Mystery

Racing the Light

Racing the Light

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-13 09:52:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Robert Crais
  • ISBN：1471195023
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

‘Another grand slam for the master storyteller’ DAVID BALDACCI

‘A modern master of crime fiction’ GREGG HURWITZ

THE CITY OF ANGELS
Adele Schumacher isn’t a typical worried mum。 When she hires Elvis to find her missing son， a controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe， she brings a bag filled with cash， paranoid tales of government conspiracies， and a squad of mysterious bodyguards。 Finding Josh should be simple， but Elvis quickly learns he isn’t alone in the hunt – a team of deadly strangers are determined to find Josh first。

THE CITY OF LIES
With dangerous secrets lurking behind every lead， Elvis needs his friend Joe Pike more than ever to uncover the truth about Josh， corrupt politicians， and the murderous business cartels rotting the heart of Los Angeles。 And when his estranged ex-girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son return to the city， Elvis realizes just how much he has to lose 。 。 。 if he survives。

Written with the heart， humour， and relentless suspense for which Crais is famous， Racing the Light delivers Elvis Cole’s most dangerous case yet。             

Why Crais is the King of Crime 。 。 。

‘Robert Crais – and Joe Pike – will have you by the throat’   INDEPENDENT
 
'Just keeps getting better and better'  EVENING STANDARD
 
‘Robert Crais is hands-down the World’s Greatest Crime Fiction Writer’  HUFFINGTON POST
 
‘Expertly delivers his customary modern-day riff on the 1940s hardboiled idiom’  GUARDIAN
 
‘Cleverly plotted， stylishly written’  WASHINGTON POST

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Reviews

Tracye Quinlan ，

Elvis Cole， I’ve missed you。 Another one out of the ballpark。 So glad to be back with these characters again。 Good， fun， read… … …

Brucie ，

Very。light humor， little danger， lots of sympathetic personality

Thomas Alcott ，

This book is well worth the readIt took a bit to get moving， but about 50 pages in， it got good in a hurry。 Not enough Pike for my liking， but a great story with a satisfying ending。

Katy ，

“We often couldn’t see the things in front of us， no matter how hard we tried。”“Being unable to quit was probably a character flaw， but sometimes not quitting was all you had left。”“Everyone ends up dead。 What matters is how we live。”

Rob Nankin ，

3。5。 Fast paced page turner。

Leslie Basney ，

So nice to be back with old friends doing what they do best。

Heidi Hilty ，

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard what Elvis Cole is up to。 He’s still living in the hills above Los Angeles with his mangy cat， still detecting， still hanging out occasionally with Joe Pike。 He lands a missing person case which leads to a whole new level of misdoings and also， Lucy and Ben Chenier come to town。 It’s good to have you back， Elvis。

Carlo Corti ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I will start by saying I love Robert Crais books with Pike and Cole， and I will probably read any I can get my hands on。 They are like candy， they go down easy， they are predictable， so it's all about the ride from crime to solution。 That said， I thought Crais could do more to get into the motives of the criminals in this book， and I thought that the way Cole found the missing adult was a little underwhelming。 Similarly， I'd like to see the motives （and jobs） of the people who hired Cole a littl I will start by saying I love Robert Crais books with Pike and Cole， and I will probably read any I can get my hands on。 They are like candy， they go down easy， they are predictable， so it's all about the ride from crime to solution。 That said， I thought Crais could do more to get into the motives of the criminals in this book， and I thought that the way Cole found the missing adult was a little underwhelming。 Similarly， I'd like to see the motives （and jobs） of the people who hired Cole a little more flushed out and clear， even though I know mystery is part of their profession。 Still， I read it quick and felt good when finishing， and I look forward to Cole having some new people living with him in his next book。 =） 。。。more

Doug Branscombe ，

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are hired to find a missing person， a 20 something Podcaster who goes by Josh Shoe。 Their search for him leads to prostitution， corruption and murder。 Fast paced fun read

Jean ，

I have read everyone of his books and have thoroughly enjoyed them allthis one ranks up there as one of the best fast-paced well written no gimmicks just good detecting don’t make us wait three more years for another one please

