole in the supporting role and have Pike take the lead. It's an exciting tale with a much higher body count than most Crais books so far. That should be expected, though, when the enemies are linked to South American drug cartels.
With Pike as the central character, Crais developed the normally silent Pike into a multidimensional character and kept The Watchman from devolving into a mindless action-fest. I don't really have much more to say on that front. It's Pike being Pike with Elvis Cole in tow.
While The Watchman was an enjoyable read and a nice change of pace, I'll be glad when Elvis Cole takes center stage again. 3.5 stars. -
A wild-living young heiress slams into trouble in the L.A. night—the kind of trouble even her money can’t shut down. After her Aston Martin collides with a mysterious car, Larkin Conner Barkley attempts to help the accident victims—and becomes the sole witness in a federal investigation. Whisking her out of her Beverly Hills world is Joe Pike—ex-cop, ex-Marine, ex-mercenary—hired to shield Larkin from a relentless team of killers. But when a chain of lies and betrayals tightens around them, Pike drops off the grid and follows his own rules for survival: strike fast, hit hard, hunt down the hunters. . . .
Author Robert Crais introduced one of the funniest and emotionally complex private detectives to come along in years in Elvis Cole, but he also crafted one of the hardest heroes to see print in decades. Joe Pike is the king of cool, the master of the understatement, and a man haunted by personal demons he'll never talk about, Pike seems a bit more human, a bit more flawed.
But to me an important part of this book is also the humour supplied by the great personality of Elvis Cole, and Robert Crais could not have created two such different characters, and to me that is the stongest part of the book, alongside young Larkin Barklay.
What the book lacked a little to me, and the reason why I return to authors like Simon Kernick, Tom Wood and David Baldacci, is the tension, speed, the twists and turns, like I have been on a rollercoaster ride after reading the last few chapters of a book. Here this book lacked that tension.
Okay four stars, just for the strength in the main characters, but lacking that killer pace. -
I enjoyed every second of this book. I love the entire Elvis Cole series and I thought it was great that he decided to swap the character focus in this one to Joe Pike. You can't help but wish that life was different for Joe but if it was he wouldn't be Joe Pike...and I'd miss Joe Pike.
This is a good read as are all the Elvis Cole books. -
I'm eternally grateful to Hugh for turning me onto this series. There was a Pike-shaped hole in my life that I didn't even know was there prior to listening to this book. Now, I can't go back to that Pike-free universe. In all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book. I totally loved Pike and
Cole. They definitely have a great friendship that allows them the freedom and the support to be themselves. That's definitely a blessing.
The Characters:
First and foremost, as I said, I dug Pike. I love the strong, silent type. I like that Pike is so utterly dangerous, but also very honorable, and really a Boy Scout in the way that he truly will go to HELL and back for something he believes in. He's a real protector, but he spares no sympathy for those who pose a thread to others he feels honor bound to protect. He's very taciturn, yet I felt like I grew to know him in the important ways via flashback and by the way those in his life regard him. A man like him has a way of scaring people, but those who know him well, truly, truly respect him, and his well-chosen words and physicality. Pike has this killer edge, but also this lonely, hurting boy aspect that makes me want to give him a hug, make cookies for him, and tuck him in and read him a bedtime story. I loved the way he handled Larkin. He had a way of getting her to behave, because he saw through her games, and he gave her what she needed. To be seen and to be cared for. I can totally see why she fell for him. I did too, Larkin. Although this wasn't a hugely actiony book, I definitely got the feel that Pike was a formidable guy. He doesn't play. And I tell you, that's what I want in an action hero. Although you are scary Pike, I might call you in real life (and I don't say that to most of the guys on my dangerous hero list).
Elvis Cole has a great sense of humor. And I am a sucker for a guy with a sense of humor. In the book world, my book boyfriends are the dangerous, scary types, the truly honorable men, and the guys who make me laugh (out of that list, the last two make a guy very appealing to me in real life). So, although Pike is definitely in my dangerous hero book boyfriend list, I could see me liking a guy like Cole in real life a little more. He's also very smart and perceptive. I liked the way he handled Larkin. Her ATTITUDE didn't faze him in the slightest. And although he doesn't always get Pike, he has Pike's back for sure! He's a great friend. And I can't wait to read his books.
