The Promise: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel

I love action packed reads and this novel definitely met all the requirements of a book that’s hard to put down. I would highly recommend it and look forward to reading more staring Cole & Pike.

I love everything Robert Crais writes. The Promise seem to have been written in a different style we are used to have from Mr. Crais. There were so many characters that it was a little difficult to remember all of them. I plan to read the book again. I feel that I must get more familiar with some of the characters. Is Mr. Crais going to be again in Pasadena? My best wishes to him and his family. May 2016 be a wonderful year for them.When will we see the next book?Martha B.

The action is non-stop. Elvis and Joe dig deep into another action filled adventure that is filled with spies, gangbangers, corrupt Homeland security operatives and everyday innocent folks.

A mystery within a mystery.. Elvis is investigating , looking for Amy, for another woman ( who is not who she says she is). A lot of intrigue , plus Scott James and his dog, Maggie, help investigate. Lot of action. Really enjoyed this book.

Robert Crais delivers. I have read every Elvis Cole, Joe Pike novel. This one continues the winning streak. Maggie the bomb sniffing loyal dog is a wonderful addition to the action. I loved this book. I gobbled it up. It has heart, high stakes, great characters and pays off all the questions, concerns and mysteries. I can't wait for the next Elvis Cole Robert Crais novel. Thank you for a great read. Marc Vahanian

If you like to read mysteries you will probably like it. I have never been disappointed in a Robert Crais novel.

I've read all of Crais' books and like them for the good writing and interesting characters and plot. However, he seems to be losing a lot of the bite he had in his earliest works. There is little moral ambiguity in his recent books and this is a good example of that. You have the bad guys on one side and the shining knights on the other. Elvis, Joe, Scott and Maggie, and newcomer Jon Stone are just too perfect/sweet/kind/dudleydoright. Most of the story is told from Scott's point of view with Elvis and Joe on the periphery. Jon Stone is a multi-lingual super-mercenary surfer-type with a heart of gold, very likeable and yet a bit too sweet. Sure, the plot is complicated and interesting, the pages sweep by, Crais is good with that, but it just gets wrapped up too perfectly. Yes, we're all happy and feel good by the time the end of the book rolls around, but I just feel like something's missing.

Love Elvis and Joe. Terrific characters, well told story.Robert Crais is never disappointing.Highly recommend this one and any other Joe Pike/ Elvis Cole novel.

First up let me say that I enjoyed the book, taking only a couple of days to finish it, so it's a true "page-turner". The story is decent enough as well, a tangled plot that gets unravelled to a satisfactory conclusion. So far so good. However I can't help feeling that teaming up Scott James and his K-9 dog Maggie with Elvis Cole and (a tad underused) Joe Pike is a concept that stretches credulity a bit thin, trying too hard to emulate the Bosch/Haller link-up that Michael Connelly has developed perhaps. But, but but maybe I'm being unnecesarilly curmudgeonly and I don't want to put readers off. Fans of Crais will enjoy this book and new readers will find an enjoyable and thrilling story. Well worth a read

I've enjoyed the previous Elvis Cole novels, and kind of tolerated the Joe Pike story. And the original Scott <whatsis-surname?> book with dog as a protagonist was an interesting diversion.And them we have this.... Every character that Elvis Cole giving their own perspective on the same case.It could have worked but it didn't, mainly because the entire backstory was far too convoluted - even half way through I cared zero for whether Cole, the otherwise likeable dog-cop-guy-character or anyone else lived or died.The plot is already too tangled, before you start layering in all of the characters that Mr. Crais tries to introduce.All in all, it's a confusing mess.

After a lay off, one of the best yet. All his main popular characters appear :- Elvis Cole; Joe Pike: Maggie the dog; and (possibly a debutant) Jon Stone, a mercenary.The plot is ingenious and the criminals unspeakably nasty, and unpredictableIn addition, rather than a single commentator, each main character, (including Maggie) has their own share of chapters which are skilfully intermingled to keep the plot racing along, always one step ahead of the anticipating reader.Though not a registered fan (they are called Craisies in the States) I fully recommend this book for veterans as well as new readers

I was somewhat disappointed after a long wait for an Elvis Cole. Where it was Elvis with Joe Pike in the background it now seems Elvis is part of a team which ruins the wise cracking 'best detective in the world'. I struggled to get into the book for the first two thirds and then the plot came together but I will say the plot was a bit convoluted and need not have been and it had a cast of thousands. I will always like the characters but Crais has to be careful that introducing all his new found 'stars' into one story and they will start to detract from one another. Elvis and Joe go together, Jon Stone is either a one-off or the start of another route for the author although there is a cross over with Pike and I think Scott and his dog, Maggie will not necessarily appeal to all the Elvis readers.

Great plot, great to see several characters coming together. The only thing I don’t understand is how it has taken me five years to find out about this book. Read it almost in one sitting. It was supposed to ease the boredom during Coronavirus lockdown, but barely lasted 12 hours. That’s what happens with a Craig’s book.