The Promise

I haven't been reading much lately. I don't know why, but I do know that I don't like it. Reading is a great way for me to decompress. (So why do I watch mindless television instead?) My mother sent the latest Robert Crais book to my Kindle saying she really liked it. (She sent me one of his books in the past and I reviewed it here.) The Promise ties in with the last book. The review on Amazon.com says:

Loyalty, commitment, and the fight for justice have always driven Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. If they make a promise, they keep it. Even if it could get them killed.

When Elvis Cole is secretly hired to find a grief-stricken mother, he's led to an ordinary house on a rainy night in Echo Park. Only the house isn't ordinary, and the people hiding inside are a desperate fugitive and a murderous criminal with his own dangerous secrets.

As helicopters swirl overhead, Scott and Maggie track the fugitive to this same house, coming face-to-face with Mr. Rollins, a killer who leaves behind a brutally murdered body and enough explosives to destroy the neighborhood. Scott is now the only person who can identify him, but Mr. Rollins has a rule: Never leave a witness alive.

For all of them, the night is only beginning.

Sworn to secrecy by his client, Elvis finds himself targeted by the police even as Mr. Rollins targets Maggie and Scott. As Mr. Rollins closes in for the kill, Elvis and Joe join forces with Scott and Maggie to follow a trail of lies where no one is who they claim -- and the very woman they promised to save might get them all killed.

I know -- OOOOH. So, what did I think?

First of all, it was a quick read. I found it engaging. I liked this story better than Suspect, even though the dog -- a German shepherd! -- plays a much smaller part in this one. Now that Jedi and I are doing nose work, I really liked how the story touched on Maggie's scent work skills. However, I've never known a dog to be trained in tracking people and find explosives (it's always been either/or) as the alerts are very different. Think about it: an excited dog who jumps on his bad guy target cannot behave the same way when he finds a bomb. Other than that, it was a nice escape.

How about you, have you read anything good lately? Please share! -- K