Robert Crais' The Watchman: A Book Review

Robert Crais and I met through his early novels in November of 2009. I was trying a five week case before two of the worst judges in the Circuit Court of Cook County (names withheld until they get indicted). I had about twenty minutes each morning over my cup of coffee to do some reading. Two Crais novels were my morning diet of crime fiction. The high quality of Crais' writing and his exotic imagination was a huge contrast with the mediocrity of justice that my clients and my trial partners were suffering through.

Instantly, I became a big fan of Crais and have now read five of his novels, the most recent being, The Watchman. After hitting four home runs with the first four, Crais' Watchman was a barely a double.

I was used to being led through a fine crime tale by Elvis Cole, a funny, yoga practicing, gourmet cooking sleuth. Cole heads a two person L.A. detective firm bearing his name. He has such a great sense of humor---even during some perilous times----that it is perhaps too fanciful to believe. I have chosen to believe it anyway, because I always pick hilarity over grief. Always have and always will.

Cole does some other endearing things. He falls in love, not often, but when the right woman shows up; enjoys mornings, is loyal to his friends, is very very tough and shoots well.

Elvis' partner in the firm is Joe Pike. Crais tells us early in this novel that a pike is a "long-bodied, predatory fish known for its speed and agression." (It also happens to be the nickname for my national fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, but there is no reason to go there).

Joe Pike is a taciturn ex-Marine known for his warning: "I am coming in." That usually means that Pike is leaving the management of his two gun stores to come to Cole's aid. And that one or more criminals are about to be gunned down with amazing precision.

So, I sat down with The Watchman expecting to be entertained by Elvin Cole and got Joe Pike instead. Crais gave plenty of warning. The cover of the novel describes it as "a Joe Pike novel." I chose to ignore the warning because Cole was such a charming character.

The plot of the story centers around a Paris Hilton type, Larkin Barkley, who happens to be on the hit list of some mobsters from Colombia, Ecquador and perhaps the Middle East. In the course of guarding Larkin from a sixth assassination attempt, Crais tells us why Pike is a man of few words and no longer a L.A. cop. Grim stories both.

The novel picks up some speed and importantly humor in the middle, when---you guessed it---Elvis Cole comes on to help his buddy Pike. More drama, another lying lawyer giving the profession a bad name, plenty of gunshots. Anymore, I cannot say without ruining the fine ending.

Four out of five novels by Crais have been so well done. That is an 800 batting average. That winning percentage can only be maintained if Cole leads the way.

Voltaire