Intern at your own Risk by Sekou Hamilton

CSI has finally made it to the world of comic books and this endeavor is unfortunately a bit disappointing. It was nice to see familiar characters in this form and the book was very similar to the show, but it could have been pushed further in some places and more believable in others.

The story is about five high school students who receive an internship at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Grissom and Catherine Willows are the head of the program and set them up on a current case regarding the murder of a fellow high school student. The lead intern is Kiyomi Hudson, a girl facing the similar financial woes as the victim. As the interns take the initiative to solve the case, they discover that the murderer was one of the CSI interns. The plot thickens as Kiyomi narrows in on the murderer.

My first complaint is how realistic would it be for high schoolers to solve a current murder investigation? Where were the professions? Why aren't they doing their jobs? I just find it unbelievable that they would be so involved and responsible for an important investigation right when they begin. Yes, I know it's fiction, but that's no reason to take liberties. Also, it would be one thing if the real CSIs were involved, but it seemed like the interns were doing it all. Where were the professionals? Why hadn't they discovered this stuff first? I just found it hard to sink my teeth into the way the murder was solved by 15 year olds. On top of that, I think the story would have been better if it made more connections to the TV show. There are a few characters from the show and others I think are in the story, but they aren't identified. The author might be trying to subtly bring them in, but I think it would have been more successful if I knew for certain that's who they were talking about.

This seems like the start of a series and it has potential. I wish the CSIs from the TV show were more prevalent characters and that justice didn't rely so much on high school interns - it just doesn't seem believable. Will I read the next book - probably. Should you try this one - if you like CSI, you'll probably enjoy it.
MMK