Wednesday, June 1, 2011

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Burning Season--Jeff Mariotte

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Burning Season
Jeff Mariotte
Pocket, Jun 28 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439160879

On Mt. Charleston where McMansions abut the forest, a fire blazes. The Engine 42 crew tries to put out the flames, but a sudden change in the wind sends the inferno at the first responders killing all of them. In another part of Las Vegas, a dog brings home a human hand and starts chewing on it. Driving home from a fund raiser medic mogul Dennis Daniels, potential political candidate, is hurt by a roadside bomb. The three cases have in common CSI trying to determine who the respective responsible people for each incident are.

In the arson incident, CSI uses forensic evidence to track down the killer; they are surprised by the identity and why he did it. DNA leads to the person missing a hand. As for the injuries Dennis incurred, good old fashion police work solves that case. The death of the police officer at the hands of an unknown person without any motive or reason remains a mystery until CSI gets trace evidence that leads them to the cop killers who hide behind a radical fringe group at odds with another strange organization.

Like Lee Goldberg and Donald Bain, Jeff Mariotte writes exciting mysteries based on TV shows. The author understands the essence of CSI and the cast, which enables series fans to believe the inquiries are performed by genuine people working real cases. Especially well done is the smooth transition from one crime to another smoothly, which insures readers will not be jarred from the entertaining story line.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: