Double Dealer : Crime Scene Investigation (Mass Market Paperback)
Review
“Is there anyone left in Britain watching this cracking US import? Surely not because you’ve all gone off to Las Vegas to become crime scene investigators!” Radio Times
Product Description
Meet the little known and even less understood heroes of police work in Las Vegas — the forensic investigators. Led by veteran Gil Grissom, the remarkable team assigned to the Criminalistics Bureau’s graveyard shift — including Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, and Sara Sidle — must combine cutting-edge scientific methods and old-fashioned savvy as they work to untangle the evidence behind the yellow police tape. While Nick and Catherine investigate a newly discovered fifteen-year-old murder, Grissom and the rest of the team must uncover the indentity of a cold-blooded killer — one whose execution-style, “double-tap” signature has provoked the interest of FBI agent Rick Culpepper.
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I love CSI, so when I heard that there was a book to complement the series, I went out and bought it. I love to read anyway, so finding something that I really enjoy to read about is always a bonus.
Max Allan Collins paid attention to the important aspects of the show, but also did his research when it comes to Las Vegas. I’m a Las Vegas native, and it was nice to see something that actually paid attention to the city’s topography. Movies like Con-Air and the new Ocean’s 11 chose not to portray the city as it really is, and that bugs me. Collins got most of it right.
The characters were right on as well. I could hear Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Sara, Nick, Greg, and Brass in my head when they were saying something in the book. So, either I have little voices running amok in my head, or Collins paid attention to the show.
Well done, and a must read for anyone who likes the show, or who lives in Las Vegas…
Gil Grissom, the graveyard-shift supervisior of the Las Vegas Criminalistics Bureau, takes up the trail of a professional killer in DOUBLE DEALER. The hunt starts in the small hours of the morning in a Las Vegas hotel where a man has been shot dead. Two bullets in the back of the skull less than an inch apart are mute testimony to the fact that the murderer was a professional. Gil, Warrick, and Sara–accompanied by Detective Jim Brass of the LVPD–work the crime scene. At the same time, Catherine and Nick roll on an investigation of their own, arriving at a building site where the mummified body has been found. This second murder was also the victim of two specifically placed shots to the head. Following up her own leads, Catherine turns up the story of Malachy Fortunato, a Las Vegas dealer working for the Mafia who supposedly disappeared with his stripper girlfriend in 1985 after ripping off the Mafia-owned casino where he worked. At first, Grissom keeps the two cases separate, but the evidence keeps linking the new murder and the old one. Tenaciously, the CSIs work their evidence, turning up fact after fact, slowly closing in on the murderer. Then Special Agent Culpepper of the FBI suddenly joins the hunt, further mystifying Grissom and his specially trained team. Why would the FBI be interested in either the old case or the new one? Then, the next murder occurs, and Grissom knows that the cases were definitely linked because the murderer has killed again to protect the secrets from spilling out about the old murder and what really happened to Malachy Fortunato.
Max Allan Collins is the award-winning author of the Nate Heller novels, delicious blends of historical fiction and hardboiled private eye action. The Heller novels include TRUE CRIME, TRUE DETECTIVE, ANGEL IN BLACK, and the just-released CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL. He also wrote the original graphic novel, ROAD TO PERDITION, which inspired the Tom Hanks movie of the same name, and wrote the novelization of that movie. Other novelizations Collins has written include IN THE LINE OF FIRE, AIR FORCE ONE, WINDTALKERS, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. For sixteen years, he also scripted the Dick Tracy cartoon strip. He’s also written and directed movies that include MOMMY, MOMMY’S DAY, THE EXPERT, MIKE HAMMER’S MICKEY SPILLANE, and REAL TIME: SIEGE AT LUCAS STREET MARKET.
DOUBLE DEALER reads like a well-done episode of the CBS television series. Collin’s dialogue, pacing, and atmosphere are spot-on. The characters come to life on his pages, and the mystery stems from research as well as the author’s own love of the historical elements presented by the Mafia. Forensic methods in the book are carefully explained and documented, another cornerstone of the television series, but within the scope of the book Collins seems to have a little more time and the reader has time to absorb the information and learn a little more. Even though there are many twists and plot complications, Collins never loses his readers or loses sight of his many characters, presenting a very enjoyable read for those that want to read straight through or read at a more leisurely pace.
Fans of the CSI show will definitely want to pick up this book, as well as the sequels that are coming out. Anyone not familiar with the television show but who have a keen interest in forensics investigation will enjoy this book, and will have no problem not being familiar with the show. DOUBLE DEALER stands exceedingly well as a stand-alone read as it does as an enhancement for a remarkable television production.