Are you an aspiring crime writer who needs information on forensics? Here’s how to get the facts you need and where to find them.
Whether you’re writing your first crime novel or you’re an established pro, you’ll need to be up-to-date on forensic techniques. It’s impossible to cover crime without a robust understanding of the evidence that’s available and how the police work.
So how do crime writers keep up to date with forensics and police procedure? Accuracy is important but the good news is that there are several sources you can use – keep reading to find out more.
Read other crime fiction
Most crime fiction writers enjoy the genre so read plenty of books by other crime fiction authors. These can form a basis for forensic understanding, but you’ll need to pick the right author to be certain of accuracy.
There’s nothing to force crime writers to be accurate so you’ll need to be wary of relying on what’s written as it may involve a fair degree of poetic licence.
However, there are some authors who are renowned for their meticulous and precise approach, only including information which is realistic. Val McDermid and Peter James are two such authors and their work is a good starting point for anyone new to crime writing.
Use trusted internet resources
Googling forensics is liable to return a plethora of information, not all of which will be trustworthy. There are some sites which do contain details which will be beneficial which you can rely on.
One example of this is the website from the Crime Prosecution Service which has valuable links to legislation as well as guidance for prosecution.
You could also use the internet to put out a call to connect with police officials who might be willing to chat to you about what they do. If it’s just a casual bit of help you need, you might be able to procure it for free, but if it’s a regular thing, you should expect to pay. Make sure that you’re talking to someone who has the expertise you need; a traffic cop may know little about murder forensics.
Buy police procedure books
Although the police obviously receive training, they use textbooks too. You can either purchase these yourself or borrow them from your local library. Some databases are readily available at your local library and it allows you to stay up to date with the latest information without constantly having to buy new textbooks.
The Blackstone Police Manuals are one set of textbooks which are absolutely invaluable and no crime writer should be without. These are used by the police for learning and studying for exams and have an incredible level of detail on procedure and evidence. These are updated annually so if you can get your hands on the latest one, you’ll be in possession of some of the most cutting-edge information available. Crime Scene Management and Evidence Recovery by Deborah Beaufort-Moore is probably the most relevant to this particular topic.
There are also some other great books out there such as Forensics for Dummies by DP Lyle, MD; Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid and The Real CSI: A Forensic Handbook for Crime Writers by Kate Bendelow.
Attend crime writing workshops
If you search Google, there are several companies out there offering face-to-face workshops which cover subjects such as crime investigation and forensic and Police procedures. Think Forensic is one of these. It’s run by ex-crime scene investigators and facilitated by other experts in the field.
Combine your resources
As a crime writer you shouldn’t rely on a single source for information. By combining all of the above, you will get a balanced, informed and up to date view of the forensics you need to write with authority.