Larkin should have annoyed the crap out of me. She reminds me of a real heiress that I really don't think much of. God tells me I shouldn't judge, and this book helped me to deal with that, because I really don't know what it's like for the heiress girls who act crazy and are famous for being rich debs. I don't walk in their shoes. This book helped me to see what life was like for a girl like Larkin. I felt for her. I could see that she was wearing armor and that armor made her prickly and compelled her to act 'stupid.' I never would have thought she'd be a good match for a guy like Pike, but she is. I have to say I'm pretty fond of Larkin. Hope to see more of her.
Storyline:
Yeah, I like bodyguard stories. Especially with a hero like Pike. I liked that there was a heavy suspense element moreso than action. It wasn't just about Pike keeping Larkin safe from the bad guys, but him trying to figure out why they were trying to kill her. I think some of the plot was a bit thin in places, but I still enjoyed it, and I felt it was well-done overall. The pieces came together, and I didn't feel like I predicted what was going on. The story progression took me to a conclusion that made sense to me. I liked that although Pike has the loner vibe, he really does use his connections and rely on people he trusts to get the job done.
Crais' Writing Style:
I thought that this book was written in a very visually appealing way. Mr. Crais writes a catchy, stylish story. Not overly noirish, but a contrast between gritty and beauty and naturalism in an unexpected way and in unexpected places. Pike comes off as very iconic. Instead of being described completely, I was given enough to get an image of him in my head. His sunglasses that hide his cold blue eyes. The way his mouth twitches when he expressed the small bit of emotion on his face. His brisk, economical way of speaking. The gentleness he shows Larkin. The violent moments aren't drawn out, but quick, yet no less brutal when needed. Usually an author might over-describe these parts to intensify these moments, but Crais doesn't do that. He writes them speedy, like they happen in real life. I don't think his approach is one of action, but more of suspense, and that comes through.
Los Angeles isn't the most beautiful place to this reader. I don't care much for the city, frankly. But Crais finds the beauty in this place, but also exposes the seamy aspects that I associate with the City of Angels. The place of both exorbitant wealth and extreme poverty. Where starlets and heiresses are just a few block away from brutal gang-bangers and the ugly taint of urban decay. This place comes to life in his capable hands. If I ever miss LA (which is unlikely), I can read his books and get my fix.
I gave this one 4.5 stars because I felt some of the pivotal aspects wrap up too quickly. I wanted more page time on a few aspects that I didn't get. But overall, this was a fun ride, and Pike is my baby boy now. I want some more!
Recommended! -
Ok, a few rambling thoughts on Robert Crais. Who is this guy, where'd he come from, how'd he get so popular? Well the first thing to know is that Crais is not from California at all. He is a native of Louisiana, grew up in a blue collar family, and read his first crime novel
The Little Sister when he was 15. And that's all it took. Chandler gave him his love for writing. Other authors that have inspired him were Hammett, Hemingway (seems like that's true of all the crime writers), Parker, and Steinbeck (huh?).
How'd he get so popular? In short: television and
L.A. Requim. Robert Crais has a very impressive resume as a screenwriter for such television series as Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice (damn, I loved that show too!), Cagney & Lacey. But what hits home the most with Crais himself is his work on the 4 hour mini series Cross of Fire which is about the Ku Klux Klan and is probably more relevant to his home state of Louisiana than it is to Hollywood. Following a growing dissatsifaction of a screen writer's constraints, Crais began writing novels. L.A. Requim, which is the 8th Elvis Cole novel, is what landed him as an author that defied all genres and in it outsurpassed even the legendary Ross Macdonald.
Enough about Crais, the guy's good. So, what about Elvis Cole? Naming someone Elvis had to have been a fairly deliberate decision. To me the name seems iconic, Warholish, Disneylandish, a bit theatrical if not cynical. In fact his novels and trinkets therein are suffused with cultural icons: Spider Man mug, Jiminy Cricket (latent fantasy of wanting to be Peter Pan?), and his yellow Corvette. Even his slogan seems hamstrung with Hollywood's obsession with icons: Elvis Cole is The world's Greatest Detective! But in reality there's nothing ridiculous about Cole: he's tough, honest, ponders morality and ambiguity and hypocrasies while staring out the balcony window in his office.Yes, he's cynical, a smart ass, a comic relief in many ways...but behind the seeming humor lies a Dan Wesson .38, the Vietnam War, martial arts and his biggest gun of all: Joe Pike.
