Book Review: The Counterfeit Detective By Paul R. Paradise 244 pp (Koehler Books-2015)

Reviewed by Ron Alvarez

Paul Paradise has written a novel that is not only an absorbing investigative thriller but also a solid vehicle in which to experience the complexities of the counterfeiting and anti-counterfeiting world. Through the eyes of his protagonist—veteran counterfeit private investigator, Theo Jones—Paradise adeptly weaves the reader through the ways of counterfeiting, and the means investigators use to combat it.

But the novel does even more. The Counterfeit Detective presents the language of the counterfeiting world. The reader is introduced to trademark infringement and its impact; the challenges and benefits of working with law enforcement; the issue of music piracy and fair use; the definition of Intellectual Property (IP) and branding; the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC); ex-parte seizures; definition of the gray market; quality control procedures; trade dress; in-house anti-counterfeit units; IP law firms and more.

I have long been an advocate of the benefits of teaching through good fiction. In July 2015, I wrote an article for PI Magazine titled, "Expanding Our ‘Imagination Muscles.’" Here is an excerpt, “Fortunately for the professional investigator, there’s a surplus of entertaining and well-researched novels that detail authentic investigation processes…The reader can’t help but pick up sound ways to gather and analyze information. Fiction also offers the opportunity to experience the spirit of a driven investigator, which nonfiction books on investigations (as important as non-fiction is to our profession) rarely captures.

”By the end of this exhilarating story, in which the protagonist puts his life at risk in pursuit of a killer, and the truth behind a counterfeit network, the reader will have an authentic grasp of the counterfeit culture, and its assorted manifestations. It is a must-read for any IP professional, or person interested in having a more intimate understanding of —as Paradise’s protagonist puts it—the “Counterfeit War.”The Counterfeit Detective by Paul R. Paradise

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