If you've followed my reading recently, it's no secret I've been enjoying Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books. Somehow, I started with book three, Lullaby Town, perhaps because it was the first book in the series with an above four-star average. Thank goodness I did, because what a difference five years makes in personal changes and skill. Crais' first book, The Monkey's Raincoat, is full of one P.I. trope after another, with a 1980s plot ripped off from Miami Vice, and characters created with the depth of pop psychology from Donahue.

We begin in Elvis' office, where he's busy staring at his Pinocchio clock. Ellen Lang arrives, best friend dragging her through the door. Ellen's husband, Mort, is missing, and even more importantly, her son. It becomes rapidly apparent that Ellen is essentially an abused wife, psychologically if nothing else. Her friend, Janet, is technically there to support her, but badgers, eye-rolls, and criticizes as she tries to get her to answer questions. Elvis wisecracks from the start, much to the confusion of Ellen and the annoyance of Joe, as well as Reader Carol. Elvis somewhat unwillingly takes the case, later asking around and discovering Mort has a girlfriend on the side. Not long after, Ellen and Mort's home is tossed, requiring Elvis to come to the rescue and wisecrack with the cops. When Mort is found dead, the case suddenly becomes even more serious--but not so serious that Elvis can't take time out from protecting to have sex with the best friend.

I hate to expound too much further at the risk of spoilers, but these details barely made it to short-term storage. As Elvis investigates, he learns about a shadey co-worker at the studios and a recent party they all attended, thrown by a famous personality and former top matador. In true villain fashion, he and Elvis have a dramatic moment where they size up each other's... egos. Ellen disappears and Elvis keeps trying to call up Joan to offer support, but she's totally frosty to him. This will make it okay for when Elvis goes on to sleep with other women. There's a little detecting, a little lying to the cops, stakeouts, a shoot-out or two, and a miraculous makeover courtesy of a supportive dude. Hurrah!

Joe Pitt is introduced, but in his case, he hasn't become the completely taciturn individual in later books. It's kind of a nice change for his character. The cat is also introduced and is appropriately cranky. There's a nice surprise twist at the end, but now that I think about it, it doesn't square in the least with the earlier characterization(s).

Overall, it was diverting, if a bit eyerolling. Unless you have time in your life to be a series completionist, I'd generally advise skipping this and starting at Lullaby Town instead. It isn't until that book five, Voodoo River, that an overarching emotional plot begins. I plan to have my mom start at that one, but I'll go on to the next in true completionist fashion.

It's a solid four on the oink scale, two-and-a-half on the personal enjoyment one. Skip unless you feel forgiving, because Crais will go on to do much better than this.

For those of you who aren't old Americans, I have links to my cultural references on my blog. ( )

Loved this, a sucker for hard boiled detectives. Not sure I like the side kick as much as other sidekicks and darned if I know what they saw in the main female but you can't have everything.

It took me awhile to warm up to Elvis, but by the end I'd connected with his sarcasm and detachment. This was my first Robert Crais and there will be more. ( )

A lightweight read with too much detail on navigating the streets of Los Angeles. Good to read when you are trying to concentrate on other things in your life. ( )

A mystery written in the 80's introducing Elvis Cole & Joe Pike. Private investigators in California taking on a case that starts out as a missing husband and child and then gets to the seedier side of Hollywood studios and players. Add in a bullfighter and the mob and there's a fast paced mystery. I enjoyed a lot about this book, namely that there were no cell phones back then and legwork to gather information was a mainstay. I thought there was a little missing surrounding the partnership with Pike and his background. I'm assuming you have to continue to read the next book in the series ( )

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CAWPILE score: 6.43 (45/70), Good/Very Good
FRTC ( )

I read some of the Joe Pike novels before this one and loved them, but I must say I like Pike better than I like Elvis Cole. Cole is a good character in his own right, but since I am comparing the two, he doesn't rate to Pike. The book on its own was enjoyable, good plot, interesting characters, a fun little read. Just wasn't one of my favorites, which doesn't mean it was bad. Not at all. ( )

Very action and violence packed, male-oriented mystery.

Only a few well developed characters, spare language with lots of tension but nothing happening. Then some eating and drinking, waiting in cars, then some sex and over the top violence with lots of guns.

But... saving grace Elvis and Pike are very good guys.

Somehow I never read a book in this series until last year. When I did, like a fool I read the latest two books. It was time to start at the beginning and read this series correctly.
The Monkeys Raincoat is excellent. It came out in 1987 and has aged perfectly. What I mean by that is the story would not have been any different if written today. Technology in 2021 would not have helped the story. I can’t wait to read the 2nd through the 16th book in the series.
An excellent private detective adventure series. ( )

I freaking love the title of this book! ( )

I wasn't as amused by Elvis Cole as I had hoped to be. He honestly got on my nerves before all was said and done. When a woman hires him to find her missing husband, he gets involved with more than he intended. The woman's son is kidnapped, then she is kidnapped. It all comes down to a cocaine dealer and missing cocaine. ( )

Elvis & Joe solve child kidnapping/drug theft operation. First in the series, featuring a rougher Elvis and much more violence/looser morals. Cole and Pike fortunately become more refined in subsequent books. ( )

I don't know why this is called the monkey's raincoat. There were no monkeys in here.
Elvis Cole is a detective in the LA area, but he never makes any money. During this whole book, he never made any money. The woman he helped, Ellen lang, whose husband has disappeared with their son, gave him a check for $2,000, but he never cashed it. He has a Corvette and a very nice house up in the mountains of LA, but it's never explained how he got that money.
He'll f*ck you if you give him the slightest encouragement; he screwed Ellenn, and her best friend janet. He wants to screw the nurse in the emergency room at the end of the book. He's 35 years old.
"...'Ellen's never home before 4:00,' she whispered.
It was 5 minutes until 3:00.
'Did you hear me?' Still facing the window.
'Yes.'
Janet Simon began to shiver, then tremble, then cry. I went over to her and let her sob into me like Ellen Lang had done. This time I got an erection. I tried to ease away but she pressed against me. Then her head came up and her mouth found me and that was that.
She squeezed hard and bruised my lips with her teeth and bit me. She was as lithe and strong as she looked. I lifted her away from the hearth and the big window and put her on the floor. She pulled off her clothes while I closed and locked the door. Her body was lean and firm and tan with smallish breasts and definition to her abdominals with nice ribs.
She came twice before I did. She bit my shoulders and scratched me and said 'yes' a lot. When it ended we lay on our backs, wet and breathing hard, staring at the ceiling. She got up without a word, picked up her clothes, and disappeared down the hall. After a moment I heard water running.
I dressed and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. When I went back out to the living room, Janet Simon was there. 'Well,' she said.
'Well,' I said.
( )

I have mixed feelings about this book, the first of the Elvis Cole series.

First of all, I can't decide whether it is humor or a mystery. Both I guess, but it isn't really funny enough to be a good comedy, and the humor is a bit too much for a believable mystery. I like humor in mysteries, but sometimes this just seems to go overboard, making it hard to take it at all seriously.

Also, the writer seems to have a thing about brands. It's never "I drove my car to the store", but "I drove the Corvette to the store". The weapons all have names, too. Maybe it's just a California thing, especially the cars, but I really don't need to know every brand of car that each character owns.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and maybe I'll try more in the future. I hope maybe some of the later books are better, as the story was interesting, and I do like the humor up to a point. ( )

Second book by this author. Pretty good I will be reading others. Lots of books in this series. ( )

Mix two parts noir with one part stilted dialogue. Sprinkle generously with casual sexism and simmer until done...

Let's hope the rest of the series gets better than this. ( )

Mix two parts noir with one part stilted dialogue. Sprinkle generously with casual sexism and simmer until done...