Joe Pike, the avenging angel, is a tool used sparingly by Crais. Use him too much and you wonder why he isn't the main character (we know Crais has struggled with this as he produced
4 separate novels featuring Pike as the hero); use him too little and you start wondering why the big guns aren't being pulled out by Elvis. What you want to do is increase the anxiety level of the reader towards the hero, not get the reader frustrated with him. Crais handles this expertly...and uses Pike to increase the anticipation in readers.
The Elvis Cole novels should be considered hard boiled detectives primarily in that Crais deviates from the traditional Romantic tradition found in detective stories and crime fiction by introducing Cole as a detective with a decidedly cynical attitude towards the emotions (i.e. apprehension, horror, terror, and awe such as are found in other crime and thriller stories). And yet, we find sprinkled throughout the books insightful observations of the world as seen through Elvis's eyes. In the following passage, Elvis observes the effects of dry brush fires raging through L.A.:
Picture the detective at work in his office, fourth floor, Hollywood, as the Devil's Wind freight-trains down from the desert. Though dry and brutally harsh, the desert wind is clean. It pushes the smog south to the sea and scrubs the sky to a crystalline blue. The air, jittery from the heat, rises in swaying tendrils like kelp from the seabed, making the city shimmer. We are never more beautiful than when we are burning.
Like I said, it really came together following the publication of his 8th Elvis Cole novel. Pike his side kick, Lou Poitras (Cole's detective friend) gruffy as ever, shifting view points, a relaxation of Cole's zany character...it all came together following L.A. Requim. So, believe me. All in all, you will not be disappointed with the Elvis Cole series. There are a lot of these novels so sit back and enjoy! I most certainly did.
As with all series reviews, this one covers all the Elvis Cole books. So if you've read this review of mine than you've read 'em all. -
I really enjoyed this 1st book in his "Joe Pike" series!
-
3rd read - Even after multiple readings of this series (like Lucas Davenport and Charlie Parker stories) I still find myself entertained and engaged, hardly being able to hold off rushing to the finish.
This is the first story centering on Joe Pike, and his current duties as a bodyguard to a 22 yr old rich girl (think Paris H.), who was involved in a traffic accident that involved a notorious money guy criminal.
Joe is his goal-centered greatest, as he goes off the grid to dodge multiple attempts on the girl's life, coming full circle to work with the guy in the LAPD who helped train him years ago.
2nd reading - Toward the top of my Cole/Pike list, and this focuses more on Pike.
A rich, privileged young girl is involved in a minor traffic accident in Los Angeles. A man and woman in the front seat, a man in the backseat of the other car. The back seat guy jumps out and runs off, and the couple drive their damaged vehicle off.
Enter the Feds, showing pictures to the girl, and find it's a wanted felon on the run who appears back in the states.
Subsequent attempts are made on the girl's life, and her protectors appeal to Jon Stone for help. Stone calls in an old chip to Joe Pike, who becomes the lady's protector and babysitter.
Elvis Cole has a peripheral role here, as he's still recovering from injuries incurred in the last installment. Jon Stone has more of a presence, and we get to see and know him more in future tales.
1st reading - Good Cole/Pike story, more on Pike and protecting a young girl. Little bit of Jon Stone, too. -
What I’m finding as I continue my random walk through this series is that some of the individual stories offer little in terms of mental stimulation and yet the in-fill on the character backgrounds enriches my enjoyment of the series as a whole. This episode is a case in point. The plot is a pretty basic tale of a rich girl who finds that she needs protection from a major criminal who is out to kill her. The exact reason as to why she’s a target is rather sketchy but nonetheless she ends up in the care of the series hard man, Joe Pike.
The rest of the story really just requires the reader to bear witness to Pike’s strenuous efforts to avoid a physical entanglement with the amorous protectee whilst also attempting to gain a better understanding of the need for his task. It’s all ok, but hardly edge of the seat stuff. Elvis Cole is a bit-part player here, his involvement really adding nothing to proceedings.
