Rating: 
Summary: Follow the evidence; it's a good book
Review: Set sometime after the first season with the return of annoying FBI Special Agent Rick Culpepper from "Strip Strangler," the principal difference--other than the lack of background music and cause-of-death zoom-in reenactments--from the shows can be summed up by a Grissom line from "The I-15 Murders": "I curse more." However, it does give a broader depiction of the CSI universe with the occasional trip outside of Clark County, as well as an explanation as to why they're always reporting to the Clark County Sherrif instead of the Vegas PD chief. Small problems that Collins didn't thoroughly explain (like why Brass' desk is in the Homicide squad bullpen if he's still a captain after the Holly Gribbs fiasco) or just got flat-out wrong (like saying Nick had dated Kristy Hopkins when their relationship was little more than a one-night stand and three official criminal investigations involving her) don't detract from the overall story.
Rating:
Summary: Follow the evidence; it's a good book
Review: Set sometime after the first season with the return of annoying FBI Special Agent Rick Culpepper from "Strip Strangler," the principal difference--other than the lack of background music and cause-of-death zoom-in reenactments--from the shows can be summed up by a Grissom line from "The I-15 Murders": "I curse more." However, it does give a broader depiction of the CSI universe with the occasional trip outside of Clark County, as well as an explanation as to why they're always reporting to the Clark County Sherrif instead of the Vegas PD chief. Small problems that Collins didn't thoroughly explain (like why Brass' desk is in the Homicide squad bullpen if he's still a captain after the Holly Gribbs fiasco) or just got flat-out wrong (like saying Nick had dated Kristy Hopkins when their relationship was little more than a one-night stand and three official criminal investigations involving her) don't detract from the overall story.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-told story that peters out near the end
Review: The tale of the CSI's hunt for the Deuce is rather gripping. There were several times when I wished that this was an actual TV episode because without all the exposition necessary in fiction, the tension of a scene would be broken earlier. That the author, Max Allan Collins, didn't sacrifice exposition for the sake of audience gratification is a testament to the man's skills as a writer.He does a good job of sketching the CSIs. No one's given the personality detail that they've developed to now on the show, but this book was likely started shortly into the first season of the show, when the characters themselves were somewhat sketchy. Still, he manages to capture Nick Stokes Boy Scout charm and sense of humour, Sarah Sidle's wry humour and lack of personal skills, and many of the quirks of the rest. The examination of the evidence, the slow, methodical process of investigation, is the crux of the book, of course, and Collins presents these scenes in a very realistic and, at least to my understanding, accurate fashion. They use many of the same techniques we've seen on the show, but they employ some new tricks. Due to the evidence-light nature of the case, there's also a lot more footwork than is typical on the show. There, of course, they're limited in the number of shots and locations they can employ, but Collins knows he's not that limited and presents a variety of settings. So, if this is such a great book, why only four stars? The ending is very weak. I think he wrote it in an effort to give the case that one final twist, to separate it from all others, but this plot twist is clumsily handled and comes across as rather forced. Still a good book, though.
Rating:
Summary: Crime Scene Investigation: Double Dealer
Review: THERE NEEDS TO BE A SECOND BOOK! It is very suspensful and full of twists and turns in the plot. It seemed like it was a script from the actual show! Max Allan Collins must be a fan; he knew exactly how the characters would react to the problem at hand. I just couldn't put it down!
Rating:
Summary: Like reading a CSI script
Review: This book is great. Should be the first of a very successful series. If you like the CSI series, you will really enjoy this book. Looking forward to a follow-up....
Rating:
Summary: love the show? get the book!
Review: This is an excellent book! I love the way Max Allan Collins portrays the characters. It is an episode in writing, and a very good one to boot! I could not put this book down, and I know for sure that I will pick up this book again :)
Rating:
Summary: CSI Goes After The Deuce
Review: This is the first in the series of three CSI stories written by Max Collins. I read Sin City (the second in the series) first and wanted to wait for summer reruns to read the Double Dealer and Cold Burn. But as I said in my review of Sin City, I just can't get enough of CSI on TV or (now) in book form. The Las Vegas forensic team is investigating two similar murders separated by fifteen years. A lot of evidence is processed and the mood is frequently lightened by the dry wit of the characters. I especially enjoy Gil Grissom's puns. Grissom and his team put in many hours of overtime on these cases. Will they get their man? I had my doubts. But, well, I won't give away the ending. It's a very good one.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for CSI Fans!
