Indigo Slam

June 2, 1997
At the end of this wild ride, Vietnamese revolutionaries, Russian assassins and federal operatives are all part of a tense face-off. Not surprisingly, wisecracking L.A. shamus Elvis Cole is stuck right in the middle of things. At the start, Elvis is approached by three resourceful young children who would like their missing father located. That dad, Clark Hewitt, is soon revealed as a mystery man, a master printer and a possible junkie who fled the witness protection program he entered after informing on a counterfeiting operation run by Russian and Ukrainian mobsters. While Clark's kids clearly revere him, Elvis is suspicious. The feds want Clark back in their care and the Russians want revenge for his squealing. The final wrinkle comes in the shape of a Vietnamese family who want Clark to run off a stack of phony dong to wreak havoc on their country's economy. Elvis wants his lady love, Lucy, to move to L.A., but her possessive ex-husband has other ideas. Lurking under the trademark slick patter is a plot that gradually achieves a persuasive momentum. The taciturn Joe Pike, co-owner with Elvis of their detective agency, helps Elvis come up with a wild gambit that might make everyone happy, with the possible exception of the trigger-happy Russians. Never forgetting that wall-to-wall cuteness can't carry a novel unaided, Crais (Lullaby Town; Sunset Express) provides sympathetic and believable kids, a flawed father figure and a bunch of Vietnamese heavies with a softer side--all of whom rocket along until they interlock smoothly at the big finish.

February 1, 1997
Having made it big with his last Elvis Cole mystery (Sunset Express, Hyperion, 1996), Crais here puts Cole on the track of a missing father who seems to have criminal connections.

May 1, 1997
Crais' Elvis Cole novels have become a first-rate example of the double-tough-guy series. Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Hawk still define the subgenre, but Elvis and Joe Pike aren't far behind. Double tough guys can be counted on for at least one ferocious fight per novel, but along the way, there's plenty of banter from our hero and usually a few meaningful Gary Cooper^-like monosyllables from his sidekick. Elvis supplies the banter and Joe the monosyllables with aplomb in this account of a master counterfeiter's last hurrah. The counterfeiter has problems: the Russian Mafia is after him, he's dying of cancer, and he has three kids to provide for. The oldest, Teri, a feisty 15-year-old, asks Elvis to help find Dad, who's off trying to set up a final score. Proving they have hearts of tough-guy gold, Elvis and Joe come to the kids' aid, outmuscling and outsmarting the Russian thugs in a bizarre Disneyland finale. This is straight formulaic fare, but the tough guys are as endearing as they are invincible, and the insider information about high-tech printing is fascinating. Crais doesn't push the genre's envelope, but he works comfortably within its constraints. Hyperion is betting a $250,00 "breakout budget" on this one's marketability, so increased demand is likely. Recommend Elvis and Joe to anyone who likes Spenser and Hawk or Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. ((Reviewed May 1, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)