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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation #6
Binding Ties
Based on the Emmy Award-winning TV series, this edge-of-your-seat thriller follows the savvy and remarkable team of forensic investigators led by veteran Gil Grissom as they use the latest cutting-edge technology to track down a mysterious killer from the past.Ten years ago, Las Vegas was terrorized by a vicious and bloodthirsty serial killer responsible for nearly half a dozen brutal murders. But after two years of keeping the city in a panic, the killer mysteriously vanished and has not been heard from…until now. Gil Grissom and his CSI team are called in to investigate a homicide that perfectly fits the notorious criminal’s modus operandi. But all hell breaks loose when a reporter made famous by the original cases receives a letter from someone claiming to be the very same killer—but he insists that he had nothing to do with the latest slaying. Now the CSI team must stop someone who may be a copycat killer from striking again, even as a murderer from the past continues to evade capture, and isn’t taking too kindly to rivals.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2005
14 people are currently reading
767 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
803 books1,318 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 12, 2022
I am currently watching the TV series from the start and this book reads just like the show. If you know the show, then the characters are familiar, and the book is true to them.
July 25, 2019
Αιμοσταγές, δυνατό θρίλερ.
June 18, 2025
I think this is the most entertaining of the CSI tie-in novels that I've read so far, albeit I've only read a few of them. A lot of the credit for that lies in the fact that Brass is the main character here - I really enjoy his sarcastic, grumpy self, and as he drives a lot of the action in Binding Ties it means that a lot of what's going on takes place outside the Crime Lab. There are advantages and disadvantages to that, of course. I enjoy CSI because of its focus on forensics, so I miss the science when it's not there. On the other hand, a couple of the other books I've read in this series have made the science a little dry, in places, and so a decreased emphasis on forensics means that the pace of the story is a bit snappier than it otherwise might be.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I enjoyed it, anyway.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I enjoyed it, anyway.
January 11, 2018
Was heel leuk om nog eens een CSI te lezen. Was al weer even geleden. Ook wel een beetje bizar dat Warrick er weer in mee deed, dat Greg nog een laborant was en Sarah en Grissom nog geen koppel waren.
Ook het verhaal was goed. Vond alleen de twist op het einde met de oud-collega nu niet echt nodig. Ook de wisselwerking tussen de twee daders (al is dat in het boek maar even in het echt) was wel leuk. Al was het jammer dat ik al wel snel één van de twee daders had ontmaskerd. Maar het verhaal leest vlot en ik raad het dan ook zeker aan om te lezen als je hiervan houdt.
Ook het verhaal was goed. Vond alleen de twist op het einde met de oud-collega nu niet echt nodig. Ook de wisselwerking tussen de twee daders (al is dat in het boek maar even in het echt) was wel leuk. Al was het jammer dat ik al wel snel één van de twee daders had ontmaskerd. Maar het verhaal leest vlot en ik raad het dan ook zeker aan om te lezen als je hiervan houdt.
December 6, 2024
I liked this book. The science of it was really interesting to me, and was probably one of the biggest readings I had taken on in a while. It was slow, but I did enjoy it. The novel was quite descriptive though, and I enjoyed what I was reading. I didn’t catch any errors, I believe, which is always nice in a book.
August 16, 2023
One of my favourites so far from the CSI books. I guessed 2 out of the 3 baddies. The one I didn't get right, made sense so yea, cool. Once they revealed that one I was quite quick to piece the rest together of why they did what they did. Makes me happy, pat on the back me.
December 5, 2016
This is a fast-paced, fairly plotted mystery with a lot of twists and turns. Well drone characters make this seem real.
March 30, 2018
Good mystery set in TV program style
July 10, 2019
Easy to read. Good book to read on a holiday.
July 24, 2020
An enjoyable read over all when I miss the TV series.
December 26, 2021
The 6th book in the CSI series. Fast-paced and entertaining.
January 16, 2023
One word = gross
May 5, 2024
This is one of my favorite CSI books I read so far. It is about an old case of Brass. The story kept me interested to get to know if Brass could catch the killer.
January 19, 2025
This is an ok read. Once again Collins has all the central characters down very well. However the solution is very obvious.
February 6, 2017
I was able to figure out the ending far too early.
June 17, 2011
I think this was one of the better CSI novels that I have read. I would have said it was enjoyable but that seems quite inappropriate given the content of the novel. It was nice to see all of the graveyard shift team working together on a case rather than being split into different teams and working different cases. I do wish they would sometimes vary who works with who as even though this case was a team effort the characters still worked in smaller groups doing different things. The way it is written Warrick is usually paired off with Catherine while Sara and Nick go with Grissom. Sometimes it would be nice to see this varied although I do like the beginnings of hints about Grissom and Sara’s relationship - early in the book there is mention of Grissom having feelings towards Sara.
