REVIEW: Russell's Reviews Volume One # 1

[Tom Russell]

On Jan 5, 8:41 pm, Martin Phipps <martinphip... at yahoo.com> wrote:

> He had to be released.  They couldn't prove anything.  Professor
> Stomper's opinion would not have been enough for them to be able to
> legally hold him let alone bring him to trial.  As Saxon pointed out
> in the case of an earlier story, Professor Stomper's opinions
> regarding magic should be considered with extreme apprehension: at
> least in that case they had plenty of physical evidence to support
> their claim; here all they had was his coincidental appearance in two
> audiences.

I think I would have liked a little scene that hammers home that point
more, even if it's just two lines between an ADA and a cop: "You're
letting him go?"/ "We can't use Stomper and we don't have any more
real evidence.  If something more substantial could turn up later, you
could always try to get him on manslaughter."  That would give it a
better feeling of closure, especially for readers who haven't read
previous Stomper stories or are apt to forget.  Remember, every issue
is someone's first.

> I've
> thought about doing a story with a serial killer like they've done a
> couple of times on CSI but there's the danger of making the detectives
> look incompetant if they can't figure out who did it right away.  And
> as you said it's unsatisfying if they can't find the killer by the end
> of the issue.

But you could follow the legal proceedings that arise after the killer
has been captured, ending with their sentencing towards the end of a
season.  I'm not saying every little part has to be captured in minute
detail, just those details that are salient to your plot,
characterization, or theme.  You could have one case being sentenced
as another begins, one perp being captured as another is freed, et
cetera.  And I'm not saying it has to be done this way or it should be
done this way-- it is your series-- I'm just saying it's another way
to do it that might make better use of a "multiple case" format.

==Tom