Taken (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Book 15)

Enjoy reading his books.

This book has a crazy timeline; going back-and-forth in time. The worlds greatest detective is on the case to find a missing girl. Joe Pike gets involved when Elvis gets into trouble.

I don't use that word lightly, but in this case it applies. There are some books so compelling that you carry them around--everywhere--reading a chapter here, a paragraph there. I think of Andrew Vachss's debut novel Flood, Harris' Silence of the Lambs . . . and now, Robert Crais's Taken.Abduction novels are not my favorites, but here all of the dangers of such novels (claustrophobic settings, excrutiating emotional situations) are happily avoided. Crais uses short chapters, multiple points of view and mixed time levels to create a masterpiece of suspense. This, however, is not the kind of suspense that entails unimaginable resolutions. We know that Elvis and Joe Pike are going to triumph in the end; what we wait for, what we anxiously anticipate, is the body count.Elvis has been hired by a woman in Los Angeles to find her daughter, a star student from Loyola Marymount and an all-around good person. She and her boyfriend (concerning whom the mother has some reservations) have been in Palm Springs. The two disappear and the mother receives demands for her daughter's return at a ridiculously low price: $500.What the mother doesn't know is that her daughter and her boyfriend have been swept up in an unrelated event in which a group of bajadores (bandits who steal from other bandits) have captured a group of illegal immigrants. They then proceed to call the relatives of their captives and demand ransom. They put the captives on the phone and torture them so that their relatives hear the screams and are more likely to loosen their purse strings. When the money runs out the captives are murdered and thrown into ditches in the desert.Fortunately, Elvis and Joe are on the case and they're aided by Nancie Stendahl (an ATF muck-a-muck who is the aunt of the captured Latina girl's boyfriend). Aunt Nancie is pure standup, but she has to work within the law. Not so for Jon Stone, an addition to the cast who is an old compadre of Joe Pike's, a veteran of various mercenary engagements, Delta force operations, and so on. (Note to Mr. Crais: we absolutely must have more of Jon Stone in the future.)I won't spoil the plot, but I will say that Elvis is taken captive--a minor setback, since he (and the reader) know that the cavalry riding in his direction consist of Joe and Jon (not to mention Aunt Nancie).And there's more. The captured illegals include a group of Koreans whose transport to the U.S. has been paid for by the leaders of the Korean mob. These individuals are not amused by the actions of the bajadores and they are willing to talk to Elvis, Joe and Jon about a possible partnership. The bajadores, of course, are very, very nasty bits of business, given to intimidating the weak, abusing women and reducing their captives to animals. They call them their pollos. We know very early on what these people need: a visit from Joe Pike and his assortment of friends and allies.It's early in the year, but Taken may just be the suspense thriller of 2012. It is already Robert Crais's best book. Do not miss it.

While it's always exciting to discover new writers and unique literary voices, there's something tremendously comforting about reading another installment of a regular series of books. Having familiarity with specific characters, their habits and motivations, and revisiting a particular setting is kind of like visiting an old friend. Obviously, you hope that each book in a series is somewhat distinctive, but some of the enjoyment and excitement comes from returning to people and places you've been.I've read all of Robert Crais' books featuring wiseass private detective Elvis Cole and his stoic, steadfast, strong, and sensitive sidekick, Joe Pike, and I absolutely love these characters. I like the way Crais has been switching back and forth over the last few years between allowing Cole and Pike to anchor alternating books, although each features in the other's stories. The loyalty and chemistry between the two, as well as Crais' ability to create tension and terrific action, make all of his books enjoyable, quick reads.As Taken begins, young couple Krista Morales and Jack Berman are visiting the site of an old plane crash in the desert near Rancho Mirage, CA when they disappear. When Krista's mother, Nita, a successful business owner who recently revealed to Krista that she came to the U.S. illegally as a young child, receives a phone call from Krista demanding money, she thinks that this is a scheme Krista and Jack have cooked up to run off and get married. Nita hires Cole to find Krista and bring her home--but Cole finds out the situation is far worse than anyone imagined.Krista and Jack were swept up in a gunfight between human traffickers and "bajadores," criminals who prey on other criminals. The two are mistaken for illegal aliens and become pawns in a scheme to extort money from immigrants' family members. The scheme, which leads to the death of many immigrants from all over the world each year, is masterminded by Syrian gangster Ghazi al-Diri and involves a deadly Korean gang as well. When Cole tries to infiltrate al-Diri's operation in an effort to rescue Krista and Jack backfires, Pike and his friend, mercenary Jon Stone, must find him before it's too late. But that's not as easy as it sounds, as Jack has a powerful relative who's searching for him as well.This book really reads more like a movie, as it switches narration between Jack and Krista, Elvis, Pike, and Jon Stone, and ratchets up the action fairly quickly. Cole is slightly less sarcastic than usual (and in fact, seems a little less of a presence in this book than he normally does), but Pike is at his loyal best. Because of the nature of the plot, Cole and Pike don't interact much, which I missed as well. But Crais' knack for telling a story that grips you quickly remains intact.If you've never read Robert Crais' books before, I'd encourage you to give him a try. And if you're a fan, while Taken might not be one of the strongest in the Elvis Cole series, it's still great to be back amidst Elvis and Joe Pike.

