A Dangerous Man
from the 'true master of the crime & mystery genre' (Steve Cavanagh)
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4.2 • 139 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
As explosive as Michael Connelly and as addictive as Lee Child, A Dangerous Man has 'the smoothest writing and best storytelling you'll ever read' DAVID BALDACCI
‘Slick and enjoyable’ SUN
'Top-notch fun noir' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB (starred review)
DESPERATE MEN ARE DANGEROUS . . .
Joe Pike wasn't looking to save someone's life on the day he left the bank. But when he saw Isabel, a young teller, being forced into a car by two men, he had no choice but to chase them down.
Not long after being released on bail, the men are found dead and Isabel is missing. After his handling of the men, Pike is a prime suspect, along with Izzy – was this an abduction gone wrong? Or did it go exactly how she planned?
Convinced that her life is in danger, Pike involves Elvis Cole in a search for the truth, and for Izzy. But they’re not the only ones desperate to find her – and desperate men are dangerous.
Why Crais is the King of Crime . . .
'Just keeps getting better and better' David Baldacci
‘[Crais] expertly delivers his customary modern-day riff on the 1940s hardboiled idiom’ Guardian
'Outstanding' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
‘Another rewarding page-turner by one of the most reliable storytellers in modern crime fiction’ Daily Mail
'Crais is a whip-smart writer...This is one of the very best entries in a long-running and still first-rate series' Booklist on A Dangerous Man (starred review)
‘Cleverly plotted, stylishly written’ Washington Post
'If you've always wished Lee Child's Jack Reacher had a little more balance in his life - but the same formidable talents - you'll love Joe Pik . . . Crais never loses control of his clean, clear prose or his ability to sketch fully fleshed characters in a few scenes . . . A taut, exceptional thriller' Kirkus on A Dangerous Man (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In MWA Grand Master Crais's outstanding 18th Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel (after 2017's The Wanted), Elvis, a private detective, and Joe, a very private paramilitary contractor, try to determine why young Los Angeles bank teller Isabel Roland was seized by kidnappers after she left the bank on a lunch break. Only Joe's fortuitous intervention saved her at the time but another kidnapping attempt succeeds. But who wants Isabel and why? Now Joe and Elvis have to locate Isabel and rescue her from a coterie of extremely proficient hired guns. Crais begins the story with deceptive simplicity but slowly ratchets up both the tension and the action with surgical precision. The scenes in which Joe saves Isabel from her captors and the final shoot-out among a colorful array of hit men, police, and U.S. Marshals stand as high-water marks among Crais's illustrious crime oeuvre. So, who is the dangerous man to which the book's title refers? Who but the stoic Joe Pike, demonstrating yet again why the particular kind of danger he carries is just plain off the charts. This one's sure to hit the bestseller charts. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
Elvis and Joe ride again
3.5 stars
Author
Louisiana native whose interest in crime writing began when he first read Raymond Chandler in his teens. Subsequently, he worked as a scriptwriter in Hollywood, mainly for TV shows like Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, and Cagney and Lacey. Turned his hand to novels in the 1980s and made his name with a series involving LA private eye Elvis Cole. Subsequently, he created an ex-cop, ex-marine tough guy called Joe Pike. Then he put them together. The rest, as they say, is history. A Dangerous Man is Elvis Cole #18 and Joe Pike #7, give or take.
Plot
Bad guys are hired by ageing drug lord to recover $19 million embezzled from him more than 20 years earlier by a couple of employees who also turned state’s evidence to bring down his empire, or at least derail it. The couple moved to California under witness protection and remained invisible until a retired US Marshall spilled the beans to a drinking buddy. Turns out the couple are both dead of natural causes, but their 20-something daughter inherited the house. Ageing drug lord figures she knows where the dough is and has her kidnapped. Joe Pike, who happens to be at the bank where she works, depositing some cheques, foils the plan, but bad guys aren’t ready to give up. Stuff happens, and keeps happening. Resolution is achieved eventually.
Characters
It’s many moons since I read an Elvis Cole book, but he hasn’t changed much. He’s the smart one with the contacts and the detecting skills. Joe the enforcer is GI Joe with a bad attitude: a take-no-prisoners, eat-your-dead kind of guy. Isabel the victim is a damsel in distress with millennial features, i.e., always on her phone. The supporting cast is an assortment of cliched law enforcement types.
Prose
Polished, fast-paced, entertaining, but none too memorable.
Bottom line
An above average representative of the sub-genre. I like the fact that Crais splits the work so the clever dude doesn’t handle the muscle as well, which makes it more credible than a Jack Reacher book. Not a lot more credible, I admit, but every little bit helps. When it comes to contemporary LA crime solving, I prefer Harry Bosch.
Ohhhhhh yes!
Another rollicking good read. Cole and Pike are still my favourites after 20 years. Thanks Mr Crais, enjoyed it very much. What am I going to do until the next one?