The First Rule

Robert Crais

Chapters (58)

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Epigraph

Part One - Professionals

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Part Two - The First Rule

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Part Three - It’s Personal

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Part Four - Guardian

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Part Five - Rest

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

ALSO BY ROBERT CRAIS

Chasing Darkness
The Watchman
The Two Minute Rule
The Forgotten Man
The Last Detective
Hostage
Demolition Angel
L.A. Requiem
Indigo Slam
Sunset Express
Voodoo River
Free Fall
Lullaby Town
Stalking the Angel
The Monkey’s Raincoat

Title Page

Copyright Page

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Published by the Penguin Group
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or
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Published simultaneously in Canada
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Crais, Robert.
The first rule / by Robert Crais.
p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-16328-3

1. Pike, Joe (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Cole, Elvis (Fictitious
character)—Fiction. 3. Married people—Crimes against—Fiction.
4. Home invasion—California—Westwood—Fiction. 5. Drug traffic—California—Los
Angeles—Fiction. 6. Private investigators—
California—Los Angeles—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.R264F
813’.54—dc22

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Dedication

for my friend,
Harlan Ellison,
whose work, more than any other,
brought me to this place.

Acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS