The Forgotten Man (Elvis Cole Series #10)

Forgotten Man Should Be Forgotten

I have recently discovered Elvis and read every single book in about 5 weeks. Would give each one a 4.5 or 5 star rating. Not so with The Forgotten Man. The plot is rather convoluted to give us flashbacks and tell us about the childhood, etc., of Elvis growing up. Frankly, I think Elvis is perfect and I don't need to hear about the past. If it ain't broke,don't fix it. This book was not as good in my opinion and also seemed to lack the typical wisecracking gumshoe and bad boy Pike we have grown to love in previous novels. As much as I hate to say so, I would suggest you skip this one. It is not up to a par with the previous books.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Craiis is consistently good.

I've read a bunch of his stuff, and he just consistently puts out a superb product. His sense of flow for dialogue, plot, and character development are just head and shoulders above. If you're lookin for good drama/detective genre reading, this won't disappoint you.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Must Read!

Robert Crais has done it again. Delivering us a novel you can not put down. Elvis Cole is an amazing character in this book. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good mystery crime story. Keep em coming Robert, can't wait to see what you come up with next.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Definitley worth reading

This story gives more details in the dramatic childhood of Elvis. This is well written story where Elvis is trying to find his father. Could he actually know who he is? This is worth reading. Part of a series that should be read. I really enjoyed it.

Hard to put down this story.

This is my second Robert Crais novel, and if I'm right I have somewhere between 9 or 10 books to go. With that said then I have some excellent books to look forward to. I thought that "The Forgotten Man" was well written, and the story flowed evenly from one chapter to the next. By midway in the story I found it hard to put the book down, but I did and picked it up the very next day. There was plenty of action surrounding the turbulent life of the private detective, Elvis Cole. I highly recommend this book.

Intriging

Great Book And a Good read if you like mysterys

A Great Series

Since I read this book, I have ordered and read Series 1-6 of Elvis Cole and loved every minute. I am now ordering the remainder of the series. Crais' writing is fun to read. Elvis' lines and on-going commentary is funny and holds your interest from front to back. He is now on my author watch list. I will buy everything he writes.

Unforgotten

Elvis turns over every possible stone in this story to find a link to his mysterious father. This book definitely was a page turner I couldn't put down! The end is shocking here, but believable even sad as I became involved with the characters and why a woman would do away with a person she came in contact with, because she jumped to conclusions the way I did during her investigation of her family's murderer.There is a person who just really shocks me here, but I wouldn't want to give that away for someone who may not have read it!

Keep 'Em Coming

As with all the Elvis Cole books, this was another great read. Crais has created characters that are a joy to read about. Can't wait for the next installment in this great series

A reviewer

I just finished all the Elvis Cole books & really enjoyed them. I would like to see Elvis & Lucy get married. I believe the stories would be just as interesting.

'Looking Back'

If you were to write out the story line, this may appear to be just another Elvis Cole murder mystery. It is, however, much more than that. It's almost like 'Worlds Greatest Detective meets Fields of Dreams',as Elvis searches for the murderer of someone that, as a dying declaration, says that he is the father that Cole never met. It's also vintage Crais, as he goes deeper into the psyche of his lead character, with all his flaws and weaknesses, and still maintains the excitement of a fine murder mystery. This may be Crais at his very best, as Elvis Cole searches for the killer, while looking deep into himself for redemption, and questions that he may not actually want the answer to.

He's Back!!!

Robert Crais compiled 116 rejection letters before he sold his first short story. No doubt there are 116 editors that have been kicking their own butts because Crais has become one of todays most popular mystery writers. THE FORGOTTEN MAN is the tenth in his Elvis Cole series that began with THE MONKEY¿S RAINCOAT in 1987. He has also written two stand alone novels and worked on TV shows including Baretta, Cagney and Lacey and Hill Street Blues. Currently Robert Crais is working with Bruce Willis to bring one of those stand alones, HOSTAGE, to the big screen; a major undertaking but one that is sure to catapult the writer into even greater notoriety. THE FORGOTTEN MAN takes Elvis Cole on another adventure that reveals more of his history and provides readers with insight into their favorite detective¿s psyche. Like millions of young people, Elvis Cole never knew his father and his mother was often absent, even when she was with him. The empty spot that this universal phenomenon leaves in the heart of a little boy is only beginning to be acknowledged by teachers, psychologists and ministers. That empty spot will cause a seemingly normal man to go beyond the boundaries of good sense in order to fill it with the knowledge of who his father really is, who he was. In addition to his relentless search for the killer of a man who claimed to be his father, Elvis Cole is still pining for Lucy Chenier. She is his lost sweetheart, who found that loving a detective included a little more danger than she was willing to risk. That danger means absolutely nothing to Detective Carol Starkey, formerly of the LA Bomb Squad, who has become increasingly infatuated with Elvis and longs to take their relationship to the next level. Cole¿s best friend and enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, is also present in a minor but essential role. THE FORGOTTEN MAN continues with the solemn mood and manner that began in L.A. REQUIEM. Elvis Cole, World¿s Greatest Detective (it says so on his business card) is no longer the same wisecracking innocent that solved crimes with abandon in his previous seven adventures. A change took place in L.A.R that impelled a more serious, more introspective Cole to emerge. For fans it has been like watching a favorite nephew grow up; you enjoy and appreciate the adult he has become but sometimes miss the carefree, crazy youth he was. Although tight writing and crisp dialog still move the story there is more emphasis on character development and growing self-awareness. While it has been interesting and enlightening to go down several roads less traveled with Elvis and Joe, I, for one, am ready for another old-fashioned road trip!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

