Elvis Cole: The Wold's Greatest Detective

Elvis Cole is the fictional detective in the novels of Robert Crais. He describes himself as "the world's greatest detective." Elvis has a sardonic sense of humor that often gets him into trouble. He also has a penchant for Mickey Mouse and Jiminy Cricket and memorabilia of these two characters decorate both his office and his home. He lives in the hills of Santa Monica in an A-frame house with a big back porch that overlooks a canyon. He resides with a bad-tempered black cat that has no name.

Elvis has a partner named Joe Pike. Joe is a former marine and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Together, they solve mysteries from their agency on Santa Monica Boulevard. Elvis has a soft spot for the ladies and often gets into trouble trying to help. He carries a Dan Wesson 38 special revolver in a shoulder holster. Joe brings his 357 magnum, a shotgun, a knife and a leather sap, among other weapons. Both Elvis and Joe are trained in martial arts. Elvis drives a yellow 1966 Corvette Stingray and wears Hawaiian shirts. Joe Pike wears sunglasses, jeans and a cut-off gray sweatshirt.

Elvis and Joe appear in 12 novels, so far. The last novel, “The Watchman,” features Joe Pike as the leading character. Although Elvis lives in California, his cases have taken him all over the country. For a time, he even lived in Colorado with a woman he was dating. She appeared in three of the novels. But when her son was kidnapped, she sent Elvis packing, even though he found the boy and returned him to his mother unharmed.