These are the major r It is official, I am in love with Joe Pike. These are the major rules in Pike's life that apply to this book. A friend he worked for 10 years ago dies in a home invasion. Due to the criminals who did the crime, it taints Pike's friend and Pike needs to clear his name and lay his friend to rest. While investigating the crime Pike enters into the Serbian underworld of LA. Pike has a way that makes people talk and he gets things done faster than the police or FBI, which brings him to their attention. I also thought the female FBI agents actions at the end were great, what a classic move to get what you wanted without it coming back on you.
I found it interesting how Pike went about getting the Serb's attention. I think when he was doing this he was having fun. I also loved Pike with the baby. It surprised me how much he took to him and protected him. I loved the end and the name that he gave him. Dec 26, Michael rated it liked it Shelves: A satisfying thriller featuring Joe Pike, a man of action who draws on his skills as an ex-mercenary special ops soldier and ex-cop and his drive to achieve justice within or outside the constraints of law.
Step by step, Pike homes in on Serbian organized crime figures, aided by the sister of a nanny who was killed in the crime, another ex-mercenar A satisfying thriller featuring Joe Pike, a man of action who draws on his skills as an ex-mercenary special ops soldier and ex-cop and his drive to achieve justice within or outside the constraints of law.
Step by step, Pike homes in on Serbian organized crime figures, aided by the sister of a nanny who was killed in the crime, another ex-mercenary, and his detective friend and partner Elvis Cole. A kidnapped baby becomes a compelling part of the plot, as does his chess game with police and FBI interested in keeping Pike from messing up their investigations of the illegal arms trade.
I liked it about as well as another Joe Pike tale The Sentry , but not as well as Taken one that features Pike and Cole on a nearly equal basis. I like a lot of the Cole dominated novels more because of their infusion of humor. View all 3 comments. There have been a string of home invasions in Los Angeles, but the latest target was Frank Meyer. He and his family have been found murdered in the aftermath, and their nanny has been rushed to the hospital, barely clinging to life.
However, this time, the gang behind the crimes has made a big mistake.
Frank was one of Joe Pike's men from his days as a mercenary. Even though the two haven't spoken in years, Pike still feels that loyalty and sets out to avenge his friend. Can he figure out why th There have been a string of home invasions in Los Angeles, but the latest target was Frank Meyer. Can he figure out why they were targeted and who is responsible? I tend to think of Joe Pike as the strong, silent type, probably because he famously doesn't like to talk. The plot of this book shows us a different side of the character. He's still not a talker, but he is much more active and driven in his quest to avenge his friend.
Unfortunately, the result didn't quite work for me.
Part of it is me since I'm not a fan of revenge stories in general. The book is dark and violent, even for this series, and the twists weren't as good, some of them feeling forced into the story. Since it was the next in the series for me to read, I'm not sorry I read it, but it isn't author Robert Crais at this best. I suspect the fans who love the character of Joe Pike will enjoy this book more than I did. Read my full review at Carstairs Considers. Oct 20, Wendy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Loved this 13th book in his Elvis Cole series and 2nd book in his Joe Pike series!!!
View all 4 comments. Jul 11, Ryan Mishap rated it did not like it Shelves: I've turned to Crais before when I've been wishing I could read a Micael Connelly, but the last couple books I've read have been terrible. The character Joe Pike is a cipher; an impossibly adept killing machine who kills without compunction and will do anything to achieve his goal--oh and hey, it is all justified because he saves the kid in the end and the bad guys get it. I love mysteries and can enjoy crime fiction, but books like th I've turned to Crais before when I've been wishing I could read a Micael Connelly, but the last couple books I've read have been terrible.
I love mysteries and can enjoy crime fiction, but books like this make me despair as an anarchist. I firmly believe that the stories a society tells itself help shape not only the character and ethics of that society but inform or even justify the actions taken in that society. So what effect has the tens of thousands of cop shows, books, and movies where the "ends justify the means" and violence against the "scum" isn't worth an ethcial qualm?
