Racing the Light

Written by Robert Crais

Narrated by Luke Daniels

*On Reader's Digest's list of "30 new books we can't wait to read in 2022"*

Private investigator Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike are back on the case in this brilliant thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

Adele Schumacher isn't a typical worried mom. When she hires Elvis to find her missing son, a controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe, she brings a bag filled with cash, bizarre tales of government conspiracies, and a squad of professional bodyguards. Finding Josh should be simple, but Elvis quickly learns he isn't alone in the hunt—a deadly team of mysterious strangers are determined to find Josh and his adult film star girlfriend first.

With dangerous secrets lurking behind every lead, Elvis needs his friend Joe Pike more than ever to uncover the truth about Josh, corrupt politicians, and the vicious business cartels rotting the heart of Los Angeles from within. And when Elvis's estranged girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son, Ben, return, he learns just how much he has to lose...if he survives.

Written with the heart, humor, and relentless suspense for which Crais is famous, Racing the Light delivers Elvis Cole's most dangerous case yet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781536625646

Robert Crais

Robert Crais is the author of many novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Last Detective, Hostage, and L.A. Requiem. Learn more about his work at RobertCrais.com.

Reviews for Racing the Light

[Duane white · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome as always.crais one of the best I've read. "Repeatedly "

[lewilliams-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adele Schmucher arrives at Elvis Col's office unannounced. With her are two "handlers". Her grown son Josh is missing. She wants Elvis to find him and let her know. Elvis agrees to take the case. Josh runs his In Your Face Podcast and has set his sights on exposing a corrupt politician and business cartels. Mixed in is Elvis's ex- girl friend and her son come to LA for a visit. Things get tricky enough that Elvis enlists the help of Joe Pike. There's not as much action as previous Elvis Cole novels and Joe Pike played only a very minor role are the reasons for the 4 stars.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Elvis is hired by Adele, the mother of a controversial podcaster Josh who is missing and she wants him found. This leads Elvis to Sklar Lawless a stripper who also works as an escort who also disappears. Adele and her husband seem to have connections to mysterious government agencies and Chinese agents appear to be interested in Josh as well.Meanwhile Elvis' personal life becomes complicated when Lucy Chenier comes to visit with her son Ben.I didn't find this entry in the Elvis cannon as entertaining as most of the earlier entries and I am not sure why. Joe pike to help Elvis when things get dangerous.

[jldarden · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy dipping into this series, like visiting old friends. This one was merely adequate. The Cole/Pike dynamic is still there but this one could have stood with a little more action. Nevertheless, enjoyable.

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That damn cat is still around - definitely the world's oldest cat for the world's greatest detective. I like that Lucy and Ben are back in Elvis's life, but I don't want them there if all Lucy does is complain and worry and clutch her pearls about the job and what it entails. She knows and if she wants to be a couple she needs to STFU about it already. In terms of overall villainy and danger, this outing is a bit light, but there is a surprise or two and a death that comes as a surprise. Glad Crais decided to suspend the timeline (and we our disbelief) to keep writing these. Yeah, some of it is well-trod territory (like Pike's monosyllabic deadpanning and that frigging clock), but it's fun territory and one I like returning to.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Robert Crais pens another of my favorite series - the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike crime novels. The 19th entry is the newly released Racing the Light. Elvis Cole is a private investigator in Hollywood, California. Cole's methods are sometimes unorthodox, and his manner is irreverent, but he's a dogged detective who sees every job to it's conclusion. I love his tenacity. His partner is Joe Pike, a man of few words, but lots of action. Jon Stone also has a role in this latest. Their newest client is Adele, who comes to the office with no appointment and two 'minders'. Her adult son is missing and she's brought payment in cash. According to her, the cops aren't doing much, so he hears her out. She starts talking about conspiracies and he almost....almost says no. But he's intrigued.Well, kudos to Crais for this 'absolutely no way I could have ever predicated' plot! Multilayered, intriguing and yeah - conspiratorial. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll stop there. The case is great, but for me it's the characters that are the stars. They have personal storylines, with Elvis's taking the stage in this book. His past is back in the form of an ex-girlfriend and her son. And again - the 'I got your back' relationship between Elvis and Joe. Crais' writing is wonderful. I can't put his books down. They're action filled and move very quickly as one clue leads to another. But there's also humor woven in - Elvis's dialogue is often not what you have expected. Another great read from Robert Crais that I finished too quickly. I'm looking forward to Robert Crais' next book. And if you're a fan of John Sandford's Davenport and Flowers books, you need to read Robert Crais.

