Customer Reviews

The Case of the Colonist's Corpse: A Sam Cogley Mystery (Star Trek)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The authors took a generic murder-mystery scenario, added phasers, Klingons and the Enterprise, and called it a Star Trek book. What Sam Cogley does and says is interesting and entertaining. All the other characters in the book are badly done. Cogley's assistants are fairly generic: the information finder and the tough guy. The human colonists are very generic. The murder victim, Latham, is the only decent person. Of the suspects, there is the shrewish, self-centred wife, her money-hungry lover, the guy whose lover Latham turned over to the Klingons, and the money-hungry, thuggish miner. They are all greedy, selfish and violent. I think there is considerable, unintended symbolism in the murder victim being the only person I consider to represent what enlightened Federation citizens should be like. Less philosophically, everyone but Cogley is one-dimensional. Even the prosecutor Areel Shaw, who was in the original episode, is reduced to one dimension: she wants to win just for revenge on Cogley. In addition, the authors are fond of describing people at a length far exceeding the interest value of the writing, and the quality of the writing in general is poor. The action scenes need some serious work. To top it all off, I spotted the real murderer right away.

So, as a Star Trek fan, I am not happy. As a mystery fan, I am not happy. As someone who is willing to watch courtroom dramas if they are high quality and have interesting philosophical content, I am not happy. That is three different genres it has disappointed me in. Finally, in the most important category: as someone who reads fiction for the purpose of entertainment, I am disappointed with this book.

Let us start with a few warnings about this review before I delve into the meat of it. First, I do not read many mysteries. I ended up stopping part way through the book to pick up another novel. I was also expecting different use of more familiar characters.

The first 100 pages were used to develop the characters, the setting, and the motives of the multiple suspects. Once I pushed past my personal preconceived ideas of this book, I was able to enjoy the mystery much better. The mystery developed very well and the reveal satisfied me. All the clues were well placed through out the story and easy to bring to conclusion.

The story was good but the writing seemed simple. I think the need to develop the large ensemble of characters forced the writers to use stereotypes for many of players and a few even seem to be over used. The story telling required for this story was excellent and I think that alone allowed me to drive through to the end.

"The Case of the Colonist's Corpse" by Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella is a departure from the usual Star Trek novel in one very obvious way. As the title implies, "The Case of the Colonist's Corpse" is a mystery, a Perry Mason style mystery. The story isn't nearly as dramatic or suspenseful as a genuine Earl Stanley Gardner story but it is still an enjoyable read, carefully plotted with well-drawn characters.

When you begin reading "The Case of the Colonist's Corpse" you already know whom that corpse will be and who will be accused. Following Earl Stanley Gardner's classic template authors Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella introduce the main characters and step by step set the stage for the murder. They provide plenty of suspects, carefully establishing who would have cause to want Latham out of the way. Daniel Latham as a character is the perfect victim for evoking in the reader a sense of outrage at his untimely demise. He is a man that is both likable and honorable.

The whole point to this type of mystery is that the reader already knows that the accused is innocent and the fun lies in trying to pick out the subtle clues along the way and guess `who done it' before the denouement of the real culprit at the climax of the story. My main dissatisfaction with "The Case of the Colonist's Corpse" was that that climax came much too swiftly. The courtroom scenes were very short and fast paced.

By wrapping it up so quickly and easily the most interesting character in the story, Sam Cogley, didn't get as much of an opportunity to shine in the courtroom setting as I would have liked. I was looking forward to some theatrics and a bit more drama. That being said Sam Cogley, as a character was still a treat to read. Brilliant, eccentric and devoted to justice Cogley is a 20th century man living in the 23rd century.

Set during the second season of the original series Kirk and crew do make an appearance but their role is limited. "The Case of the Colonist's Corpse" is not a story that requires familiar characters to make it work and that is one of the most refreshing aspects of this novel. You are certainly aware that you are reading a Star Trek novel, but at the same time you don't have to have an intimate familiarity with any of the characters to appreciate the story.

This is not you average Star Trek novel. Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella have written a tale which is closer to Perry Mason than Trek. This is deliberate. The cover illustration is much like the cover of an old paperback mystery and even the typeface of the title page duplicates those great old books.

The authors use Samuel T. Cogley, who defended Kirk in the original series episode, Court Martial, to give us a wonderful homage to the old Perry Mason novels. They even acknowledge their debt to Erle Stanley Gardner. Most of the story is set on a planet which, due to the Organian Treaty, humans and Klingons are competing at developing. While it takes place some pages into the story, the back cover informs us that the human administrator is found murdered with the Klingon administrator crouching over the body. Cogley must defend the Klingon.

The leadup to the murder introduces us to Cogley and his assistants and then to the murder victim and those that will be suspects. The authors play perfectly fair to the reader and give us all the clues. Even still, for me, the identity of the murderer comes as a surprise.

Kirk and crew do make a cameo appearance but the story focuses on Cogley and his people. The cover proclaims that this is "A Sam Cogley Mystery". I loved this and certainly hope that the authors will give us more.

