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Book ReviewsDiagnosis Murder: The Silent Partner |
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Book: Diagnosis Murder: The Silent Partner
Written by: Lee Goldberg |
Publisher: Signet
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5
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Solid entertainment in the DM tradition
Rating:
4 / 5
Lee Goldberg's "The Silent Partner" is the debut novel based on the "Diagnosis Murder" TV series, which Goldberg produced, which means that a) the DM world is accurately drawn, b) Goldberg can put the characters into situations that the show couldn't, and c) there's a potential fan base who would buy the books.
Given all that, Goldberg still has to d) deliver a good story that'll keep the fans coming back, and he does that here. Dr. Mark Sloan's reputation for solving crimes lands him on a cold-case squad, but he learns that its only going to be used as a PR screen. Nevertheless, his curiosity gets him involved in what appears to be a solved murder, only to deduce that it's not.
"The Silent Partner" delivers an interesting story, letting you spend some time with familiar, likeable characters. Sloan and his friends and co-workers come across as idealized, but real characters. While they're all decent people, they get upset, make mistakes, and Dr. Sloan can be a real pain in the tuchus. In one scene, he's trying to prove that a bottle cap found at the scene of several murders is a vital clue, and you can understand the chief of police's point of view: "Uh huh, right, don't you have any house calls, doctor?"
It may be faint praise to call "The Silent Partner" a competent mystery that appears to have been dashed off, but it takes a lot of work and experience to make something look so effortless.
Every bit as entertaining as an episode of the show...
Rating:
4 / 5
Lee Goldberg was the perfect choice to write the first in what now appears to be a successful series of whodunnits inspired by the long running television show Diagnosis Murder, which starred Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan. Goldberg served as both writer and producer of the show for several years, so his ear for dialogue and the visual rhythm of the series is spot on. The Silent Partner offers the reader two mysteries, one involving a serial killer (and which provides the book's title), the other a patient death at Community General. Fans of the show will enjoy it and hopefully it will become a mystery section standard, like Murder, She Wrote.
A Good Start to this Book Series
Rating:
4 / 5
This is the first book in the new line of Diagnosis Murder mysteries; it isn't as good as the second and third books are, but gives a great introduction to the series and the characters. If you watched the show it is easy to imagine each of the characters coming to life and to see the workings of Dr. Sloan as he solves yet another case. The humor from the series is here, as is the same light mystery. I read the first three books out of order and was very impressed by the second and third books too. I think this series has potential and hope to read many more.
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