Denise Westlake ，

DNF- read about half- these are not my people。 That's all。 I stayed in a constant state of being baffled。 Too intricate。 DNF- read about half- these are not my people。 That's all。 I stayed in a constant state of being baffled。 Too intricate。 。。。more

Robert Lane ，

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are back in the saddle searching for Josh Shoe， a twenty-something year old podcaster who is missing。 His mother， Adele， hires Elvis， although Elvis entertains the possibility that the man is simply not checking in with mom。Adele is an enigma herself。 A retired professor， she worked on top government secrets and is accompanied by two government-issued guards。 Elvis soon suspects that Josh has uncovered something so sinister as to scurry him into hiding。As a pleasant sideb Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are back in the saddle searching for Josh Shoe， a twenty-something year old podcaster who is missing。 His mother， Adele， hires Elvis， although Elvis entertains the possibility that the man is simply not checking in with mom。Adele is an enigma herself。 A retired professor， she worked on top government secrets and is accompanied by two government-issued guards。 Elvis soon suspects that Josh has uncovered something so sinister as to scurry him into hiding。As a pleasant sidebar to the plot， Lucy Chenier， the love of Cole’s life， makes an appearance along with her son Ben。 Lucy is a central character in other novels。 One senses that the time has come for these two birds to take flight or scratch it altogether。 Crais is fond of different points of view—more in his later work that his earlier outings。 （He even spent a few books with chapters from a dog’s point of view。） A break from the first-person narrative is often welcomed， but where to draw the line？ Racing the Light has 10—or is it 11？—POV’s。 While each is easily identified in chapter headings， they give the novel a disjointed feel。 A bumpy ride。 I found myself relieved when I got back to Elvis and terra firma。 In the hardboiled PI style that Crais embraces， the PI risk everything for little apparent reason。 True to form， Elvis goes all in， （just as Lucy and Ben reappear） to find Josh Shoe， a person he does not know， has no ties to， and is paid a pittance to locate。 That is both the endearing trademark， and the Achilles heel， of the genre。 You are better off not questioning it。 Crais’s humor， though Cole， shines through without being sophomoric。 The dialogue is snappy， the pace crisp。 The plot has enough building blocks to work。 There is a sprinkling of Cole’s home life to keep that connection solid with the reader。 I would prefer more of that sprinkle。 Plot often gets in the way of the story， for characters are what keep readers coming back。 I rushed to the end of this one， skimming the words。 My emotional involvement is with Elvis Cole and Lucy， and to lesser extent， Joe Pike。 （It’s hard to get emotional about Pike。） I could have used more Elvis and Lucy and less of characters whose name I’ve already forgotten。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

I’m still enjoying this series。 Great characters and the plot isn’t too far fetched

Dan Golden ，

I’ve always loved Elvis Cole’s sarcastic sense of humor。 Another great read from Robert Crais。

JournalsTLY ，

My first encounter with Elvis and Pike。 The link to the China syndicate didn't quite take off but there are good moments of humour， family insights and investigative craft。 Not enough of what daily life is about in LA？Good insights into the world of podcasting as I have not listen to a pod cast series before。 My first encounter with Elvis and Pike。 The link to the China syndicate didn't quite take off but there are good moments of humour， family insights and investigative craft。 Not enough of what daily life is about in LA？Good insights into the world of podcasting as I have not listen to a pod cast series before。 。。。more

Donna ，

I really enjoy this series。 The characters are interesting and capable。 They may not always know exactly what is going on but stick with the search。 And there is some humor and angst to boot。

Patti Pietschmann ，

Another Robert Crais winner。 I confess I've never read one of his books i didn't like， but naturally like some better than others。 This one is among my top 10。 It' a story about two young men--besties-- who created pod casts with an adult actress/call girl。 But their videos are hardly salacious or lascivious。 Instead the intent is to bring down corruption in a small town。 It's a thriller with the usual sprinkling of Crais fun and wit。 Another Robert Crais winner。 I confess I've never read one of his books i didn't like， but naturally like some better than others。 This one is among my top 10。 It' a story about two young men--besties-- who created pod casts with an adult actress/call girl。 But their videos are hardly salacious or lascivious。 Instead the intent is to bring down corruption in a small town。 It's a thriller with the usual sprinkling of Crais fun and wit。 。。。more