FIRST-RATE STORY AND VOICE PERFORMANCE

If you like crime writing, you've surely read some titles by Robert Crais. If you're lucky, you've read a few of his stories featuring Elvis Cole, a likable, laconic private detective. Cole is tough but totally accessible as readers sympathize with the man who does not know his father and knows too well that his mother was mentally deficient. Cole's is also a man who knows all too well that when the phone rings before sunrise it can only mean trouble. He's right. An LAPD officer calls to ask him to come down and identify a body. When Cole persists in asking why they're calling him, he's told that before the man died he said he was Cole's father. Apparently homeless the man had been found shot in an alley. Voice performer Jack Daniels captures Cole's strengths and vulnerability as Cole tries to unearth the past and discover the dead man's identity. Was he Cole's father? At times, searches reveal what we don't want to discover. That's precisely what happens to Cole. Someone who knew the dead man believes Cole is searching for him. This person does not want to be found, and will kill to make sure he isn't. Listeners will thoroughly enjoy following a path of clues with Cole, his buddy Joe Pike, and LAPD detective Carol Starkey. - Gail Cooke

I detect another winner in a great series.

I started this series more than halfway through with L.A. Requiem. A friend loaned me a beat up old copy and said, 'read this'. I forced myself to read the first ten pages, didn't get into the opening, and then put it away. A month later, on a family trip to Disneyland, I needed something to get me through the flight and grabbed it as we were leaving the house (it seemed appropriate for the trip, anyway). I read the entire book by the time we landed in Orange County. Barely a month later, and I've ripped through the entire series and both of Crais' other novels, and have been patiently suffering the last few weeks for this latest. I've gotta admit, I'm hooked. As usual, the writing is fluid and breezy, the plotting is nicely done with more than a few nifty twists, and Crais handles the evolution and growth of Elvis Cole and his literary acquaintances as if they were personal friends. I would've read the book for the character development alone; the serial killer seemed an almost unneccessary plot point. As per usual, the ending broke me down, and I can't wait for the next in the series (will Cole realize that Starkey's in love with him? Will Lucy stop being a fool and move back to L.A.? What happened to the cat? The soap opera continues...). I do wonder: Just how old is Elvis Cole? And Pike? As Vietnam vet's, they've gotta be pushing 50, even though it reads as if the characters are in their mid-30's. And I've gotta think Crais has a death wish for them. Lucy's right. Just how many times can these poor greybeards get shot and mutilated and keep coming back? As Dennis Lehane noted about his Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro characters; how much more can they take before they're dead? I'd hate to see this series take a hiatus, but...

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

outstanding Elvis Cole thriller

At four in the morning, LAPD Detective Kelly Diaz calls private eye Elvis Cole to inform him that a shooting victim just before dying mentioned him as his son. Elvis is shocked as he never knew the identity of his father though he spent much of his life seeking his paternal shadow.--- Overwhelmed emotionally, Elvis turns to his partner Joe Pike for advice and help especially since the corpse means nothing to him. They fail to learn much more from the police beyond the deceased registered as Herbert Faustina at the Home Away Suites. Could Herbert, if that was the man¿s actual name, really be Elvis¿ father? Detective Carol Starkey, who obsessively desires Elvis in what seems like unrequited love keeps doing little favors to help the sleuth learn more. Hindering Elvis is Frederick Conrad who has covered up a deadly secret for years; believing Elvis killed his fellow conspirator his boss, he plans to murder the sleuth.--- The latest Elvis Cole thriller is very personal as he struggles to determine whether a dying man¿s last words are true only to find himself with Joe watching his back caught up in a dangerous cat and mouse game in which he is the rodent. The dark story line is driven by Elvis who seems human as he switches back and forth between belief and doubt over the veracity of the death alley statement, but also uses people like he does with besotted DEMOLITION ANGEL Carol. Robert Crais provides an outstanding investigative tale that brings home many of the hero¿s insecurities.--- Harriet Klausner

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