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    Chasing Darkness
    Chasing Darkness
    Chasing Darkness
    Audiobook7 hours

    Chasing Darkness

    Written by Robert Crais

    Narrated by James Daniels

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Private Investigator Elvis Cole learns that LA fires bring more than heat, they bring his old friend Joe Pike and the past. Cole’s fight to clear his name brings murder and corruption terrifyingly close to home.

    It’s fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. When police and fire department personnel rush door to door in a frenzied evacuation effort, they discover the week-old corpse of an apparent suicide. But the gunshot victim is less gruesome than what they find in his lap: a photo album of seven brutally murdered young women—one per year, for seven years. And when the suicide victim is identified as a former suspect in one of the murders, the news turns Elvis Cole’s world upside down.

    Three years earlier Lionel Byrd was brought to trial for the murder of a female prostitute named Yvonne Bennett. A taped confession coerced by the police inspired a prominent defense attorney to take Byrd’s case, and Elvis Cole was hired to investigate. It was Cole’s eleventh-hour discovery of an exculpatory videotape that allowed Lionel Byrd to walk free. Elvis was hailed as a hero.

    But the discovery of the death album in Byrd’s lap now brands Elvis as an unwitting accomplice to murder. Captured in photographs that could only have been taken by the murderer, Yvonne Bennett was the fifth of the seven victims—two more young women were murdered after Lionel Byrd walked free. So Elvis can’t help but wonder—did he, Elvis Cole, cost two more young women their lives?

    Shut out of the investigation by a special LAPD task force determined to close the case, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike desperately fight to uncover the truth about Lionel Byrd and his nightmare album of death—a truth hidden by lies, politics, and corruption in a world where nothing is what it seems to be.

    Chasing Darkness is a blistering thriller from the bestselling author who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime writing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 1, 2008
    ISBN9781423344414
    Chasing Darkness
    Author

    Robert Crais

    Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. A native of Louisiana, Crais moved to Hollywood in the late 70s where he began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues. In the mid 80s, Crais created a series of crime novels based around the characters Cole & Pike. In addition, Crais has also written several bestselling standalone thrillers. Robert Crais lives in LA with his wife and family.

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    Reviews for Chasing Darkness

