Robert Crais Books in Order

Robert Crais is a New York Times bestselling author best known for the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series that started with The Monkey’s Raincoat in 1987 about two Los Angeles private investigators. The series also includes spin-offs as part of the same Los Angeles crime world. Before becoming a book author, Robert Crais worked as a script writer for television shows like Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Quincy, and L.A. Law, background which influenced his later writing in the fast-moving scenes, short dialogues, and the importance of Cole and Pike’s partnership in the series.

This page lists all Robert Crais books in order, including the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels, the Scott James and Maggie books, standalone novels, short stories, anthologies, adaptations, and major awards.

How the Robert Crais Series Connect

Several books by Robert Crais are part of the same universe set in Los Angeles. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike share the main series, and other characters, part of other series or standalones, interact with them in various cases, including LAPD K-9 officer Scott James, his dog Maggie, and bomb squad detective Carol Starkey.

The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike books are treated as one big series, where in some books Elvis is main character, in others Joe has a bigger role, and yet in other books both are equal partners working on the same cases and sharing friendship and history. The Scott James and Maggie books are related to the universe through The Promise. Suspect introduces Scott and Maggie after both having experienced trauma and are learning to work together as a team before they meet Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in their investigation in the second book. Demolition Angel is a standalone novel, but it connects to the universe through LAPD bomb squad detective Carol Starkey who later appears in the main series starting with The Last Detective.

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Series (Books in Order)

The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series follows Los Angeles private investigator Elvis Cole and his business partner Joe Pike, who is a highly trained US Marine and a former LAPD officer. Joe is quiet and mysterious, and is extremely loyal to his friends. He provides the muscle and his strong support, while Elvis, the talkative guy, is the brains in the partnership, doing most of the client work. The series starts as a typical PI story with Joe supporting Elvis in the cases they investigate, and later when Joe’s past slowly unfolds, especially starting with L.A. Requiem, the two become full partners as Pike’s history becomes a main character and full partner in the series.

1. The Monkey’s Raincoat, 1987
2. Stalking The Angel, 1989
3. Lullaby Town, 1992
4. Free Fall, 1993
5. Voodoo River, 1995
6. Sunset Express, 1996
7. Indigo Slam, 1997
8. L. A. Requiem, 1999
9. The Last Detective, 2003
10. The Forgotten Man, 2006
11. The Watchman, 2007
12. Chasing Darkness, 2008
13. The First Rule, 2010
14. The Sentry, 2011
15. Taken, 2012
16. The Promise, 2015
17. The Wanted, 2017
18. A Dangerous Man, 2019
19. Racing the Light, 2022
20. The Big Empty, 2025

Other Elvis Cole & Joe Pike Books

• Elvis Cole and Joe Pike: A Mysterious Profile, 2022

Scott James & Maggie Series (Books in Order)

The Scott James and Maggie series follows LAPD officer Scott James and Maggie, a military working dog turned police K-9. The two team up in Suspect, after both have been recovering from major trauma. Scott’s partner was killed in a violent attack while Scott himself is now getting back on his feet, and Maggie is also dealing with the loss of her handler in Afghanistan. The series connects back to the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series in The Promise, where they start working the same investigation.

1. Suspect, 2013
2. The Promise, 2015

Standalone Novels

• Demolition Angel, 2001
• Hostage, 2002
• The Two Minute Rule, 2007

Novellas and Short Stories

• Weigh Station, 1982

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

• Clarion SF, 1977
• The Lineup: The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives, 2009
• Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, 2011
• The Best American Mystery Stories 2012, 2012
• Crimespree Magazine #50, 2013
• Suspense Magazine February 2013, 2013
• Crimespree Magazine #61, 2015
• The Best American Mystery Stories 2017, 2017

Robert Crais Biography

Rober Crais is an American crime fiction author who wrote the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels, the Scott James and Maggie books, and several standalone thrillers. His first novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, introduced Elvis Cole in 1987 and launched the Los Angeles crime series that became his best-known work.
Official website: robertcrais.com

Robert Crais was born in 1953 in Independence, Louisiana. He was adopted and raised as an only child in Baton Rouge. He attended the Louisiana State University where he studied mechanical engineering,, and in 1975 he attended the Clarion Writers’ Workshop in Michigan, which was a boot camp for young and inexperienced writers to learn the craft of writing.

In 1976, Robert Crais moved to Hollywood and began a career as a scriptwriter for series such as Quincy, Baretta, Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, and L.A. Law. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues. This TV scriptwriting background was useful in creating the Cole/Pike series, which has the essential ingredients to scripts: tight and short scenes, quick turns, and dialogue that brings characters into focus without disrupting the plot.

His debut novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, introduced Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in 1987. The book won both the Anthony Award and the Macavity Award and it started the main work of his career, which would become a connected universe. Initially, the series was focused on Elvis Cole, but later he expanded the series to give Joe Pike his own voice as well, elevating him to a full character role along Elvis. he also brought in recurring characters like Scott James and Maggie, who have also their own shorter series, and Carol Starkey from the standalone novel Demolition Angel.

He also wrote additional standalone novels Hostage, and The Two Minute Rule. Hostage was adapted into a 2005 feature film starring Bruce Willis. His books have been translated into dozens of languages, and he has received several major career honors, including the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, the Private Eye Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master honor.

Robert Crais Book Adaptations

• Hostage – adapted into the feature film Hostage (2005)

Robert Crais Awards and Honors

Major Awards and Honors

• The Monkey’s Raincoat – Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (1988)
• The Monkey’s Raincoat – Macavity Award for Best First Novel (1988)
• Sunset Express – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1997)
• L.A. Requiem – Dilys Award (2000)
• The Eye, Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
• Mystery Writers of America Grand Master (2014)
• Suspect – Barry Award for Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade (2020)
• The Big Empty – Edgar Award for Best Novel (2026)
• The Big Empty – ITW Thriller Award for Best Series Novel (2026)

Awards (Full List)

Nominations and Shortlists

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