Robert Crais' Suspect: Like it - or I'll Sic my Dog on You!
You’ve probably seen the sticker on the tailgate of a compact SUV; perhaps pasted on the bumper of a pickup truck. It’s plain black with a white border, shaped like a paw print. The message is these three simple words: “Who Rescued Who?” Good question – and very much to the point for Scott James and Maggie. Patrolman James barely survived the midnight ambush that killed his partner and two civilians; German Shepherd Maggie had to be wrestled from the body of her handler after a sniper shot both of them in Afghanistan. The two met at the LAPD’s K9 training ground, a pair of “broken toys” that might have bonded in part over their shared sorrow. Though months have passed by since the ambush, the five men who killed Scott’s partner still walk around free. The thought of that makes him angry – angry enough to insert himself (and his new partner Maggie) into the investigation. As luck would have it, the pair turn up a lead – just before everything goes pear-shaped. Although best known for his series featuring Hawaiian shirt-clad detective Elvis Cole and his enigmatic sidekick Joe Pike, Robert Crais has also been known to drop off the occasional standalone in his publisher’s IN box. Suspect is one of those – neither Cole nor Pike is anywhere in sight, and the only even semi-familiar name is that of CSI guru John Chen, whose cameo appearance is limited to perhaps two sentences. The novel’s not that far out of the author’s wheelhouse, though, since he did the no-Cole thing before, such as in 2006’s Two-Minute Rule. Suspect is far more akin, however, to another Crais standalone, 2002’s Demolition Angel. You’ve got your damaged cop as protagonist, a special detail of the LAPD, and pretty similar resolution of the plot (no spoilers here – ain’t gonna tell). Angel is about a bomb squad member whose partner was also killed, so there might be the faintest whiff of “template” for those Crais fans who have long memories. The similarity ends there, however. Crais spends a lot of page space taking his protagonists – two- and four-footed – through some of pretty demanding K9 training. It’s rigorous for both partners; in part because James thinks he’s hiding the remaining pain of his injuries, and because Maggie shows signs of a canine form of PTSD. The theme of “who rescued who” plays well, as readers watch Scott evolve from someone who grew up with cats to a “bone fide” dog person, fully bonded to his pack. The chapters told from Maggie’s point of view might seem just a little precious (especially to you cat people – you know who you are), but they are short and far between. As police procedurals go, it’s a little on the thin side because so much of the story is devoted to the bonding process between man and dog; but there’s still enough investigation going on to make it work. Although Suspect seems to move rather slowly, the pacing is quite sneaky and I found myself plowing through the story as Crais ratcheted up the suspense. As a long-time fan of Crais and his sometimes goofy series star, the highest praise I can give this book is, “I didn’t miss Elvis at all.” Author's note: it's not "Who rescued who," it's "Who rescued whom." Considering the topic, I'm happy to let them get away with it... all content copyright © 2001 to present by scmrak
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