Clwseattle ，

3。5 Stars for Racing the LightI welcome Elvis Cole back in Racing the Light。 Alas， if you never met Joe Pike， you hardly know him after reading Racing the Light。The fun of Elvis and Joe is AWOL in Racing the Light， however I did enjoy the smart mouth and mercenary greed of Jon Stone。Elvis is subdued in this missing person's case that turns out to be so much more in a twisted convoluted story of corruption and love。 Convoluted hardly covers the drones， spies， murderers， artists， prostitutes， podc 3。5 Stars for Racing the LightI welcome Elvis Cole back in Racing the Light。 Alas， if you never met Joe Pike， you hardly know him after reading Racing the Light。The fun of Elvis and Joe is AWOL in Racing the Light， however I did enjoy the smart mouth and mercenary greed of Jon Stone。Elvis is subdued in this missing person's case that turns out to be so much more in a twisted convoluted story of corruption and love。 Convoluted hardly covers the drones， spies， murderers， artists， prostitutes， podcasters， bees， and bad fathers。Love seems to be what Elvis has been missing since Lucy and her son， Ben left California。 It appears they're back。 I hope she brings Elvis and Pike back to their decisive and irreverent ways of solving cases。 I hope Jon Stone becomes a regular。Racing the Light is not the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike I was waiting for， but it's good to have them back。 3。5 Stars 。。。more

Linda ，

I usually Cole/Pike stories and liked this one as well。 Everything but the ending。 The ending was just a big THUD。 It was as if someone told Crais he had 10 minutes to finish and he did。 Unfortunate。

Catherine Freeze ，

Stephanie Plum。。。。meet Elvis Cole。 This week I read 'Going Rogue' the latest entry in the Stephanie Plum series - contrast that with 'Racing the Light' another example of a successful series and the two couldn't be more different in terms of story progression and character development。 （This is likely an unfair comparison but stark when one reads both series。）Regular readers have followed Elvis' ups and downs， his relationship woes and cases。 'Racing the Light' is a fast-paced story that recruit Stephanie Plum。。。。meet Elvis Cole。 This week I read 'Going Rogue' the latest entry in the Stephanie Plum series - contrast that with 'Racing the Light' another example of a successful series and the two couldn't be more different in terms of story progression and character development。 （This is likely an unfair comparison but stark when one reads both series。）Regular readers have followed Elvis' ups and downs， his relationship woes and cases。 'Racing the Light' is a fast-paced story that recruits Elvis to find a missing podcaster with mysterious parents， a cast of bad guys， colorful supporting characters， all while continuing to move forward ongoing storylines。 The good:-Elvis， Joe， and Jon make a winning team。 Each are quirky yet capable。-Robert Crais never fails to let us see Elvis' vulnerable side and that makes Elvis an even more compelling character。-Great to see Ben and Lucie again and progression of this storyline。The not so good:-Descriptions of one bad guy as 'meatball' got old。-Not enough Joe time！-Readers are left with more questions than answers about the missing podcaster's mysterious parents。Another winning story featuring Elvis and Joe。 。。。more

