World Literary Awards

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Robert Crais

ロバート・クレイス

Robaato Kureisu

Aliases: Elvis Cole / Jerry Gret Samouche
Pen Names: Elvis Cole（Used as the name of his series protagonist; sometimes listed as a pen name）, Jerry Gret Samouche（Pen name reported in some sources (details limited)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-06-20 （Independence, Louisiana, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Independence, Louisiana, U.S. → Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Screenwriter
Active Years
1976-
Memberships
Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Influenced By
Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, John Steinbeck
Influenced
Lee Child
Nominations
Edgar Award (Best Paperback Original) 1988 - Nominated (The Monkey's Raincoat), Anthony Award (Best Novel) 2000 - Nominated (L.A. Requiem), Multiple Shamus Award nominations across his career

Education

Louisiana State University
College of Engineering / Mechanical Engineering
Country: United States
Studied mechanical engineering; degree and graduation year not specified in available sources.

Awards

Anthony Award
1988
Work: The Monkey's Raincoat
Category: ベスト・ペーパーバック・オリジナル
Organization: Bouchercon (World Mystery Convention)
Result: Won
Macavity Award
1988
Work: The Monkey's Raincoat
Category: ベスト・ファースト・ノベル
Organization: Mystery Readers International
Result: Won
Shamus Award
1997
Work: Sunset Express
Category: ベスト・P.I.小説
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Result: Won
Dilys Award
1999
Work: L.A. Requiem
Organization: Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
Result: Won
Ross Macdonald Literary Award
2006
Organization: Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival
Result: Won
The Eye (Lifetime Achievement Award)
2010
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Result: Won
Grand Master Award (Mystery Writers of America)
2014
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
Result: Won
Barry Award
2008
Work: The Watchman
Category: ベスト・スリラー
Organization: Barry Awards
Result: Won
Shamus Award
2013
Work: Taken
Category: ベスト・ハードカバーP.I.小説
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Result: Won
Barry Award - Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade
2020
Work: Suspect
Category: Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade
Organization: Barry Awards
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Monkey's Raincoat

1987 Detective fiction, Crime fiction

First full-length novel introducing Elvis Cole. Private detective Elvis Cole investigates a kidnapping, uncovering dark elements in Los Angeles.

Private investigatorKidnappingFriendshipUrban Los Angeles

The Watchman

2007 Crime fiction, Thriller

Centers on Joe Pike, a former soldier who confronts cycles of violence and revenge while protecting those he cares about.

RevengeViolenceProfessional ethicsLoner protector

Hostage

2001 Suspense, Crime fiction

A tense hostage-and-ransom suspense novel. Adapted into the 2005 film 'Hostage'.

Hostage situationsExtortionHigh-stakes action
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hostage (2005 film) / Florent-Emilio Siri (2005)

Suspect

2013 Crime fiction, Police procedural

A novel examining crime and authority; later recognized in the Barry Awards as a top work of the decade.

Power and justiceEthics of investigationMedia and crime

Bibliography

  • The Monkey's Raincoat (1987)
  • Stalking the Angel (1989)
  • Lullaby Town (1992)
  • Free Fall (1993)
  • Voodoo River (1995)
  • Sunset Express (1996)
  • Indigo Slam (1997)
  • L.A. Requiem (1999)
  • Demolition Angel (2000)
  • Hostage (2001)
  • The Last Detective (2003)
  • The Forgotten Man (2005)
  • The Two-Minute Rule (2006)
  • The Watchman (2007)
  • Chasing Darkness (2008)
  • The First Rule (2010)
  • The Sentry (2011)
  • Taken (2012)
  • Suspect (2013)
  • The Promise (2015)
  • The Wanted (2017)
  • A Dangerous Man (2019)
  • Racing the Light (2022)
  • The Big Empty (2025)

Adaptations

  • Hostage (film, 2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Hardboiled tradition with cinematic pacingDialogue-driven, fast-paced prose with vivid, cinematic description
Recurring Motifs
PI ethics and friendship (Elvis Cole & Joe Pike)Urban Los Angeles and its underbellyAmbiguities of revenge and justice

Legacy

Robert Crais is one of contemporary America's leading crime novelists, known internationally for the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series. He has received numerous awards and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014. His books have been published in over 60 countries.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
  • Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of the novel 'Hostage' (2005)
  • The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike duo is often referenced as a popular detective pair in crime fiction

Trivia

  • Adopted and raised as an only child.
  • Worked as a television screenwriter before becoming a novelist, contributing to shows such as 'Hill Street Blues'.
  • Debut novel 'The Monkey's Raincoat' won the Anthony Award and Macavity Award in 1988.
  • His novels have been published in over 60 countries (sources sometimes state 62 countries).
  • Named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014.