First Evidence

Rating:
Summary: "Tense And Terrific!"
Review: A great detective story with a sci-fi twist! Crime Scene Investigator Colin Cellars of the Oregon State Patrol gets called out to a cabin where a friend has apparrently been murdered. Then weird things start happening. Shadows start popping up. Shadows he shots at. Shadows that try to steal his vehicle. What should be a routine murder case turns into something beyond all his prior experience. Throw in an old love, a mysterious women and superiors questioning his sanity and it doesn't get any easier for Cellars. Tension is the word of the day for this book. Twists come at you left and right. Goddard did a good job pacing them and making sure they didn't confuse the reader. You could feel the fear Colin Cellars was going through at some of those scenes where he was completely alone, and something always seemed to be lurking in the periphery. Some funny bits, too. The part with loudmouth Captain Hawkins, a cigar and an OSP vehicle sent me rolling with laughter. Also the Captain's mummy-like appearence in the crime lab was another classic. Characters were fine. Pretty down to earth. The personal issues that needed resolving also added to the flavor of the story. In all, I had trouble putting this book down.

Rating:
Summary: Not your usual detective story.
Review: First Evidence is an interesting twist on your normal cop book. OSP crime scene investigator Colin Cellars is sent to a call in the Oregon woods, where he is confronted at gunpoint by two spooked deputies who are only too happy to turn the scene over to him and get back to town. While working the scene, a homicide, he finds and sees things that makes him think the deputies might have had the right idea. It also turns out that he knows the victim. Things only get stranger from there. Missing deputies, missing bodies, moving evidence, gunplay, gadgets, and Ken Goddard's strange sense of humor combine for an entertaining read. The only flaw I could find was with the ending. Maybe that's because I wanted the book to go on, but it seemed like it didn't match the complexity of the rest of the book. If you like straightforward mysteries, wrapped up by the last page, I'd pass, but if you enjoy a little ambiguity and a few twists in the road, pick this one up.

Rating:
Summary: Destined to be a bestseller
Review: Right from the beginning First Evidence captures the readers attention with a mysterious murder. The book continues with each chapter ending with a cliffhanger that moves the reader on and on into a web of possible suspects and motives. In this book Ken Goddard not only introduces the reader to the world of forensics but also entertains and delights the reader with his imagination and ability to weave humor, fun, and intrigue into the story. I have read every book by Ken Goddard and although I have enjoyed and recommend all of them, this one is outstanding.

Rating:
Summary: First in Suspense
Review: This book is scary as hell! I've never read anything that builds suspense like this. The events in the story take their time. I was over halfway thru the book when I realized that 24 hours hadn't passed yet. I won't give away the plot because you need to be totally surprised to be scared. In the end, the climax wasn't all it could have been but building up to it was a nail-biting ride. Don't read this one at night...especially if you live way out in the woods alone.