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Deadly Doses
By Mary V. Welk
Earlier this year I was asked to review a new mystery written by a well-known
author. The characterization was quite good, and I was enjoying the book up to
the point of the murder. The victim was found with a noose around his neck
dangling from a tree, but hanging wasn't what killed the man. Without explaining
what drug was used, the author simply wrote that the cause of death was a
"lethal injection."
Such a simplistic explanation may have satisfied the reading public fifty years
ago, but modern mystery fans are not going to put up with generic terms for
murder weapons. Thanks in great part to TV shows like "CSI" and "NYPD,"
readers today are more savvy when it comes to the use of guns, knives, and
poisons. They're also more aware of the workings of the police, the coroner's
office, and the legal community. They demand that writers be as accurate as
possible in describing what happens before, during, and after the commission of
a crime, and they won't take seriously writers who are too lazy to research
those aspects of their stories.
Fortunately, there are many good books on the market that can help mystery
writers pass the accuracy test in their novels. The "Howdunit Series"
published by Writer's Digest Books includes such titles as "Armed and
Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons" by Michael Newton, and "Police
Procedural: A Writer's Guide to the Police and How They Work" by Russell
Bintliff. Other books in the series discuss crime scene investigations, forensic
medicine, and the business of the private investigator.
A January, 2003, release by St. Martin's Press will help authors who seek
detailed medical advice for their novels. "Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor
Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers" by Doug Lyle,
M.D. covers everything from death due to blunt head trauma to what injuries
occur in a fall onto rocks to how insulin can be used to commit murder. A
practicing cardiologist in Orange County, California, Dr. Lyle maintains
"The Writers' Medical and Forensics Lab" at www.dplylemd.com,
an extremely useful site for practical information on medical aspects of crime.
Andrea Campbell's "Making Crime Pay: The Writer's Guide to Criminal Law,
Evidence, & Procedure" was released by Allworth Press in April, 2002.
The book contains chapters entitled "Crime Defined," "Arrest,
Search & Seizure," "Arrest, Charges & Booking",
"Juvenile Justice," and "Anatomy of a Trial," among others.
A specialist in forensic science, Campbell has a degree in criminal justice and
teaches classes on criminal profiling to mystery writers. Her book
"Forensic Science: Evidence, Clues, and Investigation" was previously
released by Chelsea House Publishers.
Baseball players are considered superstars if they hit only three out of every
ten pitches. Writers aren't given the luxury of so many misses. To bat a
thousand with a novel, a writer must make every effort to wow the reader with
beautiful language, memorable characters, and a believable plot. With so many
sources available for research, believability should be the least worrisome of
these factors.
Mary V. Welk is the author of the 2002 Readers' Choice Award-winning
Caroline Rhodes mystery series including A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS; SOMETHING
WICKED IN THE AIR; TO KILL A KING. Coming in 2003: THE SCARECROW MURDERS (www.mysterykleworks.com
and www.mysteryauthors.com).
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