A thriller from start to finish for sure. Joe Pike, the nearly silent partner to chatty P. I. Elvis Cole finds himself bodyguarding an immature heiress and witness to the presence of a highly wanted man in the United States.

As good as the story is, and it is good, it is the character of Joe Pike taking center stage that stands out and will be remembered. He's a man's man and his actions and abilities while formidable are not those of a superhero but rather a elite warrior. There's enough here too to keep female suspense readers enthralled. While some reviewers would have preferred Pike never show care for anyone or anything, I thought Crais was masterful in hinting at Pike's human core. Highly recommended.

In more ways than one Larkin Conner Barkley lived life in the fast lane and that nearly proved to be her undoing. A car accident sent her into hiding with ex-cop Joe Pike as her protector.

Why would a non-fatal accident force her wealthy father, in conjunction with the FBI, to send her on the run? Why was the FBI involved?

Joe Pike owed a favor and taking on the task of protecting Larkin was his form of repayment. It was not a job he enjoyed and his only concern was keeping her alive until such time as she could safely return home.

False trails and lies will keep Joe on the run and the reader will travel righ along with him and Larkin in this multi-layered take of suspense. You will wonder who they can trust? Who is after them?

Talented author Robert Crais keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, turning pages to see what happens next with an easy reading story. A well-told tale with complex characters, each with their own motive and secrets that emerge slowly as the story unwinds. A story that will have you looking for other books by this very imaginative author. Enjoy.

This is a great book! Totally entertaining.

I picked it up yesterday afternoon and finished it several hours later. Great diversion.

Story has a fast moving plotline with lots of twists and turns. But it works. And feels 'real' - meaning it doesn't rely on completely outlandish, unbelievable events to keep the pace up (um, well, maybe there are a few that stretch credulity, but all in all, plausible).

And the characters are vividly cast and interesting. They really come to life. Pike is a real man's man - yet has a sensitive side to him that helps round out the appeal. Even the Paris Hilton-lookalike is likeable as she turns out to have some substance as the story progresses.

Robert Crais is the noted author of the Elvis Cole PI novels which are fairly solid books in their own right. This time out, Crais takes Cole's back-up man, Joe Pike, and shows us what Pike does during the times he's not helping Cole. Several months have passed since the events of The Last Detective and Joe must respond to the favor called in by Jon Stone. Pike is to protect a wealthy, young, attractive, attention-hog of Larkin Barkley. Larkin was in a traffic accident which turns out involved some bad people. She wants to do the right thing and from then on her life is being threatened. Pike is brought in to protect her but there's a leak in the works so Pike takes Larkin and drops off the radar, taking matters into his own hands. As expected, Pike calls in Cole to help him on a few investigative matters but this time Cole is the sidekick, not Pike.

While the story is not the strongest it is what we have always figured Pike does when not helping Cole. We do get a slightly larger look into what makes Pike tick. Unfortunately, it's pretty straight forward in that we know Pike is going to get the bad guys but there's never a real feeling of threat from THE bad guy as he doesn't even appear until 3/4 through the book. Basically we get an opening shoot out, then lots of hiding and investigation, and then a closing shoot out. More involvement with the antagonists would have been better but this is what I figured a Joe Pike novel was going to be like and it certainly was enjoyable.

If you read the Elvis Cole novels, you're going to read this one too. However, it can be read as a stand alone but it does fit into the Elvis Cole timeline which gives away some of those novels' endings.

Wonderful as an audio book. Great plot with back and forth time jumps that are intriguing rather than confusing. Wonderful plot twists.

I loved this book. Especially Joe Pike is phenomenal. I even liked the dialogues and descreption of Pike more than the story which is also good. The only remark I have is when Joe becomes sort of melodramatic towards the girl, all this touching of hands does not go well with his image.
Absolutely recommend this book

I've read nearly all of Robert Crais's Elvis Cole novels, and have really enjoyed the series as a whole. For the most part, Crais is a strong writer who knows how to write a compelling story. THE WATCHMAN, the eleventh Elvis Cole novel, is yet another strong effort with an interesting twist.

Most of the appeal of THE WATCHMAN comes from seeing Joe Pike, who normally serves as Cole's sidekick, assume the role of leading man. In this novel, Pike is forced to serve as a bodyguard for a spoiled heiress in the mold of Paris Hilton. The novel deals with Pike's efforts to protect her, as well as the nature of their evolving relationship. It also provides Crais with another excuse to delve into Pike's background and explain what makes him the man he is.

I like Pike very much as a character, and all the best scenes in THE WATCHMAN deal with his unique reactions to the events around him. But the background plot, which has a lot of pointless twists and turns, was too convoluted for my taste. Crais is one of those authors who attempts to fake out the reader at multiple levels, but I found the results in this case to be confusing and overblown. I think Harlan Coben does a far better job with this type of plotting.

