Ex-Cop Babysits Spoiled Billionaire Heiress in Crais’ ‘Watchman’

Review by Chris Manson April 5, 2007 Issue

Without reading any of former television writer Robert Crais’ previous 13 novels, I came to The Watchman with few expectations. However, as a fan of detective fiction, I had reasonably high hopes once I learned Crais was greatly influenced by Spenser creator Robert B. Parker. The book’s prominence on the bestseller list is less an indication of quality than savvy marketing.

The Watchman is subtitled “A Joe Pike Novel.” The Pike character—a stone-faced ex-Marine, ex-cop, and ex-mercenary—has appeared in most of Crais’ books, but this is his first time in the spotlight. I suppose it’s as if Parker decided to write a Spenser story from the perspective of Hawk. Or maybe Pearl the dog.

Spoiled billionaire brat Larkin Conner Barkley causes a fender bender. She tries to do the right thing, but the couple in the car drive away while the other passenger, banged up and bleeding, departs on foot. The fleeing man is revealed to be a notorious—and sadistic—drug kingpin. After reporting the incident to the police, the Barkley girl becomes a target and only Our Guy can protect her.

To his credit, Pike fends off the girl’s sexual overtures as she parades around in thong panties and offers to diddle herself for his entertainment. Not surprisingly, Pike abandons the feds Barkley’s father brings in to help. Pike’s a real go-it-alone guy—shoot first, and do you really need to ask questions later? He trusts nobody, not even Bud Flynn, his old LAPD training officer and the man whose life he saved his first day on the job. Pike does call on his friend Elvis Cole to get his back. Cole was the first-person narrator of most of Crais’ previous books in which Pike also appeared. If you’re not a longtime fan, the camaraderie may feel a bit forced.

The Barkley girl—a wild child famous for being famous—brings that twit Paris Hilton to mind. But Crais was smart to bring a touch of humanity to the character; otherwise I might have found myself rooting for the hired assassins. Still, Larkin Conner Barkley isn’t as fully fleshed out as I would have liked. She misses her dog and her iPod as Pike hauls her from one not-so-safe house to another, and that’s about it. Eventually, Pike opens up to the young lady, sharing some vivid memories from his mercenary days in Africa. Do I sense a schoolgirl crush developing here?

Another character, a high school loser turned crime lab guru John Chen, has some funny moments. He hopes his friendship with Pike will land him a huge breakthrough case, leading to a flashier car, a consultant gig with a CSI show, and women. Lots of pretty women. The sequence in which Chen fakes a toothache to slip out of work for an adulterous midday twist is hilarious.

Crais is a skilled writer, and early on it’s impressive how an entire chapter doesn’t reveal who the characters are right away. I also liked the flashbacks to Pike’s days with the LAPD’s infamous Rampart Division. The Watchman might have benefited from more of these, since there’s not a whole lot of modern-day narrative to fire imagination. The bad guys aren’t always who we assume them to be. A chokehold can be a lot more effective than good detective work. The big revelation here, I suppose, is that billionaires love their daughters, too. If Pike were willing to sell the movie rights to Pike and Cole, it’s a sure bet that John Mayer’s song Daughters would find its way onto the Watchman soundtrack.

As a familiar story with some well-written action sequences—bad guys leave red streaks against the wall after Pike blows them away—I suppose The Watchman will do. But with so many other, better crime novels to choose from—Joseph Wambaugh’s latest, Hollywood Station, is especially noteworthy—it’s just as easy to ignore.

Simon and Schuster, 292 pages. Available at booksellers and local libraries.

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