Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Promise
    The Promise
    The Promise
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Promise

    Written by Robert Crais

    Narrated by Luke Daniels and MacLeod Andrews

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are joined by Suspect heroes LAPD K-9 Officer Scott James and his German shepherd, Maggie, in this heart-stopping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

    Elvis Cole and Joe Pike keep their promises. Even if it could get them killed...

    Elvis Cole is hired to find a woman who’s disappeared, a seemingly ordinary case, until he learns the missing woman is an explosives expert and worked for a Defense Department contractor. Meanwhile, LAPD K-9 Officer Scott James and his patrol dog, Maggie, track a fugitive to a house filled with explosives—and a dead body. As the two cases intertwine, they all find themselves up against shadowy arms dealers and corrupt officials, and the very woman they promised to save may be the cause of their own deaths.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 10, 2015
    ISBN9781455853342
    The Promise
    Author

    Robert Crais

    Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. A native of Louisiana, Crais moved to Hollywood in the late 70s where he began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues. In the mid 80s, Crais created a series of crime novels based around the characters Cole & Pike. In addition, Crais has also written several bestselling standalone thrillers. Robert Crais lives in LA with his wife and family.

    More audiobooks from Robert Crais

    Related to The Promise

    Titles in the series (25)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      I Saw Plenty

      Jun 1, 2020

      I Saw Plenty
      6 min read

    • Article

      An Unspoken

      Mar 3, 2020

      Hal Parker runs out to his wife’s hydrangea bushes. He’s trying to scare away the neighbor’s black Lab, Major. Hal claps his hands in front of him and shouts, but Major’s already peeing on the bush. It seems to Hal that lately the dog just won’t stay

      11 min read

    • Article

      HOT DOGS And Ice Cream

      Jul 21, 2021

      HOT DOGS And Ice Cream
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lay Your Burden Down

      Mar 1, 2019

      Lay Your Burden Down
      15 min read

    • Article

      Beyond The Door

      Jun 30, 2020

      Beyond The Door
      10 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    • Article

      Bucksaw

      Jun 3, 2019

      From the back seat of the car, Benjamin read the gold-lettered sign at the edge of the rolling green lawn and said, “Why do they call it a correctional facility?” He’d meant only to think the question, rather than speak it, but lately, more and more,

      23 min read

    • Article

      High Ground

      Apr 23, 2020

      High Ground
      4 min read

    • Article

      Chop-chop

      Feb 6, 2020

      Chop-chop
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Way Things TURN OUT

      Jun 3, 2020

      The Way Things TURN OUT
      7 min read

    • Article

      Part Sixteen The Meeting With Count Ferrari

      Jul 8, 2022

      THE INTRIGUING CASE OF A MURDER IN PARIS Count Ferrari’s regal residence was a solid half hour walk according to the conscientious concierge at Noella’s hotel. Apparently it would be a mucky, muddy trudge through the Paris streets, heading south from

      4 min read

    • Article

      Hot Dogs And ICE CREAM

      Jul 18, 2023

      Hot Dogs And ICE CREAM
      6 min read

    • Article

      The holiday HOME

      Jul 7, 2022

      The holiday HOME
      4 min read

    • Article

      Part Three - The Engraver And Printer

      May 14, 2021

      It was now late evening and Noella tentatively tapped an impeccably glossy front door to a grand terraced house in Barclay Square. Her excitement of the day, and the thrill of meeting Count Ferrari, had evaporated into a weary need for food and a bed

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Knock At The Door

      Mar 1, 2020

      A Knock At The Door
      11 min read

    • Article

      All My Tomorrows

      May 10, 2022

      It was Misha’s first day minding the shop, and already she’d broken the fifth rule. Always lock the door immediately. When you had the most valuable merchandise in the universe, you had to take the utmost precautions. She hadn’t meant to disobey. It

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Locksmith

      Jun 1, 2022

      THE LOCKSMITH cannot speak well. He never liked school. When he was a child, the others called him Tombstone. They threw things at him. Bottles and food waste and dirt clumps studded with gravel. Though he was much larger than they were, he remained

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Man I Should Have Married

      Dec 29, 2019

      The Man I Should Have Married
      11 min read

    • Article

      Snatched In The Dark

      Jul 13, 2023

      A s the glug of red wine hit our glasses, I smiled at my husband. ‘Here’s to the weekend,’ I sighed to Darren, then 44. Just as I was taking my first sip, our youngest daughter Lyla, then 16, poked her head around the living room door. ‘I’m off out,’

