This book's concept and title are a cute play on the popular CSI TV show, as is obvious. And the author is pinning hopes for the book's success on that gimmick, because once you get beyond that, there's not much to see here.
First of all, the very title of the book is deceptive. It should be called Relationship Scene Investigation and not Date Scene Investigation. The DSI title implies that the book is giving advice on how to behave on a first date and making a good impression and what activities to choose for dates, etc. There is none of that here. It's all discussion about the mistakes that people who are in serious relationships make.
As relationship books go, this one is pretty run-of-the-mill. You can get the same or better quality advice from hundreds of others, without the distraction of the gimmick concept. The people who serve as subjects of scrutiny in this book are not a cross-section of society. Most of them are the kind of people who might be characters on Friends or Ugly Betty: working in high-powered and/or glamorous careers, living in hip urban areas, and of course endlessly complaining about the minutiae of their relationships that they find dissatisfying, etc.
The book also seems to subscribe to the "Women Good, Men Bad" philosophy. The men are often portrayed as philandering, selfish, lazy pigs. There is an attempt to allocate an equal amount of criticism to women, but read it carefully. This criticism usually take the form of scolding the woman for having "unrealistic expectations". In other words, the problem with women is that they are so naive as to actually believe that a man might NOT be a philandering, selfish, lazy pig.
If you are an urban woman who is enamored with pop culture and male-bashing, you might enjoy this book enough to get your money's worth out of it. For others, follow the links and find something better. |
DSI--Date Scene Investigation: The Diagnostic Manual of Dating Disorders Books In Print, Audio Books.