Robert Crais

Robert Crais Biography

Robert Crais was born on June 20th, 1953 and is currently 70 years old. Robert Crais was born in Independence, Louisiana, USA. Crais attended Louisiana State University where he studied Mechanical Engineering.

Robert Crais is the author of the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series which currently consists of 19 novels. The Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series started in 1987 with the novel The Monkey's Raincoat . The most recently released novel in the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series was Racing the Light which was released in 2022. There are no upcoming novels for the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series.

Prior to being an author, Robert would write scrips for television shows. He wrote scripts for detective and police related shows, including the likes of Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, L.A. Law and Quincy. He also received an Emmy award nomination for his work.

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association listed this Mystery Writer of America Grand Masters first novel, The Monkey's Raincoat, as one of the 100 Favourite Mysteries of the Century.

On his website, Robert notes that he initially planned for the first Elvis Cole novel to be a standalone, but realized he had created a very powerful character which he wanted to use to be able to comment on his life and times. The novel L.A. Requiem really changed the way Robert wrote, as that became a bestseller at various publications and changed the way he structured his novels.

While the novel Demolition Angel is a standalone, one of the characters from it Carol Starkey is prominently featured in the Elvis Cole books.

Robert Crais Awards & Accolades

Robert Crais has won multiple awards including: The Santa Barbara Book Council Awards, Ross MacDonald Literary Award, in 2006 and the Edgar Award, Grand Master, in 2014.

Robert Crais has won many awards including:

• The Monkey's Raincoat won the Macavity Award, Best First Mystery, in 1988 as well as the Anthony Award - Best Paperback Original in 1988.
• Sunset Express won the Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel, in 1997.
• L. A. Requiem won the Dilys Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 2000.
• The Watchman won the Barry Award, Best Thriller, in 2008 as well as the Gumshoe Award - Best Thriller Novel in 2008.
• Taken won the Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel, in 2013.
• The Promise won the Maltese Falcon Society, Falcon Award, in 2018.
• Suspect won the Barry Award, Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade, in 2020.

The following novels by Robert Crais were also nominated for these awards:

• The Monkey's Raincoat: Edgar Award, Best Paperback Original (1988). Shamus Award, Best P.I. Paperback Original (1988).
• The Man Who Knew Dick Bong: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Short Story (1989).
• In the Line of Duty: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Short Story (1989).
• Lullaby Town: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (1993). Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (1993).
• Free Fall: Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (1994).
• Voodoo River: Dilys Award, Best Mystery Novel (1996).
• Indigo Slam: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (1998).
• L. A. Requiem: Hammett Prize, Best Crime Novel (1999). Barry Award, Best Novel (2000). Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (2000). Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel (2000). Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2000). Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (2000).
• Demolition Angel: Edgar Award, Mary Higgins Clark Award (2000). Dilys Award, Best Mystery Novel (2001).
• Hostage: Crime Writer's Association Award, Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award (2002).
• The Last Detective: Audie Award, Best Mystery (2004). Audie Award, Best Fiction (2004).
• The Forgotten Man: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (2006).
• The Two Minute Rule: Audie Award, Literary Fiction and Classics (2007). Audie Award, Best Fiction (2007).
• The Watchman: Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2008). International Thriller Writers Award, Best Novel (2008).
• Chasing Darkness: SCIBA Awards, Best Mystery Novel (2008).
• The First Rule: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (2011).
• Taken: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2012). Lefty Award, The Watson Award (2013).
• Suspect: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2013). Audie Award, Best Thriller or Suspense (2014). Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2014). Barry Award, Best Novel (2014).
• The Promise: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel (2016). Lefty Award, Best LCC Regional Mystery (2016).

Robert Crais Lists & Other Mentions

• Taken was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2012.

Robert Crais: TV/Movies Based on Books

The standalone novel Hostage was adapted into a movie in 2005. The action thriller was adapted by Doug Richardson, and it starred Bruce Willis playing the hostage negotiator Jeff Talley.

Robert Crais F.A.Q

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Austin D.

2 years ago

Have enjoyed Robert Crais’ work for a number of years, in the strength of the main characters, doing the right stuff to save the victims. Stepped away from the series for a while, but when I came back, it was like coming back to some old friends.

Joe Pike is one of my favorite fictional characters (along with Cole) and he especially feels incredibly real to me as I read the novels.

The Wanted is a must read of the series, and features one awesome scene with some incredible bad guys in it. Cannot recommend this novel or the rest of the series enough to other people.

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Tobily McSmith

Admin

2 years ago

Robert Crais doesn’t miss. The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike is a book list filled with hit after hit.

My personal favorite has to be Chasing Darkness, the twelfth book in the series. Cole really has his world turned upside down here when a man is found dead with pictures of murder victims on his laptop. Cole had worked on the case a few years back and he had actually cleared the man in the case against him for the same murders.

Cole can’t help but wonder if he cost two women their lives. The LAPD wants him nowhere near the case, but Cole and Pike set out to find the truth about this man and his deadly picture album.

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Michael K.

1 year ago

My librarian tried to sell Robert Crais to me by saying that he wrote scripts for several TV shows, including ‘Miami Vice’ and ‘Hill Street Blues.’ The sizable list of shows she mentioned would have impressed me if I had ever heard of them, let alone watched them. But I hadn’t.

She changed tactics and said critics had compared Crais to Chandler, Hammett, and Hemmingway, which was another waste of time because those names were also new to me.

Obviously, I’ve heard of Hemingway, but I couldn’t tell you the first thing about his literary works. Frustrated, my librarian threw ‘The Watchman’ at me and demanded that I read it.

I did. Now, I’ve ordered the entire ‘Elvis Cole and Joe Pike’ series. But more than that, I also asked my librarian for Chandler, Hemmingway, and Hammett recommendations. If Crais took inspiration from those authors, I’m curious to see how their styles compare.

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Phil Ammar

6 months ago

Robert Crais is a great writer. His Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series is my favorite. They’re all based in the great Los Angeles area where I was born and raised, so I can really relate to these books. I’ve been to most of the locations that he depicts in this series which makes them come to life. 🙂

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Graffla05

5 months ago

I originally read this book a number of years ago. This time around I listened to it and still enjoyed it having forgotten I had read it before.

I know you don’t want cut and paste but my review from Goodreads still rings true.

Elvis Cole is a smart aleck private detective with a heart of gold. Not only does he constantly aggravate the police when he trying to help them but he just won’t stop until he has solved the problem for his clients.

In the Monkey’s Raincoat Elvis is hired by a woman whose husband has runaway with their son. At least that is what everyone thinks until the son appears in the hands of a very rich drug dealer. Did the husband steal $100,000 worth of cocaine from this rich man? Is that why he turns up dead?

As usual, Elvis gets pretty beat up as he tries to help his clients but he and his sidekick, Pike, are tough. I would always want them on my side, as the bad guy will always suffer, even if he wins.

I wish my to read list wasn’t so long because Crais has been on it a long time and I haven’t gotten back to him until now.

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Larry B

2 months ago

As a devoted fan, I eagerly await each new release from Robert Crais. Especially the Joe Pike/Elvis Cole Series. Pike and Cole are a dynamic duo like no other. Their chemistry is endlessly entertaining. Its impossible not to love these two characters and enjoy their stories. The humor in these books, the witty banter and sarcastic remarks are a welcome relief for me as a reader. I am grateful for the hours of reading pleasure his books have provided. I give a BIG ” Thank You” to Robert Crais for being a great writer and gifting us with these two characters.

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