What do you think?
Rate this book
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation #7
Killing Game
The machinations of a new supervisor may have altered Gil Grissom's team of skillful CSIs, as Catherine Willows, Nick Stokes, and Warrick Brown are reassigned from the graveyard shift to the swing shift. That doesn't mean, however, that their paths will never cross. During the course of their separate investigations, the teams must unite again to investigate two distinct murders -- atrocities that are oddly aligned as they share much of the same collective evidence. Despite the different M.O.s, the CSIs are uncovering two wildly imperfect crimes that could possibly add up to an almost perfect one...
258 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 25, 2005
10 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
803 books1,321 followersReceived 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
June 22, 2018
We're at the point in CSI line where the team was split into graveyard/swing swifts for a while, and Sofia Curtis was part of the story, and Greg Sanders was still a bit new to being a CSI. In this book we follow two cases that might be one, since there are some things in common - starting from the younger victim's phone records.
I spoiled myself the ending, so I did know who did it, but actually . I gave this only three stars because of the reasons why the whole thing was sparked:but that might just be my opinion.
It's surprisingly a rather quick read; when I started it, it was slower to read. Perhaps my reading challenge push did it :) The plot is rather simple and clear - especially after spoiling myself - though I did manage to still get a small twist surprise at the end. Not exactly the best CSI-novel book, but not a waste of a read either.
I spoiled myself the ending, so I did know who did it, but actually . I gave this only three stars because of the reasons why the whole thing was sparked:but that might just be my opinion.
It's surprisingly a rather quick read; when I started it, it was slower to read. Perhaps my reading challenge push did it :) The plot is rather simple and clear - especially after spoiling myself - though I did manage to still get a small twist surprise at the end. Not exactly the best CSI-novel book, but not a waste of a read either.
May 2, 2022
catherine willows, my favourite ally ❤️
July 1, 2025
If you like the tv series and like to read easy, quick thrillers, this is definitely for you. It’s nothing special but I always enjoy these books as a nice palette cleansers or it I just want a quick and good read. I read this in 1 day which is something I hardly ever do, so that says a lot!
February 28, 2020
2.5
Oh here we go. I'll start off by saying CSI is one of my fav shows, and I used to read these tie-in books back when I was in highschool. And while I still got some of the characterizations that I came to love in the show, and an episode-esque plot, this book was deffs a product of its time and was a tad hard to read in 2020.
Killing Game was very clearly written from a white, cis, male prospective. Any female characterizations felt very off, and the subject of homosexuality was handled... poorly. One thing I loved about the show was how ahead of its time it could be, and this book took that back a few steps.
While parts were certainly entertaining, I think from now on i'll stick to rewatching my fav episodes.
Oh here we go. I'll start off by saying CSI is one of my fav shows, and I used to read these tie-in books back when I was in highschool. And while I still got some of the characterizations that I came to love in the show, and an episode-esque plot, this book was deffs a product of its time and was a tad hard to read in 2020.
Killing Game was very clearly written from a white, cis, male prospective. Any female characterizations felt very off, and the subject of homosexuality was handled... poorly. One thing I loved about the show was how ahead of its time it could be, and this book took that back a few steps.
While parts were certainly entertaining, I think from now on i'll stick to rewatching my fav episodes.
January 21, 2018
The story started picking up halfway through. Which left little time for evaluating the evidence, motives and background of the suspects.
May 8, 2019
As always, Max Allan Collins delivered a story that could have been made into an episode of the hit show. Five stars!
October 10, 2020
Enjoyable enough and easy read that doesn't need much brain power, just following along the story. I fear the day I run out of CSI tv tie ins
May 20, 2021
I love how these books perfectly mimic the characters from the show. The forensics remain the focus with just a dip into the people working the cases. So glad I found them!
December 26, 2021
The 7th book in the CSI series. Fast-paced and entertaining.
March 7, 2022
Its a tv tie in. It was readable. I liked it. The mystery was pretty good, but the wrap up happened way too fast for my liking.
January 21, 2025
Quite a good story let down by lots of typos.
December 28, 2025
This was a good book. It was fun to dive into it and work the case along with my favorite CSI characters from the show.
