Overall, not bad. I'd still read another of Robert Crais' books.
I really liked how he depicted the criminal. He did a good job of making him suffer from psychosis and presenting it from his viewpoint. Mr. Crais managed to make it realistic and sympathetic, without being excessive or cloying. He also didn't spend a lot of time on the psychoanalysis or trying to explain why he acted as he did. He did it mostly by showing the thought processes rather than telling, and (by the way) setting up a pretty good rationale for the plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
That being said, those concepts weren't explored or even touched on in the book itself, but were interesting to think about. I might have preferred if the resolution had involved that sort of plea arrangement, but then it probably would have devolved into a lot of explanation, and I think Mr. Crais is more keen on the action.
The mystery itself isn't bad in terms of set up. Seems fairly logical and doesn't try to build suspense beyond the likely point the reader can guess the solution.
My biggest complaint is around the Carol Starkey character. I liked Carol Starkey in Demolition Angel. I thought she was a bit cliche (tortured cop, haunted past, drowning in the bottle) but again, aspects of her character were well done. I read L.A. Requiem next, and there was a character called Samantha Dolan. Samantha Dolan was indistinguishable from Carol Starkey. I was getting them confused as I was reading. I fault Mr. Crais for that a bit, he's clearly got his stock of female archetypes and both of these are the same. I read L.A. Requiem, and just treated Samantha Dolan as Carol Starkey, since they both talk the same, act the same and seem to have all the same characteristics.
In L.A. Requiem, Samantha Dolan becomes romantically interested in Elvis Cole, and pursues him notwithstanding that he's in a relationship.
Back to The Forgotten Man, Carol Starkey is a major character again, still sounding and acting just like Samantha Dolan. Now Carol Starkey is pursuing Elvis Cole, notwithstanding that he's in a relationship, and I'm certain some of the lines were from the prior novel. The plot line continues to spin out just like it did in L.A. Requiem. At the end, Mr. Crais modified the outcome, but I'm not sure if I'll give him a pass on it or not. He's clearly recycling the same ideas, and I'm not sure whether this is because it's an area of interest for him, if it's some idea he has to develop the characters, or if he's just testing the waters to see which ending goes over better for his Elvis Cole fans. Either way, I find it annoying. Perhaps readers didn't like how L.A. Requiem was resolved, or perhaps Mr. Crais thinks memories are short, but I wasn't impressed. In two weeks I doubt I'll be able to distinguish the two novels, and for me that's not a reason to pick them up again.
As I noted in my introduction to this author, Mr. Crais leaves Joe Pike as a cypher, and doesn't do much to develop the character in a realistic way. If he's only got one female character he recycles into the same plotline over and over, and only one or two recurring male characters, then it's unlikely that he'll hold my interest.
(As a side note, L.A. Requiem was my first introduction to criminalist John Chen. I laughed out loud at the chapters from his viewpoint, and really liked how the character was portrayed. I thought he was a little weaker here, but still an enjoyable diversion, and by himself is almost reason for me to continue reading the series.)
Since I took out several Robert Crais books I'll continue reading, but I think I might give him a rest for a bit, or limit myself to older or non-Elvis Cole books.
I've just started The Two Minute Rule (a non Elvis Cole book) and thereafter I'll switch authors and move to a (purportedly) scary book in honour of Halloween, Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.
No comments:
Post a Comment