Friday, July 25, 2008

The Forgotten Man


The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais was originally published in 2005. My paperback copy has 356 pages. This Elvis Cole novel felt darker than the earlier ones. It seemed to be consistently more serious throughout, with fewer jokes made by Elvis during tense situations. Part of the charm I found in Elvis Cole was his ability to make jokes at all times. It almost feels like Crais needed a break from his Elvis character when he wrote The Forgotten Man. Checking that line of questioning out, I noticed that he did take a short break from writing mysteries featuring Elvis Cole. Crais' latest release this year is the next in the series, with a novel featuring the ever enigmatic Joe Pike in-between. I have not read all eleven Elvis Cole novels and probably won't, but this has been a very enjoyable series of mysteries and the character Elvis Cole is a great PI. Rating: 4

Synopsis from cover:
In an alleyway in Los Angeles an old man, clutching faded newspaper clippings and gasping his last words to a cop lies dying of a gunshot wound. The victim claims to be P.I. Elvis Cole's long-lost father - a stranger who has always haunted his son.
As a teenager, Cole searched desperately for his father. As a man, he faces the frightening possibility that this murder victim was himself a killer. Caught in limbo between a broken love affair and way too much publicity over his last case, Cole at first resists getting involved with this new case. Then it consumes him. Now a stranger's terrifying secrets - and a hunt for his killer - give Cole a frightening glimpse into his own past. And he can't tell if it's forgiveness or a bullet that's coming next...
Quotes:
"The floor was smudged as if they had tried to escape their attacker and splatter patterns ribboned the walls and ceiling. The weapon used to kill these people had rose and fell many times, the blood it picked up splashing the walls." pg. 4

"They called me to view the body on a wet spring morning when darkness webbed my house." pg. 13

"He told me he was your father." pg. 15

"He was a deluded old man who thought he was my father. That's all." pg. 62

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