Elvis Cole is the fictional detective from mystery writer Robert Crais. Elvis lives in the Hollywood Hills on Woodrow Wilson Boulevard. He lives in an A-frame that looks out over a canyon and has a large back deck. Elvis uses the back deck of his house to contemplate the universe, drink beer, think about his cases, and practice his daily T'ai Chi and Hatha Yoga exercises. He lives near another famous fictional detective, Harry Bosch, who even appeared in one of the Elvis Cole stories. He lives alone, but has a raggedy-eared, battle-scarred black cat that has a bad disposition. The cat dotes on Elvis' partner, Joe Pike.

Elvis is a private detective, who, with his partner Joe Pike, owns a detective agency in Los Angeles, California on Santa Monica Boulevard. Elvis is named after Elvis Presley. He collects Disney memorabilia, which he displays in his office. He drives a 1966 yellow convertible corvette and wears Hawaiian shirts. He has a Mickey Mouse phone on his desk. But, he also carries a .38 caliber Dan Wesson gun in a shoulder holster. He knows Tae Kwan Do and Wing Chung forms of martial arts. He served in Vietnam, where he was a U.S. Army Ranger.

Elvis bills himself, tongue-in-cheek, as “The World's Greatest Detective.” He is a smart-aleck, prone to quoting Jiminy Cricket. He drinks his coffee from a Spider-Man mug. But he is also a conscientious investigator with a soft spot for women and children in distress. Elvis Cole has taken his place among the great fictional detectives of our times.