Let's hope the rest of the series gets better than this. ( )

My first Robert Crais novel, and it was quite good. I liked Elvis Cole, the private detective, and his partner, Joe Pike. Both are quiet, dangerous, and principled in their own ways. The plot unfolded well, suspenseful all the way through to the end. There was even a woman, their client, who strengthened under pressure, coming into her own. I will definitely read more by this author! ( )

Now I know why this was picked as one of 100 favorite mysteries of 20th century by Independent Booksellers Assoc. Tightly written with indelible characters and mile-a-minute pacing. First in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books, Elvis shines as the kick-ass P.I. looking for the kidnapped husband and son of a distraught Southern California woman. Sharp-witted and dogged in his pursuit of justice, he tangles with both the police and drug kingpins to find the woman's son and the killer of her husband. A book you won't forget; I literally couldn't put down. Highest recommendation. ( )

My default genre has always been mystery/thrillers and I was in the mood for one so picked up the first in the Elvis Cole series - a wise cracking private investigator and his strong-and-silent-type partner, Joe Pike. It's been a long time since I read a Cole mystery and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the weird, clever dialog. The mystery is a pretty standard format; the enjoyment is the characters....the PI with a big heart and the deadly, silent Pike.

This book fit my mood perfectly - I'll look for another one.....

( )

It's really too bad I don't have a lot more of Robert Crais on my reading list. I fell in love with wisecracking private investigator, Elvis Cole, immediately. (My only other Crais is a Joe Pike mystery.) But, back to Elvis Cole. With Cole's affinity for Disney characters, yoga, and a cat named nothing, he is a bundle of personality and then some. He's thirty five years old, former military and security, likes to look at the ladies and isn't above saying something outrageous just to see someone's reaction. What's not to love? I took to his sarcastic kindness right away.
When we first meet Elvis, he is about to launch into a new investigation involving a weepy woman's missing husband and son. All clues lead to Mr. Missing taking off with a sexy young girlfriend until he is found shot to death in the Hollywood Hills. What starts off as a simple missing case has now evolved into a murderous mystery involving high stakes drug deals gone wrong and bad ass thugs who will stop at nothing to regain the upper hand. It is up to Elvis and his silent (in more ways than one) partner, Joe Pike, to find Ellen's missing son and bring him back, dead or alive. The details are a little dated (these are the days of calling from street corner payphones and Wang Chung hits), but still a good read.
Mousy mom Ellen Lang was a mystery to me. She didn't get Cole's joke about the humor of paramedics (keeping one "in stitches") yet she understood that two years at the "University of Southeast Asia" meant a stint in Vietnam. Throughout the entire book she wasn't consistent to me. Someone who was consistent and I wanted more of was Joe Pike. The inside flap described him as an enigma and that just scratches the surface of Pike's personality. Can't wait to read more about him later. ( )

DNF ( )

http://www.literaryfeline.com/2007/07/monkeys-raincoat-by-robert-crais.html ( )

I am the reason that author's of series have to write novels so that they can stand alone. That's right, I don't read series in order all that often. I started with Lee Child's 61 Hours, Michael Connelley's City of Bones, JK Rowlings' Goblet of Fire, Jo Nesbo's Nemesis and Matthew Reilly's Scarecrow. Long time fans don't appreciate readers like me.

The first Elvis Cole novel I read was Sunset Express, which I enjoyed immensely. I decided to read the series the right way, so I went out and bought the first three Elvis Cole novels. Robert Crais kicked off this series with Monkey's Raincoat, which was a shorter crime thriller.

Wit, humour, action, a weeping widow and drug dealers: mix and stir. Crais is definitely an author I'm trying to emulate and enjoy his writing and characters. I'm looking forward to the next two instalments. ( )

Audiobook performed by Patrick Lawlor

Private Investigator Elvis Cole is in his Hollywood office when two women come in. Ellen Lang’s husband and son are missing; her best friend Janet is pushing her to hire someone to find them.

This is a great detective story that reminds me of the old-fashioned noir tales by Chandler. This one involves the usual suspects – thugs, kingpins, ditzy blondes, fragile wives, irascible police sergeants, enigmatic partners, and a cast of minor players that add color and intrigue.

I was hooked from the beginning and interested throughout. I will definitely read more of this series.

Patrick Lawlor does an adequate job of the audio. He has good pacing and some of the scenes were particularly good, but I don’t like the timber and quality of his voice for this book. Just my opinion, of course; I wound up reading about half of it in text format rather than listening. ( )