Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais

read by James Daniels

Anyone wondering what had happened to the hardboiled Los Angeles private detective, the putative heirs to Philip Marlowe, will find reassurance and solace in the writings of Robert Crais and his private investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

Chasing Darkness is gripping from the opening minutes and builds with considerable skill and élan. In short, this is a masterpiece of the policier genre and, indeed, a masterpiece of contemporary fiction. Crais' prose is brimming with invention and short on cliché
. He is one of the most literary of crime writers working today - a characteristic which makes Chandler's novels worth rereading and which is sadly lacking in so many bestsellers. Characterisation and locations are vivid and distinctive, and the plot is complex yet coherent, with more than a few unpredictable twists.

Crais' television and screenwriting credentials are clear in this brilliant audiobook, which will not disappoint; and James Daniels' reading is a bravura performance contributing considerably to a truly outstanding production.

Award-winning stuff.

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© 2008 AudioBooksReview