I normally like the author’s books but his one is dreadful. It is not a Pike story. He is a lead character alongside three or four other lead characters as we are led back and forward through time to learn the story through different peoples perspective. Don’t you hate this tiresome straight out of authors’ school technique?

I have read all of Robert Crais books. I prefer the ones with Elvis Cole as the main character instead of Joe Pike but all of them are good. Why do I prefer Elvis instead of Joe? Elvis has humor. Joe is an enigma.This one was not his top effort. The Story was jumping back and forth and there were to many actors involved in what was basically a very straight forward story. You just did not get to know the others apart from Elvis and Joe. The idea of smuggling Koreans to the US is a little silly since they can take a plane and go themselves. They do not need visa. Bit still Elvis was as usual a great guy and Joe, apart from his lack of humor, not bad. So the Story worked and it was great read even if the ending was a little abrupt.One thing bothered me somewhat. Why this new guy Jon Stone? We already have Joe Pike who is stretching the limit for what is believable. Jon Stone makes the Marvel heroes look like boy scouts. There are no people like Jon Stone in the world. I do not buy that you speak all those languages and have all the other abilities that Mr Crais have given to Mr Stone. Usually when you add someone like Jon Stone to a story it is a sign of a desperate author or a bad one. Robert Crais is neither so why introduce him? Why not just add "Joe Pike Light"? Please send him back to Africa before the next book.Anyhow, recommended as all of his books.

Okay: first I'd say that I've given this book 3 stars (instead of 2) because I'm a fan of Robert Crais and have read his books for years. Unfortunately this book is not up to his usual standard: due in my opinion to the author trying to be clever instead of settling for his tried and trusted formula. Instead the book moves backward and forward in time from the angle of different characters which include Pike and Cole. I can honestly say I could not wait for this book to finish, and that was not to see how it ended. Do not buy this book expecting this to be a "PIke" book in the usual sense: he is certainly in it but no more than three or four other characters in the book. I sincerely hope for a return to form but perhaps the author is getting bored with his characters and wants to get away from them: only time will tell.

When I first started the book, I noticed that it was written in sections and from different characters perspectives,at first I wasn't sure how it would be to read,but a few chapters in and I realized that it was engaging from the start right through to the end. I found that I couldn't put it down and wanted to keep reading. All the different perspectives from the different characters was great and gave a better understanding of the story. How the three friends will do anything for each other without questions.Fantastic book. It is the second one of Robert Crais I have read and I have not been disappointed in either and will definitely read more of his.A great read I really recommend anyone to read this book but advise you don't plan anything for a couple of days as you will be hooked!

Disappointed for the first time, having read the whole series in order. The brutality and violence of the plot was at times too unpleasant to read and because of the subject matter, prevented Robert Crais from allowing much of Elvis Cole's usual quirky humour to come to the fore. It seemed at odd with the series, as though he felt he had to take a hard line to win more readers who like their fiction blood-spattered and extra gory. I'm hoping the next book isn't as graphic.