I bought this book off of a Bookbub email offer. It’s not my first Elvis Cole novel, but it’s been a while since I’ve read one. Let’s be clear up front, Robert Crais is a wildly successful author. His Elvis Cole series sits at twenty books, with the twentieth having been released this month. Maybe I should have read the twentieth, because #19, Racing the Light was kind of meh. The premise of the book is a podcaster named Josh Shoe is missing, and Elvis Cole is hired by Josh’s eccentric, wealthy, government contractor mother to find him. What follows is classic Crais, perfect pacing, tight writing, some cool “guy stuff,” and every character displaying all of the proper responses and emotions as expected by society.

What do I mean by that?

In a Robert Crais book, the good guys are good guys and the bad guys are bad guys and tough men take action to save the day. Reading a Crais book is like watching primetime television or old Texas Ranger Chuck Norris shows, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a huge market for those kinds of books. I just tend to like my mysteries to have a little more nuance and shades of gray. There’s no gray in a Crais book, so after I finish one I always end up feeling like I feel after finishing a piece of gum. It was enjoyable and tasted great but didn’t really add any meaningful nutrients to my body. But if you’re just looking for a fast paced escape from the day to day, this book is a great option.

My Take: Read an older Crais, like L.A. Requiem instead of this one.