Wes Coast Mysteries

From page one of The Monkey’s Raincoat, Robert Crais has shown us Elvis Cole’s connection to the character of Pinocchio, best known from the eponymous 1940 Disney animated film. On the wall of Elvis’ office hangs a Pinocchio clock with eyes that swing back and forth as the clock ticks, and he’s proud of it. Through each successive novel we see many people come through the office and find Elvis’ choice of decor odd, and they’re often people who end up not understanding Elvis as a whole. He also keeps a figure of Jiminy Cricket on his desk–where he can always look at it, as though looking for inspiration, a conscience he doesn’t even need to whistle for. At first, I only read the Pinocchio interest as a quirk, not a trait stemming from a deep place in his heart and past. As I continued to read through the series, thinking more about Elvis’ hurts and motives, I began to realize exactly why that beloved Italian puppet meant so much to him. The story of Pinocchio is that of a wooden puppet,...