The Watchman

The Watchman (2007) Robert Crais

After the events in The Forgotten Man, Elvis is recovering, so Joe Pike takes center stage in this story (don’t worry, we get to spend time with Elvis).

When he had to help Elvis recover Ben Cheney in The Last Detective, Joe made a deal with the men he used to work with when he was a mercenary–at their request he would do one job for him. Now the pigeons are coming home to roost and he has to keep an heiress safe when the Witness Protection program fails her.

To make matters more difficult, the heiress/witness is a known party girl who is used to having things her own way, and there is a leak somewhere on the inside, because the safe-houses are getting hit almost as soon as the girl is placed in them.

We also get a few more bits and pieces about Joe’s past. Though the major events appeared in L.A. Requiem, we still learn a bit more about him, and what make him the way he is.

One thing I really like about this series (that has absolutely nothing to do with the story arc of the book) is that when Joe & Elvis get shot, they take damage and then have to take time to heal (this is very similar to the reason why I love Robert B. Parker’s “Small Vices” so much). I also like how characters and events from the past can affect current events, yet you don’t have to know the details of those past events to enjoy the current story.

As I said earlier, although this is a Joe Pike book, we spend plenty of time with Elvis, which is a good thing because Elvis’ sense of humor is important to alleviating the darkness of the story and of Joe’s past.

If you like the Elvis Cole novels, don’t miss this one, even though it is marketed as “A Joe Pike Novel.” The two characters are so interrelated at this point, you can’t have one without the other.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Pocket Star Books

• Browse the archives:
  
• Thicker than Water » »
• « « Face Off