One of the nice things about my time spent in fandom, specifically comics fandom, was getting the chance to meet (and hang with) some of the writers and artists I’d been enjoying for years. Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella were two of the nicest. I’d been a fan of Tony’s since the 1970s when he was writing stories for DC and Marvel. His Luke Cage and Black Lightning were among my favorites. I became familiar with Bob via his regular (or semi-regular, considering the too few installments) “The Law is a Ass” column in CBG.

Bob & Tony have co-written a few comics and prose stories, including the CAPTAIN AMERICA novel “Liberty’s Torch”. Their take on Cap was everything a fan of the character could hope for. So it was great to hear that they were going to team-up again, this time to write a novel taking place in the Star Trek universe.

The Case of the Colonist’s Corpse: a Sam Cogley Mystery takes place during the period of the original Star Trek series. James T. Kirk is still the Enterprise’s captain, but he and his crew only appear briefly in the book. For those familiar with the first series you may recall that Sam Cogley (played by the wonderful character actor, Elisha Cook, Jr) defended Kirk when he was brought up on charges. Sam is back now, and this time he is defending a Klingon accused of killing the chief administrator of a Federation colony.

Bob & Tony present a mystery which takes its style from the Perry Mason novels of Erle Stanley Gardner. The planet Anerher II, lies in the Neutral Zone so is claimed by both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Naturally, things aren’t always cordial between these two races, so when a spy is discovered among the colonists it’s not a surprise that tempers flare. The authors play fair and if you pay attention you can pretty much guess who the likely murderer is, especially if you’ve seen enough of the old Perry Mason episodes on television.

If you are expecting a ‘typical’ ST novel, you may be disappointed, but if you’re willing to take the book at face value, knowing that it will not be Kirk & Co. filling the pages, I think you will find the book as enjoyable as I did. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that sales of the book will make further Sam Cogley stories possible. Sam, although created as a one-time character for the old TV show, is given by Tony & Bob enough depth to carry the story. Along with his assistants they certainly have enough potential for a good half dozen books or more. I’m giving the book a solid three stars.