The Big Empty

I just finished reading The Big Empty, Robert Crais's latest Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel. It actually came out last January, but I didn't realize it until recently. Which is good, since a copy was available at the Blake Library here in Stuart, Florida, and I didn't have to go on a waiting list for a couple of months. These stories feature Los Angeles private detective Elvis Cole and his ex-Marine, ex-cop partner Joe Pike. I really enjoy reading this series, and I liked this latest book, too, although not as much as some of Crais's previous stories. Perhaps because Pike, a no-nonsense, take no prisoners type of guy did not play a major role in this particular adventure. In any case, this time an influencer/podcaster named Traci Beller hires Cole to investigate the disappearance of her father 10 years earlier when she was 13 years old. The assumption has been that he deserted the family, but Traci doesn't believe that. Cole heads to the town of Rancha, just east of L.A., where her father disappeared, and starts asking questions, and soon finds that there are people there who don't want the truth unearthed. And he also learns that the disappearance might be connected to something far more sinister. This is a good mystery, and I do recommend it, even if Joe Pike takes a back seat in this particular adventure. Pick up a copy at your local library today - it should definitely be available by now.