The case (or cases) in this book are very interesting to read and quite addictive. I like how CASt has a prior history with Brass – it’s nice to see more of his character. I do wish however, that Greg had more of a role in the books. I suppose that because he is still a ‘lab rat’ in the book world (as far as I have gotten) and not working in the field it is somewhat understandable that his role is not all that great. I hope he will have more of a role in future books.
I think the CASt killer is one of the more interesting of the killers. The scene at the end between him and Brass was great to read and I almost felt sorry for him. There was something nice about the way Brass said he would never shake his finger at him.
I also found some of the lines in the book very amusing which is nice light relief from the intensity of the storyline. One of my particular favourites is on page 190 – “Too bad this isn’t a tv show,” she said. “We could have the results after commercial....” - that really did make me smile because obviously CSI is a television show and they do, on screen at least, get there results back quite quickly.
The case (or cases) in this book are very interesting to read and quite addictive. I like how CASt has a prior history with Brass – it’s nice to see more of his character. I do wish however, that Greg had more of a role in the books. I suppose that because he is still a ‘lab rat’ in the book world (as far as I have gotten) and not working in the field it is somewhat understandable that his role is not all that great. I hope he will have more of a role in future books.
I think the CASt killer is one of the more interesting of the killers. The scene at the end between him and Brass was great to read and I almost felt sorry for him. There was something nice about the way Brass said he would never shake his finger at him.
I also found some of the lines in the book very amusing which is nice light relief from the intensity of the storyline. One of my particular favourites is on page 190 – “Too bad this isn’t a tv show,” she said. “We could have the results after commercial....” - that really did make me smile because obviously CSI is a television show and they do, on screen at least, get there results back quite quickly.
May 23, 2014
3.5 Stars, rounding up to 4
I was at Rainbow Plaza looking for something mindless to read when I stumbled upon this. I quite like CSI (I used to watch it intermittently, until they swapped out almost all the characters), so I was intrigued as to how a novelisation of the series would be like.
Truth be told, I was hoping this was based on an episode of the actual series, so that I could read the book, watch the episode and compare both. However, this is an original case. In Binding Ties, a copycat serial killer has surfaced. The original serial killer is called CASt (Capture, Afflict and Strangle) and he is not happy about it. The CSI time has to work to solve not only this case but the previous ones.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was interesting and I could believe that this is a CSI case. As usual, the CSI team (and not the detectives) are the ones that actually solve the case. With the dual, but related cases, this book had some complexity (one case influencing the other). Of course, unlike a traditional mystery, this case is solved by forensics (i.e. DNA), and not deductions - this means that it's impossible for the reader to guess who the killer is from clues in the book.
What I didn't really like about the book was that it veers to the side of the dramatic. The starting scene of a murder was definitely over-dramatic for me, as were the opening descriptions of the characters. That's probably because Grissom doesn't resemble an "angel of death" to me. However, once all the characters are introduced, the book settles down and proceeds nicely.
Bottom line, if you're a CSI fan (even if you're just a casual fan like me), you'll enjoy this book. If you're not, well, perhaps you'll prefer a traditional mystery.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
I was at Rainbow Plaza looking for something mindless to read when I stumbled upon this. I quite like CSI (I used to watch it intermittently, until they swapped out almost all the characters), so I was intrigued as to how a novelisation of the series would be like.
Truth be told, I was hoping this was based on an episode of the actual series, so that I could read the book, watch the episode and compare both. However, this is an original case. In Binding Ties, a copycat serial killer has surfaced. The original serial killer is called CASt (Capture, Afflict and Strangle) and he is not happy about it. The CSI time has to work to solve not only this case but the previous ones.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was interesting and I could believe that this is a CSI case. As usual, the CSI team (and not the detectives) are the ones that actually solve the case. With the dual, but related cases, this book had some complexity (one case influencing the other). Of course, unlike a traditional mystery, this case is solved by forensics (i.e. DNA), and not deductions - this means that it's impossible for the reader to guess who the killer is from clues in the book.
What I didn't really like about the book was that it veers to the side of the dramatic. The starting scene of a murder was definitely over-dramatic for me, as were the opening descriptions of the characters. That's probably because Grissom doesn't resemble an "angel of death" to me. However, once all the characters are introduced, the book settles down and proceeds nicely.
Bottom line, if you're a CSI fan (even if you're just a casual fan like me), you'll enjoy this book. If you're not, well, perhaps you'll prefer a traditional mystery.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
August 16, 2014
As far as TV tie-in novels go, this stacks up fairly well. I'm different than most people that I don't WANT a tie-in novel to go where the TV show hasn't gone. What I mean is, don't create a backstory or personality traits of characters that hasn't been established already by the show's writers. If an author doesn't stay with the 'canon' it becomes an alternate universe.
Collins does well with staying true to the world & characters that have been established. Dialogue sounds authentic for each; and it's quite easy to picture & hear William Peterson, George Eads, Marg Helgenberger, etc. saying the lines.
The story deviates slightly from the traditional form of the early CSI shows, in that instead of 2 cases, the entire team is working on one. Recent murders resemble decade old murders from an uncaught serial killer. In typical CSI fashion, evidence is collected, analyzed & investigations begin. The evidence appears to lead to one suspect then another & eventually it all falls into place & the killer is caught. I liked having Brass more in the forefront & the serial killer & MO were well crafted. Not that the CSI's never pull their guns in the show, but there was a little too much of that in the book that it felt out of place.
The show always has portrayed CSI's interrogating suspects/witnesses....This DOES NOT HAPPEN...that's the police's job; but the author stays true to the established universe, so it is like reading an episode. That's what I look for in a tie-in novel, good plot, characters that feel & sound like the ones already known & in the end, could I see this played out on screen. The answer is yes. The book hits on most marks. I loved the early years with Grissom & if you liked the show when it first began, would recommend this entertaining, quick read.
Collins does well with staying true to the world & characters that have been established. Dialogue sounds authentic for each; and it's quite easy to picture & hear William Peterson, George Eads, Marg Helgenberger, etc. saying the lines.
The story deviates slightly from the traditional form of the early CSI shows, in that instead of 2 cases, the entire team is working on one. Recent murders resemble decade old murders from an uncaught serial killer. In typical CSI fashion, evidence is collected, analyzed & investigations begin. The evidence appears to lead to one suspect then another & eventually it all falls into place & the killer is caught. I liked having Brass more in the forefront & the serial killer & MO were well crafted. Not that the CSI's never pull their guns in the show, but there was a little too much of that in the book that it felt out of place.
The show always has portrayed CSI's interrogating suspects/witnesses....This DOES NOT HAPPEN...that's the police's job; but the author stays true to the established universe, so it is like reading an episode. That's what I look for in a tie-in novel, good plot, characters that feel & sound like the ones already known & in the end, could I see this played out on screen. The answer is yes. The book hits on most marks. I loved the early years with Grissom & if you liked the show when it first began, would recommend this entertaining, quick read.
March 3, 2008
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:
*Binding Ties* is slightly different than the other books and episodes in the series. This particular book only deals with one case, instead of the usual 2 or 3 at a time.
After a 10-year hiatus, a serial killer is back in action. Or is he? Is there a copycat out there? The CSI team and Captain Brass are determined to find the truth by following the evidence. For Brass, this is personal because this was one of his first cases and it went unsolved.
The whole plot reminded me of the Zodiac Killer, a Californian serial killer in the 60's, whom the police were never able to capture. Then, one day, the Zodiac Killer just simply disappeared.
I found this story plot to be predictable, especially when you only have a small group of people who knew the real contents of the serial killer's killing signature. Just round them up and play the "20 Questions" game. But no, you'll be taken on the long-winded investigation. In fact, don't be surprised if you figured out who's the killer by the half-way mark.
*Binding Ties* is slightly different than the other books and episodes in the series. This particular book only deals with one case, instead of the usual 2 or 3 at a time.
After a 10-year hiatus, a serial killer is back in action. Or is he? Is there a copycat out there? The CSI team and Captain Brass are determined to find the truth by following the evidence. For Brass, this is personal because this was one of his first cases and it went unsolved.
The whole plot reminded me of the Zodiac Killer, a Californian serial killer in the 60's, whom the police were never able to capture. Then, one day, the Zodiac Killer just simply disappeared.
I found this story plot to be predictable, especially when you only have a small group of people who knew the real contents of the serial killer's killing signature. Just round them up and play the "20 Questions" game. But no, you'll be taken on the long-winded investigation. In fact, don't be surprised if you figured out who's the killer by the half-way mark.
August 9, 2016
READ IN DUTCH
I didn't want to read this book. But I friend of mine said 'I know you like books, I've just got the thing for you!' And I didn't have the heart to tell her I don't even like CSI.
I understand that technology and forensics are a major part of an investigation. But it seems weird to me that these same forensics people should also do interviews with suspects and real investigation rather than analysing what they found on a crime scene. Isn't that what the police is for?