January 8, 2017
interesting plot.
But too easy a read
But too easy a read
February 13, 2017
I loved this as a TV Show, and reading to books are a good experience. They are a Good read.
June 17, 2011
Although this book features the change in the CSI dynamic - with Catherine, Nick and Warrick becoming swingshift, the introduction of Sofia Curtis and Greg become a CSI rather than a lab rat this book doesn’t feel all that different due to the two teams having to come together when two separate cases become one.
I enjoyed the fact that this novel offered some insight in to Grissom’s past through the rather interesting relationship that he is shown to have with Templeton. I also like the fact that this novel does focus a lot on the characters themselves allowing more of an insight in to them. I find that the author is able to capture the essence of the characters perfectly.
One thing I do find a little annoying in a sense is the fact that, rather than using to a greater degree the lab rat already in the CSI world, the author always seems to find a place for a computer tech he himself has invented. Tomas is ok and his relationship with Catherine can be amusing but I am getting a little bored of him now.
The actual case in this book was a little bit obvious from the beginning and didn’t really leave much guess work. I think as it follows on from the very strong Binding Ties its weaknesses show up in a bigger way. The plot was a bit slow to get going and was almost blindingly obvious from very early in the book which I found disappointing. I suppose this book was more about the character development and the changes which came with the team being separated.
Also not so much related to the story but my copy of the book has several pages which are printed far lighter than the rest of the text for no reason what so ever. This made reading the novel quite difficult as the lighter text hurt my eyes.
I enjoyed the fact that this novel offered some insight in to Grissom’s past through the rather interesting relationship that he is shown to have with Templeton. I also like the fact that this novel does focus a lot on the characters themselves allowing more of an insight in to them. I find that the author is able to capture the essence of the characters perfectly.
One thing I do find a little annoying in a sense is the fact that, rather than using to a greater degree the lab rat already in the CSI world, the author always seems to find a place for a computer tech he himself has invented. Tomas is ok and his relationship with Catherine can be amusing but I am getting a little bored of him now.
The actual case in this book was a little bit obvious from the beginning and didn’t really leave much guess work. I think as it follows on from the very strong Binding Ties its weaknesses show up in a bigger way. The plot was a bit slow to get going and was almost blindingly obvious from very early in the book which I found disappointing. I suppose this book was more about the character development and the changes which came with the team being separated.
Also not so much related to the story but my copy of the book has several pages which are printed far lighter than the rest of the text for no reason what so ever. This made reading the novel quite difficult as the lighter text hurt my eyes.
June 15, 2014
This book was surprisingly good and enjoyable - as usually I don't trust tie-in novels. It wasn't a typical, classic whodunnit that I love so much, but neither are the CSI series like that. This book reflects the atmosphere of the series really well and is very faithful with the portrayal of the investigation - with not too much description provided for the science behind it - which is good, as it prevents it from being boring, as some things work better on screen that in writing.
The characters fall a little flat, more so than their equivalents in the series, but they have their moments and the backgrounds characters are quite fun. Of course, what is most important is the plot - and it is really interesting with the typical twists.
I'll definitely look into more CSI books.
The characters fall a little flat, more so than their equivalents in the series, but they have their moments and the backgrounds characters are quite fun. Of course, what is most important is the plot - and it is really interesting with the typical twists.
I'll definitely look into more CSI books.
December 25, 2008
It must be intimidating to write a CSI novel. After all, if you make a mistake with the science, everyone is going to note it. And the characters are well established.
That said, I think Mr. Collins did a very good job on this book. In keeping to the character's personalities and doing the research to make it credible.
As for the story, the swing shift heade by Catherine and the night shift headed by Grissom both catch cases in the same day. Investigations lead to connections between the two.
My favorite part of the book was the animosity between one of the suspects and Grissom (who had a past with the man) and how it affected the investigation.
That said, I think Mr. Collins did a very good job on this book. In keeping to the character's personalities and doing the research to make it credible.
As for the story, the swing shift heade by Catherine and the night shift headed by Grissom both catch cases in the same day. Investigations lead to connections between the two.