The Case of the Colonist's Corpse Review

In this Perry Mason meets Star Trek Original Series novel, renowned Federation defense attorney Sam Cogley agrees to defend a Klingon commander who has been charged with the murder of a Federation settlement administrator. The story is set on a barren colony planet settled (under the terms of the Organian treaty) by both the Federation and Klingons. Both races are competing to demonstrate who can best utilize the planet's resources and thus win the planet. Though the competition causes ongoing hostilities, the two respective leaders have worked out a truce creating a on-planet neutral-zone and governing whose law various offenses should be tried under.

Problems arise however when it is discovered that the Klingons are rotating in new colonists secretly to make it look like they are better able to manage their area. Moreover it appears that the Klingons have planted a spy as they seem to know things about the colony before anyone else - including Starfleet. Things come to a boil when the Federation administrator arranges a late-night meeting with his Klingon counter-part and is found dead with the Klingon standing over him.

Sam Cogley (who defended Kirk at his court martial from the TV series) agrees to represent the defendant. He comes to Aneher to solve the case and uncovers a number of things and perhaps even starts the two cultures on their way toward peace.

For Star Trek fans that are mystery lovers this book delivers (it is similar in style to the Perry Mason novels). For those liking the more traditional style of Star Trek book, you may be disappointed. Kirk and crew appear for no more than 10-15 pages; however it has a strong plot and is somewhat unique among Star Trek books which generally follow the ship comes and solves problem on planet mold.

I had hopes for The Case of the Colonist's Corpse. The book did inspire me to want to re-watch the episode, Court Martial, two of the characters are based on.

The book follows a classic cozy format -- set up a closed world of a frontier colony, give several characters motive to want to kill the victim, and turn the detective loose to ferrit out their secrets. Unfortunately, the cozy style depends on characterization, and on good interplay between the detective and the suspects. Here, the interplay seems forced and dull. I had hopes of a good Christie-style twist in the unmasking, but was disappointed. The reader may be better served reading some of Gardner's better Perry Mason novels, Christie's better works, or some Rumpole of the Bailey stories.

The authors ostentatiously display their mastery of Trek triva, working in references to dozens of TOS, NextGen, and ST:Enterprise worlds, people, and events. The book itself is sandwiched between Return of the Archons and Trouble with Tribbles in the ToS timeline. The triva references swiftly become grating. And the authors don't wrestle with problems in the canon, like the truth-detector used in some ToS episodes.

The courtroom scenes could have benefited from more consultation with a practicing attorney. Gardner was a lawyer, and knew what corners he was cutting with Perry's courtroom theatrics. Here, the authors don't take liberties with the coutroom aspects, but in a way that doesn't seem credible. Shaw's loss if pre-ordained, but one doesn't get the sense of her preparations, and Cogley having to overcome an experienced opponent.

All in all, an average mystery in an interesting setting. A sequel, perhaps by other authors, could be fascinating.

Star Trek: The Case of the Colonist's Corps written by Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella is a worderful who-done-it and is liken to a Perry Mason mystery.

The main character in this book after the first 100 page setup is Samuel T. Cogley, a lawyer, who has in the past worked successfully for Captain James T. Kirk and defended him from court marshall in the Ben Finney incident. Here, the book sets the scene with some background information and we get the usual suspects on who killed Administrator Daniel Latham on the planet Aneher II which sits in the middle of the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

Aneher II is under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty and is a contested world settled by both the Federation and the Klingons. As both sides are trying to prove to the Organians that they alone can best settle this world, there is mistrust and spying going on making for an interesting story. The character development could be a little stronger but it was adequate for this story as you got the general idea about who didn't like Latham and had a grudge to settle. Commander Mak'Tor the head of the Klingon colony is found in Latham's office with a phaser in his hand kneeling over latham's body.

Ah, so it seems that we have the murder suspect caught red-handed, but the cranky odd old lawyer Samuel T. Cogley is called into the picture to defend Mak'Tor. But there are twists and turns as Starfleet has assigned Areel Shaw to the prosecution, who has already lost once to Cogley and doesn't want to repeat of the same outcome.

There are clever scenes within this book and you can see the deductive reasoning of Cogley coming through and his courtroom antics seem to backfire, but is that what seems to happen or is it planned. Cogley is clever, but will he get to the bottom of this case? The answer is in the book.

I gave this book a 5 star review for its originality and for using seldom seen characters in a unusual setting for a Star Trek book. With a little more writing this could have been as good a Perry Mason novel. Sam Cogley for the Defense! Makes sense and is a very good read... pay attention and you'll figure out who-done-it.

What we have here is a traditional courtroom drama, set in the Star Trek universe. There is only a brief cameo appearance by the crew of the Enterprise; mostly, the book centers around Sam Cogley, the lawyer who defended Captain Kirk in the TV episode "Courtmartial". The book is well-written and interesting, but if you read "Star Trek" books for the characters of the Enterprise crew, this book is not for you. Similarly, if you enjoy courtroom dramas, but don't care for science fiction, this book is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy both science fiction AND courtroom drama, this is a definite must-read.