Besides, even though I know that probably there are no cases solved by deduction (evidence and so) it is nice to read about it. I rather see some quick reasoning by Sherlock than a machine pulling out some DNA-samples and thus solving the case. It's just not as much fun if it looks like anyone could do it.
Which brings me to the story. It read almost like an episode of CSI, so I guess that if you like to watch CSI, you'll probably like this book as well. The story isn't really anything special, but entertaining enough to continue reading.
Still, I don't think these books work for me.
I didn't want to read this book. But I friend of mine said 'I know you like books, I've just got the thing for you!' And I didn't have the heart to tell her I don't even like CSI.
I understand that technology and forensics are a major part of an investigation. But it seems weird to me that these same forensics people should also do interviews with suspects and real investigation rather than analysing what they found on a crime scene. Isn't that what the police is for?
Besides, even though I know that probably there are no cases solved by deduction (evidence and so) it is nice to read about it. I rather see some quick reasoning by Sherlock than a machine pulling out some DNA-samples and thus solving the case. It's just not as much fun if it looks like anyone could do it.
Which brings me to the story. It read almost like an episode of CSI, so I guess that if you like to watch CSI, you'll probably like this book as well. The story isn't really anything special, but entertaining enough to continue reading.
Still, I don't think these books work for me.
October 13, 2012
Despite some decent writing and some cleverly inserted details, this novel was pretty bad. The clever details were the singing waiters and waitresses in one of the restaurants. That really was a neat detail that helps the reader remember that the series is set in Las Vegas. Okay, the author overdid it a bit, but it was a neat detail.
This novel went wrong for me as the CSI techs took tasks that they did not have the authority to take on. Interviewing suspects is not a tech's job. Obtaining warrants is not a CSI tech's job. In fact, CSI technology was underemphasized. CSI tasks were underemphasized. For this Novel they were mor detective than tech and that caused the whole book to suffer.
This major flaw does not disguise the fact that the author can craft a neat serial killer story or that he can provide decent dialogue and turns a good phrase.
Not his best work.
This novel went wrong for me as the CSI techs took tasks that they did not have the authority to take on. Interviewing suspects is not a tech's job. Obtaining warrants is not a CSI tech's job. In fact, CSI technology was underemphasized. CSI tasks were underemphasized. For this Novel they were mor detective than tech and that caused the whole book to suffer.
This major flaw does not disguise the fact that the author can craft a neat serial killer story or that he can provide decent dialogue and turns a good phrase.
Not his best work.
April 24, 2009
This is the first of the CSI books I've read as I'm a huge fan of all three series' and wasn't convinced by the book versions but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It followed the same premisse as the programmes but went on longer, each of the characters were well written although Grissom and Brass took centre stage on this one (as happens in some episodes too) and the killer was suitably twisted and psychotic and the gore scenes were as all CSI fans expect. An enjoyable and fast paced read with a slightly predictable but good ending.
October 11, 2011
A 'Film-tie-in' book without there being an episode containing this plot. Very weird, but on the other hand: if lovers of the TV show want to 'solve' even more cases together with their favorite detectives, why should they read a book about a case that they have already seen on TV (and hence probably know the ending)?
But you don't really have to know the TV show to read this book, the main character are presented and rest is crime business as usual.
But you don't really have to know the TV show to read this book, the main character are presented and rest is crime business as usual.
February 4, 2017
I loved this as a TV Show, and reading to books are a good experience. They are a Good read.
September 5, 2007
I feel less guilt buying porn than I do when buying CSI mass markets. I can't look the bookstore clerk in the eye. I always have the urge to scream, "I read real books too! Don't judge me!" But instead I silently hand over my cash, make sure my new purchase is snuggly wrapped in its bag and then I steal it away to the privacy of my home...to enjoy in peace...guiltily.
November 8, 2012
Another quick, easy read (I read this one in the course of a day), BINDING TIES has a great storyline and better editing and character development than the last CSI story I read.
Reading this book is a lot like watching an episode of my favorite show. I'm anxious to get my hands on more titles based on CSI.
Reading this book is a lot like watching an episode of my favorite show. I'm anxious to get my hands on more titles based on CSI.
October 16, 2014
I was a little confused with all the characters at first. Probably because there's a lack of description once there is a TV show about those characters. I don't really watch CSI so it took a few pages to get the hang of it. About the plot, I really did like it. Well thought and well written. I'll probably read more of those and who know, maybe start watching the TV show. ^^
December 2, 2013
A serial killer has returned to Las Vegas following a ten year absence. It had been Jim Brass's first case in Las Vegas. The new killings are from a copycat. Now the CSI team has two killers to catch as the body count escalates.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews