World Famous Comics: The Case of the Colonist's Corpse: A Sam Cogley Mystery (Star Trek)
The Case of the Colonist's Corpse: A Sam Cogley Mystery (Star Trek)
By: Tony Isabella Publisher: Star Trek Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Star Trek Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: December 30, 2003
Product Description: When Captain James T. Kirk faced a Court Martial in the eponymous Original Series episode he was defended by Samuel T. Cogley, an eccentric and computer-phobic lawyer who specialises in taking on lost causes and securing acquittals against impossible odds. Now, once again, a man's future is in Samuel Cogley's hands. The planet Anerher II sits in the middle of the Neutral Zone, and neither the Klingon Empire nor the Federation can claim it. Under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, the disputed colony world will go to the party - either Klingon or Federation - which shows it can best develop the planet. Then the fragile peace between the two rival colonies is shattered when Daniel Latham, head of the Federation colonists, is murdered, and Commander Mak'Tor, the head of the Klingon colony, is found crouched over Latham's body, a discharged phaser still hot in his hand. Sam Cogley volunteers to defend the accused Klingon, but when his investigation inadvertently provides the prosecution with a key piece of evidence and his courtroom tactics unexpectedly backfire, can even the galaxy's most brilliant defence attorney win the day...?
Middling Mystery in the Trek Setting 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.
Fusion genre. 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.
Good but not Captivating 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.
Perry Mason meets Star Trek 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.
Good Characters but Lacks Drama "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.
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