Cold Burn

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation #3

by Max Allan Collins

Remote. Peaceful. Picturesque. That's how the Mumford Mountain Hotel bills itself in its brochure, and it lives up to its billing -- most of the time. But this year, the hotel is hosting a prestigious conference for the study of forensic science, and the organizers have extended CSI head Gil Grissom an invitation he can't refuse. Joined by fellow investigator Sara Sidle, Grissom leaves the department in the capable hands of Catherine Willows and heads east. But he and Sara soon find themselves in all too familiar territory -- and back in Las Vegas, Catherine, Warrick Brown, and Nick Stokes have uncovered trouble of their own.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Media Tie In, Mystery Thriller, Detective

308 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.

He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.

Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black

Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ

Reviews

[sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't judge me

[holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

this felt homophobic for two reasons...and one of those reasons was the gsr content. sara is a lesbian!! just let her be gay omg

[Mark]

In this tale Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle go to the the Mumford Mountain Hotel, the hotel is hosting a prestigious conference for the study of forensic science and Gil And Sara a the first to arrive. While taking a stroll through the surroundings they hear gunshots and then Gil smells something namely a burning corpse. The area gets hit by a serious snowstorm and it needs Grissom & Sidle to safeguard the evidence and crime scene. And then they will have to figure out what happened.

Catherine left in charge in Las Vegas find a corpse in the desert that is a missing person from a case a year old, which was never really solved by the day shift of the CSI. Their fresh eyes are turned to this case which takes a lot of smart thinking to solve.

A very decent TV show Tie in, you feel that Collins feels more at ease with the characters from early in the TV shows history, while both stories have little in common their perpetrators certainly do have and both have are as awful as they get.

enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Renn Karageorgieva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge CSI and an even bigger GSR (Grissom Sara Romance) fan, so that book seemed like a logical choice for some light reading. It was a real page-turner and although it doesn't strike the regular reader with brilliant originality, it does reward the CSI fans out there, giving them an episode on paper. I think I even found a couple of GSR moments there, as well, so I was pleased.

I think the book is a must for those who love forensics, CSI and reading.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit disappointing, really. As usual with these books, there are 2 plots which alternate between chapters. The main plot with Catherine, Nick, Warrick and Brass is great. However the subplot with Grissom and Sara is so boring I ended up skipping those chapters after the first 2 with them.

[Lani Kohoutek · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are wondering how forensics works in the snow, this is your book. If you are looking for a gripping mystery novel, go somewhere else. After reading very long and detailed descriptions of, among MANY other things, getting footprints from snow, where to find loose hair in an abandoned freezer, and how to tell if a body was frozen, there were several murder cases solved. Where was the action? Where were the suspects? Not needed! The evidence said it all. And that wasn’t much in the end.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

For what it is (a CSI tie-in novel), this is an excellent book. Written many years ago, during the early seasons of the show (Greg Sanders is still just a lab tech), Collins does a pretty good job with two totally separate stories.

Both of them are linked thematically, though thankfully Collins avoids an actual linkage (considering one's in the snowy Northeast and the other's in Vegas, that would be too outlandish).

He captures the characters perfectly, and this did read like a great CSI episode with cursing (not a whole lot, but certainly more than they could get away with on TV).

Well worth a read if you're into the show.

[Daphne Sneek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book like a year ago when I was really into the series CSI.
Somewhere it was confusing because there were two stories tru each other and at the end, they were coming together, what I actually did not really understand. That's why my review has three stars and not four or five.

[Dana Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.

The books are based on the show, so there is so much correlation between the two - none of those frustrating differences when it goes the other way.

Two murders, unrelated, but both dealing with cold temperatures. I really am enjoying the series.

[becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literally only read the chapters concerning Catherine, Warrick, and Nick’s case. It was okay, kinda bland.
Sara and Grissom’s case was spoiled by hinting at the GSR relationship. Also “he was killed for having a gay affair” Sara you’re a lesbian

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time. The plot is lame, the characters are flat, adn I just wanted it to be OVER!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably my favorite so far out of all the CSI books I've read so far. Catherine, Nick and Warrick are called onto a scene of a naked one just thrown into one of the parks. As their investigation deepens, they learn that the woman has been frozen, and manage to identify her as a local businesswoman who's been missing for a year. Meanwhile Sara has accompanied Grissom to a CSI/Forensics convention at a mountain retreat in the Northeast. Off in a trek in the snow covered woods surrounding the chalet they are staying at, the two CSI's hear gunshots and soon stumble over a fresh body.