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Do you get a country with the more people incarcerated than in any other country? When a disproportionate number of the bad guys in fictional stories are black or other people of color, does this lead to a society where blacks and other people of color are locked up at disproportionate rates? Do you get cops that will gun down people like Sean Bell or Oscar Grant? A country that will invade two countries and slaughter tens of tens of thousands with little protest or reaction from its society?
After all, Saddam was a "bad guy" right? Mar 14, LJ rated it it was ok Shelves: Joe Pike receives word that, Frank, one of the members of his former mercenary team has been murdered, along with his entire family and the nanny, in a violent home invasion. The police and FBI want to know what Frank was into. Pike knows he Frank was clean but, along with the other members of the former team and his friend, PI Elvis Cole, are dedi First Sentence: Pike knows he Frank was clean but, along with the other members of the former team and his friend, PI Elvis Cole, are dedicated to find the killers and elicit their own form of justice.
Second, Pike formed a relationship with a baby that, even allowing for the metaphysical, stretched credulity beyond the point of belief. But third, and most important, Pike broke his own rules. The one thing that did hold true, was Pikes tribute to his fallen comrade, which I appreciated. I do find it interesting; i. It was, as always, an exciting read with lots of action and some good twists to the plot, but it was far from Crais best work. May 19, Sandie rated it really liked it Shelves: Robert Crais is a great storyteller as is Lee Child.
These guys are the epitome of men's men Both protagonists are loyal to a fault and both take care of business in that strong, silent but deadly way that I love to read about. Elvis Cole running interference. Pike used to be a military contractor read mercenary who worked with a guy named Frank Meyer. When Meyer and his family are murdered during what appears to be a home invasion robbery, Pike is drawn into the search for the culprits. As Pike races around Los Angeles following leads and bent on finding the answer to why Meyer and his family were targeted, this seemingly straightforward murder investigation becomes a convoluted case involving kidnapping, illegal arms sales, confrontations with members of a Serbian organized crime group, lies, betrayals and brutal scenes of murder and mayhem.
Just know that when Joe Pike goes after the bad guys, he does it with a vengeance. Under Crais' steady hand issues like friendship and loyalty are addressed and Pikes more complex human qualities are exposed. Yep, we finally catch a fleeting glimpse of the kinder, gentler side of Joe Pike and it is heartwarming. Guy or gal your sure to enjoy this action packed ride with a couple of guys named Joe and Elvis.
My first pike. - Picture of Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Leeds
Another Joe Pike ass-kicking - very fun! In this one Joe's former brother-in-arms, Frank Meyer, is murdered in his home along with his entire family, wife Cindy and two young sons, Little Frank and Joey. The only survivor of this home invasion is the family au pair, who later dies in the hospital of the gun shot she took to the face. Joe wants to find out what happened because the police are making it sound like Frank was into something nasty, illegal arms trading, and Joe knows this can not be t Another Joe Pike ass-kicking - very fun!
Joe wants to find out what happened because the police are making it sound like Frank was into something nasty, illegal arms trading, and Joe knows this can not be true. He tries to get in to see the nanny before she passes away and is confronted by the girl's older sister at the hospital.
Rina tells Joe that the reason the Meyer family was killed is because her sister was helping hide Rina's baby, the child of a Serbian mobster, and the father of the child wanted to get him back and take him back to Serbia. She asks Joe if he can help her get her son back and punish the killer, Michael Darko. Lots of twists and double-twists in this one.
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Elvis Cole is on hand to help Joe and for comic relief, I think Elvis is funny and they also have the help of Joe's old cronies from they were all in mercenary business together. If you like tough-guy action thriller mysteries, these are for you. Feb 03, Freda Malone rated it it was amazing Shelves: Frank Meyer and his entire family are killed and his family isn't the only one dead. Someone is targeting corrupt families and Pike doesn't believe his friend Frank was one of them. Something else kept Frank's family from escaping the hit.
