The Two Minute Rule

The Two Minute Rule is one of those Robert Crais standalones outside the Cole and Pike sequence, and it works because Crais was never just writing his regulars. The protagonist Max Holman is a recovering ex-bank-robber on the verge of getting out after ten years inside who learns on the morning of his release that his estranged adult son, an LAPD officer, has been murdered.

The book is the LA noir Crais has been writing his whole career in a slightly different key. Holman is older and slower and less sharp than Cole, which makes him interesting to follow. The investigation involves a dirty-cop subplot the LAPD wants quietly closed. Holman's grief is rendered with appropriate weight.

The closing sections earn themselves. Four stars. Recommended to readers who have liked Crais's standalones (Demolition Angel, Hostage). A clean entry point for new readers as well.