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The Monkey's Raincoat Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,718 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
When Ellen Lang's husband disappears with their son, she hires Elvis Cole to track him down. A quiet and seemingly submissive wife, Ellen can't even write a check without him. All she wants is to get him and her son back - no questions asked. The search for Ellen's errant husband leads Elvis into the seamier side of Hollywood. He soon learns that Mort Lang is a down-on-his-luck talent agent who associates with a schlocky movie producer, and the last place he was spotted was at a party thrown by a famous and very well-connected ex-Matador. But no one has seen him since - including his B-movie girlfriend. At the same time the police find Mort in his parked car with four gunshots in his chest - and no kid in sight - Ellen disappears. Now nothing is what it seems, and the heat is on. It's up to Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike to find the connection between sleazy Hollywood players and an ex-Matador. "Far and away the most satisfying private eye novel in years. Grab this one - it's a winner!" - Lawrence Block "Is Bob Crais good? Put it this way: if they're taking you out to put you against the firing squad wall, and you want to enjoy your last moments on earth, pass on the last cigarette and ask for an Elvis Cole novel." - Harlan Ellison "Robert B. Parker has some competition on his hands....Elvis Cole is an appealing character and Crais' style is fresh and funny." - Sue Grafton
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"I'm new to Elvis Cole, but got hooked right from the beginning. Very clever dialogue and the plot moves at a good pace. This was a first novel for Robert Crais and now I'm working my way through the series."
— Marquita (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Robert B. Parker has some competition on his hands....Elvis Cole is an appealing character and Crais’ style is fresh and funny.”
— Sue Grafton, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Far and away the most satisfying private eye novel in years. Grab this one—it’s a winner!”
— Lawrence Block, New York Times bestselling author -
“Elvis Cole provides more fun for the reader than any LA private eye to come along in years.”
— Joseph Wambaugh, New York Times bestselling author -
“This action thriller is pure escapism and has great dialogue.”
— Healthy Magazine
Awards
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Winner of the 1988 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original
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Winner of the 1988 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery
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Finalist for the 1988 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original
The Monkey's Raincoat Listener Reviews
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" Wow, what a great first book! It's been a long time--probably since the last Crais book--that I read a novel that I enjoyed so much. Yeah, I love these guys! "
— Lola4, 2/11/2014 -
" Meh... Recommended by a friend. never really grabbed me (the writing, the characters or the story). "
— Dave, 2/9/2014 -
" Can't get enough of Elvis and Joe. They saved a little boy. "
— Sherri, 1/20/2014 -
" Good plot, good characters, not too much thinking required. Good guys win (is that a spoiler?). "
— Catie, 1/19/2014 -
" really good read, very sarcastic and witty main character who is a good twist on the usually vietnam vet turned private eye. "
— Patrick, 12/18/2013 -
" Likeable bonbon of a mystery featuring an ex-military private investigator named Elvis with a sharp wit and more honor than good sense. "
— Jack, 12/17/2013 -
" Funny, interesting to read about LA in the 80's. "
— Tricia, 12/17/2013 -
" Elvis and Joe Pike help a woman whose husband has been killed and son kidnapped by a powerful drug kingpin. This early Elvis Cole mystery (1992) lacks some of the depth of later titles, but it brings those pre-cell phone times vividly to life. "
— Virginia, 12/15/2013 -
" The first book of the series is really enjoyable. Interesting characters. I've read the next 4 books in the series and not too much different is happening. "
— DT, 12/8/2013 -
" Interesting characters, detective, suspenseful, good action, sometimes funny. "
— Stien, 10/10/2013 -
" I wanted to go back and read the 1st Elvis Cole book. It didn't disappoint! "
— Becky, 3/18/2013 -
" I've found my next favorite mystery writer... "
— Sage, 8/21/2012 -
" Nice intro to the Cole/Pike series. "
— Patrick, 7/19/2012 -
" I have read several of CrAis' novels. This is the first of the Elvis books, set in the 80s. I enjoy detective books and this was a good one. Just a nice entertaining read. "
— Pat, 5/18/2012 -
" Fun easy read. Funny to read an older book without cell phones, and having to use payphones and answering machines. "
— Rebecca, 4/29/2012 -
" My first Elvis Cole, I'll read more & want to read the pike books, too. "
— Lladroluv, 4/5/2012 -
" hated it... read 2/3's of the book two times just to make sure that I really wasn't enjoying it and on the second time I decided that was enough. "
— Altigenman, 3/23/2012 -
" I am a fan of Crais. All his books are good. "
— Lynette, 3/2/2012 -
" This book was written in the 80's and there were some things which are now outdated. However, I really like the Elvis Cole character, he makes me laugh. It was a good story, and I enjoyed it and will continue reading more in this series. "
— Mary, 10/24/2011 -
" a very nice detective novel, in the style of Chandler and Parker. "
— JT, 9/11/2011 -
" for a moment i thought i'm about to reach my reading target in 2012 before March but this book held my horses .... i didn't like it so much and i'm not sure if i'm going to finish it!! "
— Mohammed, 8/16/2011 -
" First time I've read one of Crais's Elvis Cole mysteries. Loved it! It kept me interested and on the edge of my seat in many places. I definitely will read more in the series, and soon! "
— Deborah, 5/25/2011 -
" Quite an average perhaps even disappointing book, I can only presume that the series improves over time due to how popular it is <br/><br/>Peter "
— Peter, 4/25/2011 -
" First in a fantastic series. "
— Katherine, 4/8/2011 -
" The plot of this novel was OK, but the story is a little slow developing. "
— Brian, 4/6/2011 -
" Not bad. The character has a really different sense of humore. Very in your face. The book was entertaining. But I found the dialogue had a lot of "un hunhs". "
— Trish, 4/2/2011 -
" Elvis Cole is a wisecracking, ass kicking private detective with a heart of gold. Read it, you'll like it. "
— Dani, 3/31/2011 -
" This book wasn't awful. but I just couldn't get into it. "
— Carmen, 3/27/2011 -
" The first in the Cole and Pike series...these characters as well as the writer, have improved over time. Still a good introduction to the series. "
— Kathleen, 3/8/2011 -
" I like this writer but for some reason every few pages I needed to take a break from reading. Weird "
— Denise, 3/7/2011 -
" If you miss Spenser start reading Elvis Cole!!!!! Adult read but not smutty "
— Hyde, 2/22/2011 -
" I wanted to go back and read the 1st Elvis Cole book. It didn't disappoint! "
— Becky, 2/17/2011
About Robert Crais
Robert Crais is an American author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Taken, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. He received the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2006, The Eye—Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award in 2014. He has written for such acclaimed television shows as L.A. Law, Cagney and Lacey, Miami Vice, and Hill Street Blues. A film adaptation of his novel Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
About Patrick Lawlor
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.