Pike is pissed and he's gonna find out what really happened. Unfortunately, the feds are involved but that doesn't stop Pike from avenging his combat buddy. A prostitute and a child are involved and she is Pike's only link to finding the madman who ordered the Frank Meyer and his entire family are killed and his family isn't the only one dead.
A prostitute and a child are involved and she is Pike's only link to finding the madman who ordered the hit.
My first pike. - Picture of Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Leeds - TripAdvisor
He's one that makes jokes with straight face. His smile is a 'twitch' of his mouth and his mentality is justice prevails. Hard core from the service, Pike's only weakness is his heart for the little people. Non-verbal but a big teddy bear. I love the crime story in this one. Subtle twists not available until you're heading toward the end. Pike and his buddy Cole, together, have an incredible relationship. This book made me wish I had a friend like Pike. Parker did many things to revolutionize as well as revitalize the hardboiled detective novel.
These characters do a lot of their work "offscreen", keeping the more reputable portion of the duo free from the stain of their violence; they're mysterious, usually not given to Robert B. These characters do a lot of their work "offscreen", keeping the more reputable portion of the duo free from the stain of their violence; they're mysterious, usually not given to talking a lot, and tend to wear sunglasses more often than necessary.
Back in '07 with The Watchman Crais did something that Parker couldn't do -- he wrote a novel from the point of view of Pike. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for it, and really would have rather Crais had spent his time on another Elvis Cole novel for the record, that was my reaction to all his non-Elvis novels, even those that I ended up liking.
The Watchman turned out to be a fun read--re-readable, actually; and Pike was able to carry a story with Elvis functioning as his sidekick. So when it was announced that Crais' novel would be another Pike novel, I wasn't nearly as disappointed as I would've been if it had any other non-Elvis book. With The First Rule Crais out-did himself, crafting a weightier tome for Pike that equals the more recent Cole books for quality. After his time in the service, Pike led a small mercenary team in a variety of third-world locales.
One of his team, Frank Meyer, left before Pike, opting for a "straight life"--marriage, kids, mortgage, mini-van, etc. One night Meyer and his family are killed, the latest in a series of violent home invasions. The LAPD are certain that this is proof that Meyer was some sort of criminal, Pike refuses to believe that and sets out to clear his friend's name and exact vengeance. What follows is a tightly-written, fast-paced, thriller, which fills in rather than expands our understanding of this enigmatic character. Crais doesn't use these excursions of focusing on Pike to alter his character, but to help us get a better view of what he's already created.
I'm looking forward to reading this one again in a few months, almost as much as I'm looking forward to Crais' next novel, also a Pike book. Never thought I'd say that. Jun 15, Mike rated it really liked it. One of Joe's former service buddies is murdered, along with his family. The au pair caring for an infant is mortally wounded, and the missing child is the key to this tragedy. Pike lets nothing stand in the way of repaying evil for evil, but shows compassion when the baby is in the picture. Joe shows his tender side. Oct 17, Melodie rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is the 2nd book that Crais has devoted mostly to Joe, and I must say, it's a keeper!
Just enough Elvis to keep things interesting. Pike is on the trail of a home invasion crew that killed a man, who used to be one of Joes's guys in his mercenary days, and the man's family.
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Great characters, great writing, great story Feb 27, John McDermott rated it really liked it Shelves: Another top drawer effort from Robert Crais. Violent and gripping , this is one that will keep you up late till it's finished. Log in Join Recently viewed Bookings Inbox. Chasing Swiss Pike of Upstreamflyfishing. See all 53 reviews. Read all 53 reviews. Reviewed 24 June Pasco37, Owner at Upstreamflyfishing, responded to this review. Write a Review Add Photo. See all 53 reviews of Upstreamflyfishing. However it gets here, be ready for it. Phrases Related to pike come down the pike the Northern Lights.
Statistics for pike Look-up Popularity. Time Traveler for pike The first known use of pike was in the 13th century See more words from the same century.
My first pike on a fly - Picture of Upstreamflyfishing, Wilderswil
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