Joanne ，

Excellent 👍

The Cats’ Mother ，

Racing the Light is the nineteenth book in the Elvis Cole series， about a wisecracking LA Private Investigator and his Strong Silent associate Joe Pike。 This has been one of my favourite thriller series， and it’s been 2&1/2 years since the last book， so I was very much looking forward to it。 I could only ever Wish for the ARC on NetGalley， so used an Audible credit to purchase this， thinking that my husband would also enjoy it - they are all stand-alone stories so it wouldn’t matter that he hadn Racing the Light is the nineteenth book in the Elvis Cole series， about a wisecracking LA Private Investigator and his Strong Silent associate Joe Pike。 This has been one of my favourite thriller series， and it’s been 2&1/2 years since the last book， so I was very much looking forward to it。 I could only ever Wish for the ARC on NetGalley， so used an Audible credit to purchase this， thinking that my husband would also enjoy it - they are all stand-alone stories so it wouldn’t matter that he hadn’t read any of the previous books。 If I had read my review of the last one beforehand， I would’ve reverted to the ebook - I do not like the way Luke Daniels voices characters， especially not for Pike - he sounds like a villain in a kid’s cartoon， and he’s hopeless at female voices too。 I was also very disappointed by the plot of this one - most unthrilling。Elvis is hired by the mother of obnoxious investigative podcast broadcaster Joshua Shoe to find him: she is convinced her son has been kidnapped， but the police aren’t interested。 His friend thinks he’s chasing another UFO story in Roswell， but Elvis soon discovers that Josh had stumbled onto a corruption scandal - and that he’s not the only one looking for him。 Meanwhile， Cole’s ex is back in town to set his heart aflutter once more…So here’s the thing: this series began in 1987 （I started it in 2013） and from memory Elvis & Pike would’ve been at least in their late 30s。 We are not told what year this is supposed to be set in， but given the mentions of podcasts and some of the technology described （eg drones） I assume it’s recent but clearly pre-pandemic - so they must be pushing 70 - but they are still described as if they’re no more than 50。 Similarly， Lucy’s son Ben was about 8 when they first met him in Voodoo River - published and presumably set around 2000 - but here he’s still only 17。 And stranger still， Elvis still shares his house with the same grumpy and apparently immortal cat！！ Yes I know it’s fiction， but having recently finished the latest Harry Bosch - who used to be Cole’s contemporary - and whose ageing has been a crucial part of the ongoing story arc， I found these inconsistencies jarring。 I would prefer he just set these books back in the 2000s if he wants to keep his heroes ageless。I also didn’t think much of the story itself。 Various potentially intriguing elements are introduced but then discarded - eg what exactly did Josh’s parents do for the military that entitles them to a team of bodyguards？ Why did call girl and wannabe artist Skylar go to Josh with her potentially dangerous story？ There are chapters from lots of different character perspectives， but only Elvis’ are told in first person。 The conspiracy itself was pretty boring and there was no suspense， unless you count the Will-they-won’t-they between Elvis and Lucy。 There wasn’t nearly enough Pike， and Jon Stone， who I’ve previously quite liked， has turned into a complete @rsehole！ Finally， the title makes no sense at all！！I’m being generous giving this 3 stars - 2。5 rounded up， really。 I’m not yet ready to give up on these characters - anyone can have one bad instalment in a series this long， but must remember not to bother with the audiobook next time， and just hope that the next one will be a Pike-centred story。 。。。more

Gina ，

Elvis Cole is asked to help locate a missing podcaster named Josh by his mother。 He was working on a story dealing with government corruption。

Judy ，

When Adele Schumacher comes to Elvis Cole's Los Angeles office she brings three suspicious things that would raise the bulging eyes of Cole's Pinocchio clock if it were alive: a bulging envelope of cash and Wendy and Curt， two ominous body guards。 She peels off some of the cash to hire Elvis to find her missing son， Josh， who as Joe Shoe and with his partner Ryan produces the podcast "In Your Face" which usually focuses on UFOs， aliens and oddities。 But this time Josh is tracking down some very When Adele Schumacher comes to Elvis Cole's Los Angeles office she brings three suspicious things that would raise the bulging eyes of Cole's Pinocchio clock if it were alive: a bulging envelope of cash and Wendy and Curt， two ominous body guards。 She peels off some of the cash to hire Elvis to find her missing son， Josh， who as Joe Shoe and with his partner Ryan produces the podcast "In Your Face" which usually focuses on UFOs， aliens and oddities。 But this time Josh is tracking down some very real graft in the real estate industry， and he's made some unsavory enemies。Luckily for us， that means calling in Elvis' cohort of chronies including the formidable and enigmatic Joe Pike who pops in when muscle is required， and Jon Stone with his military training and his electronic tracking gadgets。 Good to see you back， guys！The introduction of characters seems a little herky-jerky， but each one of them eventually is woven into the story。 A bonus character in this one is Jared Walker Philburn， a homeless man whose racing mind is soothed by the solitude of Griffith Park where he camps， leaving his hidden sleeping bag and treasured possessions only to panhandle for food - Italian is his favorite - or dumpster dive for treasures。 In a tense encounter， he provides a vital witness who is saved by Pike， his avenging angel。Even ex-girl friend Lucy Chenier and her son Ben make a surprise visit to give a surprise ending。 A fun romp with the "world's greatest detective。" 。。。more

