Stalking the Angel was published by Bantam in 1989. Bradley Warren, a wealthy Japanese-American businessman, hires Elvis Cole to recover a stolen Hagakure — a priceless medieval Japanese manuscript. The investigation leads Cole into Little Tokyo’s yakuza operations, but the real danger comes from Warren himself, whose façade of civilized wealth conceals domestic violence and a capacity for murder.
Crais uses the case to explore the intersection of Japanese and American cultures in Los Angeles — the legitimate business community, the criminal underworld, and the code of honor (real and performed) that binds them. Pike’s backstory deepens: his connection to Japanese martial arts and his respect for bushido ethics provide a counterpoint to the yakuza’s corruption of the same traditions.
The novel established Crais’s ability to write action sequences — a climactic confrontation involving Cole, Pike, and multiple yakuza soldiers in a warehouse is cinematic in its pacing and brutal in its consequences.
Collecting Stalking the Angel
First edition (Bantam, New York, 1989): Paperback original.
Market values:
- First printing paperback, fine: $20–$50
- First UK hardcover (Piatkus): $30–$80