      4 min read

    • Article

      Smrtss

      Apr 10, 2024

      In the dim, wet oven of the Huey’s troop compartment, the corporal sat on a flak jacket behind the sweat-stained backs of First Squad. Simms, the big machine gunner for Fire Team 2, leaned back against him, jamming the corporal’s knees right up to hi

      13 min read

    • Article

      The HOOD LIFE

      Dec 16, 2021

      The HOOD LIFE
      10 min read

    • Article

      Chronicles of NOELLA BAY

      Oct 8, 2021

      CHAPTER ONE THE CURIOUS CASE OF ‘THE LONDON GANG Charles Phillips had indeed accurately anticipated Inspector Stephens’ reaction to the letter he sent the investigating officer. Noella’s damning discoveries had tipped the balance and warrants were to

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Promise

    4/5

    337 ratings27 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I was looking forward to just book since I read the suspect. Having all my favorite characters together in the novel is wonderful. Robert Crais never disappoints.
    • 5/5
      AUTHOR: Crais, RobertTITLE: The PromiseDATE READ: 01/23/25 RATING: 5/AGENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Crime Fiction/ 2015 / Putnam / 402 pgs SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #14 Elvis Cole (#2 Scott James)CHARACTERS Elvis Cole/ private detective; Joe Pike/ private detective; Scott James/ LAPD police detective K-9 division; Maggie/ trained German Shepard TIME/PLACE: Present/LA FIRST LINES The woman stood in the far corner of the dimly lit room, hiding in the shadows like a fish in gray water. COMMENTS: Worth the wait. Crais is one of my favorite authors and one of the few I am currently up to date on. In this book, Elvis & Joe are joined by Scott & Maggie from Suspect Elvis is hired by a woman to find a co-worker -- Elvis is told not to tell anyone anything -- Meryl is trying to help her friend Amy who has taken a sudden leave & there is money missing. Amy's only child her son was recently killed in a terrorist attack in Nigeria and Meryl feels Amy is having some type of a breakdown. Meryl feeds Elvis a lead and he enters into quite a volatile situation, involving drugs, bombs and terrorism. Great read!
    • 4/5
      My most recent Crais book was "Suspect" about Scott James, an officer in the canine unit and his partner Maggie, a German shepherd. I liked that book a lot and was glad that their story was continued in "The Promise". I hope the author continues to write about this team, but not necessarily in combination with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. There were almost too many protagonists in "The Promise", but it was primarily an Elvis Cole book.In this book, Cole is hired by Meryl Lawrence to find her friend Amy Breslin, a chemical engineer. Amy's grown son was killed in Nigeria by terrorists 16 months ago and now Amy has disappeared. While I enjoyed this book, I found it only moderately suspenseful and I didn't find the Amy story to be terribly believable. It's been quite some time since I read a Cole/Pike book, but it seems to me that they were more interesting characters in the early books. However, Crais does know how to write a good thriller and I will continue to read them. I hope that there will be more featuring Scott and Maggie.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 5/5
      This is another page turner from Crais. In this case, Elvis is asked to find a woman named Amy because she has disappeared with a large amount of money from her government job, Two hours later as he is knocking on the door of a house where he thinks he may find someone who knows where she is, the police surround the house and find dead man inside. Of course they suspect Elvis.This case has all of Elvis' usual friends such as Joe Pike and the mercenary Jon Stone assisting in the investigation. One interesting touch is the inclusion of Maggie, a K-9 dog and her handler, Scott James. Maggie even narrates a couple of chapters to explain how the dog may see the action.
    • 4/5
      Robert Crais is another author I pick up without bothering to see what the book is about. He's never disappointed me yet.The Promise is his latest book and it's the 16th book featuring private eye Elvis Cole and the enigmatic Joe Pike. But Crais really mixes it up this time, bringing in characters from other series. LAPD officer Scott James and his K9 partner Maggie and the also enigmatic Jon Stone make appearances.Elvis is hired to find a missing woman as her employer is quite worried - for a number of reasons. Elvis's initial search takes him to a house in LA's Echo Park - and lands him in a load of trouble. There's a dead guy in the house, along with a huge amount of explosives. And Elvis talked to the guy who left the house and disappeared.I always enjoy Elvis's sense of humour, snappy comebacks and his attitude. He's loyal to his customers, dogged and determined. Not always by the book, but he gets results. Joe Pike is the quiet one, the dangerous one and yes, the mysterious, kinda sexy one. Scott James is a bit of an innocent, but his loyalty to his dog makes for a great look at K9 policing. And as he's fairly new to readers, it's nice to get to know him a bit better. Jon Stone is a friend of Pike and I enjoy the glimpses we get to see of this mysterious man. (I think it's time for Jon to have a book of his own.) There's a fifth character and she has her own voice in The Promise. That's Maggie - the K9 officer. I have to tell you, I was sniffling during her chapters. (and then I went and hugged my dog)Although I enjoyed seeing so many favourite characters in one place, it ended up being a very busy book. Lots of POV's. It changed the tone and timbre of the book, giving Elvis less time and space to be, well, to be Elvis. And I always want more Pike. Mr. Rollins, the antagonist in the book, is also given a voice. So many POV's took away from the plot for me. But The Promise was still a good read for me. On the other hand, if you haven't sampled Crais' writing yet, this is a great book to meet his protagonists and choose what series to delve into next.
