YVONNE’S SHORTIES #349 – Double Dealer // Infinite

Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time around what you can technically call a reread of a crime thriller (even though it has been twenty years since I read it and in Dutch at that) and a speculative/sci-fi thriller that will end up on my list of 2023 favorites.

Title: Double Dealer
(CSI: Crime Scene Investigation #1)
Author: Max Allan Collins
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: 2002
Publisher: Pocket Books
Finished reading: March 5th 2023
Pages: 320

“Search for the truth has no cure.”

I remember reading this series in Dutch back when the books were first being published about twenty years ago, and apparently I liked them enough to keep buying each sequel as soon as they appeared in the bookstore. I was browsing for titles I read over ten years ago for the POPSUGAR challenge when an episode of CSI came up on TV, and I had that eureka moment. Why not rereading Double Dealer and see if the series is still as successful for me in the present? I’ve always been a CSI Las Vegas fan, and while this book might not be perfect, I had so much fun meeting up with the characters that I personally didn’t care about its flaws at all. The case itself is interesting, with the two seemingly different crime scenes that show similarities that make you wonder if they might be connected… It had been so long that I had forgotten about how everything wrapped up, which was a bonus of course. The dialogues and banter were entertaining, and the plot read like one of the TV episodes (with even some references to some things that happened in the first season). I had so much fun rereading the first book that I’ve decided to continue with the rest of the series as well!

Title: Infinite
Author: Brian Freeman
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
First published: March 1st 2021
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: March 7th 2023
Pages: 328

“The only prison we can never escape is our brain, and yet our brain is what sets us free.”

Now THAT’s what I’m talking about! Say hello to my second full 5 star read of the year… I loved my first experience with Brian Freeman‘s work last year, and I’ve been meaning to read more of his backlist ever since. Infinite was actually recommended to me by the author himself as being similar to I Remember You, which I loved, so who am I to pick something different instead? I’ve been saying that I was going to read Infinite for months now, and I’m definitely kicking myself for not doing so sooner. WHAT a story! I’m not usually that big of a fan of speculative fiction or sci-fi elements in my stories, but this is the second book this year to prove me wrong. This story reads like a psychological thriller on acid, with a serial killer and alternate worlds thrown in to seal the deal. It’s a story that wouldn’t let me go as soon as I read the first chapter, and I literally read it in one sitting. The whole situation is fascinating, and I loved learning more about the concept of the parallel universes and the background of main character Dylan himself. The pace is fast and there is plenty of action as well as a serial killer on the loose to deal with, but Infinite isn’t afraid to go deep as well and explore relationships, grief, overcoming trauma and self-improvement among other things. It ended up being a perfect cocktail filled with different elements that worked together harmoniously, and it is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I can guarantee that you will be seeing Infinite on my list of 2023 favorites!