The First Rule was published by Putnam in 2010. Frank Meyer, a former mercenary who served with Pike in covert operations, has been living quietly in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and two sons. They are all murdered in what appears to be a home invasion robbery. Pike vows to find the killers.
The investigation leads into the world of Eastern European organized crime in Los Angeles — specifically, a crew of Serbian gangsters connected to war criminals from the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. The “first rule” of the title is Pike’s operating principle: protect your own. Frank was one of his own. The killers must answer for it.
Crais uses the novel to explore the theme of men who leave violence behind: Frank built a family, coached Little League, and became a good suburban father. But his past caught up with him. Pike — who never attempted domesticity — must confront the question of whether it’s possible for men like them to build normal lives, or whether the violence they’ve done permanently marks them.
Collecting The First Rule
First edition (Putnam, New York, 2010): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine in jacket: $10–$20
- Signed first: $25–$50