A review of Taken by Robert Crais

There are few authors I truly get excited about when a new novel is coming out. Stephen King and Joe R. Lansdale certainly do it to me. Robert McCammon definitely gets me excited with his Matthew Corbett series. And, finally, there’s Robert Crais and his Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels.

I’ve been reading Robert Crais since 1992 when Lullaby Town came out in hardcover. That’s twenty years. His Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels have never disappointed me. In fact, the series has gotten even better with each passing year. When L.A. Requium was published, the author jumped from the mid-list to bestseller status.

As with the earlier novels, I still see the author, Robert Crais, as his lead character, Elvis Cole in his Hawaiian shirt and Khaki shorts, and a younger version of actor, Lance Henriksen, as Joe Pike with his black sunglasses and the slight twitch of his lips as he smiles. They fit the roles perfectly in my mind’s eye.

In the newest novel, Taken, I believe the author has written his best book to date. It’s a page turner of the grandest sort. It also hits you in the gut with a solid punch at the end. As I told a casual friend of mine at work, I got goose bumps and a little misty eyed during the last few pages of the novel. For me the whole book was about close friendship and what one will do to save those he cares about. True friends don’t run away. They come to your rescue and do whatever is necessary to get you back alive.

This is what Taken is about—friendship.

Of course, there are other themes running throughout the novel such as the epidemic battle we now face with the drug cartels and bandits in Southern California. The gang problem is probably so huge it can’t be fixed and whenever easy money can be made in the land of the poor, people are generally going to take that route. If you don’t, then you’d better learn how to keep your mouth shut because brutal retaliation is the number one motivator.

Taken starts off with a young couple out in the desert one night near Palm Springs. Their friends have already left, but they decided to stay behind for a few extra minutes. That was their mistake. Coyotes soon appear, dropping off illegal aliens from all over the world near the spot where they are hiding. No sooner do the scared people get off the trucks than they are quickly herded together by other bandits who appear in the dark from out of nowhere. The coyotes are murdered and the aliens are held for ransom until their already poor families can no longer pay. Then, they’re murdered and their bodies discarded in the desert. The young couple are swept up within this group and taken to an unknown location where they are held in a small room with dozens of other captives.

The young girl’s mother calls Elvis Cole to investigate the situation because she at first thinks it is nothing but a prank being pulled by her daughter to get some money out of her. But there’s also another reason. Though the lady now has a successful business, she’s an illegal alien and frightened of being deported and losing everything she has.

Within five hours of starting the case, Elvis Cole pretty much knows what happened to the kids. The question is how to find them before time runs out. He calls Joe Pike in to help him in the search. Pike, being more savvy with these kind of things, understands that the odds are going to be insurmountable when they find the kids and have to deal with the bandits. He calls in backup in the form of Jon Stone (a new character being introduced), a member of Delta Force who loves a good challenge and isn’t afraid of anything.

It isn’t long, however, before Elvis Cole disappears. From that point on it becomes personal for Pike. He understands that his friend may now be dead and if so, he’s going to kill everyone involved in the crime. He will take no prisoners. Jon Stone realizes this about his friend and is ready to do whatever is necessary to get revenge.

When I wrote earlier that this is a page turner, I wasn’t kidding. I couldn’t put the book down. As each chapter ended, I yearned to find out what was going to happen next. The author, Robert Crais, doesn’t disappoint. He keeps the pace on high octane, refusing to grant the reader even a moment of relaxation to catch his or her breath. You’re in this for the duration, and it is a battle as the good guys go up against the worse that humanity has to offer. It’s kill or be killed. When a situation like this arises, you want Joe Pike on your side. I know I do.

All the major and secondary characters are written to perfection and come alive on the pages within Taken. The author doesn’t hold back on character development. Each character is a living, breathing human being and fulfills their role within the novel.

The ending is heartfelt and leaves the reader with a clearer understanding of friendship and of men who bond as brothers. This is a novel filled with horrendous killing, but it is also a book that looks at heroism and what it takes to do the right thing against all odds.

Taken by Robert Crais is the best of the best. If you’re not already reading this author, then his new novel will cement your relationship with him. This is a winner and will make you hungry for more novels about Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Now, I have to wait another year for the next book to come out. I shouldn't have read this so fast. It's all Robert Crais' fault! Highly, highly recommended!!!!!