So if those are the negatives, what are the positives? Well, just one really: Crais proves what I already knew - he’s a good writer killing time with a very average tale here - by opening up on Pike’s childhood issues with a violent bullying father. The insights into Pike’s formative years takes up little page space in the book but it did provide me with its most interesting and engaging moments.
In summary, this is probably one to miss if you’re working your way through this series, there are much better stories later. I will go back visit the remaining books, but maybe not for a while. -
This is book eleven of the series and the first one to be told from the perspective of Joe Pike. I really enjoyed the change in viewpoint; in fact it would have been enough to make this a five star rating if it weren't for one thing...
Or, rather, one character: Larkin 'I'm-not-Paris-Hilton-honest-guv' Barkley.
JAYZUS, WHAT AN ANNOYING CHARACTER! Pike and Cole's reactions to her were, if anything, even more annoying... I was actually rooting for her to die horribly, which was probably not the author's intention.
Anyway, other than her, a really good book. -
The bad guy is predictable. Well, so what? The good guy is unpredictable. The Watchman is presumably a play off the literary conceit that inspired the brilliant The Watchmen graphic novel and film, “Who is watching the watchman?” Robert Crais doesn’t make any explicit reference to that, but it fits. Joe “I’m not a bodyguard” Pike is roped into performing a very lucrative favor for a person to whom, like The Godfather of Mario Puzo fame, he owes a favor. This time, he doesn’t owe the favor to a mafia crime lord, but to someone who has loaned soldiers and logistic support to Pike in an earlier effort. The favor is guarding an often “clueless,” but still full of potential, young heiress to be. It seems her hard-driving, free-spirited method of self-medicating via adrenaline (ie. driving Los Angeles streets in the wee hours at reckless speeds) wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She saw the wrong person at the wrong time and that will likely be fatal.
So, how is Pike unpredictable? The idealistic patrolman turned mercenary turned private investigator is the kind of personality who doesn’t really let you know what he’s thinking. His dialogue could be written by the same guy who wrote the Sergio Leone script for Eastwood in “The Man with No Name” series. His emotional catharsis may take down a tsunami of bodies or it may be a gentle, if unexpected, word of comfort and self-revelation. Pike isn’t merely interesting because of the number of different weapons he has mastered and the superhero way this ex-Marine sniper/mercenary manages to blend into the landscape when stalking his targets, Pike is interesting because of the way he has transformed his abused childhood and all of its associated psychological traumas into potential strength. Is that authentic strength or merely a perceived one.
And don’t get me wrong about the villain being predictable. The bad guy can be predicted because he is a “type” of bad guy, but you’re only positive toward the end. The “red herrings” of multiple possibilities come at you like the strong flow of a fast-moving river. You be the judge. The bad guy is one of these: the girl’s father, the Feds, Pike’s old partner, the old man’s lawyer, the mercenary “agent” to whom Pike owed the favor, the heiress herself, a murderer who split for Colombia some years back, the leader of a Colombian cartel, or the investor for a drug cartel. There’s no organization-chart to help you navigate the baddies (or potential baddies) and Pike doesn’t exactly follow the rules of a police procedural in order to gain the information he seeks.
Alas, this volume doesn’t support the Elvis Cole as a “dirty old man” (or at least, “dirty old man” wannabe) as I’ve suggested in other reviews. I hate finding contradictory evidence. So, guess I have to put that one in the bin marked “Mostly Unfounded Theories.” Still, this was a fast read on an international flight and it even pulled my wife into it after I finished it. I haven’t seen her devour a novel like that in years. With two thumbs up from my wife and me, I have to give this my highest rating. -
Suspense, excitement, and thrilling is how I would describe Joe Pike. Joe Pike is an ex-Marine , ex-cop, and ex-mercenary who is hired on contract to protect Larkin Conner Barkley who has been targeted for death for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. So, it seems.
Joe Pike is a man of very few words. But, his connections lead to protecting Larkin and revealing secrets many people are trying to hide. I enjoyed all the action packed scenes in this book. I felt like I was at the movies on how well detailed the scenes were described. The book kept you in suspense because you didn't know who to trust until the end. A good read.
