fasitnating story coupled with an entertaining forensic education
340949
A true page turner that's loaded with great story telling coupled with real life forensic science.  Dr. Tabor's book obviously draws upon personal experiences applied to facts that are fascinating and compelling.  A very entertaining and educational read.  I didn't want it to end and can't wait for his next one.  Tom Donnell
1291035
I took an adult ed. course from the author Paul Bishop and found it fascinating, so I was interested in reading one of his books.  I was not disappointed! His narrative is very readable, the characters relatable and the story totally kept my interest. The techniques he describes for interrogating witnesses is exactly what he taught us about in class, and apparently they are very effective.  The after-matter in the book, about Paul's last day on the job (in real life) after 35 years with LAPD, was also fascinating. I look forward to reading more books by Paul.
2086347
Listening to the audiobook of THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE was an entertaining treat.

The narrator for this audiobook is Dan Lawson. His voice is perfect for the Mac Faraday books. He is able to modulate his voice so that there is never a doubt which character is speaking. I am impressed with his enunciation and was able to understand every word he said.

The story itself is a well written mystery that spans several decades. I have not read, or listened to the second, third or fourth book in this series and yet I never felt like I was missing pieces of the story. This audiobook would even work well as a stand-alone thriller.

The only issue I had with THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE was that when the story was nearing its completion, DNA was sent for analysis and seemed to be returned almost immediately. This is a fantasy. In reality, obtaining DNA results can take anywhere from a few days to several months before the results are returned to the investigating officers. It is exceedingly rare for small town police offices to have their own lab and most biological samples would have to be outsourced. I understand that the DNA results were important to the plot which is why the author chose to speed up the results, but it did stand out to me as inaccurate and unbelievable.

Despite the minor hiccup I just mentioned, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. There are so many different threads to this story and yet Lauren Carr was able to weave them all together to create a tapestry that readers will not soon forget.

My favorite character in this book is the "Wolf-Man.

I rate MURDER AT ASTAIRE CASTLE as 4 out of 5 Stars.
4914325
This book is an account of one woman's experience living through the murder of her ex-husband, then following the steps it took to uncover the murderer and bring about justice. It does not read like a novel but more of recounting from memory - a step by step telling of events, adding legal evidence and backstory as necessary. It is obviously amateur but also intriguing, especially if one is interested in the journey from crime to punishment in a "Law & Order" kind of way but given from a lay-person point of view.

There are black and white photos through out which bring the reader a real and up-close look at everyone involved. It also adds a bit of creepiness as we look at the author smiling over the casket or read captions that state how much fun the deceased is having with his wife in the same chapter that tells of their hatred for each other. The photos are many, from a picture of a bottle of Cranapple juice beside a bottle of arsenic to a professional photo of the author with the caption "sad that her ex-husband died" Some are very enlightening, some are just weird.

Overall, this is a very intriguing account if one is interested in the road that leads to justice. If one is looking for a good murder mystery novel, however, Agatha Christie is still the way to go
2486104
In this second offering by Patrica Rockwell, she brings back Pamela Barnes to help investigate the death of a popular late night DJ heard over the airwaves.  I have to admit, the first chapter left me wondering but as I reached the surprising ending, it made perfect sense.  Pamela Barnes is a professor with a loving and overprotective husband and a lovely daughter. Along with her colleagues, the characters in this book are funny, engaging and totally relatable.  In this novel, she was asked to help out on the case by the police, using her acoustic skills to see if she can discover any clues that might lead to who committed the crime .  The story is interwoven with a connected story, a mystery within a mystery, if you will, and I found myself reading, curious to know how both stories tied to each other.  The novel was engaging and kept you turning pages until the end.  The ending itself was such an unexpected one for me, I totally didn't see it coming.  Overall, the novel was well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