    • 4/5
      Love the dog. Best part of the book. By introducing other characters and people the books stay fresh
    • 5/5
      Totally worth the wait. Hope to see more of Scott and Maggie. I love that dog.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsP.I. Elvis Cole is investigating, looking for someone at a home where no one answers the door. As he is leaving, police descend and he sees someone run out of the house. He runs after, but is stopped by police officer Scott James and his dog Maggie. There is also someone dead inside and a room full of explosives. Before James ran into Cole, though, he and Maggie came face-to-face with the guy who ran. They clearly saw each other’s faces. This was good. It’s a lot of testosterone, maybe darker than much of what I prefer in a mystery, but what brought the rating up a bit for me was Scott and Maggie. I love their relationship! I also like that we are given the same scene (or important parts of the scene) from a few different perspectives. This is only the second book that follows Scott and Maggie. It’s too bad there aren’t more, as I find them so much more interesting than Elvis Cole and Joe Pike who have far more books in their respective series.
    • 3/5
      I picked up the book because it's book #2 with Scott James & Maggie. I really liked their parts of the book, but wasn't thrilled with the rest of it.
    • 3/5
      First Robert Crais book. I'm guessing if I'd read at least some of the previous books, I'd have a better handle on the various cast of characters and their backstories, so I'll throw that out there. That's not to say this isn't a standalone book, just that it would have been easier to understand who everyone was and how they all fit in. The plot was okay. An explosives expert wants to find out who killed her son at a suicide bombing in Nigeria. This puts her in the middle of a crime gang in Los Angeles (which seemed a little improbable honestly). Throw in some crooked cops, bombs, and murders and you have this book.I freely admit that Scott James and Maggie were my favorite characters, especially the parts from Maggie's POV. Scott is a K-9 cop and Maggie is his german shepherd trained in bomb-sniffing. I want to go back and read some of their series and maybe some Elvis Cole.
    • 4/5
      Robert Crais knows how to capture my attention from the first page and hold it to the end and “The Promise” illustrates that perfectly. Crais arouses my curiosity in the opening paragraph by describing a “small, round, and dumpy” woman wearing a fringed leather jacket in a darkened room who was clearly afraid and reminded the observer of an overripe peach. Things are not always as they seem and that will turn out to be the case in this instance, but for most of the book Crais allows us, and Elvis Cole, to hold fast to our mistaken impressions.Hired by a woman claiming to be a friend of the “overripe peach,” Cole sets out to find the woman. Almost immediately he comes under suspicion as the police search for a terrorist with possible gang connections. For his part, Cole believes the terrorist is responsible for the woman’s disappearance. Cole enlists the help of his partner, Joe Pike, but two characters introduced in earlier books figure more prominently than Pike. Jon Stone, a former Delta Force operator who now works as a military contractor plays a prominent role. Stone has appeared in minor roles in earlier Cole/Pike novels such as “The First Rule” and he was featured more prominently in “Taken,” the previous novel in this series. Although our initial impression is that Stone is a shallow individual who lives for whoring and fighting, he emerges as an enlightened, philosophical, and thoughtful man of great depth. And for all of that, he is still as badass as Joe Pike. The final scene in the novel belongs to Stone.Scott James and his K9 dog Maggie, introduced in the stand-alone novel “Suspect,” also figure prominently. Readers who hoped to hear more of Scott and Maggie after making their acquaintance in “Suspect” will find their appearance here to be rewarding. Scott and Maggie are critical in bringing the search for the suspected terrorist to a close.I can’t wait to move on to #17, “The Promise”, in the Cole/Pike series, and I was delighted to read in a 2017 interview that Crais intends to feature Stone along with Joe Pike in #18. I’m hoping that we will see more of James and Maggie in the future as well. All are interesting characters quite capable of carrying a story by themselves.
    • 3/5
      Like a family or class reunion, but where only the people you like showed up. Love this story bringing together all my favorites from Robert Crais' novels. My favorite will continue to be Maggie. Can't get enough of that dog.
    • 1/5
      What Makes a Writer: "The Promise" by Robert Crais Published November 10th 2015



      What is a writer? It is spending time devising plots in a basement with the help of a dictionary. And why do they do that? Why not do something else? What makes a writer? He could be doing something else, he could be picking mushrooms. But instead, he’s in his basement hammering the keyboard. Why? Doesn’t he have anything better to do, or anything else he can do? It’s a way of passing time for him, but not for some readers.

