The watchman - Robert Crais (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #11)

Going underground...

Joe Pike owes a bad man a big favour – and now he wants to collect. Pike is asked to protect the life of Larkin Connor Barkley, a spoiled rich girl who happens to be the only witness to the re-appearance of a deadly mob boss. When Pike and the girl come under intense fire and he realises that he can't trust anyone, he hatches a plan: disappear into the anonymous underbelly of Los Angeles, turn the tables, and hunt down the hunters.

Enlisting the help of Elvis Cole, Pike quickly uncovers a web of lies and betrayals; even the cops aren't who they seem. And as the body count rises, it becomes clear that Joe must fight on two separate fronts – for Larkin is a tortured soul who seems bent on destroying herself and taking him with her.

It is only at the end that Joe starts to realise that perhaps they aren't so different after all...