The Big Empty Audiobook By Robert Crais cover art

The Big Empty

Elvis Cole/Joe Pike, Book 20

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The Big Empty

By: Robert Crais
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
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About this listen

Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, race to find a terrifying, unidentified killer in this twisting, unpredictable thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. Now, ten years later, Traci is a high-profile influencer with millions of followers and the money to hire the best detective she can find: Elvis Cole.

Elvis heads to Rancha where an ex-con named Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya, might have a line on the missing man. But when Elvis finds himself shadowed by a gang of vicious criminals, the missing persons cold case becomes far more sinister.

Elvis calls his ex-Marine friend, Joe Pike, for help, and they follow Tommy Beller's trail into the depths of a monstrous, hidden evil. The case flips on its head, victims become predators, predators become prey, and the question becomes: Can Elvis Cole save them all from this nightmare?

©2024 by Robert Crais. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Crime Fiction Private Investigators Suspense Exciting Scary

What listeners say about The Big Empty

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Elvis Cole is back!

Worth the wait between novels, although I'd prefer not to wait so long. Solid story with classic Cole and Pike. Excellent narration.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Great story line!

Robert Crais is one of my favorite writers and I love the characters actors Elvis and Joe. Lots of twists and turns in this one with strong and interesting characters. I wish it hadn’t ended! Great read!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Addictive!

Loved the funny parts!
Pike and Cole are Awwwwwwsome! "sidekick"....lol
Story was incredible!
Writing perfection!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quit using Luke Daniels as the narrator.

First let me add this preface. I have read every Robert Crais audio book since I came across 'The Monkey's Raincoat' way back when, and then couldn't wait to order and pre-order every one in the series since, The series began being narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Mel Foster. Both of these credibly presented Elvis' character, idiosyncrasies, humor, sarcasm and emotions. Either of these could have been my favorite. Then, for reasons, I guess, known only to the producing agency or maybe the writer himself, we (as in I) were subjected to another three narrators as the series progressed and I suffered through Ron McLarty, David Stuart and, worst of all (again, to me), Luke Daniels. The stories themselves remained top notch. Plots; characters; backstories; interactions with each other and the wily ways of the protagonists were always at the top of Robert Crais' skill set. Who can forget 'Piss your pants Krantz' from LA Requiem? The Big Empty is no different with regard all of the above characters and the story line. The difference, and I have noted this in the last Daniels narrated Cole novel I reviewed, is Daniels himself. For some reason he is intent on playing Joe Pike as if he were a psychopath. He voices him like he doesn't know how to speak. Like he's a whispering, fanged monster waiting to tear of the throat from the next child he meets. He doesn't play him with a regular voice like every other character. He also doesn't do justice to Cole either. He plays Elvis with this weird squeaky voice absent from the other narrators versions. He makes listening difficult. He makes me want to fast forward through pages just to quit listening to him talk. The overall rating would have been a 5 were it narrated by one of the original three who began this adventure with Crais. Why he and/or the production/editing team doesn't see this difference is beyond me. I don't think Crais' vision of Pike when he created him was as he comes across in Daniels' interpretation. It's been a three year wait for the latest Crais novel to come out. I'm hoping we don't have to wait another three years for the next one. I can, however, wait an eternity before reading another Luke Daniels version. Bring back Patrick Lawlor or Mel Foster............... Please.

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Bob Crais at his very best! Great narration of the compelling characters!

This book was so good that I listened to it straight through! The twist and turns were just like the roads driving up into the canyons! A damn good read!

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For Crais Fans

I own all of Robert Crais books on audio. If you are new to this series, you do not need to start at book one. Each of the books are independent, but over the years master Crais has used different narrators as his writing skills progressed with the times. His current narrator Luke Daniels is excellent for our Elvis and Pike‘s voice. I read some of the negative reviews and I failed to see their point at all. If you feel like that, why don’t you just go to the library and borrow it? For the rest of us true Crais fans, we look forward to each and every new book he creates. This one was no exception. The story captured your imagination, it has the usual Elvis wit and Snark, as well as pikes ability to watch Elvis’s six.
This series is so good. I often go back and listen to the watchmen, LA requiem, the first rule which Mr. Crais read himself. If you do start with that book, make sure you use 1.2 speed as he reads it so well.
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The Big Empty

Another great adventure in the Elvis Cole/ Joe Pike saga. This long awaited book doesn’t disappoint, a gripping murder mystery that tugs at your heart for the two victims.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Intriguing plot and good narration

Cole and Pike are always 2 of my favorite fictional characters. This plot was one of Mr. Crais' best, and all characters were well developed. Also love reading books set in the Los Angeles area.

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The big empty

The best! All his books are amazing… Scott and Maggie is still my favorite… but this books was amazing…

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another great Cole/Pike story

Great story, but the voice actor’s female voices are not very good. I hope Crais will keep writing this series!

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