I almost took off one star from my rating because it was too short, but that wouldn't be fair. But it went by way too quickly, and I'm worried I'll run out of them.

It was a typical Elvis Cole story, with some help from Joe Pike, my favorite sidekick with his humorous monologues and friendly banter. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you. But he was good at keeping the kids in line - they (along with most people) are scared to death of him.

In this book, they butted heads with Russian gangsters out for revenge, SE Asians out to drive out the communists from their country, and local counterfeiters. All in a day's work for the world's greatest detective. ( )

I've read everything in this series and really liked them all...so when needing a book for a challenge I revisited them. Elvis and Joe are perfect investing partners and perfectly good friends. What should be a simple missing person case spirals out of control bringing in the Russian mafia with the Feds close on their heels. Staying alive is a struggle...saving three kids looks beyond even Cole's and the world's toughest guy, Joe Pike's abilities. Robert Crais's skill as a story teller plus two wonderful characters combine to make this a good, if not great. Elvis Cole entry. This one was written 25 years ago and it hasn't lost anything over the years. ( )

The writing is so much more distinctive than Connelly. More fun and much richer. ( )

The Elvis Cole series is almost always good. More humanity than usual from both Elvis and Joe Pike. Russian mob/Vietnamese nationalist, dying counterfeiter printer dad and an interesting trio of children. The good wins again. ( )

In the seventh novel featuring private investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike a young teenage girl attempts to hire Elvis to find her father. It is clear that she and her younger brother and sister are alone and her father has been gone for 11 days. Elvis declines but follows her home to be sure they are okay. He finds a neat, orderly home and no apparent cause for concern aside from the absence of the father. However, Lucy Chenier, his Baton Rough attorney girlfriend, is visiting and she insists on visiting the children when Elvis explains the situation to her. After a brief visit she insists that Elvis help find the missing father.

It turns out that the father (Clark) is a former counterfeiter and apparent drug user. He has been in the witness protection program after testifying against a Russian mobster but left the program and is now involved in another scheme involving Vietnamese loyalists. The brother of the Russian mobster wants Clark dead. Elvis has to find Clark, extricate him from his present situation, reunite him with his children, and secure their safety from the Russians and Vietnamese.

As in Voodoo River, in the end Elvis and Joe manage to pit the two gangs against each other. Meanwhile, Lucy is offered a job and begins making plans to move to L. A.

This is a solid addition to the Cole/Pike series. ( )