      If you're into bad writing, read on.
    • 4/5
      This is a great Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel. Crais also brings in his character Scot James and his K-9 partner Scott James and Maggie, Cole makes a promise that could get them all killed. A very good read.
    • 4/5
      To me, this novel is a return to form for Robert Crais: Good plot, nice interaction between the 'investigative team, believable dialogue, some trademark humor, realistic methodologies. The K9, Maggie, was a part of the story as well, with less irritating anthropomorphizing of her than in The Suspect.

      The story line itself was very good- someone is trying to sell a lot of untraceable plastic explosives to a buyer in the LA area, part of the process goes awry and the police and various other entities get involved in trying to figure out what's happening, and in the meantime our hero, Elvis Cole, gets pulled into the action via his attempt to find a missing person. Sounds complicated, and it is, but everything is resolved satisfactorily (or almost everything) at the end.

      The Pike and Jon Stone characters also played a major part in the story, and they're quite good. Unlike some thrillers where the 'white hats' have almost superhuman skills, these guys are very highly skilled but are not supermen. The 'world's greatest PI, Elvis Cole, likewise possesses a lot of professional abilities, and they made a great team in bringing the story to its conclusion.

      The Promise is a nicely done mystery with a great lineup of characters.... highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This is my first time to read a book from this author. I liked the beginning as we find Mr. Rollins meeting with two people in a rented house. He sure has some weird rules when someone enters the home. He insists they were gloves at all times and after the transaction is complete, he scrubs the entire house with Clorox . Paranoid much? The story seems to pick up a bit as Mr. Rollins is waiting for someone else to stop by. Everyone he associates with knows to always use the back doors. On this particular night, there is a knock on the front door. Yes this sets off a paranoid Mr. Rollins. What will he do when he hears a knock on the back door minutes later? As Mr. Rollins leaves the house he is spotted by a private detective named Elvis Cole. Elvis is in the area looking for a woman that has disappeared. The two stories collided in this fast paced but somewhat confusing at times thriller. I found it kinda predictable that the cops would assume Elvis was their suspect and immediately arrest him. The cops had been looking for someone that Elvis just happened to see. It is kinda confusing but I decided I needed to read the entire book instead of putting it down. I did enjoy the part about the police dog. They have always fascinated me. A K9 dog is well trained, fierce and determined to do their job. The author did a good job of letting readers get a glimpse into this hardworking and vital part of the police department. Overall the book was not bad and had some great moments of tension and action that kept me intrigued . To be fair to the author, I need to read other books with theses characters so I can understand them better. I was lost at times, but perhaps it was because I was not familiar with his characters from the other books. Overall it was a good read and has potential to keep readers interested. I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads Free Giveway for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      From The Book cover:

      Loyalty,commitment, and the fight or justice have always driven Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. If they make a promise,they keep it. Even if it could get them killed. When Elvis Cole is secretly hired to find a grieving mother, his first stop is an ordinary house on a rainy night in Echo Park. Only the house is not ordinary and neither are the people hiding inside. For everyone this night is only beginning and it will bea long time ending.