One caveat:  I haven't read the first novel - Sounds of Murder - and this novel made several reference to it that had me asking questions.  I plan on fixing that mistake as soon as possible and I will be reading it!
4705866
This crime was featured on an episode of FORENSIC FILES.  Though ithe murder took place a number of years ago, I found the book to be well written and quite interesting.  Fortunately, toward the end of the TV program the author, Tom Henderson, spoke of the scenario and the book he was then writing.  That was the inspiration for my purchase of the book.
4945778
It's not often you get a fictional book that both entertains and educates you, all the while keeping you in suspense until the final pages.  Can't wait for the follow up!
1498395
This is a great book for people that are interested in the everyday application vs. the technical details of forensic science.
Each chapter tells the story of a forensic case. Mr. Miller provides the background of  all characters involved so you can get a feel for the circumstances  surrounding the death. He also gives you a lot of good, basic information  about the way the body responds when death has occured in different ways,  as well as how the scientists use various methods to discover what really  happened and who is at fault for the death.
This book is great- it is  easy to read and is very explanatory as far as the details of this work  goes- enough for any reader to understand. It is organized into chapters  with each chapter a different case. It really reads like 16 mini-Agatha  Christie short shories. Each will confound and astound. I thoroughly  enjoyed this book.
1920260
Activism and vandalism often go hand in hand like mystery and murder. A young woman adamant to stop plans by Ashmore Colleges Dr. Dudley Cooper to set up a body farm for forensic research decides to take her protest to ground zero. She and a companion paint signs of protest, using pigs blood for dramatic effect, at Carnival Cove, an abandoned amusement park purchased by the professor. But, the ear-spitting crack, the excruciating pain, the real blood soaking her chest spelled murder. Wow, what a prologue! From here Caroline Fardig pens a nail-biting engaging thriller with multiple dead bodies, campus chaos, ravenous reporters, and the resurfacing of personal demons with which our heroine must contend.

Caroline Fardigs book one of her Elle Matthews series kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns, volatile family dynamics, secrets, innuendos, and weaving throughout fascinating information on CSI techniques, evidence gathering, and lab testing. But it's Carolines characters in which I have invested my interest. Written in first-person, the heroine Ellie Matthews, is admirable for her forensic expertise, critical perspective, witty humor, and loyalty to family and friends. A well-respected criminologist, she turned in her CSI credentials for a position in the forensic anthropology department at a posh private college; a grisly criminal investigation had become deeply personal, and issues with it and its impact on her life are revisited. There's her half-sister, toddler nephew, and a step-father that round off her very important support system.

Just when I thought I was outthey pull me back in! It's been three years since Ellie had been involved in a crime scene, as she and Dr. Cooper came upon the young activists body. And except for mentor and friend Sheriff Jayne Walsh, she has had little contact with former sheriffs department colleagues. Her acerbic banter with hothead Detective Jason Sterling is entertaining; she sure can give as good as she gets. But it is the new detective, Nick Baxter, who provides a professional partnership, ease as a personal confidant, and a possible romantic entanglement, although she doesn't have a positive history with men. Rounding out the cast of characters Caroline gives us snooty board of trustees, entitled politicians, welcoming colleagues, jealous colleagues, timid to just plain annoying students and professors, and supportive and loving family. Carolines series rivals books from Tess Gerritsens Rizzoli and Isles and Kathy Reichs Bones series. Her descriptions and dialogue kept me turning the pages, and even in the midst of the drama we get some witty banter. Well written all around!

"Disclosure: I received a copy of this book. This is my voluntary review with my own honest opinions and insights."
1308707
Ms. Stevens expertly weaves clues into descriptions and characterizations in order to create a delightful tale of a criminal who thinks he has found the perfect crime. The character types are familiar, but Ms. Stevens gives each character special, unexpected attributes. The result is excellent entertainment. Highly recommended.
4521803
After all has been said and done, I am convinced of Mark Furman's integrity as a detective. I am also convinced that he can be completely trusted to tell the truth about the facts of this case.  His defense of  himself re: the tapes was a little un-convincing, but this does not  diminish the book as very entertaining and a good education about the case.
3367203
Discovery of a decades-old body walled up in a building in Lake George Village in upstate New York begins this complex tale of crime, detection, law, and revenge.  Set in the recent past, but taking place over three decades, the solving of the crime and the resulting complications is a story that will hold the interest of anyone who ever enjoyed a crime novel.

The police procedural parts of the book are well done, and the court house segments have an immediacy that comes only from an author with decades as an expert prosecutor and defense counsel.  His eye for detail and personalities lights up what could be dull episodes in every-day criminal law.  It is so well done that the reader, despite being privy to some of the usually secret idiosyncrasies of the law and its servants, will remain sympathetic.

The cast of characters, especially law enforcement personnel from many jurisdictions, is very large and the reader may feel that a list to help keep them straight would be useful.  There are some distracting proof-reading errors.

Crime and law aside, what makes Wiseguys unique is the insight into what serving the law and the public means to the principals, and especially to their families.  The reaction of the prosecutor's young children to the threat of having to be evacuated from their home because of danger from the Wiseguys is touching and lends an edge to the suspense.

Wiseguys in the Woods will appeal to devotees of crime or legal fiction, mysteries, and life in a small town.  The ending holds out the promise of a sequel, to which readers will look forward.
2360287
I can heartily recommend Murder on the Middle Fork.  It is an eminently readable, entertaining novel.  Don Ian Smith and Naida West started with a locally notorious murder of 1917 (locally in Idaho), and worked back via a combination of primary sources (such as the coroner and the man who hauled the body to the family, as well as contemporary newspaper reports) and literary license (imagination and insight) to develop a story of how the murder happened -- motivation and circumstances.  The characters, both real and fictitious, are well drawn, the dialogue effective (much use of dialect, but appropriate), and the story gripping.  It is not so much history as such as it is fiction inspired by a real murder and drawing on the location and the culture and events of the time.  I found it hard to put down.
4853270
If you enjoy details of forensics, as I do, then you will enjoy that aspect of this book.  The storyline is in keeping with an interesting mystery but falls a little short.  Keep in mind that it is mostly forensics with a detailed picture grouping at the end of skeletal bones then you will enjoy the bonus of the mystery.  An enjoyable first effort and I would read another of his books.
2263875
Having long been interested in the forensics of crime solving, this book had me totally mesmerized. I hated reaching the end of the book, leaving me wanting more examples of how murders were solved from tiny fragments of bones or teeth, or from cuts & slashes on bones. Amazing work, artfully & skillfully recounted.
3075412
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't warm to it initially but it didn't take long to really start being involved in the story. The storyline blended well with the forensic explanations.
I found the book to be  interesting and absorbing.
2074834
Theoretically Dead is a most engaging read. A Philosophy conference on the campus of a small midwestern college provides a setting ripe with possibilities for murder. Academic rivalries, love, loyalty, and professional ambitions all come into play when a distiguished, but eccentric, philosopher turns up dead.
Whereas the notion of following the shenanigans of a cadre of philosophers at an academic conference might seem dry to some readers, the charming but beleaguered narrator keeps the tone light and the perspective amusingly mundane. We are put at ease by her own admission of disinterest in the subject.
Theoretically Dead provides a refreshingly personal view of academic life. It peels away the academic stereotypes and presents individuals with distinguished professional careers and quirky insecurities. The characters are well drawn, and they linger in your mind.
The Midwestern college setting provides a rich sense of place that reminds me of A Cunning Man or The Rebel Angel by Robertson Davies. Tinker Marks is clearly at home on campus.
Like a good Miss Marple tale, this mystery snares the reader more out of curiosity than out of dramatic tension. I found myself taking off from work early to get back to the book. The crime's resolution was both surprising and satisfying. I was able to deduce the who of the whodunnit, as I usually do. I missed by a mile on the why. I wouldn't have it any other way.