- Elvis Cole
Elvis Cole is a
fiction al character in a series ofRobert Crais 'detective novel s. Elvis, who jokingly proclaims himself to be "The World's Greatest Detective" on numerous occasions, is the classicprivate investigator : honest, straight-forward, and with a soft spot for a woman in trouble. He is a throwback to an earlier age, especially in the first few novels, which read like 1940spulp magazine detective stories with snappy dialogue and violent action scenes. [ [http://www.thrillingdetective.com/cole.html] Review of 'The Last Detective' from ThrillingDetective.com]Character biography
Elvis' background consists of time as a
U.S. Army Ranger, with decorated service in Vietnam, and experience as asecurity guard . Elvis is also well versed in themartial arts especiallyWing Chun ,Tae Kwon Do andTai Chi , and is also familliar withHatha Yoga , all of which he enjoys practising out on the decking round at the back of his home. Elvis drives a 1966 "Jamaica Yellow"Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible that is almost a character unto itself in the early novels, along with his trademark Hawaiian shirts. He prefers to carry a Dan Wesson .38 revolver in a shoulder holster for protection.Elvis lives in a redwood
A-Frame house overlooking a canyon on Woodrow Wilson Drive along with a raggedy-eared black cat who usually has a terrible disposition and tolerates Elvis but positively revels in the company of Elvis's partner, Joe Pike. His office is located onSanta Monica Boulevard and has several figurines of cartoon characters on his desk and file cabinets. He has expressed the desire to be like Peter Pan and stay a child forever poised on the cusp of adulthood. Though a resident ofLos Angeles, California , his investigations have taken him all over the continental United States.His trusted partner is the often tight-lipped
Joe Pike , a USMC veteran from the Vietnam War and a formerLAPD officer turned mercenary and gun shop owner. Pike remained a mysterious character until his tragic backstory was fully explored in "L.A. Requiem ". He is usually called in to "ride shotgun," both figuratively and literally, in Elvis' cases. (The relationship is somewhat similar to Spenser and Hawk inRobert B. Parker 's detective novels or Myron and Win inHarlan Coben 's novels.)Elvis' dependable police contact is Sgt. Lou Poitras, a
homicide detective at theNorth Hollywood Division of theLAPD .Elvis is often noted as 'looking like John Cassavetes 20 years ago'. He uses the name Johnny Stacatto at least once in
Stalking the Angel when questioned by a nosy rent-a-cop. Elvis's residence onWoodrow Wilson Drive happens to be the same street on which John Cassavetes lives also. [http://www.onthisveryspot.com/find/spot.php?spot_web_name=7917_Woodrow_Wilson_Drive]Books
The following are the books by
Robert Crais that have featured Elvis Cole:
*"The Monkey's Raincoat " (1987) - Winner, Macavity Award for Best First Novel; Winner, Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original Novel
*"Stalking the Angel " (1989)
*"Lullaby Town " (1992)
*"Free Fall" (1993)
*"Voodoo River " (1995)
*"Sunset Express " (1996)
*"Indigo Slam " (1997)
*"L.A. Requiem " (1999)
*"The Last Detective" (2003)
*"The Forgotten Man " (2005)
*"The Watchman " (2007)
*"Chasing Darkness " (2008)References
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