Quote:
"Cut these things off. Bring her back, Pike. We can protect her." Pike opened the door. "You're tied to a steering wheel. You can't even protect yourself." Pike got out with the keys and the badge. -
From time to time, a supporting character in a long-running series breaks out of the second-banana ghetto and gets to star in his/her very own novel. So it is here, when Robert Crais' stone-killer helpmate for Elvis Cole carries his own gun bags. Yes, Joe Pike is the star of The Watchman. If that means nothing to you, you may not be in the market for this book.
The setup: spoiled-rotten-rich-girl Larkin Barkley T-bones her Aston Martin into a civilian car, tries in her usual ineffectual way to help the proles in the other car, then wanders off. When she reports the accident, she ends up being the only surviving witness in a federal investigation. After Larkin manages to survive several attempts on her life, ex-cop/ex-mercenary Joe Pike gets called in to protect her from further waves of hit men. Not being the passive sort, Pike decides to go on the offensive, taking the war to the Big Bad and uncovering much unsavory business along the way.
Pike is PI Elvis Cole's go-to man for extra-legal skullduggery and delivering lethal force, a far-less-manic version of Easy Rawlins' Mouse and far-less-black version of Spenser's Hawk. He's the epitome of the strong, silent, remorseless type; in sci-fi, he'd be a Terminator. His essential nature doesn't change in this tale, but we get some idea of how he got here. The ways he came to his present state aren't especially original (abusive father, abusive Marine Corps, semi-abusive LAPD, hard times as a hired gun in unpleasant parts of central Africa), but they add up. (How much of this has been uncovered in the Elvis Cole books, I know not; I got to
book seven before stopping.) What's different here is that since Pike is the primary POV character, we get to see more of his internal thought processes. This helps humanize him to the extent possible without calling his hard-case cred into doubt.
Larkin could've continued to be a dopehead-teen-vixen-entitled-party-girl type in the hands of a less-capable author. Crais makes a valiant effort to redeem her from her first several impressions and largely succeeds, though she backslides several times. The reasons she's such a mess are also not the most groundbreaking possible (too much money, bad role models, not enough parental attention), but we've seen how they end up before and the results here are at least credible for the type.
Despite his impervious hard shell, Pike does have a network beyond Cole, and it's through these people that he works on the problem of finding out who wants Larkin dead. Other than Cole, who holds down a supporting role here, the other people are largely voices on the phone, though a sleazy tech in the LAPD forensics lab exudes enough human frailty to become a semi-relatable character.
Because this is Robert Crais, the good parts of this effort are quite good: the plotting is tight, the settings are just so, the dialog is crisp and authentic, and the story has enough twists to keep you reassessing what you think is about to happen. Even Cole's relentless wiseassery is easier to take in small doses.
So, why three stars? As I wrote in my review of
Indigo Slam, "I'm seriously over Joe Pike as both a character and a type; as the lead's obligatory stone-killer sidekick... [he] has come to mostly relieve Cole of having to detect his way out of trouble rather than shooting his way out." Even knowing more about his internal workings hasn't changed my estimation much. Pike's able to leave a long trail of cold bodies behind him as he works his way across L.A. to the inevitable showdown with the Big Bad, but not only does he not get arrested, the news media never seem to catch wind of it. Pike's also largely unbeatable in a straight-up fight, taking some of the drama out of the many action sequences. I didn't buy Pike's growing paternal feelings toward Larkin; she's essentially an alien in his world and is a continuing pain in the ass for much of the story. He still doesn't have any discernible personality I can latch onto.
All this may mean I'm not the right reader for this book or this branch of the series. Plenty of people have followed Cole and Pike through a long string of books and think these guys are just dandy. I came to this as homework: I, too, am spinning off a hardass supporting character (female, in my case) from a series and I wanted to see how an author who's made a lot of money from it managed the feat. I found some things I should do and some I shouldn't, so this wasn't a wasted exercise for me.
The Watchman takes a popular supporting character from an established series and gives him the spotlight. If you're into very hard men doing hard things while following a hard code, this book's for you. If you thrive on lots of bloody action, some amount of gun porn, and widespread seediness, ditto. If you require a lot of personality in your novel's protagonist, or a unique background, or memorable dialog, you may look elsewhere. If you like this one, Pike's got at least two more dedicated books as well as his regular appearances in the ongoing Elvis Cole saga. I got what I needed from it and I'm probably done now. -
Empecé este libro por error pensando que era el número uno de la serie de libros correspondientes a Elvis Cole y Joe Pike, de los cuales uno es detective y el otro un ex- policía que hace encargos independientes.
