1. The Silent Partner 2. The Death Merchant 3. The Shooting Script 4. The Waking Nightmare 5. The Past Tense 6. The Dead Letter 7. The Double Life 8. The Last Word THE PAST TENSE r. Mark Sloan is startled to discover a dead woman—dressed as a mermaid—washed up on the beach outside his home. Even more bizarre, the autopsy reveals a digital memory card within a capsule inside the body's stomach. The card contains the report of a forty-three-year-old murder in Los Angeles—the first homicide case Mark ever solved, when he was a struggling intern and newlywed father. When a second body is discovered—a woman who was apparently the victim of an impromptu autopsy in her own kitchen—the good doctor realizes that he must find the connection between the two murders. And perhaps more urgently, the connection to his own past... BUY THE BOOK from Amazon. HIGH PRAISE "Books spun off from television series are often scorned by critics despite their popularity. One author out to change their reputation is Lee Goldberg, a screenwriter who has produced at least a dozen novels as well as scores of TV shows. With his fifth book in the "Diagnosis Murder" series, The Past Tense, Goldberg has proven that excellent writing can be found anywhere, even in a TV tie-in novel. The Past Tense contains all the elements of a fine mystery novel: good characters, interesting plot, surprising twists and, above all, crisp and enjoyable writing. With books this good, who needs TV?"    —David Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times "Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense is the latest—and arguably the best—original mystery based on the popular Dick Van Dyke TV series, which Goldberg wrote and produced. What makes it more than just another spinoff is the way Goldberg takes the reader—and his hero, Dr. Mark Sloan—through 40 years of Los Angeles history, a journey that captures the unique flavor of the city so many of us used to call home."    —The Chicago Tribune "Just what the doctor ordered, a sure cure after a rash of blah mysteries. Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense has more plot twists than a strand of DNA."    —Elaine Viets "With a devilish plot sense, sophisticated humor, and smooth writing style, Lee Goldberg's Diagnosis Murder series never fails to please. He's as good as anyone writing in the genre today."    —Donald Bain, co-author of the Murder She Wrote novels "Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense. Seldom has a title been more appropriate. Lee Goldberg takes the utterly familiar Dr. Mark Sloan and surprises us with heartbreaking glimpses of the past that allow the good doctor to step off the television screen and into a flesh-and-blood reality. Well-plotted and beautifully rendered."    —Margaret Maron