Overall, however, I found THE WATCHMAN to be an enjoyable read, with a lot of great action scenes and a fascinating central character. Crais's next novel in 2009 is also supposed to star Pike, and I look forward to reading that one when it comes out.

Elvis Cole sidekick, the enigmatic and dangerous Joe Pike, gets a high-powered starring role in "The Watchman," with The World's Greatest Detective playing backup this time. A reluctant Pike is convinced to repay an old debt by protecting Larkin Barkley, a spoiled young heiress (Paris Hilton anyone?) who rear-ended another car after a night of wild partying and is now on the run from both the mysterious accident victims, who suspiciously absconded from the accident scene, and the FBI, who seem to be hiding the real reason they want her in custody. Pike, with Cole's assistance, gets Larkin into hiding and goes after the bad guys - which may include members of the police force and the FBI - himself, setting a series of traps to find out what's going on. What I really liked about this book, besides the fast pace, colorful characters and vivid SoCal setting, all up to Crais' usual high standards, is the sensitive portrayal of the girl, who is far more than just a cliche of the pampered, spoiled celebs constantly overexposed in the tabloids. "The Watchman" is a welcome change of pace which tells us a lot about Joe Pike and the things in his past that made him who he is. Hopefully this is just the first in his own series.
Also recommended: A Stranger Lies There by Stephen Santogrossi- a hard-boiled thriller set in the desert around Palm Springs, it won the Malice Domestic Award for best first mystery. I actually discovered this book last year in an Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine review alongside "The Watchman." The review stated: "Santogrossi writes powerfully and movingly about a man who has paid for his mistakes only to find out that he's not through paying and never will be. An author to watch."

This is real gem of a book. It has great characters and Joe Pike is one of the best characters the authors has brought out. Buy it, read it!

This book was given to me as a gift by a friend. This is my first Robert Crais book. While the writing style is great, the plot is shallow.

I've read all the Elvis Cole Series with Pike as the #2 guy, I thought this one was much better with Pike as the #1 and Cole #2. I hope the Pike series will continue.

Elvis Cole's silent sidekick takes center stage in this novel.
This book serves up a lot of insight into Joe's background and
what makes him tick. Here, he serves as a body guard to a
spoiled and reluctant heiress. The mystery is who is trying to
kill her and why, and how do the bad guys keep finding her?
As a big fan of all Robert Crais books, I do recommend this but
am not giving it 5 stars because although I found it fun and
exciting, it's not a real page-turner.

I read about 90% of this book. The book started out good, but I found myself waiting for something to happen.

Usually this does not mean it's a bad book if the story keeps you interested.

The problem with this book is the story was not interesting or gripping enough for me to even care what was going to happen. By the time I almost finished, I put the book down and didn't care less about the conclusion.

I don't understand why people are giving this book 5 star reviews.

I read about 90% of this book. The book started out good, but I found myself waiting for something to happen.

Usually this does not mean it's a bad book if the story keeps you interested.

The problem with this book is the story was not interesting or gripping enough for me to even care what was going to happen. By the time I almost finished, I put the book down and didn't care less about the conclusion.
For instance, I just finished reading "The pillars of the Earth" which has over 900 pages and the story kept me glued and really wanting to find out what happens at the end.

I don't understand why people are giving this book 5 star reviews. This book didn't do it for me.

Crais serves up another tight thriller with Joe Pike taking center stage as he tries to protect the life of a spoiled Paris Hilton-type. (Although it's made clear she looks more like Lindsey Lohan.) When the action heats up you forget that he's a bit too much of a super hero in the early pages. And fortunately, Elvis pops up to crack wise. I can't remember when these guys last had a paying client. These days with each case -- it's personal! (And that may be getting old.)

(Plus, you don't have to have taken the War-on-Terror Kool Aid to find Pike's actions in the climax reckless and irresponsible.)

I've never read a Robert Crais book before so I have no other writing of his to compare this with. However, I will say that this book kept my attention from page one. I found it easy to read though some of the chapters were a little long for what I'm used to.

I didn't find the flaws some others have seen in the plot and characterizations, not ready to think that deeply about it. I just know that I thoroughly enjoyed it and with the exception of the flashbacks in italics, it never bogged down for me.

This is a great read. Highly recommended.

Robert Crais' latest novel, THE WATCHMAN, is a breakout novel, even for Crais. In this book, Crais takes his writing to another level and takes the reader on a thrill ride that is full of some of the most compelling characters you'll ever see in a thriller. If you've read Crais before, you are very familiar with Elvis Cole, private detective, and his friend, Joe Pike. This novel is all about Joe Pike. If you haven't read Crais before, you'll still learn in this novel about Pike's childhood filled with abuse, his incredible skills he learned as a marine, and his early years with the LAPD. The opening of the book covers a car wreck. Young wild child Larkin Barkely is speeding down a road late at night when she hits a car. She tries to help, but the people in the other car refuse.