My favorite part of the book was the animosity between one of the suspects and Grissom (who had a past with the man) and how it affected the investigation.
July 13, 2016
Killing Game by Max Allan Collins
I'm a massive fan of CSI, and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation is my favourite, so when I realised there were accompanying books I leapt at the chance. Collins knows what the characters are like and how they speak. It's evident he's researched the show. It was great reading new stories about some of my favourite characters. Overall, they're a good, easy read that require practically no imagination because you already know the people and their history.
I'm a massive fan of CSI, and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation is my favourite, so when I realised there were accompanying books I leapt at the chance. Collins knows what the characters are like and how they speak. It's evident he's researched the show. It was great reading new stories about some of my favourite characters. Overall, they're a good, easy read that require practically no imagination because you already know the people and their history.
December 27, 2010
Again, I really enjoyed this book. How the characters deal with being split into two groups showing how office politics feature in any organisation, and how Grissom, not a people person, deals with not playing into office politics. I enjoyed how they linked the crimes togther. This book for me was interesting all the way through, from the crime to solving it, there is never a dull moment in CSI Las Vagas.
November 8, 2012
KILLING GAME is another enjoyable CSI story, although I found the actual plot to be a bit too predictable for my taste. However, I finished this story in a day, and was happy with the advanced character-development that this particular story held. If you enjoy CSI as much as I do, you won't be disappointed in reading these serialized novels.
July 2, 2008
Dear Mr. Collins - you can stop putting physical descriptions of the CSIs at the beginnings of each of your narratives. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the show knows that Jorja Fox is hot.
Enjoyable enough, though I wish everyone could get together and decide what is canon and what is not. All of the missed little details are starting to drive my nit-picking brain crazy.
Enjoyable enough, though I wish everyone could get together and decide what is canon and what is not. All of the missed little details are starting to drive my nit-picking brain crazy.
January 11, 2015
As a fan of CSI, I look at the novelizations as an extension of the glory days of the series, when William Petersen was still starring. Max Collins does a great job here of capturing the feel the series had at that time. The novelizations allow writers to explore the characters in depth and show the readers a fair amount of introspection. The Killing Game is well worth a look.
November 7, 2015
I've read several of the CSI novels. Most have ben fairly entertaining. This one, however, seemed to be a bit lacking in the story. The two murders were so similar in that both took place in houses, that I had a hard time keeping track of which details belonged to which murder. Also the interactions between the CSI teem members seemed to be missing in this one.
April 17, 2017
Collins is up to his usual fine form with plotting, settings, and pacing. Other offers in the series delve deeper into the CSI characters themselves, and I like that sometimes. However, this particular group of CSI workers seems to be more reserved in some ways, emotionally, not socially. So maybe Collins is riding them as they really are as people.
June 2, 2011
Reading this book was like watching the TV show in your own imagination! I could hear the music that is often played in the background and I could hear the voices of the actors as they portrayed their characters.
It was a good, quick read!
It was a good, quick read!
November 7, 2015
Love the CSI books
they are simple and intriguing
they have a crime , then CSI gathers the evidence and has 1-2 suspects
nothing else is involved, who dating who, who sleeping with who
its precise and to the point.
they are simple and intriguing
they have a crime , then CSI gathers the evidence and has 1-2 suspects
nothing else is involved, who dating who, who sleeping with who
its precise and to the point.
November 16, 2016
I liked it very much! Although it has several pages, I read it pretty quickly, and I couldn't finish it quickly enough! And I liked how Grissom was portrayed: just like the series, and I love you can actually see why he does what he does.
May 6, 2022
It was a good read, nothing too special. Two interesting cases coming together. It mostly started picking up halfway through, so there wasn’t a lot of time for evaluating the evidence, motives and background of the suspects. Easy to get through tho
July 7, 2008
It's a 300 page CSI episode (Vegas, although the Miami edition might be better) with all the liberties taken in the print medium. Not going to win any prizes, but entertaining
Read
May 10, 2022It was good, but not as good as the others. If you want a really GREAT book, check out Cold Burn...I kid you not, best thing I've EVER read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews