The Sentry (Joe Pike) - Softcover

Crais, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425245721 ISBN 13: 9780425245729

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012

Synopsis

Private investigators Joe Pike and Elvis Cole get double-crossed in this twisty, gripping New York Times bestseller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

When gangbangers shake down the modest owner of a Los Angeles eatery, Joe Pike intervenes. For all intents and purposes, Pike saved Wilson Smith's life. But for reasons of their own, Smith and his lovely niece, Dru, are curiously resentful. It's only when Pike's feelings for the woman deepen that he and his partner, Elvis Cole, discover that Dru and her uncle are not at all who they seem, and everything Pike has learned about them is a lie. But it's much more than a deception. It's a trap. And with every new twist it's proving to be a killer.

About this title

Review

T. Jefferson Parker and Robert Crais: Author One-on-One

In this Amazon exclusive, we brought together blockbuster authors T. Jefferson Parker and Robert Crais and asked them to interview each other.

T. Jefferson Parker is one of only three writers to be awarded the Edgar Award for Best Novel more than once and the bestselling author of numerous novels, including Iron River. Parker lives with his family in Southern California.

Read on to see T. Jefferson Parker's questions for Robert Crais, or turn the tables to see what Crais asked Parker.

Parker: You’ve got a new novel coming out in January of 2011. I haven’t read it yet, so can you tell me a bit about it?

Crais: It's a Joe Pike novel. Wasn't supposed to be, so I was taken by surprise, but that's the way Pike is. I planned to follow my last book, The First Rule, with an Elvis Cole novel, but I saw Pike meet a woman in Venice, California, a few moments after Pike saved her uncle from a robbery. Ideas for books come to me that way--I'll see an image. The way Pike looked at her, I knew right away I had to follow their story. So it's a love story, but not your usual love story--it's a Joe Pike love story. As the Kirkus review said, "Prepare the body bags."

Parker: Did you have any surprises as you wrote the book?

Crais: A character named Daniel. Daniel is a hit man who is after the woman Pike is falling for. He is not your typical hit man. Daniel is very strange dude, and the creepiest character I've ever created. When I wrote his first scene, I sat back, and said, whoa, where did this guy come from?

Parker: You write terrific heroes and terrific villains. How do you get inside their heads, learn their methods and tricks?

Crais: The answer would scare you. Really.

Parker: Can you describe a typical work day?

Crais: It's pretty boring. I get up, go for a hike or work out because I like to get the exercise out of the way, then I sit down to work. The work requires discipline because there are so many distractions. Though, honestly, I can't think of a better way to spend my time than hanging out with Joe Pike and Elvis Cole and even strange and dangerous characters like Daniel.

Parker: Okay, when all the work is done (is it ever?) what do you do for plain-old, flat-out fun?

Crais: Anything outside. Hiking, scuba diving, flying. As a writer, I spend most of my time inside, staring at my computer. When the work is finished, I want OUT. It's like being paroled.

(Photo of T. Jefferson Parker © Rebecca Lawson)
(Photo of Robert Crais © exleyfotoinc)

About the Author

Robert Crais is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, many of them featuring private investigator Elvis Cole and his laconic ex-cop partner, Joe Pike. Before writing his first novel, Crais spent several years writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Quincy, Baretta, and L.A. Law. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, and one of his standalone novels, Hostage, was made into a movie starring Bruce Willis. His novels have been translated into forty-two languages and are bestsellers around the world. A native of Louisiana, he lives in Los Angeles.

Edition details

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0425245721
• ISBN 13: 9780425245729
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 416