The First Rule

Robert Crais

Jan 2010 · Penguin

About this ebook

Joe Pike and his partner Elvis Cole must solve the murder of an old friend and his entire family in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

When Frank Meyer and his family are executed during a home invasion, the police begin investigating the secret life they're sure Meyer had. Joe Pike's on a hunt of his own: to clear his friend's name, and to punish the people who murdered him. What starts out as a simple trail gets twisted fast by old grudges, double crosses, blood vengeance, and a crime so terrible even Pike and his partner Elvis Cole have no way to measure it.

Ratings and reviews

Home invaders break into the home of Frank Meyer, killing the family. Frank's nanny is severly wounded and taken to the hospital. Frank had a successful business but before the business he was a mercenary. He was part of Joe Pike's group. Joe is approached by detectives to see if he knows anything about his friend's murder. Police tell him that the group that invaded Meyer's home have invaded six other homes. All the other homes were owned by drug traffickers or other criminals. Police ask Joe if Frank was involved in anything illegal. Pike decides to investigate, to clear Meyer's name and to get revenge on the killers. He goes to the hospital to speak to the nanny, Ana Markovic. He finds Ana's sister, Rina, guarding the door of her sister's room. Initially, Rina thinks that Joe might be part of the group who wanted to kill Ana. Joe tells her that he was a friend of Meyer and finds that Rina and her sister are Serbians. Since Meyer wasn't involved in any criminal activity, Joe thinks that maybe the killers were after Ana. To find more, Joe asks his partner, Elvis Cole, to research background of Rina and her sister. Elvis finds that Rina has a record of prostitution that she's hiding. Joe goes back to the hospital to get some more answers and finds that Ana has died. Rina then tells him that she knows who was responsible for killing her sister. When Joe asks who it is, the answer is totally unexpected and leads Joe and Elvis down a trail that is filled with danger and involves the United States bureau of Alcohol and Firearms. The book was an easy and fun read. Robert Crais is one of the best thriller writers around and Joe Pike is the kind of character who is easy to like and many readers might dream of having adventures as exciting as his. The pacing was well done right to the end of the story which seemed to bring things together a little too conveniently.

BEST BOOK EVER! This is very easily one of the best books I've ever read. One hell of a page turner!

Ive read this book more than once and it is still one of my most favorite books.

About the author

Robert Crais is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, many of them featuring private investigator Elvis Cole and his laconic ex-cop partner, Joe Pike. Before writing his first novel, Crais spent several years writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Quincy, Baretta, and L.A. Law. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, and one of his standalone novels, Hostage, was made into a movie starring Bruce Willis. His novels have been translated into forty-two languages and are bestsellers around the world. A native of Louisiana, he lives in Los Angeles.