Sunset Express

June 2, 1997
PW gave a starred review to this tale of Southern California PI Elvis Cole's run-in with a big-shot criminal defense attorney and the LAPD.

March 1, 1996
If Spenser and Hawk are the forefathers of the double-tough-guy mysteries, then Crais' Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are among their most notable offspring. Here Elvis is hired by high-profile attorney Jonathan Green to investigate the death of Susan Martin, wife of megamillionaire Teddy Green. The defense is basing its case on the Mark Fuhrman^-like theory that evidence was planted at the scene by Detective Angela Rossi, a fallen star in the LAPD who could use a celebrity conviction as her ticket back to the fast track. Elvis and Joe are pleased when their efforts show Rossi worked by the book, but attorney Green puts his own spin on the data. When the people Elvis contacted begin dying, he senses something is terribly wrong. This hip, funny, and thought-provoking novel will delight Crais' growing legion of fans, and the fist-shaking, high-fiving conclu sion offers at least the hope of ultimate justice when our system fails. ((Reviewed March 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)

Starred review from April 1, 1996
The public's readiness to believe the worst of its police forces is an undercurrent in the latest case (after Voodoo River) for Southern California PI Elvis Cole. Beginning with the discovery of a corpse off Mulholland Drive in suburban L.A., the plot uncovers high-level venality, advances the romance of the ever-engaging Cole with Louisiana lawyer Lucy Chenier and reveals some of the past of Joe Pike, Cole's enigmatic, seriously strange sidekick. Soon after the body of Susan Martin is found in a garbage bag, Detective Angela Rossi discovers evidence that implicates the victim's husband, wealthy mover and shaker Teddy Martin. Unfortunately, Rossi is under a cloud, having been accused of falsifying evidence in a previous case. Martin's attorney, Jonathan Green, considered one of the country's top five criminal defense attorneys, hires Cole after arriving at his office with a video and sound crew, to investigate Rossi. Though Cole's investigation clears Rossi, Green's subsequent announcement that Cole has proven her guilt, puts the PI at odds with the LAPD, forces him to examine Green's motives in the case and, finally, puts him on a course to correct the series of wrongs in the case that have prompted Lucy to observe: "The law is not about justice." $150,000 ad/promo; author tour.