    4/5

    513 ratings19 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Love these. This one had me guessing right to the end!
    • 5/5
      Twist after twist! “I did not see THAT coming!” Really good read
    • 4/5
      Robert Crais just continues to prove to me why he's one of my favorites. Always consistent, always compelling, always solid plots and characters ... just so good! The only thing that could have made this one better would be more Pike! Always need Pike in my life.
    • 4/5
      Evidence uncovered by Elvis Cole was instrumental in exonerating a man accused of the serial murder of several women. Since that time two additional women have been murdered. Now the man is found dead in an apparent suicide and on the floor in front of his chair is an album containing the photos of each of the murdered women, taken as they were in the act of dying. Even more telling, his fingerprints and DNA are all over the album and on each of the individual photos.This entry in the Elvis Cole, Joe Pike series focuses on Elvis' attempts to discover the truth behind the mystery. He's certain the dead man did not commit the murder so some complicated plot must be afoot. Why did he commit suicide or was he murdered and the scene staged to appear like a suicide? Who is the serial killer? Evidence points to a powerful Commissioner and the top brass in the police department appear to be involved in a cover-up designed to direct attention away from the Commissioner? Who is the mysterious newspaper reporter supposedly writing a book about the dead man and who is the mysterious woman who took meals to him?Crais' writing is again distinguished by his clever use of smilies, metaphors, and bon mots. His descriptions of the physical scene is never intrusive but he has a way or bringing scenes to life with only a few words.My only criticism is his inconsistent treatment of Carol Sharkey and John Chen. Chen's personality appears to change from novel to novel as does Sharkey's relationship with Crais. His treatment of these characters in Chasing Darkness almost makes it seem like this book was written before a couple of the previous works and withheld from publication.
    • 3/5
      Three years ago Elvis was called to help Lionel Byrd from being falsely convicted of murder. Elvis found evidence that Byrd couldn't have done it. Now, Byrd's dead body has been found with evidence which links him to the murders. Elvis feels that he has to rectify a possible mistake. Nothing too new here... Lots of action...
    • 4/5
      A former murder suspect that Cole had helped exonerate is discovered dead, an apparent suicide, apparently remorseful for the murder of a series of young women.
      This puts Cole in the line of fire both from the police and from the relatives of murder victims that suffered since the suspect's release.
      There appears to be a massive cover-up and Cole finds things getting extremely muddy.
      This was a well-written story.
    • 4/5
      During an evacuation in the LA fire season, the body of a man who Elvis had help clear of an earlier murder charge is found in a position to indicate suicide. Now pictures are found with the body that appear to indicate he actually committed the killing and seven more. Elvis finds this suspicious and starts to investigate. The family of the last the victims of the killer attack him. The police make fun of him and seem to be hiding information from him. Elvis suspects a leading politician and finds that the police do to but in public say the case is closed.This another fast moving twisting story with Elvis and his partner Joe Pike charging ahead despite what others suggest or tell them to do.
    • 2/5
      Nothing is ever what it seems to be in books about cops, PIs, crimes and cover-ups. So it is in Crais’ Chasing Darkness. I read it a few weeks ago and, unfortunately, can’t really remember much about the plot. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it, just that nothing set this book apart from all the other crime novels on the market. It’s a worthy afternoon, popcorn treat and for someone who reads a lot of chewy and deep stuff, a treat is needed every once in a while.
    • 5/5
      Crais, already a master at his craft, is still honing his skills. This Cole novel goes darker and deeper without sacrificing the essence of Elvis we all love. And even if I didn't have a detective in the novel named after me, I'd still think it's a darned great read!
    • 4/5
      Another satisfying tale from Crais. Briskly plotted with his usual crisp dialog, Cole and Pike do what they do best. No romance or relationship drama in this one. Starkey is back and hopefully becoming a mainstay in the series.My biggest complaint about Crais is how quickly I read his books. They're tough to put down, and I'm always reading them as fast as I can. They go by too fast!
    • 4/5
      An Elvis Cole novel in which a man Elvis cleared of murder is found dead with an album of seven dead women at his feet (including the woman he cleared the man of killing. Elvis is convinced that he was right in clearing the manand sets out to prove that things are not as they seem to be. It is a well crafted mystery with twists and turns that keeps you guessing to the end. The only thing negative about the book is that my favorite character in Robert Crais books is Joe Pike and he is not very prominent in this story (although he is in the book) .
    • 3/5
      Elvis has to prove that a job he did 3 years before, clearing a man of murder, was correct. Now Byrd's found dead with evidence he's killed more women. It's an open and shut case for the cops but what are they covering up? Elvis, with Joe for backup, follows the trail that looks more and more like police corruption, but is it? A good read.
    • 4/5
      I'd read a couple of Elvis Cole novels in the past and wasn't that impressed, but Chasing Darkness focused more on plot and action than on Elvis' tiresome relationship problems, and so was much more interesting. A couple of ingenious plot twists held my attention to the end.
    • 4/5
