The Watchman
A Joe Pike
Mystery
Robert
Crais
Simon & Schuster (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7432-8163-2 (0743281632)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-8163-8 (9780743281638)
Publication Date: February 2007
List Price: $25.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): When the U. S. Marshals and the finest private security
firm that money can buy can't protect Larkin Conner Barkley from the
men who want her dead, her wealthy family hires the one man money can't
buy to protect their daughter - Joe Pike. Joe owes a bad man a favor,
and the favor is to protect Larkin, a spoiled, self-centered, rich girl
who happens to be a federal witness in a case the feds are putting
together to bust a crime cartel linking organized mobsters and West
Coast industrialists. And when Pike learns that the man he'll be
working for is one of his oldest and most trusted friends - his former
LAPD training officer, Bud Flynn - Pike signs on and commits himself to
protecting the girl's life.
But Pike and the girl immediately come under intense fire, and Pike
realizes that someone is leaking information that could get them both
killed. Turning to his friend Elvis Cole for help, Pike's investigation
soon reveals a web of lies and deceptions, half-truths and betrayals,
and the stunning revelation that even the cops are not who they seem.
Review: Robert
Crais, author of the Elvis Cole mysteries, takes Cole's partner Joe
Pike and presents him center stage in The
Watchman, a perfect vehicle for this cryptic and inscrutable
character. Cole himself plays an important, though clearly subordinate,
role in the book.
Larkin Conner lives the life of a billionaire's daughter. Think Paris
Hilton, but sober and with a conscience. One night while returning
home, she accidentally hits a car, injuring its passengers. Before she
can call for help, the driver speeds off and a man in the back seat
disappears down a nearby alley. Fast forward several days and The Watchman opens with Larkin
under the protection of Joe Pike and running for her life. Pike's
assignment is to keep Larking alive at all costs, and trusting no one,
he takes refuge in a safe house, the location of which is known only to
Pike, Larkin, and Elvis Cole. As Pike and Cole try to figure out why
Larkin is a target, they realize that essentially everyone claiming to
want to protect her is hiding behind a facade, withholding information
that will save her.
Crais vividly portrays the primary characters in The Watchman, imparting into each
unique and readily identifiable features. Yet Joe Pike remains largely
an enigma. Methodical, thoughtful, intelligent, analytical, determined,
meticulous, all surely describe Joe Pike. Yet he defies a visual
identity in the reader's mind. Ask ten people to describe Pike after
reading The Watchman, and there will be ten distinct answers. That
Crais can create such a well-defined character and keep him virtually
anonymous is truly remarkable.
Though the plot could have been overly complicated, Crais wisely
chooses to keep it relatively simple. Pike is clearly mystified by the
actions of everyone involved, but he keeps coming back to the basic
question before him: Why is Larkin a target? The answer to this simple
question not only makes his task of keeping her alive that much more
achievable, but provides clarity to other inconsistencies in this case
as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
The Watchman is an
outstanding example of a mystery thriller, and will certainly be
remembered as one of the year's best novels.
Special thanks to FSB Associates for providing an ARC of The Watchman for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Watchman? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
The Watchman
Simon & Schuster (Hardcover), February 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7432-8163-2 (0743281632)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-8163-8 (9780743281638)
Omnimystery keywords for The Watchman ...
Location(s) referenced: Los Angeles, California.
