O.J.-INSPIRED 'EXPRESS' A FAST AND FUN MYSTERY FOR L.A BASED PRIVATE EYE

(The Albuquerque Journal, April 21, 1996)

Review by Steve Brewer

Elvis Cole, the wise-cracking knight errant in Robert  Crais' series
of private eye novels, returns to Los Angeles in rare form in "Sunset
Express."

In a plot clearly influenced by the O.J. Simpson trial, Cole is hired by
the media-loving defense team in a high-profile murder case. His mission:
Prove that an L.A. cop named Angela Rossi planted the bloody knife that's
the main evidence in the case.

The first time Cole meets Rossi, she saps him with a blackjack. Despite that
irritating introduction, Cole begins to see that Rossi's a good cop who's
desperate to clear her name. It helps that Cole's enigmatic partner, Joe Pike,
knows Rossi well.

(The mere thought of Pike maybe getting romantic with anyone, even a tough
cop, is enough to make a Crais fan swoon.)

Before long, Cole and Pike are where they usually end up in Crais'  series
-- in a shootout with the bad guys that resolves most of the issues raised in
the investigation.

Crais  gives Cole a deepening romantic involvement with Lucy Chenier, whom
Cole met in his previous outing, "Voodoo River." And, he seems to pay special
attention to the minor characters, led by Louise Earle, a dignified woman who
deserves a better son than the criminal with whom she got saddled.

Altogether, "Sunset Express" is fast, free-wheeling fun.
 
 

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