Proof Positive

With three successful CSI shows on the air as well as a bunch of other police procedurals (e.g., Law and Order), it often seems that every crime, no matter how perfect on the surface, always leaves telltale clues that good science can pick up. Of course, the key word in that sentence is "good"; if the science is bad, or - as in the case of Phillip Margolin's Proof Positive - the scientist is bad, then it falls apart. Proof Positive begins with the execution of Raymond Hayes for a murder he swears he didn't commit. His lawyer, Doug Weaver, had encouraged him to plead guilty based on the seemingly incontrovertible evidence of a fingerprint on the murder weapon. Hayes's execution haunts Weaver, who wonders if he could have done anything different. The fingerprint evidence, however, came from Bernard Cashman, a forensics specialist who isn't above forging evidence to get what he considers justice. When his assistant catches on that there is something suspicious in his work, he opts to kill her, cleverly framing a schizophrenic man who happens to be another of Weaver's clients. Meanwhile, recurring character Amanda Jaffe is working with her father on a murder case for a mobster whose proof of guilt also relies on a fingerprint which was also found by Cashman. Margolin is in top form with this novel, which is a real page-turner. Admittedly, there aren't lots of plot twists, but the relative straightforwardness of the story doesn't interfere with its entertainment value. If you're into thrillers, this should be added to your reading list.

That's the question posed by Philip Margolin in his new thriller "Proof Positive". What happens when the impartial experts, upon whom society depends to assure justice is done, pervert their positions and falsify the evidence to advance their own agendas? The question is horrifying in its implications, and Margolin uses this as the basis for this compelling novel. Further, his villain is truly frightening, because his total evil is rooted in his conviction that he's actually doing the right thing. This is a phenomenal and original portrayal of the face of amorality. It also gives one pause for thought as to the implications. We see the return of Frank and Amanda Jaffe - great characters from his earlier work - as well as the new character Doug Weaver, a down-on-his-luck defense attorney. I really found myself rooting for these people (and I'm a law-and-order kind of guy). Justice is ultimately served, but the ending is heart-wrenching. Margolin has always been a compelling storyteller, all the way back to the era of "Gone... but not Forgotten", and he certainly delivers the goods here. This story moves along briskly, is riveting, and as usual for Margolin is very inventive and original. Margolin always brings a very quirky and "through the looking glass" slant to his work; it clearly shows in this book. Five stars. Get it. You'll love it.

So what happens when a forensics expert decides to become the judge and jury instead of just reporting the facts? That's the premise of Phillip Margolin's latest novel, Proof Positive. Definitely makes you think... A homeless person, suffering from mental issues, is accused of a rather gruesome murder that nearly appears to be an open-and-shut case. His attorney has that small voice that says she believes that he didn't do it, but the evidence is overwhelming. Meanwhile, her father is defending a crime boss's muscle who's been accused of murdering a junkie tied to a rival. Again, the evidence points directly to the accused, but there's still the insistence that he didn't do it. When they start comparing notes and poking at the few open issues, they discover a common thread... the same forensic expert for the State is involved in all the cases. When an additional lawyer brings in a case that bears the same characteristics, the pressure starts to build and people start dying to cover up the truth... whatever it may be. I like Margolin's writing a lot... The pacing in Proof was good, and the premise was a bit different than stories I've read of late. What *would* happen if a criminologist went bad and started determining who should and shouldn't be innocent or guilty? I'll also confess to a certain bias towards his novels because they are all set in my home town of Portland Oregon. Reading a story and visualizing each location exactly as it exists always adds an element of enjoyment for me... A great summer read, and one that should appeal to anyone who is hooked on the CSI-style shows currently in vogue on network TV.

Oregon state crime lab forensic expert Bernie Cashman is the recognized expert, a magician who seems to conjure up the impossible PROOF POSITIVE that sends many suspects to jail. He is the best at insuring a conviction. However, there is one slight drawback to Bernie's methodology. He has no moral compunction to faking the evidence that sends those he believes are guilty to prison. No one realizes that Bernie has become judge and jury as his results has made him the centerfold for those tough on crime. However, his lesser colleague Mary Clark stumbles on Bernie's rigging the proof. Used to being adulated as a God, an irate Bernie knows he must rid the world of this do-gooder, but also needs a culprit, whom he finds in unhinged Jacob Cohen, to take the fall. Oregon defense attorney Amanda Jaffe takes on homeless Jacob as her client. His case though not related in any sense to another still seems familiar with the link being Bernie. Amanda investigates not realizing that this CSI is willing to kill anyone who tries to kick him off his pantheon perch on the top of Mount Olympus. In many ways Bernie stars in this crime thriller as his fascinating in a macabre way actions and rationalizations are the focus of the tale even more so than Amanda is. Amanda remains an intriguing protagonist (see TIES THAT BIND and WILD JUSTICE) as her personal problems simmer (thank goodness) in the background. Using a macabre twist on the CSI adulation theme, Phillip Margolin provides a Hitchcockian thriller that readers will relish. Harriet Klausner

In the opening scene of Philip Margolin's "Proof Positive," a depressed criminal defense attorney named Doug Weaver reluctantly witnesses the execution of his client, Raymond Hayes, at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Although Weaver believes that Hayes committed the crime that put him on death row, the lawyer still feels guilty for not having saved him. Little does Weaver know that Bernie Cashman, a respected forensic scientist at the Oregon State Crime Lab, falsified physical evidence to make sure that Hayes would be convicted. Cashman is a slimy villain. He pretends to be a competent professional, but underneath his dignified veneer, Cashman is a psychopath who takes the law into his own hands, with catastrophic results. Frank Jaffe is a criminal defense attorney who numbers among his clients some vicious mobsters, but he believes that even violent thugs deserve their day in court. Frank takes the case of Art Prochaska, a gangster who is accused of murdering a junkie informer. A beer can with Art's fingerprint is found at the crime scene, and when further forensic evidence comes to light that implicates Prochaska, things look bleak for Frank's client. As Cashman becomes more and more confident that he can manipulate evidence with impunity, he takes even greater risks, until one of his colleagues unwisely confronts him with her suspicions. Frank's daughter, Amanda Jaffe, who is an attorney in her father's law firm, soon suspects that Bernie Cashman may not be the righteous person that he pretends to be, and she decides to bring the forensic fake to justice. Margolin's details about police procedure and evidence-gathering add to the book's realism. The courtroom scenes are lively, and there is a large and varied cast of characters, including a crooked cop, a homeless man with a religious fetish, an ambitious barracuda of a female prosecutor, and an honest and good-natured district attorney named Mike Greene who is love with Amanda. The author effectively demonstrates just how easy it is for an immoral insider to pervert the criminal justice system. "Proof Positive" is a violent and unnerving novel with elegant twists and turns, thrilling confrontations, and spine-tingling suspense.