Adam Rosenbaum ，

A controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe goes missing in LA and his unconventional mother wants Elvis to find him。 Turns out he's not the only one looking， and the last person to see him was an adult film star。 Intrigue， corruption， and assorted mayhem follow。 Not one of his best， but Crais is masterful in keeping the action moving， and it's nice to see his long lost heart throb Lucy come back into the picture。 A controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe goes missing in LA and his unconventional mother wants Elvis to find him。 Turns out he's not the only one looking， and the last person to see him was an adult film star。 Intrigue， corruption， and assorted mayhem follow。 Not one of his best， but Crais is masterful in keeping the action moving， and it's nice to see his long lost heart throb Lucy come back into the picture。 。。。more

Danita L ，

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike。 When you are at #19 in the series， not much else to say but I'll provide a couple notes。1。 The writing seemed a little loose。 I've come to expect a tight plot and character development from Crais。 Not so much in this version。2。 Characters are all shallow。 I didn't really care what happened to any of them。 And there were WAY too many extras。 Except Joe Pike。 I always care what happens to Joe。3。 Plot ALL over the place。 Aliens， Area 51， Chinese spies， US spooks， stupid， gr Elvis Cole and Joe Pike。 When you are at #19 in the series， not much else to say but I'll provide a couple notes。1。 The writing seemed a little loose。 I've come to expect a tight plot and character development from Crais。 Not so much in this version。2。 Characters are all shallow。 I didn't really care what happened to any of them。 And there were WAY too many extras。 Except Joe Pike。 I always care what happens to Joe。3。 Plot ALL over the place。 Aliens， Area 51， Chinese spies， US spooks， stupid， greedy corporate jerks， a more or less ex-prostitute with a "great" future in ART， conspiratorial podcasts 。 。 。 。 ad nauseum。4。 And Lucy is back （or not）， to be continued 。 。 。 again。I think I just talked myself down to a 3 rating from a 4 original。 。。。more

Kirsten Germaine ，

Robert Crais is one of my favorite authors and I wanted to love this book like the others but I just didn't。 I was not a big fan of the main characters in the story and it just fell flat。 The pandemic books don't seem to be as good as past books for most authors。 Most likely a state of mind issue。 I will still be first in line for his next novel but this is one of the few of his I would not recommend。 Robert Crais is one of my favorite authors and I wanted to love this book like the others but I just didn't。 I was not a big fan of the main characters in the story and it just fell flat。 The pandemic books don't seem to be as good as past books for most authors。 Most likely a state of mind issue。 I will still be first in line for his next novel but this is one of the few of his I would not recommend。 。。。more

Jenna ，

I was so excited for a new book as I love Cole & Pike。Chapters are short & the action moves quickly。It's a detective procedural。There's a podcaster missing who's connected to a porn star。 The podcaster's rich mom hires Cole to find him。 The case was interesting w/several twists & turns。 Some humor。I'm also glad to see the return of Lucy & Ben because as a reader， I've become invested in that relationship。Another tremendous book in the series which hasn't suffered any decline as the volumes incre I was so excited for a new book as I love Cole & Pike。Chapters are short & the action moves quickly。It's a detective procedural。There's a podcaster missing who's connected to a porn star。 The podcaster's rich mom hires Cole to find him。 The case was interesting w/several twists & turns。 Some humor。I'm also glad to see the return of Lucy & Ben because as a reader， I've become invested in that relationship。Another tremendous book in the series which hasn't suffered any decline as the volumes increase。 。。。more

Ivelisse ，

I love this series but was a little disappointed with this latest book。 It was not as exciting and compelling as the others。 I enjoyed the book but not as much as the others。

stephen d whitney ，

Typical Elvis Cole/Joe Pike book。 Not enough Joe but always fun reads。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Racing the Light

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Racing the Light&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Racing the Light&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0