Todo inicia cuando una joven de la alta sociedad tiene un accidente de coche con otro. La chica llamada Larkin conoce a un hombre buscado internacionalmente por la Dea y la Interpol, por lo que se convierte en una testigo federal importante.
A pesar del cuidado que tienen los agentes federales con Larkin, ésta es ubicada y la intentan matar en 2 ocasiones. Por lo que contratan a Joe Pike para su cuidado. Joe a la vez busca a Elvis Cole para que lo ayude a investigar el infiltrado en la policía y los motivos reales por lo que quieren acabar con la testigo.
A pesar de ser una serie de libros y este corresponder al número once, se lee fácil y no necesita de los libros anteriores para seguir la historia.
Me gustaron los personajes principales de Joe Pike y Elvis Cole, pero no el de la chica, en quien se concentra la historia.
No le di más puntuación porque me quede esperando más acción en la trama y no en tanta investigación de los hechos.
“ Creía que cada persona se creaba a sí misma, se construía de dentro hacia fuera y que las tensiones y la voluntad de la persona interior mantenían en pie a la exterior.” -
Needed more Elvis, but the action and suspense made for an enjoyable quick read. It was quick because I had trouble putting it down, but part of that might be because I just had a cataract surgery, and this was an audiobook so it was easy on my eyes, and I also had more of free time.
I like the Joe Pike character, but perhaps he's not great as a main character. He doesn't have much to say; kind of like the Clint Eastwood character in the early westerns. But some of what he does say is fairly profound, in a way. At least it was to "the girl", as they refer to Larkin Conner Barkley. But don't come down too hard on them, she acted pretty immature for much of the story, although seemed to redeem herself a bit at the end with the help of Joe Pike's psychoanalysis, which she deemed better than years of professional analysis.
He also has some insights into Elvis Cole, and brings up things we never knew about why he admires him even though Elvis is so different. -
When a favor is called in, Joe Pike finds himself as the bodyguard for Larkin Conner Barkley, a spoiled rich young woman who has become a witness in a Federal investigation thanks to a traffic accident. But when people come for them twice within just a few hours, Pike must go to extreme measures to protect them both. The bigger question becomes, what is really going on?
From a mystery standpoint, this book is outstanding, which several wonderful twists and surprises. I had a hard time putting the book down. Since this book focuses on Pike, it is interesting to get some more perspective on this character, although I did feel some flashbacks slowed the book down. Don’t worry, we do get Elvis Cole as well. My biggest beef with the book was two characters who I found super annoying. We were supposed to find them comedic, but I wanted to slap both of them. Additionally, some characters can’t seem to remember when events they just lived through took place.
Read my full review at
Carstairs Considers. -
4.5 stars
A very good book. Crais is improving a little with each outing.
This first book with Pike in the lead is very good. Elvis helps, but is clearly a secondary character.
60% WHOOPS
Some stupid clichés and dumb behaviour. Simply not believable. Crais should mark on his calendar when he has bad days, and later go back and fix those sections of his books.
Great book, great ending.
Notes and quotes:
The arrows. What they mean is, you control who you are by moving forward, never back; you move forward. That's what I do. That's what we're going to do.
The smell rolled over him with the rotten-egg stink of a body dissolving itself. Pike had smelled these things before, in Africa and Southeast Asia and other places; corpses left for days in buildings or along the sides of roads or in shallow open graves. Nothing smelled worse than the death of another human being. Not horses or cattle or rotten whales washed onto a beach. Human death was the smell of what hid in the future, waiting for you. -
I love tough smart loner guys like Joe Pike. I had plot problems, but it was still a fun and engaging read.
STORY BRIEF:
Larkin, a wealthy single woman (think Paris Hilton) witnesses something. Bad guys want her dead. She is in safe houses under federal protection. Three times someone leaks the location to the bad guys who come with guns. So Joe Pike a former marine and police officer is hired to protect her. He keeps her safe. The federal authorities, local police, and her father are angry at Joe because they don’t know where Joe is keeping her.