      The Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series IMO...is one of the best being written today. The characters are likable, believable and entirely human with faults and weaknesses yet they are dedicated to the cause of justice. In Crais's 2013 novel, Suspect he introduces us to Scott James, a young LAPD police officer and his canine partner, Maggie ...an ex-military bomb dog injured in both body and spirit while on duty in Afghanistan. Crais has brought Scott James and beautiful Maggie into a heart stopping partnership with Elvis and Joe to help them keep The Promise. Robert Crais put two years into the development of this book and they were well worth the wait. One of the things that was especially touching about this book was that we heard the "voice" of Maggie throughout the book and how she felt and perceived the situation. In the words of the author..."Of course I want my novels to be page turners, but my books are about something deeper. The key to this story is truly about Amy Breslyn and what she's experienced and gone through. It's about how this impacts on all of the other characters and how it relates to them and what we as a nation have gone through with all of the insanity that's affected the world since 9/11". I couldn't have said it any better. An absolutely magnificent read.
    • 4/5
      Very good Crais. Too much police dog, not enough Joe Pike. But well done throughout. Well worth your time.
    • 4/5
      This was an Audible book very ably narrated by Luke Daniels and MacLeod Andrews. This is in the Elvis Cole series where Elvis is sent to investigate one thing, which turns into something else entirely different and far more dangerous. LAPD officer, Scott James, and his dog Maggie from another of the novels of Robert Crais, also form another strand to this tale. As always a fast moving story that is very hard to put down.
    • 4/5
      Robert Crais's Suspect was one of my best reads in 2015, and Scott and Maggie were the main reasons why I read The Promise. (I stopped reading the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels before Crais hit his stride.) I found this book to be another page-turner just when I was in the mood for lots of action.All in all, I thought there needed to be a bit more from Mr. Rollins because his threats to Scott and Maggie really ratcheted up the anxiety levels. But that could've been a slippery slope. Although Scott and Maggie's scenes really played up the dog's intelligence and training, readers tend to be very touchy when danger to animals is concerned. (Almost better for the human characters to come to harm!) Yes, I was fully engaged in reading this book and rooting for the good guys. I would love to give it my highest rating, but when all is said and done, the characterizations fell a bit short for me. Joe Pike seemed to be an afterthought, and Elvis's wit and wisecracks were missing. Even Scott seemed subdued. Only Maggie earned all her kibble. However, The Promise still ranks high as a thriller.
    • 5/5
      The advantages are also the disadvantages in this latest novel from Robert Crais. He includes his entire cast of characters working together (eventually) to solve the crime, but although I love each of them, I really prefer to have one of them as the main character of his own book, with one of the others playing a minor role. In "The Promise", all their distinct and quirky personalities seem watered down. I enjoyed the story, but I hope the author returns to featuring one character at a time.
    • 5/5
      Elvis Cole, Joe Pike, and Jon Stone, along with Scott James from the Los Angeles Police Department, are involved in case with a terrorist plot, a suicide bombing, and a missing woman bent on revenge for the death of her son. As competent as all these characters may be, however, it is Maggie, the K-9 German shepherd partner of Scott James, that steals the story and wins the hearts of readers. In a tale told from multiple points of view, readers will find the well-defined characters, coupled with the fast paced action and the slow unraveling of the convoluted plot will keep them on the edge of their seats until the final page has been turned. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I'm new to Elvis Cole but I have listened to both novels with Maggie---and I just hope there are more to come---especially now that Cole and Pike are friends---now I need to go back and read more about Cole---very appealing character and both books were terrific in the audio version.
    • 3/5
      There were so many people requesting "The Promise" at my library that I was impatient to have my turn.Robert Crais is one of my favorite authors. I truly enjoyed "Suspect" with Scott James and his K9 Maggie.In this story, P.I. Elvis Cole is asked to find a missing woman but has to keep the search quiet and has other restrictions in locating the woman.We witness a drug deal in L.A. suburb Echo Park. It gets rowdy and someone calls the police. K9 handler Scott James witnesses a suspect leaving the house but because it's a residential area, he can't let Maggie off the leash and the suspect escapes.Cole had been watching the house because he had information that his subject was there. He sees the police chase after the suspect and tries to help but is mistaken for another criminal and ordered to stop.The confusion is corrected and James thanks Cole for his attempted assistance but the suspect escaped and a body was found in the house and a stash of explosives.From that time, we learn that the person Cole was after had a connection with the escapee and it had something connected to explosives.Sounds like a good premise but Cole's usual humor and wit wasn't at it's normal level. Many of the crooks in the scheme went by nicknames and it was somewhat confusing to me.The connection to the woman who hired Cole and the chase for the missing woman went on too long and the excitement of the story lost some steam. The missing woman's motivation for her actions could have been written in a stronger manner.I liked the characters but wished for more.
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful book to read. It touched on serious topics such as trauma, loss from terrorism, a murder mystery, and missing persons case but does so with effective laugh out loud humor. I enjoyed reading from the viewpoint of different characters, including a police dog-sounds silly but was very good.
    • 4/5
      There are a lot of viewpoints in this novel, from Cole & Pike, the villain of the book Mr. Rollins, and Scott James, introduced in Suspect, as well as his dog Maggie, one wonders how he did the research; maybe interviewing police dogs. This is very enjoyable and features a complex plot in which some people are not who they say they are. My only complaint is that the ending seemed rushed and lacked details.Free review copy.
    • 5/5
      Fun read with the entire stable of Crais characters, plus more.