Book ~ "The Sentry" (2011) Robert Crais

From Amazon ~ It’s a routine Southern California day when former cop and sometime mercenary Joe Pike intervenes to break up the gang shakedown of a sandwich shop. The shop is run by Dru Rayne and her uncle, Wilson, two refugees from Katrina starting a new life. The chemistry between Pike and Dru is immediate, prompting him to keep an eye on the store; the gang leader, Venice Trece, will surely return to deliver revenge. But as Pike and his sidekick, private detective Elvis Cole, soon learn, nothing about Dru and Wilson adds up. Even as he’s negotiating a truce with the duplicitous leader of the gang, Pike learns that Dru is likely not the innocent she seems. The latest Pike novel is a testosterone-fueled caper with tough guys doing hard things to bad people, but it doesn’t pack the emotional wallop of Crais’ best work. High-Demand Backstory: Crais’ last Joe Pike novel reached number two on the New York Times best-seller list; longtime fans may find this one not quite up to the author’s high standards, but the demand will still be there.

I love Crais' Elvis Cole series ... he is private detective in Los Angeles. Crais' last couple books have focused on Joe Pike, Elvis' best friend. While I like Pike, I find the tone of the books so very different. Whereas Elvis is funny and quirky, Pike is so much more serious. I like Pike better as a "sidekick".

This book was okay, not great. I wasn't buying that Pike would put his life on the line for Dru, a woman he just met. though he had an instant connection with. Even after it seems that Dru isn't as innocent as he thought, Pike still continues to track down the bad guys to save her.

I found the back story kind of boring and wasn't feeling an emotional tie to the characters.

I'd recommend this book but it's not as good as Crais' past stuff since I'm more an Elvis fan.