Florida Getaway (CSI: Miami, No. 1)

Even as a pure C.S.I. Las Vegas fan, I picked up this book for a quick read. I've never really enjoyed watching the Miami series, but to my pleasure I enjoyed this book immensely. However at the end, I felt that there was really no resolution to the various aspects of the book. It really gets good, and then all of a sudden BAM, its at the end. You're left with many questions. On the whole, I enjoyed meeting the Miami cast in print, and now may enjoy watching C.S.I. Miami, having a bit more background information on the cast.

Gil Grissom was furious that his forensic evidence had been thrown out in court. If Greg Sanders hadn't been on vacation when the evidence was processed there would be no question that Thomas Lessor, a Boyle Hotels executive, would even now be in jail awaiting his sentencing. As it was, Grissom had to watch Lessor fly away, effectively getting away with the murder of Erica Hardy, his mistress, for the time being. However, a short time later, Grissom had the evidence that he needed to bring Lessor back to Las Vegas so they called the Miami-Dade police.Lieutenant Horatio Caine was at a murder scene when Catherine Willows called to ask him to go pick up Lessor. A limousine chauffer was tied up with duct tape and left in the trunk, where he asphyxiated. Leaving a few members of his crew at the crime scene, Horatio continued to The Conquistador, where Lessor was supposed to be staying. Problem was, Lessor never showed up from the airport. Horatio had a sinking feeling that Lessor and his chauffer were linked. He had proof when they found the remains of Lessor's body, buried in garbage bags on a beach. Now Horatio was left with two bodies, an ambitious lounge singer with Mob connections, and three aging hitmen - all he had to do was connect the dots....This is the first book that Max Allan Collins has written with the CSI: Miami team, although he has written several with the CSI: Las Vegas team. Although I did not feel that it was as good as the others he has written, it was still very well written and highly entertaining. It was a bit longer and more drawn out than the other stories, which read just like a TV episode would, and I kept trying to map out how they would cover all of the information in one episode and they simply couldn't. I was also a bit disappointed that all of the action focused on Horatio and that his team didn't play into it a bit more, but the TV show can get like that a bit too. Also, I felt that, for being so drawn out, it sure ended abruptly. I would have liked to see a tighter middle section of the plot and a smoother ending, but those are my only real complaints as, on the whole, it is fast paced, very descriptive and an interesting read. If you are a CSI fan and love to read, then this is a great book for you!

I agree with David from Spokane, Collins got the characters' mannerisms right on. I enjoyed the crossover between the Miami crew and the Las Vegas crew. I wish the TV episode that crossed over would have been as good as this book. In the show, they were too competitive. In the book, they were very friendly and cooperative, which I feel would be more realistic. On the other hand, competition between shifts (as in the show) is very realistic! Back to the book: I am a big fan of both CSI shows and have watched every episode. I enjoyed this book as much as the shows. If you love CSI, you will love this book.

"CSI: Sin City" (the first book in this series that I picked up) was so delicious that I went looking for another book in the series. "CSI: Miami: Florida Getaway" was just as much fun!"Florida Getaway" delivered a wonderfully tight mystery, packed with everything I was hoping for when I picked the book up -- gritty forensic detail, great atmosphere (sunny beaches, smoky clubs), a great cast of seamy and interesting characters who may or may not be murderers, and of course a crack forensics team out to deliver justice for the silent victim. The plot even managed to surpise me (more than once). You do not need to be a fan of the TV show to enjoy the book. You don't even need to have seen it once. Max Allan Collins tells you all you need to know. This is a very enjoyable mystery in the tradition of great pulp writers like Raymond Chandler. Fans of the TV shows may be delighted to notice that he has the CSI Florida team talk to the CSI Sin City (Las Vegas) team. It's all one world. I don't know if that kind of "crosstalk" has happened in the TV shows. (Pardon my ignorance!) As someone who had read and enjoyed a CSI Las Vegas novel, I was delighted.Both CSI fans and mystery fans should love this book! Enjoy!

I have read all of Max Allan Collins CSI books and enjoyed each and every one. This book was no exception; he got the mannerisms of the characters and their speech patterns perfect. In the other CSI books all the characters seem to get equal page time, while in this one Horiatio takes center stage and the other characters only touched upon in passing, so there isn't really any room for the other characters to get the personality that they deserve. Hopefully the other characters will have more room to grow in future books. The only problem I have with the book is it tends to be a little more long winded than the other CSI books. While most of the other CSI books read like a regular episode, this one felt like a two hour epic. None the less it's a well thought out and planned book. The end is a little disappointing, it all most seemed like Max finally realized how long the book was getting and needed to find a quick way to end it, but it's worth a read anyway.