Do you like that show CSI? All that forensic science keep you glued to the tube? If you do, then you'll like this book. It's CSI in book form.The plot of the book is pretty simple, a forensic scientist fakes evidence. If we are still on the CSI theme, it would be like an episode called 'Grissom Goes Bad'...however, in this book it leads to an execution.The book starts with the execution and it's impact on the defending lawyer. It then jumps ahead a few years where a couple of new cases and lawyers introduced. Characters are developed, a bit of the science and procedures behind the forensics are shared, and an overall picture of the city and crime atmosphere are developed. I was surprised how well Margolin did all that in the first hundred or so pages. Sometimes character development is dull or awkward, but, I was interested, engaged, and felt I knew who most of the main characters were and what motivated them. Then the main story breaks out.There is one forensic scientist who has a different outlook on life. He does whatever it takes to put criminals behind bars. He has a deranged superhero complex that makes him believe fudging data or flat out lying in court is ok as long as it helps put the bad guys behind bars. However, when a coworker questions a piece of evidence from a previous case then forensic scientist turns into Murderman. The one murder bring on more investigating, which brings on more murders...which are almost unsolvable because of the knowledge the forensic scientist has. He knows how to cover up evidence, plant evidence, or just lie while investigating his own crimes. Will he be stopped?Of course he will, but, I will leave out how. That's what makes a book like this so good to read.http://bookwormsfeastofbooks.blogspot...
I didn't realize this book was 4th in a series, and I don't think it mattered one bit, this was a good page-turner! I enjoy books like this sometimes, where the suspense comes - not from trying to figure out "whodunit" - but just from waiting to find out how they'll be caught! The trouble I have with a lot of suspense books is how they try to put some surprise twists in there, which often just don't work for me (or weren't really surprising and therefore, the "surprise" falls flat.)So here, we know what's happening and why, but we just don't know how/when/if it will stop. Some of the characters change a bit too much for my taste over the course of the book... as the plot moves forward, the characters become a bit more stereotyped, etc. And there was a technical explanation of something that just kind of lost me. AND I don't know if the big reveal at the end was written to be as exciting/captivating as the rest of the book. But still, Proof Positive had me cheering for the lawyer(s), cringing at the crimes, surprised by some of the plot elements, and racing to see how it would end.
What do You think about Proof Positive (2006)?
The handling - and mishandling - of forensic evidence take center stage in Proof Positive. Evidence tampering, wrongful convictions and executions, and flagrant cover-ups converge to destroy lives, and the perpetrator of all this mayhem is supposed to be one of the good guys. When a co-worker becomes suspicious, he stops at nothing to preserve his own reputation and career. Author Margolin fields a huge cast of characters in this novel, which occasionally causes confusion. The pace is brisk, but some of the feats accomplished by the antagonist verge on the implausible. None of the characters are particularly well developed, but if you enjoy plot-driven legal thrillers, Proof Positive is entertaining enough.
—Linda
Interesting, but not Margolin's best work.This book centers around the important work that criminologists do to collect and examine crime scene evidence, and testify about their conclusions in court. Where one particular criminologist is convinced that criminal defendants (many facing the death penalty) should be convicted, he plants evidence to make it happen. This is not a plot spoiler -- the author tells you this early in the book.This is a "read it all in a short period of time" book -- otherwise you will never be able to keep all the characters straight. The writing is crisp and engaging -- it was the plot itself that sagged a little at times.
—Terry
Excellent mystery novel filled with forensic evidence and legal wrangling and a little bit of romance.This is a strange series because lawyer, Amanda Jaffe, and her father, Frank Jaffe, are characters in each of these stories, but the POV switches between Amanda and other characters. Criminologists, Martha Clark, Bernard Cashman and Phillip help Amanda and Frank Jaffe in their quest for justice for Jacob Cohen, an accused murderer and attempted rapist, and Art Prochaska, accused of murdering a rival drug lord, is a club owner with organized crime ties and best friend of mob boss, Martin Breach.Not as many surprise twists as previous novels in the series, but I enjoyed the clues and forensic mystery.
— Marla