Both cases have many twists and turns, keeping the collective CSI's on their toes as they work to solve their two separate cases. NIck, Catherine and Warrick have to deal with sloppy CSI work from the dayshift CSI's, etc, while Sara and Grissom have to work through the night and falling snow to preserve as much evidence as they can, along with the help with another CSI from Canada.
Downed phone lines, knowing the murderer is at the mountain retreat with them etc, leads to some very long hours for Gris and Sara.

Loved every bit of the twists and turns that occurred during both cases.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been doing a CSI rewatch lately - albeit a very slow rewatch, there are so many seasons! - but I didn't realise there were tie-in novels. I picked this one up and gave it a go and really quite enjoyed it. The story was nice and pacy, there were lots of science details, and all the main characters had decent parts over two main cases. It was fun.

I honestly couldn't tell you if the science in here is accurate or not, having never even heard of using sulphur to cast shoe prints, for example, but it sounds plausible and Collins has a handful of sources cited in the back of the book so I'm prepared to go along with it. I liked that he took the opportunity to play with different settings as well: while most of the night shift team remained in the desert environment of Vegas, Grissom and Sara were at a remote location in New York state, working with a Canadian criminalist who had experience collecting evidence in snowy conditions. This made a nice contrast, with new scientific techniques being used and shared; I liked the one with the leaf-blower. I enjoyed the original series because of the emphasis on science, so it's nice that this tie-in novel, at least, shared the same focus.

If I come across another one in the series, I'll be sure to try that as well.

[Ravencrantz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Once again the plot twist is someone is bisexual, and surprise! That someone is dead! And his killer is severely homophobic. Like she was throwing slurs left and right and it was awful. The only other gay character killed himself out of grief and it went into excruciating detail, even more so than the other crime scenes. This book made me sick, and not in a good way. I didn't read this for the representation, I didn't even know it was there. In a way that was worse because I was blindsided with all of this.

The other murder was just dumb. Admittedly, I was stumped on who the killer was for a good portion of the book, but the reasoning behind it was terrible and terribly executed.

I didn't expect these books to be good. I expected to cringe at the cliches and the corniness of them. I didn't expect to cringe at slurs and demonizing of non straight people. I'm not even donating this one. No one should be subjected to this, it's going in the trash.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't read one of these in a long time, kind of fun to take a nostalgia trip back. I always love the "murder at a snowbound resort" trope in crime fiction -- stranding Grissom and Sara together there is a bonus. Though their chemistry was a tad more awkward and a lot less delightful than I remember them being in the show, even the early years of the show. I see you trying to placate me with "Grissom momentarily panics and thinks some guy is going to kill Sara," but you didn't go deep enough for that to pay off. The other case, a missing housewife who's been "carefully frozen" for a year before being dumped, was actually more engaging.

[Deborah Gebhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoyed CSI or procedurals in general, you'll enjoy this series.
Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle are attending a conference in the mountains and get snowed in. They are one of the early arrivals and must attendees never arrive due to the weather. Unfortunately, there is a murderer at the hotel, and who better at hiding their tracks than a crime scene investigator.
Meanwhile, back in Las Vegas, the rest of the team have a crime scene of their own. A man's wife is missing, and the team is searching hoping to find her alive, but afraid they'll find her body instead.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended. Standard CSI book, two "cold cases" on opposite sides of the country, featuring the usual cast, led by Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows. Max Allan Collins imagines the characters for novels brilliantly. Loved his work since I read the "Saving Private Ryan" novelisation way back in high school.

[Matt B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler alert

This book was a bit meh compared to the first 2

The big whodunnit reveal is kind of half arsed really, there was no suspense and it was kinda obvious who had done it part way through the book

Certainly not the worst book I’ve ever read but one I’m probably not going to pick up and read again

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another typical CSI novel, two cases. This one has Sara and Grissom doing some work in the snow which was interesting.

These novels are written in the typical CSI TV show series. Great quick no nonsense reads.

[Daphne99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
Erg spannend, op een bepaald moment vielen alle puzzelstukjes op zijn plaats en wist je wie de daders waren (het waren 2 moorden). Het boek is echt zo geschreven zoals afleveringen van de serie zich afspelen, dat vond ik erg leuk.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik vond het een goed boek wat goed weglas.
Het was leuk om te lezen dat het onderzoek een keer op een erg old skool manier moest gebeuren, aangezien ze het lab dit keer niet konden gebruiken. Ook de dingen aan informatie tussen het verhaal door (wel in het verhaal verwerkt) zijn leuk en leerzaam.

