Today in January’s crime fiction section, contributing editor Anthony Rainone reviews The Watchman, which is “technically the first Joe Pike novel, though fans of the author’s Elvis Cole private-eye series are well-acquainted with the hard-charging former LAPD officer and worldwide mercenary.”

Make no mistake: Rainone likes the book. A lot:

This reviewer has run out of superlatives to describe Crais’ immense talent, but suffice it to say that The Watchman is a turbo-charged ride that further pushes its author into the stratosphere of crime-fiction immortality.

Rainone’s review of The Watchman is here.