"L.A. Requiem"   by Robert Crais
     An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Mystery
            
    2011 Book Review #45
                                     
                  Book List Review

Karen Garcia is shot in the head while jogging in an L.A. preserve. It would have been written off as just another violent death, but her father, Frank, is the most powerful Hispanic politician in L.A.   Frank Garcia's Hispanic background tells him not to trust the cops, so he asks Joe Pike, an ex-cop, to observe the investigation. Many on the force still believe Pike killed his partner 12 years earlier.   Pike is also one of Karen Garcia's former lovers. 

Pike's partner, Elvis Cole, serves as our guide through an investigation sullied by politics, personal ambition, and a growing media spotlight. Cole finds his own life thrown into chaos when Pike becomes a suspect, the lead female detective on the case takes an interest in him, and it appears that the killer may be connected to the death of Pike's old partner. 

The eighth Elvis Cole^-Joe Pike novel is easily the most ambitious in an outstanding series. Readers will learn what drives Pike; how he uses his taciturn demeanor as a shield; and why the toughest thing he ever did involved neither guns nor physical bravery. This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience. --Wes Lukowsky

My Thoughts:  I have read several books by Robert Crais.  I liked them all, particularly the characters.  This book explains some of the reasons  Joe Pike is the way he is and it makes the rest of the books more personal.  You will enjoy this book.