THE LAST DETECTIVE

Robert Crais

Orion £12.99 hbk Rel: Feb 2003

Reviewed by Bob Cartwright

Over the last five years, Robert Crais has given us two strong stories celebrating the unsung heroes and heroines of Los Angeles police work, Demolition Angel, a gripping account of bomb disposal officers, and Hostage, and equally exciting expose of those at the front end of hostage negotiations. But what Crais also did in those years was to deprive us of the Elvis Cole story which us addicts were awaiting in agony after the splendid LA Requiem.

So has the wait been worth it? Silly question, of course it has. And has Elvis’s domestic bliss with girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son Ben meant an end to exciting adventures in which Elvis and sidekick Joe Pike put their lives on the line? Of course, it hasn’t. But it does mean that Elvis is just a little less willing to do so. Unless of course, it involves protecting Lucy or Ben.

The Last Detective begins with Ben going missing from Elvis’ home over a Los Angeles canyon while Elvis was supposed to be looking after him. Elvis searches the canyon but there’s absolutely no sign of the boy, or any clue as to what has happened to him. Until, that is, he receives a phone call from the abductor linking Ben’s disappearance to Elvis’ experience in Unit 5-2, of which he was the sole survivor, during the Vietnam War. The gist of the message is that Elvis’ unit had massacred a Vietnamese, and that he, in turn, had murdered the other unit members to prevent them spilling the beans. None of which was true, but how is Elvis to prove his innocence, find the kidnappers, and get Ben back?

The task becomes no easier when Lucy pompous, bombastic and rich ex-husband turns up in LA, making all sorts of accusations against Elvis, and generally contesting that if Lucy hadn’t gone off with Elvis to LA, Ben would have been safe at home. Of course, Elvis and Joe win through in the end, but it’s touch and go all the way. The contest with the abductors is probably the most difficult our two heroes have encountered thus far in their tumultuous career. But, more than that, Elvis has to relive and come to terms with the disquieting aspects of his own childhood, and with his experiences in Vietnam.

I think it was Maxim Jakubowski who concluded a review of a previous Crais book by questioning what the author was on, and wondering if it could be bottled for the benefit of other crime fiction writers. It’s still a moot point to ponder, as you frantically turn the pages of The Last Detective, trying desperately to keep up with the pace.