The Past Tense

Diagnosis Murder #5

by Lee Goldberg

Dr. Mark Sloan is startled to discover a dead woman—dressed as a mermaid—washed up on the beach outside his home. Even more bizarre, the autopsy reveals a digital memory card within a capsule inside the body's stomach. The card contains the report of a forty-three-year-old murder in Los Angeles—the first homicide case Mark ever solved, when he was a struggling intern and newlywed father.

When a second body is discovered—a woman who was apparently the victim of an impromptu autopsy in her own kitchen—the good doctor realizes that he must find the connection between the two murders. And perhaps more urgently, the connection to his own past...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 2, 2005

About the author

Lee Goldberg is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over forty novels, including Malibu Burning, Calico, Lost Hills (the first novel in his acclaimed "Eve Ronin" series), 15 "Monk" mysteries, five "Fox & O'Hare" adventures (co-written with Janet Evanovich), and the new thriller Ashes Never Lie, the second in his "Sharpe & Walker" series.. He's written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk and he co-created the Hallmark movie series Mystery 101.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this. I liked how the author jumped back into Mark Sloan's past and we got to see him as a young resident and married with a toddler. We get to see read about Mark's first case and see him slowly get drawn into being both a doctor and a detective. The mystery interesting. The books tend to be a bit darker than the show, so there were some graphic scenes. Other than that I am enjoying the series and hope to continue.

[Tommy-Lee Sexton]

A well-written mystery with good twists. However, it was too gruesome for my tastes.

[John Spigner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldberg’s novels make you feel like you’re watching an extra episode from the classic tv series. This one has ties to actual storylines in the show, and takes you back to Dr. Sloan’s very first homicide investigation. The twists keep you on your toes until the very end. But, as always, Mark solves the case just in the nick of time!

[Jennifer Oberth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for this story. It was kinda gruesome and dark. There were some interesting things of note but then a huge loose end in regards to Sloan's wife.

[Tommy-Lee Sexton]

A well-written mystery with good twists. However, it was too gruesome for my tastes.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friend gifted me two books in the Diagnosis Murder series, book based on the T.V. Series featuring Mark Sloan and his son Steve. (aka Dick Van Dyke and son). As I loved the T.V. series, I was a bit skeptical re the book. No worries, great fast read, and you can actually put Dick aka Mark Sloan in your mind as you read along. I liked this, as we went back in time, remembering when Mark Sloan was a young doctor working in the ER. back to the time of Gary Powers, and building bomb shelters etc. Of course, I guessed who dun it, almost from the start, as that person was hardly mentioned at all, however, getting to where, who dun it, is a journey. Enjoyed the story, and looking forward to starting the next one this evening.

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many reasons why I enjoy this series is that the mystery is always well thought out and it keeps you guessing and second-guessing right up until the big reveal. They aren't overly violent or filled with gory details. They are just clever, fun reads.
This book in particular is a departure for the series in that the bulk of it is a flashback to Mark Sloan's early medical career and his first dabble in the detective world. Unlike the rest of the series, the flashback is told in first person which added a real urgency to the story. It mainly deals with new characters. With the exception of Dr. Sloan, the other regular characters from this series basically just bookend the story. Lee Goldberg really has the characters down, especially Dr. Sloan. You can't help but picture Dick van Dyke when reading this book. Overall, I would say that The Past Tense is my favorite in this entertaining series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the uniqueness of going back in time in The Past Tense. Seeing Mark Sloane’s past and learning about his first mystery was definitely fun. I couldn’t help but wonder how the show writers and creators would react to it. The story was lacking in one area - after the killer is identified, Mark learns something devastating about his past. However, he doesn’t pursue that information to verify it or process it in any way. It was too thin and lack closure. In spite of that, The Past Tense was enjoyable and I’m sad I only have a few more left.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The body of a woman washes up on the beach, but inside are pictures from Mark's first case. As he thinks back to what happened then, will it give him a clue about the current murder? This is an emotionally gripping book that really explores Mark's character in the new way. Highly recommended for fans of the series.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Luna Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favorites in the Diagnosis Murder book series. I love reading the flashback to the first case Mark worked on, and the fact that the flashback was from his point of view made it really enjoyable. I will say that I managed to figure out who the killer was before Mark and Steve did but even after that I was still interested in how they were going to be caught. So even though I got to the answer of who dun'it before the main characters I still enjoyed the rest of the book.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took 30 pages to figure out most of the story. There was one twist I didn't see but other than that I expected the rest. But it was still a good read. My biggest problem was how he portrays Mark even thought to have sex outside of his marriage. I feel like that moves away from his true character