THE WATCHMAN
Robert Crais
Simon & Schuster
Thriller
ISBN-10: 0743281632
ISBN-13: 9780743281638

Robert Crais is not a household name, at least not in the sense that James Patterson or Tom Clancy might be so considered. Yet, if you walk into the home of an avid reader, particularly of genre fiction, you are liable to find at least one --- sometimes even three or four --- of Crais's novels on the bookshelf. They most likely will be his more recent work --- THE LAST DETECTIVE, THE FORGOTTEN MAN, THE TWO MINUTE RULE, among others --- but he is well represented. Once you've experienced his writing, and his somewhat complex creation, Elvis Cole, you can't read just one. Crais is going to be one of your A-list authors.

Crais's latest offering, THE WATCHMAN, does not disappoint. Its protagonist, Joe Pike, is the silent partner in Cole's detective agency and, in many ways, is his dark Doppelganger --- a quiet, almost silent brooding presence, coiled and ready to strike without warning. Crais, ever mindful of Cole's fan base, does not exclude Cole from the proceedings, nor does he limit him to a cameo appearance. Cole plays an integral, if secondary, part in THE WATCHMAN, even as the focus of the work stays almost entirely on Pike.

Pike is brought into the events of the novel when he is called upon to pay an old debt, an assignment that he is reluctant to undertake. Larkin Conner Barkley (think Paris Hilton with a slight modicum of restraint) is involved in an early morning traffic accident and suddenly finds herself a witness in the middle of an ongoing federal investigation. As a result, she is targeted by a team of shadowy and mysterious individuals who seem to know her every move in advance, and it is Pike's job to keep her alive. When each of his moves appears to be telegraphed to the killers as well, he goes dark, cutting himself off from everyone, including law enforcement and Barkley's father. But of course, "everyone" does not include Cole, whose wisecracking demeanor belies his own dangerous competence in such matters.

Crais creates an edge-of-the-seat, cat-and-mouse atmosphere that almost makes one lose interest in the mystery of why Barkley is being pursued and who's been betraying her movements. All is revealed in good time, however, even as the author subtly drops cultural nuggets about 21st century Los Angeles and keeps the uneasy and mutual attraction between Barkley and Pike simmering. The explosive ending is perfectly executed --- a bit of rough justice that may be a prelude to a novel featuring yet another intriguing character in his expanding universe.

THE WATCHMAN has everything that a fan of Crais's could reasonably ask for, and much more. He continues to set, meet and exceed his own lofty standards, and his readers continue to reap the rewards.


   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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