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CSI: Body of Evidence
Max Allan Collins Book Review

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Plot Summary of CSI: Body of Evidence
"When Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes catch a call at the end of their shift reporting "unknown trouble", it is all Catherine can do to drag herself down to the Newcombe-Gold Advertising Agency, knowing that her daughter will once again wake up to her regular babysitter instead of her mother. But, when Catherine and Nick discover that the unknown trouble involves graphic photos of child pornography printed from Mr. Gold's computer, they both are willing to do whatever it takes to find the person who would buy such filth. All of the evidence points to one man in the office, even though the computer forensics show that his computer was not used to print the photos, but Catherine's gut tells her that the obvious suspect is not the one who did this - but who did?

Meanwhile, Grissom, Warrick & Sara catch the case that could make or break their carriers outside of Nellis Air Force Base. They discover the body of an unknown woman, called in by a good Samaritan. The body was carefully wrapped and duct taped, but when they open up the package, they recognize the face of Candace Lewis, the Las Vegas mayor's personal assistant who disappeared a few weeks past. Grissom is forced to put aside his distaste of politics and deal with the mayor's relationship with Candace and the sheriff's political aspirations. With so much pressure coming from outside sources to solve the case and keep the details under wraps, Grissom is forced to walk on eggshells and use careful maneuvering in his investigation or ruin the wrong person's career...

This is the fourth book in the CSI series by Max Collins and, while it was not as entertaining as the first three, it was still a very enjoyable read. The endings of the mysteries were particularly interesting in that it reminds us that sometimes the simplest and most obvious solution is the correct solution, instead of the convoluted and complex hypotheses that investigators come up with while working on cases. Again, Collins does a superb job of keeping the TV personalities consistent and clear - I always feel like I am watching an episode on TV when I read his books, I just get more detail this way!
"

Debbie, Resident Scholar

"The week begins for most people on Monday morning, but CSIs Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes are just ending their Sunday night shift when they get a call to go out to a local advertising agency because one of the partner's personal assistant has found child pornography on her boss's printer.

The investigation is instantly difficult because several of the employees are on vacation and it is impossible to tell who was in the office over the weekend. Sifting through this Body of Evidence is not going to be easy.

IT expert Tomas Nunez is called in to assist the technical part of the investigation and he discovers which computer the print command was sent from, but when the CSIs find multiple fingerprints on the keyboard of that station, they realize that they've got a real corker on their hands. Add to that their personal feelings about child pornography and this is going to prove to be one emotional case, with more than one instance of misguided accusation.

Elsewhere in Las Vegas, Gil Grissom, Warrick Brown, and Sara Sidle are called to investigate a woman's body discovered by a local citizen. The profile of the case is heightened instantly when her identity is confirmed as the long-missing secretary of Mayor Darryl Harrison.

Sheriff Brian Mobley immediately takes himself off the case because he has everything to gain by implicating the mayor in this crime: Mobley was planning to run against the mayor for his seat. Mobley's campaign manager Ed Anthony has been doing everything in his power to help Mobley, including several things he shouldn't have done. "

Craig Clarke, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of CSI: Body of Evidence
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 15%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 15%




Tone of story - very upbeat - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999 - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - nearly 100%
Murder of certain profession? - politicians
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Big focus on forensic evidence - Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - describing scientific process
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - high tech/computer crime
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - evil corporation/rich guy

Main Character
Gender - Male - Female
Profession/status: - scientist - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental: Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric
How much violence does he/she use? - none - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - almost none - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - power
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West
City? Yes
City: - wealthy

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 3rd - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths? - 1
A lot of techno jargon? Yes
Kind of jargon? - biology/medical
Unusual forms of death - asphyxiation
Is this an e-book? Yes
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to CSI: Body of Evidence
Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
The Cove by Catherine Coulter
Fatality by Caroline B. Cooney
Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
Fault Line by Sarah Andrews


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Max Allan Collins Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Debbie  

SCHOLARS:
Craig Clarke  steve  


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