Free Fall

May 3, 1993
Narrator-PI Elvis Cole (last seen in Lullaby Town ) is back, wisecracking but caring and the very model of a modern L.A. tec: he likes Nicoise salads, Evian water and yoga; he says ``Sure'' a lot. Secretary Jennifer Sheridan--young, pretty and a bit prim--asks Cole to find out what's troubling her fiance Mark, a member of an elite LAPD undercover squad, who has become withdrawn and won't talk about his work. Elvis skeptically takes the case and is immediately warned off by Mark, who says he's seeing another woman. Although a brief investigation seems to prove this, when Cole breaks the news to stalwart Jennifer, she convinces him to dig deeper. He uncovers a possible wrongful-death case against Mark's team that leads to complications, including the framing of Cole and his Rambo-like partner Pike on a murder-and-drug rap. They break out of jail and begin a desperate fight against a vicious drug dealer, the LAPD and Mark's squad. Scriptwriter Crais ( L.A. Law , Hill Street Blues ) excells with both action scenes and characterization; this fast, intricate, very satisfying thriller should send new readers back to his earlier books. Major ad/promo.

April 15, 1993
Elvis is back. No, not that one . . . the good one, the one who's fun to read about. Elvis Cole, Los Angeles private eye, returns in the fourth installment of a series in which there is way too much time between installments. Jennifer Sheridan wants Elvis to find out what's bothering her fiance, Mark Thurman, an undercover cop with an elite LAPD unit. Jennifer is certain it's not another woman, but Thurman himself tells Elvis the opposite. Elvis breaks the news to Jennifer in a hilarious restaurant scene, but she convinces him to stay on the case. Inevitably, Jennifer's suspicions turn out to be more than wishful thinking. Take the Rodney King case and put this spin on it: the guy with the camera was more interested in blackmail than justice. Pretty soon Elvis and his borderline sociopath partner, Joe Pike, are up to their smoking guns in renegade cops and angry gangs. Crais, who also writes for television ("L.A. Law," "Hill Street Blues"), has created a series hero who is tough, witty, resourceful, and even romantic. Let's face it: we all want to be Elvis Cole when we grow up. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)