Taken

Another Incredible Story from Robert Crais.

If you're a fan of Robert Crais than you already know this book is fabulous. The action is fast paced, the dialog is never disappointing and Elvis and Joe will keep you mesmerized. Not usually a fan of diverse perspectives during a novel, this definitely worked here. I can honestly say I couldn't put it down. While this can be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend starting at the beginning of the Elvis Cole series to get an in depth understanding of the characters and their motivations. You won't be disappointed. If you're a fan of James Lee Burke and John Sanford, you have to pick up Robert Crais!

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Crais excellent as usual.

Another great addition to a great series. Fast paced hard to put down. Recommend the whole series which I have read more than once and only gets better. Who can't love the Elvis and Joe characters tough but compassionate and honorable.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

CRAIS AT HIS BEST

CRAIS, COLE AND PIKE...............MESS WITH ONE AND............
ANOTHER EXCELLENT WORK BY CRAIS. THEY JUST KEEP COMMING.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Crais and/or Connelly; you can't go wrong.....

This is a Great Book! I've read all of the Elvis Cole books by Crais (well, all that are available as eBooks), all of them are great. I've just broken down and ordered the three paperback books of this series that for some reason have not been released in an eBook format. The Elvis Cole series by Crais is much enjoyed by myself; just as much I enjoy the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly; both authors have their own great detectives to write about (Crais' Elvis is a little more irreverent then Connelly's Harry, (but one's a cop and the other isn't so that fits). My suggestion; buy this book, you will not be disappointed.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Loved it! My only complaint was that the shifts in time and characters' perspective occurred a little too frequently; my addled middle-aged brain lost track of things a couple of times.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best Book

Best Book Ever

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love Joe Pike!

I am always so excited when Robert Crais releases a new book - I just know I'm in for a night of great reading. Yes, a night - because once I start, I can't stop until I turn the last page. Crais' latest book - Taken - was no exception!

A group of young people, partying out in the desert by an old abandoned plane. Two of them - Jack and Krista - decide to hang back after the others have left. They unexpectedly find themselves witness to a local coyote (human smuggler) unloading his cargo. And things go from bad to worse when the coyotes and their load are hijacked - and kidnapped - including Jack and Krista.

Krista's mom calls in Elvis Cole - self proclaimed World's Greatest Detective - to help her find her missing daughter. She's received a ransom request, but thinks it's a joke - they've asked for only five hundred dollars. Elvis calls in his partner and best friend Joe Pike. When Elvis goes missing too, the kidnappers don't know who or what's coming for them - Joe Pike.

Crais has created two of my favourite recurring characters in one series. Elvis is full of snappy one liners and really, he never stops talking - even when he should. Joe Pike - well, he barely speaks at all. Both of them are dangerous men, but Pike - he's in class of his own. With Elvis in trouble, Pike calls in a fellow mercenary this time - Jon Stone. Stone is a great addition to this cast. He's just as tough as Pike, as chatty as Cole and bored when he hasn't got a 'situation' to work on.

Crais has taken an issue that has been in the headlines and exposed it's dirty underbelly - human trafficking is very real. His scenes are gritty, painting realistic pictures of what may befall those looking for a better life.

Taken is told in a unique format. The storyline snaps back and forth telling the story from the view of Jack and Krista, Elvis and Pike. The narrative is told in non linear fashion - the timeline jumps to before and after each was taken. This absolutely ratcheted up the tension (and the speed at which I turned pages!)

Why do I love this series so much? The plotting is great, the action non stop and the characters are fantastic. And at the bottom of it all for me - Joe Pike. Who isn't holding out for a hero? Jack Reacher fans will love Pike. If you're looking for an action packed read, you will have found it with Taken. (By the way it's already #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list!)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read it in one sitting...

Like all of the Cole and Pike books. Stone seems to be a good addition, too. Can't wait to read more of him. I swear, I fell in love with Cole and Pike even harder with this one.

Why do I read them so fast then get upset when they are done?!?! Arghh!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Crais is at the top of his game. Riveting

Talk about an enjoyable read. This novel has it all: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, innocent young adults, a determined parent, evil men and women with no sense of morality, and bajadores - ruthless bandits who prey on other bandits. Mix them all together with drugs, weapons, the buying and selling of victims, and brutal murder and you have the ingredients for compelling novel.

Add the painstaking detective work, the genuine humanity, the nerve-racking tension, the thrilling action, and unbelievable suspense that only a talented writer like Robert Crais can bring to this novel and you have a thriller that you won't soon forget.

Taken is the fifteenth Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel and it's the first to feature them both equally. While I've enjoyed the last two books that had Joe Pike in the starring role, this novel ratchets up the tension by having Cole lead early and Pike take over in the second half.

