Robert Crais
Robert Crais | |
---|---|
Robert Crais, Author | |
Born |
Independence, Louisiana, United States | June 20, 1953
Pen name | Elvis Cole, Jerry Gret Samouche |
Occupation | Novelist, Screenwriter |
Genres | Fiction, Crime Fiction, Thrillers |
www.robertcrais.com |
Robert Crais (born June 20, 1953) is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker and John Steinbeck. Crais lives in California's Santa Monica mountains with his family.
Biography
Born in Independence, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, he was adopted by a childless couple and raised as an only child.[1] Attended Louisiana State University, where he studied mechanical engineering for a time before turning to writing.[1]
Crais moved to Hollywood in 1976 where he found work as a screenwriter for such television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice, as well as pilots, TV movies and the NBC mini series Cross of Fire. He was nominated for an Emmy award for his writing on Hill Street Blues.
In the 1980s Crais decided to abandon scriptwriting and become a novelist. Following the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create his character Elvis Cole writing The Monkey's Raincoat, which won the 1988 Anthony Award for "Best First Novel",[2] the 1988 Mystery Readers International Macavity Award for "Best Paperback Original" at Bouchercon XIX,[3] and has since been named one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
In 2006 Crais was awarded the Ross Macdonald Literary Award[4] and in 2010 the Private Eye Writers of America's (PWA) Lifetime Achievement Award The Eye.[5] In 2014 he and Carolyn Hart will receive the Mystery Writers of America's (MWA) Grand Master Award.[6]
Overview
Crais's usual protagonist and first-person narrator is private detective Elvis Cole, an ex-Ranger. Cole's partner is Joe Pike, a former Marine. Except for Demolition Angel, Hostage, Suspect, and The Two-Minute Rule, all of Crais' books feature Cole and Pike, with The Watchman (2007), The First Rule (2010) and The Sentry (2011) centering on Joe Pike.
The author tackles a variety of subjects in his novels. Free Fall was inspired by the Rodney King riots and Sunset Express dealt with a killer who bore an uncanny resemblance to O.J. Simpson. The most frequently recurring theme in Crais's books is the value of honesty; in his works, the long-term value of coming clean always outweighs the short-term benefits of covering up the problem. Crais also delves into issues of family and loyalty.
Themes
Robert Crais has stated that "Thematically, again and again my books are about people who are trying to be better than they have been."[7]
Crais on film
In March 2005, Bruce Willis appeared in Hostage, the first Hollywood adaptation of one of his books. Crais has no plans to sell the rights to his Elvis Cole novels, preferring to allow his readers to keep their own personal conceptions of the characters.[8]
Bibliography
Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels
Nr | Year | Title | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1987 | The Monkey's Raincoat | Anthony Award – Best Paperback Original 1988 | Won[9] |
Macavity Award – Best First Novel 1988 | Won[10] | |||
Edgar Award – Best Paperback Original 1988 | Nominated[11] | |||
Shamus Award – Best Original P.I. Paperback 1988 | Nominated[5] | |||
2. | 1989 | Stalking the Angel | ||
3. | 1992 | Lullaby Town | Anthony Award – Best Novel 1993 | Nominated[9] |
Shamus Award – Best P.I. Hardcover 1993 | Nominated[5] | |||
4. | 1993 | Free Fall | Edgar Award – Best Novel 1994 | Nominated[11] |
5. | 1995 | Voodoo River | Dilys Award | Nominated[12] |
6. | 1996 | Sunset Express | Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1997 | Won[5] |
Publishers Weekly | Best Books of 1996 selection | |||
7. | 1997 | Indigo Slam | Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1998 | Nominated[5] |
8. | 1999 | L.A. Requiem | Dilys Award | Won[12] |
Edgar Award – Best Novel 2000 | Nominated[11] | |||
Anthony Award – Best Novel 2000 | Nominated[9] | |||
Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2000 | Nominated[5] | |||
9. | 2003 | The Last Detective | Audie Award | Finalist |
10. | 2005 | The Forgotten Man | Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2006 | Nominated[5] |
11. | 2007 | The Watchman | Barry Award – Best Thriller 2008 | Won |
Mystery Ink's Gumshoe Award – Best Thriller 2008 | Won | |||
Anthony Award – Best Novel 2008 | Nominated[9] | |||
International Thriller Writers Awards – Best Novel 2008 | Nominated | |||
12. | 2008 | Chasing Darkness | Southern California Independent Booksellers Association – Best Mystery Award | Nominated |
13. | 2010 | The First Rule | Shamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2011 | Nominated[5] |
14. | 2011 | The Sentry | ||
15. | 2012 | Taken | Shamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2013 | Won[5] |
Left Coast Crime – The Watson (mystery novel with the best sidekick) 2013 | Nominated[13] |
Other novels
Year | Title | Publisher | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Demolition Angel | Doubleday | Mary Higgins Clark Award 2001 | Nominated[11] |
Dilys Award | Nominated[12] | |||
2001 | Hostage | Doubleday | New York Times Book Review | Notable Book |
2006 | The Two-Minute Rule | Simon & Schuster | London Evening Standard | Best Crime Novel of the Year |
Otto Penzler, The New York Sun | Top Ten Best Crime Novels of the Year | |||
Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel | Top Ten Best Crime Novels of the Year | |||
January Magazine | Best Books of 2006 | |||
Audie Award | Finalist | |||
2013 | Suspect |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Encyclopedia of World Biography". Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ↑ "Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ↑ "History of Bouchercon". Bouchercon.info. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ↑ "Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival - Awards". sbbookfestival.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Shamus Award". thrillingdetective.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ↑ "MWA Announces 2014 Grand Master and Raven Awards". mysterywriters.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ↑ Orion Books: Interview with Robert Crais
- ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". RobertCrais.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Award Nominees and Winners". Bouchercon.info. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Edgar Award Database". TheEdgars.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "The Dilys Award". mysterybooksellers.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ↑ "2013 Left Coast Crime Awards". leftcoastcrime.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
External links
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