Racing the Light by Robert Crais

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 1, 2022

Josh Schumacher does a podcast (Josh Shoe in Your Face) with the help of his friend Ryan Seborg. The podcast focuses on conspiracy theories, aliens, and the other nutcase attractions that the mainstream media supposedly hide from the public. The content is nutty but the podcast is well executed. Some of the better episodes featured interviews with a porn star whose professional name is Skylar Lawless. Skylar is making art from text messages. After she snooped through text messages of a local politician who hired her for sex, she learned a secret that she can’t be allowed to share.

When Josh goes missing, his wealthy mother (who has some secrets of her own) hires Elvis Cole to find him. Since her son depends on his generous mother for a regular cash infusion, she is convinced that he would not willingly drop out of contact with her. Cole isn’t certain that she’s right, but he agrees to take the case.

As a private investigator who lives in the rational world, Elvis knows that most podcast conspiracy theories are utter nonsense. His search for Josh leads to evidence of an actual conspiracy involving political corruption and real estate development. It isn’t as sexy as hiding aliens in Area 51 or putting tracking devices in vaccines, but it’s the kind of thing that causes actual harm to the public.

Murders ensue and characters the reader should care about are placed in danger's way. Saying more about the plot would spoil it, but I can say that Cole’s footwork leads him from clue to clue as he comes to understand why Josh has disappeared. He encounters plenty of jerks and a few decent people while crisscrossing LA in his entertaining quest to find the absent podcaster.

Racing the Light isn’t an action novel — this is a novel of detection rather than shootouts — but series regular Joe Pike shows up when Cole needs muscle. Action fans will be pleased that muscle becomes necessary in one of the final scenes.

Racing the Light advances Cole’s previously unsuccessful relationship with Lucy and her son Ben. Good novels are about people, after all, and fans of the series who have developed some affection for Cole will be pleased to know that his life might be improving.

Still, this is a detective novel. Most of Robert Crais’ effort goes into the development of a credible but offbeat plot and interesting characters. Sadly, we don’t see much of the porn star, but Josh’s sincerity and professionalism make him a likable character despite his tenuous connection with reality. Josh’s cantankerous neighbor adds comic relief to a plot that, unlike some Elvis Cole novels, is never heavy. People use the term “beach read” dismissively, but Racing the Light is the kind of novel that allows a reader to escape daily worries by focusing on a fun and absorbing story.

RECOMMENDED

The Wanted by Robert Crais

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on December 26, 2017

Elvis Cole is hired by a concerned mother to figure out why her son Tyler has so much money. It doesn’t take Elvis long to figure out that Tyler and his two friends have been committing burglaries. Mom isn’t pleased, but before she has a chance to kill her son, two thugs named Stems and Harvey are trying to find him so they can kill him first.

Stems and Harvey are using police credentials to search for a stolen laptop. They have a surveillance picture that shows the face of one of the thieves, but they tend to kill the people who see the picture. Stems and Harvey are leaving a trail of dead bodies and, the reader assumes, that trail will soon lead them to Tyler.

The plot involves Elvis’ effort to keep Tyler alive while discovering the reason the bad guys are trying to kill him. Series regular Joe Pike returns to lend a hand ... a very strong hand, usually shaped into a fist.

As always, Robert Crais populates the story with engaging characters. Comic relief comes from Tyler’s girlfriend Amber, who is an equal balance of endearing and crazy. Stems and Harvey exchange entertaining banter when they aren’t killing people. Pike is Pike (he doesn’t say much). Amber’s dysfunctional mother, Tyler’s caring mother, and the bad guy who lurks behind the scenes for much of the novel are the other key characters.

Crais always keeps the story moving, making The Wanted a quick read. It can easily be read as a stand-alone novel by readers who are unfamiliar with the series. Elvis Cole fans, on the other hand, will appreciate Cole’s reunion with Ben, the son of Cole’s former girlfriend. Elvis Cole novels are always infused with warmth when bodies aren’t dropping, but not to the extent of sappiness. The Wanted doesn’t stand out as compared to other novels in the series, but it delivers the kind of easy entertainment that Crais’ fans expect.

RECOMMENDED

The Promise by Robert Crais

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 10, 2015

The Promise scores points for its fresh and imaginative plot. If you’re tired of “former Special Forces guy saves the world by being tougher and smarter than everyone else” stories, this “former Special Forces guy solves a crime with the help of a smart dog” story will be a refreshing change.

Amy Breslin’s son was killed in a terrorist bombing while traveling in Nigeria. Amy is a chemical engineer who makes explosives for the government. She has disappeared, apparently after embezzling a good bit of money. Elvis Cole has been hired to find her.

Shortly after the novel opens, Cole knocks on the door of a home that contains a murder victim. When the bomb squad shows up, Cole knows that the case is more complicated than it initially seemed to be.

While this is an Elvis Cole novel, much of the focus is on a police officer named Scott James and his K-9, a German Shephard named Maggie. While Maggie is a drug dog, she was trained by the Marines to sniff for explosives, a talent that she has retained and uses frequently during the course of the novel. Dog lovers will enjoy Robert Crais’ portrayal of Maggie.

Scott James isn’t Superman. He’s a decent guy who wants to do the right thing. More importantly, he loves his dog, and doing the right thing means doing what’s best for Maggie -- which is really the police department’s dog, a source of some conflict as the novel progresses. James comes across as an authentic and sympathetic character. He’s the best part of the book.

The other characters are familiar but again, none of them are Superman. As opposed to thrillers that try to convince us how awesomely superior the protagonist is to the rest of the human race, these characters are extremely competent but comparatively low-key. That makes them easy to like and easy to believe.

Why is Amy doing what she’s doing? Why has Cole been hired to find her? The plot is clever, filled with misdirection without sacrificing realism. Crais doesn’t overreach, which is also refreshing, given how outlandish most modern thrillers have become. The ending has multiple components and they are all satisfying.

RECOMMENDED