The story centers on a young Latina and her Anglo boyfriend who are kidnapped by bandits along the Mexican border. These criminals are the worst of the worst - preying on other criminals figuring they can't or won't go to the police. This novel centers on bajadores who steal immigrants bound for the United States. This people kidnapping business is a rampant but often ignored problem along the Mexican border.

The mother of the kidnapped woman hires Elvis Cole to rescue her daughter. Cole soon discovers what has happened to her and he enters into a risky arrangement with a Korean organized criminal. It's a desperate move and Cole knows it.

"I was now in business with a Korean gang known for extortion, brutality, and violence, and about to put my trust into a drug cartel known for torture and mass murder. I told myself it was worth it. I told myself I had no choice. I lied to myself, and knew I was lying, but chose to believe the lies."

When the plan doesn't work out, Cole is seized by the bajadores and Pike must come to his rescue. With backup from fellow mercenary Jon Stone, Pike follows the trail left by his captors and holds nothing back from search for his best friend. The feds are also on the hunt for Cole and Pike must find him first before the federal agents make mistakes that could blow Cole's cover - and his life.

This is vintage Robert Crais weaving one of the most suspenseful thrillers I've read in a long time. This is a book you'll want to savor but if you're like me, the tension will build so quickly that you'll be unable to put it down. I finished it in a weekend. With fewer things to do, I'd have been done the same day.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Taken

Those who have been waiting for their fix of Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels [and I count myself among them] need wait no more. “Taken,” the fifteenth book in the series, brings their return, and introduces yet another protag cut from the same cloth: trustworthy, brilliant at what he does, and letting nothing stop him.

The opening paragraphs take the reader to a spot in the CA desert Jack Berman and Krista Morales, five months plus into their passionate relationship, are kidnapped in what one would think is that unlikeliest of settings. The story picks up six days later, when Elvis Cole, his reputation having preceded him after an LA Times Magazine story depicts him, tongue only slightly in cheek, as the World’s Greatest Detective, is hired by Krista’s mother following receipt of a ransom demand. We next come to a point several days after that scene, when Joe Pike enters the picture. The tale flashes back to pick up the story line from each of these starting points in turn. This device only serves to heighten the suspense, contrary to what might be expected

To the uninitiated, quoting Elvis Cole: “Pike, Joseph, no middle initial, learned the tracking arts as a boy who grew up at the edge of a logging town, and later refined those same arts when he hunted men first as a combat Marine, then later as an LAPD police officer and a private military contractor in Africa, Central America, and the Middle East. If I was good at hunting men, Pike was better. Pike had also been my partner in the agency since we bought it together, and my friend for even longer.” And now we meet, for what I believe is the first time, Jon Stone: “Jon Stone was a professional military contractor - - a PMC, also known as a mercenary . . . though occasionally he still worked as a special teams operator for certain corporations and governments, namely the good ol’ U.S. of A.” Stone is a man who loved challenges, believing that they “made life interesting.” And there is no dearth of challenges ahead of him in this tale. There is much more going on here than a simple case of kidnapping. We learn about the bajadores, predators who preyed upon other criminals, under whose control the lives of several of the players lie.

The first person p.o.v. is that of Pike, changing to third person according to the scenario unfolding. The book is very well-written, with just enough humor [usually within the Pike p.o.v.] to lighten the tension. Mr. Crais’ many fans will not be disappointed, and “Taken” is sure to add to that number.

Recommended.

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Really liked it, since I live in SO Cal, and the IE, and I drive the I10 east a lot for work, I really related to all the desert communities in the boo. It was an exciting read and I find a lot of Robert Crais's books that way. Love Lee Child's too. Elvis and Jack..my heroes. Also loved the introduction of Jon Stone..could start to like him too.

Another great book by Crais. For me it was hard to put down.

Another great book by Crais. For me it was hard to put down.

Take IT and Read It!

Loved this book! His last 3 books have been great with Elvis, Joe, and now, Jon Stone. Loved them together as smart, efficient, hunters.
Wished he would release 2 books per year. Go JOE, Elvis, and Jon.

Great book

One of the bedt books i read this year

A Very Good Read

I used to love Robert Crais and then the last few books I just didn't think were up to his best work. I bought "Taken" partly when I saw it was rated higher and then took a look at the comments. It was a very fast and good read. I enjoyed it like I used to enjoy Mr. Crais' books.

Gritty, Tense and Suspenseful!

The latest Robert Crais book is like the others, awesome! One of my favorite authors. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike team up to locate a kidnapped high school kid. Ride along with them on a journey to the dark, gritty, vile underbelly of human trafficking. Characters so descriptively rich that you will feel like you are experiencing it with them. Highly recommneded!

GREAT READ!!

Another great read. Love Elvis and Joe! Thank you Mr Crais for loving Elvis and Joe enough that you will not sell them to Hollywood.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Five Words For this Five Star Novel

A Truly Top Notch Thriller!

Anonomous

Hi

0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.