[tottman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Adele Schumacher walked into Elvis Cole's office, she appeared to be more than a typical little old lady. For one thing, she came with a stack of cash. For another, she came with two formidable-looking bodyguards whom she referred to as "helpers". Adele needs Elvis's help to find her missing adult son, Josh Shoe, who is a podcaster with a taste for conspiracy theories. Adele thinks he's gone to Area 51 but Elvis suspects there's a more pedestrian explanation.As Elvis begins poking around, he finds that he's not the only one looking for Josh. It seems there's another team of professionals staking out Josh's place. That means it's time to call in Joe Pike for some assistance. Soon Elvis is down the rabbit hole trying to figure out what story Josh was chasing and who is trying to stop him. Corrupt politicians and murderous business cartels are the least of it. To add to his busy life, Elvis's ex-girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son Ben pop into town. Events personal and professional are spiraling into dangerous territory and it's up to Elvis and Joe to sort them out.Robert Crais is the master at spinning a story where the stakes keep going up and Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are two of the best characters to go on the journey with. The action is intense and exciting and Crais manages to pique your interest with every clue that leads to a more and more fascinating mystery. The secondary characters you meet along the way are well-developed and provide both comic relief and sympathy. The ability to quickly sketch a character in a way that makes you empathize and root for them is a real gift. The action is superb, the characters interesting and the mystery absorbing. I'd always like to see more Joe Pike, but you can't complain with such an entertaining story. Robert Crais is the master and Racing The Light is another winner. This is a great series and I can't wait for the next one!