PLOT PROBLEMS:
Three plot logic problems come to mind. 1: Why are they angry at Joe? He’s doing what he was asked to do. He’s keeping her safe when no one else could. 2. Larkin does two stupid things which put her life in danger and gives Joe a chance to show how smart and great he is. I loved what Joe did when those things happened. But I wish the author used something different to put her in danger - not her own stupid actions. One of them is in the SPOILER below. 3. Joe and two other competent military types are sneaking up on some bad guys, planning a surprise attack. Another guy (not a military type) insisted on going with them and walked up to the bad guy’s front door, ruining the surprise. Of course, again this showed how good Joe was when things went wrong.
I don’t mind stupidity if it’s the way a normal person does stupid things - like me - for example being tired, misinformed, or emotionally distraught. But here I felt the author was doing it to move the plot. I prefer the bad guys being smart to move the plot, not the good guys being stupid.
BUT STILL FUN:
I liked that this was 3rd person. The author wrote several Elvis Cole stories in 1st person. I did not enjoy those as much.
Some readers will like the relationship part. Larkin has problems because her daddy doesn’t give her the right kind of attention. Joe helps her see things differently. They become close - but no sex. He’s older than she. For some reason Joe having a soft heart wasn’t done well. He said he loved her (to himself), but I wasn’t seeing or feeling it.
The narrator James Daniels was good.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 7 hrs and 51 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day Los Angeles, California. Book copyright: 2007. Genre: action mystery suspense. -
NOTE: I originally posted this under The Sentry for some unknowable reason. Don’t do drugs, kids!
Really, really great thriller action in this one. Joe Pike is a badass for the ages, an unstoppable heat-seeking missile with years of experience from the Marines and LAPD as well as unquestionably awesome red arrows tattooed on his deltoids (signifying his no-retreat, all-advance outlook on life.) I admit I kinda cheated with this one as I read the first Elvis Cole novel and then, seeing that Pike stars in his own books, went right to them. Cole is a very likable PI but there’s something about the cut-and-dry, no bullshit hardened killing machine thriller protagonist that I really like--which is why I’ve consumed so many of Child’s formulaic Reacher books. Pike and Reacher are a lot alike, but Reacher’s almost sociopathic superhuman quality isn’t as rewarding in a lot of ways as Pike’s persona, because as steel-hard as Pike is he remains completely human.
Pike’s mission in this one is to protect, uh...whatshername, a rich spoiled chick from wave after wave of hardened killers. We don’t really know exactly why these guys are after her, but it certainly has something to do with the car accident she gets into at the start of the book. What follows is pure Leon the Professional/Man on Fire violent thrills, with a man who doesn’t give a fuck about anything but the mission of doing his best to protect a more or less useless and weak innocent. I love this kind of story, and the flashbacks set when Pike was still a cop were really, really great. I’d love to read an entire novel set around Pike’s time on the force. The conflict between the police protocols and ideals and Pike’s “the easiest solution is a bullet to the head” modus operandi seemed like very rich ground.
The expectedly-hyperbolic critical blurb on the back of my edition states that Crais “elevates crime fiction.” I don’t really think he does, and he doesn’t need to. This book was lean, deadly and quick as a cheetah. Crais’ prose is, again, nothing to write home about but it maintains a steady momentum and doesn’t get bogged down in pointless minutiae or overwriting like some other writers in this genre. It was also refreshingly kind of understated in terms of grit and gore. Everyone that reads my shit probably knows I do enjoy violent and dark books but Crais managed to include a feeling of real danger and violence without ridiculous amounts of cursing, racism, brains spattering, etc. Violent shit happens, but it’s never really reveled in or overdone. It all leads to a quick and satisfying read that I can recommend comfortably to readers of crime/mystery thrillers. (less) -
A bit strange and boring in places. Lead character takes to long to take over. Nonetheless, 6 of 10 stars.
-
Just started. I like the creative approach that Robert Crais uses in this first of the Joe Pike series. The reader gets dropped into the middle of the action and the past unfolds slowly to fill in the history leading to the current situation. It's an interes4ting and novel approach.
I finished.
