Robert Crais

Lee Child has cited him in interviews as one of his favourite American crime writers. The novels of Robert Crais have been published in 62 countries and are bestsellers around the world. Crais received the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2006 and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014.

• Name — Robert Crais • Born — 20 June 1953 • Birthplace — Independence, Louisiana, U.S. • Occupation — * Novelist • screenwriter • Education — Louisiana State University • Genre — Fiction, crime fiction, thrillers • Pen Name — Elvis Cole, Jerry Gret Samouche • Website — robertcrais.com

Born in Independence, Louisiana, he was adopted and raised as an only child. He attended Louisiana State University and studied mechanical engineering. Crais moved to Hollywood in 1976, where he initially found work as a screenwriter for the television series Baretta and Quincy, M.E., later working on Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice. He was nominated for an Emmy award for a Hill Street Blues episode he co-wrote in 1981. Following the death of his father in 1985, Crais published the novel The Monkey's Raincoat, which won the 1988 Anthony Award for "Best Paperback Original" and the 1988 Mystery Readers International Macavity Award for "Best First Novel". It has since been selected as 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 and in 2010 the Private Eye Writers of America's (PWA) Lifetime Achievement Award The Eye. In 2014 Crais received the Mystery Writers of America's (MWA) Grand Master Award. In 2026, MWA awarded The Big Empty the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel. Crais novels include Demolition Angel, Hostage, Suspect, and The Two-Minute Rule. Most of Crais' books feature the characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, with The Watchman (2007), The First Rule (2010) and The Sentry (2011) centering on Joe Pike. Taken is a 2012 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the fifteenth in a series of linked novels centering on the character Elvis Cole. The 2005 film Hostage was an adaptation of one of his books. In 2020 his novel Suspect (2013) was named Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade in the Barry Awards.

• Nr — Year — Title — Award — Result • 1 — 1987 — The Monkey's Raincoat — Anthony Award – Best Paperback Original 1988 • Macavity Award – Best First Novel 1988 • Edgar Award – Best Paperback Original 1988 • Shamus Award – Best Original P.I. Paperback 1988 • 2 — 1989 — Stalking the Angel • 3 — 1992 — Lullaby Town — Anthony Award – Best Novel 1993 • Shamus Award – Best P.I. Hardcover 1993 • 4 — 1993 — Free Fall — Edgar Award – Best Novel 1994 • 5 — 1995 — Voodoo River — Dilys Award • 6 — 1996 — Sunset Express — Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1997 • Publishers Weekly — Best Books of 1996 selection • 7 — 1997 — Indigo Slam — Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1998 • 8 — 1999 — L.A. Requiem — Dilys Award • Edgar Award – Best Novel 2000 • Anthony Award – Best Novel 2000 • Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2000 • 9 — 2003 — The Last Detective — Audie Award — Finalist • 10 — 2005 — The Forgotten Man — Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2006 • 11 — 2007 — The Watchman — Barry Award – Best Thriller 2008 • Mystery Ink's Gumshoe Award – Best Thriller 2008 • Anthony Award – Best Novel 2008 • International Thriller Writers Awards – Best Novel 2008 • 12 — 2008 — Chasing Darkness — Southern California Independent Booksellers Association – Best Mystery Award • 13 — 2010 — The First Rule — Shamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2011 • 14 — 2011 — The Sentry • 15 — 2012 — Taken — Shamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2013 • Left Coast Crime – The Watson (mystery novel with the best sidekick) 2013 • 16 — 2015 — The Promise • 17 — 2017 — The Wanted • 18 — 2019 — A Dangerous Man • 19 — 2022 — Racing the Light • 20 — 2025 — The Big Empty — Edgar Award – Best Novel 2026

• Year — Title — Publisher — Award — Result • 2000 — Demolition Angel — Doubleday — Mary Higgins Clark Award 2001 • Dilys Award • 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

The authorities additionally record the headings Elvis Cole and Jerry Gret Samouche. His recorded language was English.