diannelebold's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fayan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: March 5th 2023
"Search for the truth has no cure."
I remember reading this series in Dutch back when the books were first being published about twenty years ago, and apparently I liked them enough to keep buying each sequel as soon as they appeared in the bookstore. I was browsing for titles I read over ten years ago for the POPSUGAR challenge when an episode of CSI came up on TV, and I had that eureka moment. Why not rereading Double Dealer and see if the series is still as successful for me in the present? I've always been a CSI Las Vegas fan, and while this book might not be perfect, I had so much fun meeting up with the characters that I personally didn't care about its flaws at all. The case itself is interesting, with the two seemingly different crime scenes that show similarities that make you wonder if they might be connected... It had been so long that I had forgotten about how everything wrapped up, which was a bonus of course. The dialogues and banter were entertaining, and the plot read like one of the TV episodes (with even some references to some things that happened in the first season). I had so much fun rereading the first book that I've decided to continue with the rest of the series as well!
katebenson's review against another edition
5.0
A reread. I don't remember when I read it the first time.
wyemu's review against another edition
2.0
As an avid watcher of CSI (in all of its incarnations) for many years obviously I wanted to read the accompanying works of fiction as well.
Personally, I find it hard to write a full review of books such as these, it's hard to talk about character development, scene setting etc. when all of those things are taking place on the screen over the course of seasons.
So, for me, the most important thing with a book based on a TV series, such as this one, is whether the voices and actions of the characters in the book, ring true to what we'd expect of them based on the series. Collins is no amateur when it comes to writing from a series and, in this book, he's done well to take those characters and portray they as faithfully as possible.
Other than that, all I can think to say is that the crimes, and the solving of them, were interesting and worked well.
Personally, I find it hard to write a full review of books such as these, it's hard to talk about character development, scene setting etc. when all of those things are taking place on the screen over the course of seasons.
So, for me, the most important thing with a book based on a TV series, such as this one, is whether the voices and actions of the characters in the book, ring true to what we'd expect of them based on the series. Collins is no amateur when it comes to writing from a series and, in this book, he's done well to take those characters and portray they as faithfully as possible.
Other than that, all I can think to say is that the crimes, and the solving of them, were interesting and worked well.
aotora's review against another edition
1.0
Eh I didn't really like this one ... I wanted to but it was just so darn boring. The cases were boring, the characters seemed somewhat off to me and I just couldn't wait for this one to be over. I've read most of the CSI books when I was younger and I enjoyed most of them - this one was the worst of them all and I don't think that I will ever pick it up again. It's the first book in the series though, so they get better over time I guess. But this one just didn't do it for me.
bibilophile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
3.0
Double Dealer by Max Allan Collins
I'm a massive fan of CSI, and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation is my favourite, so when I realised there were accompanying books I leapt at the chance. Collins knows what the characters are like and how they speak. It's evident he's researched the show. It was great reading new stories about some of my favourite characters. Overall, they're a good, easy read that require practically no imagination because you already know the people and their history.
I'm a massive fan of CSI, and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation is my favourite, so when I realised there were accompanying books I leapt at the chance. Collins knows what the characters are like and how they speak. It's evident he's researched the show. It was great reading new stories about some of my favourite characters. Overall, they're a good, easy read that require practically no imagination because you already know the people and their history.