In Robert Crais’ latest masterpiece, the 20th in his #1 New York Times bestselling series, the dynamic duo of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike deliver one of their most riveting adventures yet.
Ten years ago, Tommy Beller, the co-owner of a small California-based heating and air-conditioning company, finished his last job of the day in Rancha, said he was heading home to beat rush hour traffic, and then was never seen or heard from again. His work van was never found, nor were there any records of anyone fitting his description checking into any hospitals or hotels. His phone and credit card records showed no activity, either. The most plausible scenario, said the LAPD, was that he intentionally deserted his family, a wife and daughter, and yet those who knew him claimed he would have never abandoned them.
So what really happened? That is exactly what Beller’s daughter, Traci, now twenty-three and a famous online influencer, wants to know. And as everyone anywhere near Las Angelas knows, if you want the tough answers, you need Elvis Cole.
Picking up well after the events of Racing the Light (2022), readers meet back up with Cole, who is busy planning a summer vacation with his lover, Lucy Chenier, an attorney in Louisiana, when he gets a call on his landline (remember those?) from Dina Wade. Wade, Cole soon learns, is the assistant to Traci Beller, or as her 8.2 million followers on social media know her, “The Muffin Girl.” Traci hosts a web-based daily baking show on her socials called The Baker Next Door, which led to gaining brand deals before a management team found investors to help her open a dozen storefronts around California where they sell a variety of her baked goods, including, as you might have guessed, muffins. Yet, for Traci, all the fame and money in the world can’t fill the void left by her father’s disappearance. Getting right to business, Dina tells Cole that Traci will pay him a thousand bucks just to hear her out, even if he decides not to take the job.
After meeting Traci, Cole promises to poke around but is honest that he doesn’t expect to find anything that the LAPD and private detectives her mother hired five years prior didn’t already uncover. That feeling only intensifies when Cole actually reads the LAPD’s case file and then goes over the investigation notes from Byers & Ryan, the private detectives that Traci’s mother, Georgina, retained to search for “proof of death” in order to secure a death certificate for Tommy. Still, wanting to do right by Traci—who won him over with her need to know the truth and a basket of sour cream zaatar, salted caramel, honey mustard pistachio, and double-chocolate cherry muffins—Cole begins re-questioning witnesses before stumbling on what might be a clue. But as Cole goes from grasping at straws to pulling on an unlikely thread, he inadvertently uncovers far more than he bargained for, forcing him to call in some reinforcements.
With his cold case suddenly heating up, Cole brings on his longtime friend Joe Pike to lend a hand, and together, they vow to unravel the mystery and chase down the truth no matter where that leads them.
For a book with the word “empty” in the title, Robert Crais sure does pack a ton into his latest offering. Then again, The Big, Twisting, Jam-Packed Thrill Ride doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it now? But seriously, this is vintage Crais, who pulls out all the stops, treating his fans to an unputdownable reading experience with The Big Empty, which brings back beloved characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike for what might be their most harrowing challenge yet. While the investigation, which quickly spirals into a labyrinth of danger and deceit, drives the story forward, it is once again Crais’ deft approach to developing his cast of characters that shines brightest here. Cole and Pike are both iconic heroes, as good as anyone the genre has ever known. That’s a given, and getting to hang with them for a few hundred pages is always a treat. Traci Beller, though, Cole’s latest client, also proves to be a scene-stealer and someone readers can’t help but feel for and relate to in one way or another. Bottom line: you won’t find a better mix of twisting storylines and richly-drawn characters than this one, which only further cements Robert Crais’ standing as one of the greatest mystery writers of his time.
With his sharp prose, well-drawn characters, and an intricate plot that never ceases to surprise, Robert Crais has crafted another masterpiece, delivering a story that is both a gripping page-turner and a profound exploration of hidden evils in The Big Empty, a must for anyone in search of an edge-of-your-seat reading experience that’ll stay with you long after turning the final page.
Book Details
Author: Robert Crais
Series: Elvis Cole #20
Pages: 400 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0525535764
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor in addition to running TRBS. He is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” LETHAL RANGE, OUT FOR BLOOD, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.