Good, not the best. I will continue with Pike, however. I wrote a much more extensive review of The Watchman, but the computer ate it up.One false key stroke and you're done4! UUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH So in my anger I am not going to try to write my thoughts at this time.
Ok.. I have calmed down. What I wanted to emphasize about The Watchman is the styles of writing which were cleverly embedded within the content. When the action centered upon Elvis or his perspective, the text was dense, thorough, contemplative. When the action was described through the perspective of Joe Pike, words were sparse, economic, and to-the-point. The two different styles of writing are reflective and revealing of the two protagonists, Elvis and Joe.
The plot contains all the elements of suspense and twists for which I read this genre. Just when I think I have it logically figured out, my predictions collapse. that's good. Robert Crais doesn't disappoint! I heartily recommend his books for depth of character, a compelling can't-put-it-down read, and just plain old reading pleasure. -
It was an action packed thriller, no doubt about it. Pike is pretty over the top, not even taking well deserved money, too perfect for my taste. It was interesting to find out his back story, though. Elvis had a good part & I liked him better in a secondary role. His wise cracks were more fun in small doses. I appreciated not getting quite as much of a tour of LA as I did with the first Elvis Cole book, too.
I have the next Joe Pike book & will probably read it at some point soon. -
Imagine if Lindsey Lohan weren't quite so crazy. Now imagine she was rich as Paris Hilton. Now imagine someone threatened to kidnap her, for reasons unknown (not $), and Joe Pike has to protect her. He's no bodyguard, so he does what he does best--shoot his way to finding the answer. The penultimate chapter is some of the best "Iowa Writer's Conference" taut phrases you'll ever read.
-
Joe Pike is one tough hombre and Crais writes well. Lookin' forward to the next one.
-
Joe Pike's former TO hires him to protect Larkin, who has become the target of a killer after a car accident. Pike soon determines that everyone is lying about why Larkin is in danger and finds the link to Larkin's Father but when he goes to confront her Dad, Larkin decides to take matters into her own hands and winds up kidnapped. Pike and Cole will have to use all their ingenuity to free her and Pike and Stone will go to the ends of the earth to track down the man who made Larkin a target.
-
2007. Robert Crais is a master craftsman who delivers on his promise.
There are alot of variations on the LA private eye story. And lots of good practitioners of the genre. Crais is among the best. His two characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, in my book, belong among the best LA literary sleuths.
This is Joe Pike's novel, but Elvis Cole is his buddy and of course he makes more than a cameo. Pike relies on Cole to provide key backup.
Pike is a damaged soul from childhood, but he's a tough survivor who has beaten back his demons in a way that makes him stronger than anyone else. He lives by a code that prizes loyalty above all else. He protects and serves whether as a member of LAPD or as an independent. He hates bullies in any shape, and he never walks out on a friend.
You can read elsewhere for plot summary. I'm only going to tell you that Pike and his buddy Cole are worth spending time with. Their relationship lifts this story above the standard gumshoe narrative, as do the relationships these men develop with other key people they meet over the course of their cases. The bonds of family and friendship are tested through secondary characters that provide further depth.
Crais knows his police procedural stuff, his ballistics, his forensics, his terrain, and police groupthink. But he knows his characters even better, and that's why I'll keep coming back for more. -
I think this is my first "Male Romance", if it can be considered that. Entertaining and enlightening, I suppose: the main character, Joe Pike, is terse, taciturn, grunt-y, noble, brave, and uber-strong and skilled. Does every man want to be like that?
I figured this book was part of a series (and it is, Book 11), but what surprised me was that the series is considered the 'Elvis Cole' series, and that character was definitely secondary in this novel...however, on second thought, that's a relief, because there's only so much of Joe Pike a person can stomach. At least if you're a woman.
So: the premise. A Hollywood society girl is an unknowing witness to a crime, and when she comes forward, a lot of people start gunning for her. Enter Joe Pike, who owes someone a favor. He is employed to be the girl's bodyguard and also hunt down the people that want her dead.
I will say this: the novel was easy to keep straight. There was some betrayal and intrigue, but just the right amount. Too much more, and I start to get confused and hang on desperately to the basic facts. The dialogue was not very compelling and the characters weren't very enticing; it was the plot/storyline that kept me reading.