[hcnewton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.---WHAT'S RACING THE LIGHT ABOUT?The essence of the case is that Elvis is hired by the mother of a young man who has gone missing to find him. This is pretty par for the course for Elvis Cole—a missing persons case.Here's what makes this distinct: the mother has money—she pays a generous retainer in cash (so generous, Elvis gives some back) and you get the impression that it wouldn't be difficult for her to add a few more thousand. Before she walks into the office, two people come in and do a security sweep. Adele Schumacher believes her son, Joshua, has been taken by government agents for his investigation into Area 51 for his podcast. So, yeah, not a typical day in the office.The podcast is called In Your Face with Josh Shoe, and it's frequently about government corruption, conspiracies, and whatnot—but they've branched out to things like interviewing a porn actress. His childhood friend/podcasting partner, Ryan, tells Elvis that Josh is trying to move to more mainstream topics (Ryan doesn't seem on board with this, for what it's worth). Ryan shares Adele's theory for Josh's absence, Josh has been taken because he returned to Area 51 and found something.But Elvis starts to find evidence that Josh is investigating something he didn't tell Ryan about—Elvis can't figure out what it is, sadly, but he starts to figure out who Josh might be interviewing for this story. And one of them has gone missing, too. Is this tied to his disappearance or did the twenty-something self-employed and single guy just flake off for a few days?It's not long before Elvis starts to think he's not the only one looking for Josh and he enlists help from Joe Pike (who brings in Jon Stone). If those two get on board, you know things are about to get dangerous.PIKE AND STONEThe problem with getting to know the PI's more lethal/less-hung-up-about hurting people friend/sidekick/partner better is that it's harder to keep them feeling dangerous and mysterious—it maybe even gets to the point where they stop being quite as prone to violence as they once were, and their charcoal-gray hats get a little closer to white. With Joe Pike getting some novels of his own, a lot of his sharp edges have been dulled for fans, so it was nice that Crais brought along Jon Stone so when Pike couldn't be ruthless and cold-blooded, there'd be someone who could.He gets to be that guy here—he's helpful (very), resourceful, and mercenary. He pitches in because Pike pushes him to—not because he cares about Elvis or the fate of Josh. But what he does, he does well. (and is amusing for the reader throughout)Pike is also not quite the active presence in this book that he has been lately—so when he does show up and act, it makes it feel a bit more super-human. Crais really upped his game with Pike in this novel and it allows him to steal almost every scene he's in. Naturally, the phone calls between Pike and Cole are still fun to read—if you can write an entertaining conversation with one party being nearly-monosyllabic, you've got a gift.LUCY AND BENLucy and Ben come by for an almost-unannounced visit to ensure that Elvis can't give his full attention to the case. Which sounds snarky and may not be wholly fair of me. But it's not wrong.I enjoy the character of Ben and the way he interacts with Elvis—and continue to do so. I appreciated and believed what he was going through—both on his own and with his mother—at this stage of life, and Crais's portrayal of this was one of the (many) highlights of this novel. It was also a good way to remind the reader just But Lucy has bothered me for a while now (although I was initially a fan), and I'm not certain that this book alleviates that (nor do I think Crais is altogether worried about it). I'm going to reserve judgment on this appearance for now. I did like Cole's response to her visit and presence (when it didn't take him off of his game, although I thought that was a nice touch).SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT RACING THE LIGHT?I need to spend some time thinking about this idea, but while reading this book I started to think of some notable first meetings between a PI and their client—like The Big Sleep, The Doorbell Rang, God Save the Child, and The Judas Goat*—and how those meetings can be a bellwether for the rest of the book. If the meeting seems pretty good/typical, the rest of the book will be, too; if the meeting catches your attention, the rest of the book will be of a higher quality.** The first meeting between Elvis and Adele Schumacher definitely fits—it's not your standard meeting (the presence of her personal security helps). Right away, I could tell this was going to be a better-than-usual Elvis Cole novel. There's not much that can beat that, in my book.* This is a list generated in a rush, and I know I've left off some big ones, but as indicated, this is a theory-in-progress, I might work it out fully later.** It's likely that a better book is going to be better from the first chapter, and I just like the idea of creating a litmus test.My opinion never wavered from that point on—this is some of the best writing Crais has given us in a long time—there are some passages/sentences/phrases I've had to read a few times just because I enjoyed them so much. I'm going to have a hard time limiting myself when quoting from the book once I get the hardcover. I'm already looking forward to a re-read of this somewhere down the road.Along those lines, there's one passage following a conversation between Elvis and Josh's father that I'd believe Crais stole from one of the earliest Robert B. Parker novels. It's not often that I get a reminder of the shared DNA between Elvis and Spenser. I appreciate what distinguishes the two more than their similarities, but it's good to see the family resemblance is still there—it's what attracted me to both characters (and their authors!).We see the return of some characters that Crais hasn't used in a while, too—which adds to the overall feeling of this novel hearkening back to earlier Elvis novels more than the last few. Another of the ways this book shines is in the supporting characters, not just that many from the old gang are back, but characters for this book. We get to know a couple of people connected to the missing persons really well, they're well-fleshed out, and you can't help feeling empathy for them and connected to them. For example, there's a man who lives in Griffith Park who's a witness to part of a cover-up—we get four chapters from his perspective. And I like him enough already that I'd read a short story/novella just about him.I've probably gone on more than long enough at this point, let me wrap it up.New readers will find plenty to enjoy here as well as well-established fans should. Obviously, newcomers won't get all the character moments that come from the buildup of 17 previous novels, but that doesn't mean they won't walk away with a sense of them. Don't let the existence of those novels dissuade you, see them as an added bonus of backstory you can explore if you get into these characters.I don't see how long-term fans aren't going to relish this novel. Racing the Light doesn't carry the emotional heft of L.A. Requiem or The Last Detective (primarily because those books explored the characters of Elvis and Pike in depths that Crais can't repeat), but in terms of plot, pacing, and character this is their equal. I haven't been this excited about a Robert Crais novel since The Promise.I'm telling you, readers, don't miss out on this one.