      "The darkness frightens me, but what it does to us frightens me even more. Maybe this is why I do what I do. I chase the darkness to make room for the light." (273) The concluding lines to Crais's latest sum up the hero quest for not only Elvis Cole but all protagonists in the genre, from Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe to Spenser and Reacher. Chasing the Darkness is a solid entry in the Crais oeuvre, an entertaining fast read. But it also does not stand out in any way; the experienced reader will have read dozens like it. Both Elvis and the story seem tired. May the next one show more life!
    • 4/5
      In this latest Cole novel I think Crais has gotten closer to the original voice he used in the early novels. The noir pastiche’s dialogue (both internal and external) crackled off the page and the action never stopped. Elvis seemed less awash in self-pity and inaction this time; more sure of himself like the old Elvis we’ve come to know. At the same time, he and Pike seem more like equal partners than they have in the past where Pike seemed to ALWAYS be bailing Elvis out and saving his ass. That’s why I think this one works a bit better than others.Plot-wise it is interesting enough. Lots of stonewalling, distractions and double-crosses. I was a bit annoyed to find Starkey once again part of the investigation. She grates on my nerves something awful. At least this time she isn’t panting and pawing at Cole all through the story. Gah. Lucy made an appearance, though, leaving the door open to a larger role once again. Her I liked, but the kid, not so much so I hope she stays in Louisiana until he’s 25.
    • 5/5
      Lionel Byrd is found dead in his home, apparently of suicide, when Los Angeles' law enforcement officers are evacuating people due to fires in the area. The death in and of itself wouldn't be alarm-setting, but the photo album full of pictures of dead women is a problem.Lionel had been accused of murdering one of the women, Yvonne Bennett, in the book a few years earlier. Elvis Cole found evidence that set him free. Now the Los Angeles police department is saying that Elvis got two more women killed by helping to set Lionel free in the first place - the two women murdered after Yvonne.Elvis is SURE that the evidence he found three years ago was legitimate, and something hinky is going on. When more oddities start popping up, Elvis sets out to prove what actually happened once and for all.Crais is back in true form with Chasing Darkness. The best statement I ever heard made about Robert Crais was, "Crais on a bad day is better than most writers on their best days." Let me assure you that Chasing Darkness WASN'T a bad day! From page one, Crais starts building up a theme of corruption in reality. There are evils destroying the world around Elvis. First the fires are burning his city. Then he receives news that his exterminator has found termites at his house, corrupting the foundation. A ransacking break-in even results in Elvis' Mickey Mouse phone being broken. Crais has to glue him back together, but you can still see the cracks...the damage. And the corruption continues to build up to the ultimate level of law enforcement and the government.As is the case with any Crais novel, the plot constantly feeds you twists and turns. It is pointless to try to predict the ending to a Crais novel because he'll get you. You are down to the last twenty pages or so and you know he's leading you down the final path...the one to the answers, and you know he's fed you enough information to figure out the "who done it" and then IT TWISTS AGAIN! GOTCHA!!Crais is a master of the character. Have you ever noticed the theme with my reading preferences? One must have great characters for me to really connect. Crais' characters always manage to take up residence inside my head for days, sometimes weeks, after I've finished reading one of his books. They are so real for me that they become a part of my world in a sense. No matter how many of Crais' books I read, I never tire of hearing about Joe Pike. And something as simple as "[Pike's] machine picked up with a beep. Pike doesn't have an outgoing message. You just get the beep" says oceans about Joe. He didn't play a very big role in this novel, but when he is present, he fills the room.Crais never needs a lot of words to build a character. John Chen in all his paranoia, returns in this novel and Crais describes him: "Chen was tall and skinny, and watching him get out of the wagon was like watching a question mark unfold. He studied the surrounding buildings as if he were checking for spies, then hurried to my car." Holy Cow! Who doesn't conjure up a vivid image from a description like that?I found Crais allusions to The Wizard of Oz very fitting for this theme. They played right into the idea of reality and what one sees and believes. He's another author who doesn't waste a word when he's writing. It all works toward the theme of the book. Is it any wonder I had to finish this book in one day?Chasing Darkness is another stellar performance from Robert Crais.
    • 4/5
      Excellent and popular series by Robert Crais. In this outing, Elvis Cole, with the help of Joe Pike, tries to find out if a man he cleared of murder was really guilty after new evidence surfaces. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      This is the 12th book in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series by Robert Crais. Once again they are up to their eyes in trouble. Several years ago, Elvis Cole, a private investigator, while working for a defense attorney, provided information that allowed a murder suspect to go free. Today, that suspect, is found dead, along with an album containing pictures of 7 female victims. Pictures only the murderer could have taken. Adament that he was right the first time, Elvis Cole starts his own investigation of the crime. The book follows his quest for the truth, while providing the reader with some interesting twists and turns on the way to finding a solution. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next one.
    • 3/5
      Elvis Cole is a great character, but this is not a great book. Elvis is asked to look into the suicide of an alleged serial killer, someone he cleared of a murder charge a few years earlier. There are some dirty cops thrown in for color, and a few other sinister turns, but this is not up to Crais' usual excellent plotting. I recommend this author but not this book.