Robert Crais

Joe Pike, a supporting character in Robert Crais' Elvis Cole series, is the central character in the recently released The First Rule, Crais's second crime thriller to feature Pike.

From Crais' Q & A about the new books with Jordan Foster at Publishers Weekly:

Why did you focus on Eastern European organized crime?

Over the years living in Los Angeles, I've been hearing about the growing criminal element from Eastern Europe. With Joe Pike, if he's going to be a dragon slayer, you need a dragon to slay. Everything I've learned from my law enforcement friends about the Eastern European gangs says that they're as tough, dangerous, and merciless as they come.

How did you do your research?

I've developed quite a network of friends in all levels of law enforcement, from LAPD through ATF and Secret Service. I've been out with the ATF shooting machine guns. That's a great way to not write for an afternoon, but it also gives me all the little details that make a satisfying and rich read. Joe isn't a gun nut who likes guns for guns' sake. He sees them as necessary tools of his trade. There's no emotional rush. If he were a woodsman, he'd...[read on]

--Marshal Zeringue