The next chapter opens with Joe Pike dragging Larkin around town while they are being chased by killers. Larkin stumbled onto some heavy criminal activity when she hit that car. She agreed to testify and was put in witness protection. That didn't work, and Larkin's billionaire father, Connor Barkely, paid for the best man he could find. Pike was contacted through Bud Flynn, a former parnter wih the LAPD and father figure to Pike. Pike agrees to help and soon is the only man standing between Larkin and death. The rest of the plot is full of twists and turns. Cole shows up to help and the novel plays out as one of Crais' best.

In all the Cole/Pike novels, there are flashbacks that delve into the past of the characters while adding to the story. In THE WATCHMAN, Crais examines Pike's first days as an LAPD officer and a tragic shooting while working with partner Bud Flynn. The relationship between Pike and Larkin is the force behind this novel. The two couldn't be more opposite. Larkin is a spoiled brat kid used to doing what she wants and using her sexuality to her advantage. Pike is much older, tough, silent, non-emotional. Yet, throughout the novel, the two grow closer together. Their relationship kept me turning the pages. Crime scene analyst John Chen is also back a good for a lot of comic relief. Crais doesn't have to use sex-obsessed Chen's point of view to get the story across, but he does and has fun with it.

Crais is a great author, as good as any novelist out there. He ranks with Michael Connelly and John Sandford as far as police/detective thrillers go. THE WATCHMAN is a must read, and hurry, Crais' new book is coming out soon.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was recommended to me because I love reading Myron Boltaire. Writing style was similar, but it did not make me read it compulsively. I will however read more books by Robert Crais. I love the charater of Elvis Cole... I think Joe Pike was a little over the top.

Don't want to say much - like the hero of the book.
Just wanted to say how great it is to see Joe in the limelight. I find him more interesting than Elvis and it was nice to see more of him here.
Still got forty seconds...??? Looking forward to more Crais and hopefully more Pike.

I'm a big fan of Crais, but this book just didn't do anything for me. It just seemed to go in circles, the circles centered on a whifty Paris Hilton clone. Joe Pike's okay, but I'm a much bigger Elvis Cole fan. I really don't think Pike is strong enough as a character to merit a whole book. In any case, I found the plot uncompelling and the story just seemed to drift. Crais is an uneven writer: sometimes he's up, sometimes he's down. In this one, he's down.

This is the best Crais novel I have read in a long time. From the get go this was a page turner. The book begins in the middle of some wonderful action that just pulls the reader into it and does not let go.

I have been reading Robert Crais since his first published novel but after a few books in the seires I began to tire of the Elvis Cole series. Elvis went from interesting to bland for me. One day I picked this book up in a store and glanced at the first page and was swept up into the plot. This is one of the novels that features partner Joe Pike in the lead role...and I liked it much better that way. Elvis Cole actually brightened up the story at appropriate times. I find Cole to be a great side kick character to Joe Pike. There is also the medical examiner, Chen, who is a hoot.

The only downfall in the book is that there is some point where its high energy ride begins to sustain itself for no other reason that to keep the book going for a while longer. By the time the author reaches the end, I had lost track on who some of the earlier characters (law officials and lawyers) were, but was able to remain engaged with the story through the end.

If you are looking for mystery/adventure (leaning more towards the latter) that I recommend this book.

I'll save you a few minutes and make it quick: I read a lot of action/mystery novels, and if you like Lee Child or Nelson DeMille (or, of course, Robert Crais), then you'll enjoy this book.

I like the Jack Reacher novels, and I look at Joe Pike as being like Reacher (although a bit less talkative) and Pike has always been a secondary character to Elvis Cole in these Crais novels, so it is refreshing to have the novel focus on Pike.

As a longtime fan of Robert Crais who enjoys Joe Pike and Elvis Cole stories, I found this one disappointing in terms of writing, character development and plot. Any writer who can only come up with (as small as)"a postage stamp," not once, but twice, is being lazy (and needs an editor). Similarly, as far as characters, our heroine's (would-be victim) development went about as far as a 15 second report on Entertainment Tonight. Gee, a sexy rich girl who's famous for being famous and whose father owns (among other things) hotels: Wonder who that could be? And, wow, the father has some nefarious business dealings himself!! Who'd have thought? Forget this one - dunno how it garnered a four-and-a- half star rating, and go for earlier books, which really are good.

The Watchman was a great read. This was the first time I had read anything by Robert Crais and now I can't wait to devour the rest! I just finished Monkey's Raincoat and I really enjoyed it too.

I just started reading Robert Crais books. Ireally liked this book. I'll
let you know at a latter time about the other books I've ordered.