The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais

Synopsis

Joe Pike is the consumate "good cop," a former special forces SWAT team standout of almost super-hero proportions. To pay back an old debt, Pike is coerced into playing bodyguard to a wealthy young heiress whose life is in danger after getting involved in an auto accident with some unscrupulous types that are set on her destruction. Pike must figure out the who, how, and the why while on the run as the bullets and the body count soar. The plot is revealed at breakneck speed with a twist in the end that will leave your head spinning. * * *

My Two Cents Worth

In my quest to find new authors and fresh material, I picked up The Watchman by Robert Crais. This was my first book with the Cole/Pike characters. The Watchman was simply plucked from the double stack of books waiting to be read and I jumped in with both feet.

I read about 80 pages with the first sitting, enough to feel comfortable with both the characters and the plot; in fact, I felt almost too comfortable - like I had seen this story before, starring Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) and Paris Hilton.

The Watchman gets off to a blistering pace as Pike attempts to make good on a promise to an old friend by agreeing to act as bodyguard/mercenary to a young debutante who is involved in a bizarre auto accident. The body count quickly escalates as they race from one hideout to another, with a host of unknown gunmen hot on their trail.

Crais sets a scorching pace and has me hooked. I also appreciated the dialogue between Pike, the ultimate special team warrior, and Larkin, the spoiled, rich, valley girl. Their chemistry worked for me, at least as far as the communications, although the hint of intimacy made me a little uncomfortable and seemed out of place.

I thought the plot unfolded nicely for the next 150 pages, with Pike making all the right moves, until he leaves her alone for a few hours. This all but ruined it for me. It contradicted all the admirable work he had done up to this point - it just didn't make sense. As the mystery of exactly why Larkin was being pursued and who was behind the sinister plot is discovered, you couldn't help but wonder why such an elaborate scheme was devised to get to her, when it would have been infinitely easier to resolve at the scene of the crash on about page 20.

As for the author, I will read other Crais books and recommend The Watchman to friends mostly because of his writing style and story-telling skills.

Paperback
384 pages
3.5 hours