[Nancy Fredenburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usual CSI cases. 2 really good ones. Cases solved!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the tv show CSI then you will enjoy this book. Follow along as Grissom, Sara, Catherine, Warrick, and Nick work on two different murders. Easy and enjoyable read.

[Andrea Flórez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 en realidad

[Monica Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two cases in vastly different locals.

[KRIS BROWN]

I love the show so of course the book is always better

[Jaime Smyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drags on until you're smacked in the face with information in the last two chapters.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took so long to read, I think because I was finishing up watching Season 15 and the finale so I didn't really feel like reading CSI as well.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this, I thought it must be the first one Collins wrote. It just had an awkward feel to it, especially all the parts involving Sara Sidle. I thought maybe the author was just getting the hang of writing out the series. Apparently I was incorrect. This is number three, which leaves Collins no excuse for the weird CSI meets Miss Marple mystery that took up half the book. Sara and Gil, off at a CSI conference--at a remote hotel in remote rural upstate New York, in blizzard season. Yes, that makes total sense. I'm sure event planners do that a lot. It's a perfect way to leave your characters stranded in the middle of nowhere with some local yokels and a few other professionals, when they arrive early, just beating a storm there. Because I'm sure event planners would not have checked the weather report. Or the travelers. Whatever. Full disclosure, I did not read that whole mystery. A few chapters in, I gave up. Knowing what we do about Sara Sidle now, about her unhappy home life and time as a foster child, she certainly doesn't fit the happy family and neat Harvard education described in this book. I don't know chronology of CSI character revelations, so it may not be the author's fault he was incorrect. but it was distracting.
So was the overuse of the word "smirk". Every author seems to have a fall back word or two, that gets very much overused. Collin's word is apparently smirk. Fine in some contexts, but it gets old after awhile, and eventually starts to feel like a drinking game.
I'm being mean and critical, and I'm not sure the other half of the book deserves that. The run of the mill CSI case in Vegas with a frozen dead female was interesting. I figured out who the killer was a chapter or two ahead of the reveal, so the foreshadowing wasn't very subtle, but that's OK. it made me feel smart. Aside from the overuse of variations on the word "smirk", it was a good sturdy generic forensic detective story, and I enjoyed it.
I'm definitely glad I read a different book in this series first. If I had read this one first, I probably wouldn't have read any more of them. As it is, based on half of this book and the other one that I read, I'll still give Collins a chance when I'm at a reading lull and need something undemanding but enjoyable.

(For full disclosure, I used this as a stop-gap, carry-in-my-purse book, reading it when I finished with another book and wasn't sure what to read next, or when I was stuck waiting somewhere without whatever other book I was reading at the time, etc. I don't think it had a bearing on my enjoyment of the book, but who knows? It did take some time to reorient myself occasionally and remember what was going on and who the peripheral characters were. If nothing else, it shows you how "riveting" this book was, if I was able to pick it up and put it down so easily, often with long stretches of time in between.)

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the CSI television program was introduced I was intrigued with the concept. Okay, at times, the forensic investigators acted more like Cops than reality would actually allow (even more so, as the other CSI programs began to pop up like kernals of popcorn)... But still, I enjoyed the program, and the original series was my favorite. There was the bookworm leader, the guy with the gambling problem (who just happened to choose to live in Las Vegas) a former stripper.. yes.. the characters seemed varied and interesting.

This novel captures the feeling of the program-- following our CSI techs on two distinct and unrelated investigations-- and following the evidence, however macabre it may seem. But the feeling stops there. I never really feel the characters-- the book is clearly focused on revealing investigation methods, etc. and therefore the characterization suffers. Grissom is the only character that had any real flesh and bones.. the other characters seemed to be automatons, walking through an investigation. I don't blame the author for this. If the characters had been his own we could have watched them blossom a bit, or become molded to the author's image. But this is writing for a brand, and Collins is forced to attempt to recreate an episode of CSI in print, and I think he actually accomplishes this task. However, if this is any example of the print version of the program, then it just doesn't translate too well to paper.. Once again, Not the author's fault. I think he did a competent job of writing to spec..

Collins did manage to introduce a plot element that got several of the techs OUT of their element.. SNOW-- not something seen in Las Vegas. Grissom and Sara are up in the North, and snowed in at a foresnic conference when a crime occurs. Fortunately, they are treated to a snow-scene forensics lesson at the hands of a Candian Mountie forensic tech, who advises and assists them in properly preserving and obtaining forensic evidence from a snow-fille crime scene. Being out of their element gave the novel a bit of a boost as they were doing more than being clever and going through the motions.