Wikipedia

Robert Crais

(Redirected from The First Rule)

Robert Crais (pronounced /kreɪs/; born June 20, 1953) is an American author of detective fiction and former screenwriter. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. His writing is influenced by Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker and John Steinbeck. Crais has won numerous awards for his crime novels.[1] Lee Child has cited him in interviews as one of his favourite American crime writers. The novels of Robert Crais have been published in 62 countries and are bestsellers around the world. Robert Crais received the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2006 and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014.

Robert Crais
Crais in 2008
Crais in 2008
Born (1953-06-20) June 20, 1953 (age 72)
Independence, Louisiana, U.S.
Pen nameElvis Cole, Jerry Gret Samouche
Occupation
Alma materLouisiana State University
GenreFiction, crime fiction, thrillers
Website
robertcrais.com

Biography

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Born in Independence, Louisiana, he was adopted and raised as an only child.[2] He attended Louisiana State University and studied mechanical engineering.[2]

Crais moved to Hollywood in 1976, where he initially found work as a screenwriter for the television series Baretta and Quincy, M.E., later working on Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice. He was nominated for an Emmy award for a Hill Street Blues episode he co-wrote in 1981.[3] Following the death of his father in 1985, Crais published the novel The Monkey's Raincoat, which won the 1988 Anthony Award for "Best Paperback Original" and the 1988 Mystery Readers International Macavity Award for "Best First Novel".[4][5] It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

In 2006 Crais was awarded the Ross Macdonald Literary Award[6] and in 2010 the Private Eye Writers of America's (PWA) Lifetime Achievement Award The Eye.[7] In 2014 Crais received the Mystery Writers of America's (MWA) Grand Master Award.[8] In 2026, MWA awarded The Big Empty the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel.[9]

Crais novels include Demolition Angel, Hostage, Suspect, and The Two-Minute Rule. Most of Crais' books feature the characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, with The Watchman (2007), The First Rule (2010) and The Sentry (2011) centering on Joe Pike. Taken is a 2012 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the fifteenth in a series of linked novels centering on the character Elvis Cole. The 2005 film Hostage was an adaptation of one of his books.[10]

In 2020 his novel Suspect (2013) was named Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade in the Barry Awards.[11]

Published works

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Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels

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Nr Year Title Award Result
11987The Monkey's RaincoatAnthony Award – Best Paperback Original 1988Won[12]
Macavity Award – Best First Novel 1988Won[13]
Edgar Award – Best Paperback Original 1988Nominated[14]
Shamus Award – Best Original P.I. Paperback 1988Nominated[7]
21989Stalking the Angel
31992Lullaby TownAnthony Award – Best Novel 1993Nominated[12]
Shamus Award – Best P.I. Hardcover 1993Nominated[7]
41993Free FallEdgar Award – Best Novel 1994Nominated[14]
51995Voodoo RiverDilys AwardNominated[15]
61996Sunset ExpressShamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1997Won[7]
Publishers WeeklyBest Books of 1996 selection
71997Indigo SlamShamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 1998Nominated[7]
81999L.A. RequiemDilys AwardWon[15]
Edgar Award – Best Novel 2000Nominated[14]
Anthony Award – Best Novel 2000Nominated[12]
Shamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2000Nominated[7]
92003The Last DetectiveAudie AwardFinalist
102005The Forgotten ManShamus Award – Best P.I. Novel 2006Nominated[7]
112007The WatchmanBarry Award – Best Thriller 2008Won
Mystery Ink's Gumshoe Award – Best Thriller 2008Won
Anthony Award – Best Novel 2008Nominated[12]
International Thriller Writers Awards – Best Novel 2008Nominated
122008Chasing DarknessSouthern California Independent Booksellers Association – Best Mystery AwardNominated
132010The First RuleShamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2011Nominated[7]
142011The Sentry
152012TakenShamus Award – Best Hardcover P.I. Novel 2013Won[7]
Left Coast Crime – The Watson (mystery novel with the best sidekick) 2013Nominated[16]
162015The Promise
172017The Wanted
182019A Dangerous Man
192022Racing the Light
202025The Big EmptyEdgar Award – Best Novel 2026Won[14]

Other novels

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Year Title Publisher Award Result
2000Demolition AngelDoubledayMary Higgins Clark Award 2001Nominated[14]
Dilys AwardNominated[15]
2001HostageDoubledayNew York Times Book ReviewNotable Book
2006The Two-Minute RuleSimon & SchusterLondon Evening StandardBest Crime Novel of the Year
Otto Penzler, The New York SunTop Ten Best Crime Novels of the Year
Oline Cogdill, Sun-SentinelTop Ten Best Crime Novels of the Year
January MagazineBest Books of 2006
Audie AwardFinalist
2013Suspect

References

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  1. ↑ "Robert Crais: Awards and Recognitions". www.robertcrais.com.
  2. 1 2 "Encyclopedia of World Biography". Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "34th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Television Academy: Emmys. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  5. ↑ "History of Bouchercon". Bouchercon.info. Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  6. ↑ "Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival - Awards". sbbookfestival.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Shamus Award". thrillingdetective.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "MWA Announces 2014 Grand Master and Raven Awards". mysterywriters.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ CrimeReads (2026-04-30). "MWA Announces the 2026 Edgar Award Winners". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  10. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". RobertCrais.com. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  11. ↑ "Barry Awards (Crime Fiction) – 2020". Nightstand Book Reviews. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Award Nominees and Winners". Bouchercon.info. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Edgar Award Database". TheEdgars.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 "The Dilys Award". mysterybooksellers.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  16. ↑ "2013 Left Coast Crime Awards". leftcoastcrime.org. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
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