Review: When a vacationing 'John Smith' is shot twice in the head in a hotel off the strip, the politicians are all over Grissom to get this case solved and to get it solved fast. Dead tourists are bad for business, after all. The murder is also panicking the townspeople because it looks like a mob hit, as the victim was shot execution style and then shot again to complete the signature of a famous old Mob executioner who dropped off the face of the earth about fifteen years before. Grissom, Sara and Warrick pick up the case and use the evidence from the victim, the bloody shoeprints in the hall, the hotel's security videotape and many other clues to hunt down their man. But that doesn't mean the case is over... Meanwhile, Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes are called to investigate a body at a construction site. The body has become mummified in Vegas' dry heat and the man is completely unrecognizable. His fingers were cut off at the knuckle so there is no chance of fingerprint identification, but they still have teeth and a rather unusual ring to try and ID the body. Funny thing is, the victim was shot twice in the head, execution style with the same signature of the new victim from Grissom's case. While both teams know that the murders are probably linked, the clues lead them in different directions so Grissom keeps the cases split to avoid overlooking any clues. But when the FBI steps in, sparks fly between the teams and the Vegas CSI investigators can't help but feel that the FBI is keeping something from them... This is the first CSI book that Collins has written based on the wonderful TV show and he does a superb job at keeping the TV personalities consistent with the characters in the book. I felt like I was watching an episode from the TV show, but with more descriptions and a longer time frame to solve the case. Both of the mysteries were very interesting and I enjoyed the hunt for clues, but the ending was a little wacked. It didn't end anything like I thought it would so I was totally surprised with what happened. Still, it was a great book and I recommend it to any CSI fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for CSI Fans!
Review: When a vacationing 'John Smith' is shot twice in the head in a hotel off the strip, the politicians are all over Grissom to get this case solved and to get it solved fast. Dead tourists are bad for business, after all. The murder is also panicking the townspeople because it looks like a mob hit, as the victim was shot execution style and then shot again to complete the signature of a famous old Mob executioner who dropped off the face of the earth about fifteen years before. Grissom, Sara and Warrick pick up the case and use the evidence from the victim, the bloody shoeprints in the hall, the hotel's security videotape and many other clues to hunt down their man. But that doesn't mean the case is over... Meanwhile, Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes are called to investigate a body at a construction site. The body has become mummified in Vegas' dry heat and the man is completely unrecognizable. His fingers were cut off at the knuckle so there is no chance of fingerprint identification, but they still have teeth and a rather unusual ring to try and ID the body. Funny thing is, the victim was shot twice in the head, execution style with the same signature of the new victim from Grissom's case. While both teams know that the murders are probably linked, the clues lead them in different directions so Grissom keeps the cases split to avoid overlooking any clues. But when the FBI steps in, sparks fly between the teams and the Vegas CSI investigators can't help but feel that the FBI is keeping something from them... This is the first CSI book that Collins has written based on the wonderful TV show and he does a superb job at keeping the TV personalities consistent with the characters in the book. I felt like I was watching an episode from the TV show, but with more descriptions and a longer time frame to solve the case. Both of the mysteries were very interesting and I enjoyed the hunt for clues, but the ending was a little wacked. It didn't end anything like I thought it would so I was totally surprised with what happened. Still, it was a great book and I recommend it to any CSI fan.
Rating:
Summary: Snappy, Well Written, Smart
Review: When CSI debuted on CBS last year, I was heartened by the fact that the show's writers assumed the audience was smart enough to keep up with the science and the complexities of the characters. Thankfully, Double Dealer takes the same high road. Max Allan Collins does a terrific job of balancing characterization, plot, and those cool forensic science details in a much more satisfying manner than TV allows. Don't get me wrong: I love the show. This book, however, is even better. Feed your brain and your CSI addiction and put this one at the top of your reading list.
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