CSI: Crime Scene Investigation tie-ins

Title: CSI series
Author: Max Allan Collins

It's been a long time since my last review.... so I decided to make a sextant (sp?) review of the whole CSI novel series.
If you're a true CSI fan, you've gotta get the books cuz there's so much in detail written here including, some *ehem* hints of romance between the CSIs. Like the TV series, the book also usually has two cases in one book, solved at the same time.

The first in the series' title is Double Dealer. It's mainly abt a killer who has a double tap signature, whose identity must be revealed. The problem is, FBI agents are also interested in the case and of course, Grissom wouldn't let it go so easily. Another case is the murder of a 15-year-old girl.

Second is Sin City (not the Jessica Alba movie, mind you!), where a born-again Christian woman named Lynn Pierce was reported missing after her husband threatened to cut her into pieces, while Jenna Patrick, a stripper (thus the relevant title), was found strangled in her working booth.

Third is Cold Burn, Grissom and Sara were sent to a conference for forensic geeks high up on a picturesque, chilly mountain hotel (Grissom+Sara couple lovers will love this one), found a burnt body in the midst of the snowy mountains. This is one of the best novel in the series, and my personal favorite together with Sin City.

Fourth is Body of Evidence, where an employee discovered a grotesque child porn photos in her boss' printer. Another case is the disappearance of the mayor's secretary. You'll never get to guess who's the culprit until the very end.

Fifth is Grave Matters, where a woman wants to excavate her mother's grave because she believed that her mom was murdered. However, more problems pop out when the body was not her mom's, but a complete stranger's. Meanwhile, at a nearby hospital, a patient's death was very unnatural which led to an investigation by Catherine and Warrick. This is another favorite of mine because of the twists.

The last one, but not least, is Binding Ties. This is the first book that features Dr. Al Robbins and Greg Sanders on the back cover (The other five only have Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Sara and Brass) since both cast members (David Hall and Eric Szmanda were finally credited as main cast in Season 5). It's abt a serial killer who had been terrorizing Las Vegas 10 years back, used the same modus operandi to kill his latest victim. However, through a reporter, he claimed that he didn't do it. There's a copycat, or so he said. This is the most tense of the series, and by far most real.

I must say that I loved the series because the author didn't mind to delve into the character's emotions and past background. While the TV show took a while before telling the audience what the characters' lives were, or the troubles they had beyond LVPD office hours, the book had it all. Besides, I loved the fact that there's much I could learn (all the scientific terms and chemical stuff) which made the series a must-have just like the show a must-watch.

Coming UP: THe CSI Miami series.