The Monkey's Raincoat (Elvis Cole, #1)

The Monkey's Raincoat (Elvis Cole, #1)

Robert Crais

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

Taking the mystery community by storm, this Elvis Cole novel was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, and Macavity awards and won both the Anthony and Macavity for Best Novel of the Year. When Ellen Lang's husband disappears with their son, she hires Elvis Cole to track him down. A quiet and seemingly submissive wife, Ellen can't even write a check without him. All she wants is to get him and her son back—no questions asked. The search for Ellen's errant husband leads Elvis into the seamier side of Hollywood. He soon learns that Mort Lang is a down-on-his-luck talent agent who associates with a schlocky movie producer, and the last place he was spotted was at a party thrown by a famous and very well-connected ex-Matador. But no one has seen him since—including his B-movie girlfriend. At the same time the police find Mort in his parked car with four gunshots in his chest —and no kid in sight—Ellen disappears. Now nothing is what it seems, and the heat is on. It's up to Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike to find the connection between sleazy Hollywood players and an ex-Matador.


From the Forum

No posts yet

Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update

Recent Reviews

Your rating:

  • iamkallia
    Feb 05, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    "I know about you. Big deal in the Army, security guard at a couple of studios, sucking around town with that bastard Joe Pike. They say you think you're tough. They say you think you're cute. They also say you're pretty good."

    A wonderful translation of private detective TV shows from the 70's and 80's to the page. Robert Crais does an excellent job of weaving Elvis Cole's hilarious thoughts and inner monologues mixed with what he actually tells people are all the better. And he's a talented detective as well.

    I hope that the subsequent books feature more of Joe Pike - I can understand how he would become a crowd favorite. He's got just the perfect combo of skill and sass. He's a perfect foil to Cole's jokiness. 

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • madelyn
    Mar 11, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • View all reviews
    Community recs if you liked this book...