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<p><b>Title:</b> <i>CSI: New York: Four Walls</i>
<p><b>Author:</b> Keith R.A. DeCandido
<p><b>Release Date:</b> April 2008
<p><b>Publisher:</b> Pocket Star Books
<p><b>ISBN:</b> 1-4165-1343-4<p><b>Price:</b> $7.99<p><font color=yellow>Keith R.A. DeCandido</font> makes his <i>CSI</i> franchise debut with this involving <i>CSI: New York</i> tale. Like many episodes of the show, the novel revolves around two cases. DeCandido divides the team across gender lines, sending the men to a medium-security prison on Staten Island where two murders have occurred and putting the women on the case of the death of a young woman who was killed after her shift at a bakery in the Bronx.<p>The case at the prison is the more complex of the two, involving not one but two deaths. Thuggish inmate Vance Barker is slain out in the yard at Richmond Hill Correction Facility, but as the corrections officers attempt to regain control, they discover another body: that of Malik Washburne, a former cop who killed two people while driving drunk. Washburne, who converted to Islam in prison, was well-liked at the prison by guards and inmates alike. Mac, Danny, Sheldon and Flack are called in to work the case. While they quickly tie Barker's murder to an inmate with a grievance against him, Washburne's proves to be more of a challenge.<p>Stella, Lindsay and Detective Angell investigate the murder of Maria Campagna at Belluso's Bakery in the Bronx, where the young woman worked. Stella and Lindsay determine the young woman was strangled, and their suspicions center on Jack Morgenstern, a regular customer who was often seen flirting with the women who worked at the bakery. But Morgenstern, who was at the bakery the night Maria was strangled, was falsely accused of rape several years ago and refuses to talk to Stella and Angell without his cutthroat attorney present. The evidence connecting him to the killing is tenuous, forcing Stella and Lindsay to dig deeper.<p>The cases themselves are engaging, and will keep readers turning the pages. DeCandido utilizes the New York setting, especially in the bakery case, getting across that Belluso's isn't simply a place that people go to get their cannoli fix; it's a neighborhood shop with regular customers who patronize the shop as much out of loyalty as they do love for the food. The correctional facility is likewise described in great detail; DeCandido has clearly done his research. He showcases the perspectives of both correctional officers and inmates alike to give readers a real sense of the place. He also highlights the frustration the CSIs and Flack feel at having to give up both their weapons and cell phones before entering the facility.<p><HR ALIGN="CENTER" SIZE="1" WIDTH="45\%" COLOR="#007BB5"><p>To read the full reviews, please click <A HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/reviews/csi/four_walls.shtml">here</A>.<center></center>