Research is invaluable.
I prefer printed matter as usually peer reviewed. The internet can help but too easy for amateurs and conspiracy theorist to post. Cinema goes for entertainment (and big names): I watched “The Untouchables” again when writing “The Bootlegger of Illinois” but not factually correct, for example, the older Robert De Niro playing Al Capone, who was in his twenties at that time. But I did find some good documentaries on streaming services that gave me a pictorial flavour that helped. On my bookshelf, I have half a dozen books on mobs and Chicago, that I checked avariciously for detail. For my WIP Roman novel, I have over two dozen books on Roman history.
As fellow crime writers, let me point you to an invaluable resource. I had read the memoirs of two pathologists but neither beat Val McDermid’s book.
FORENSICS – the anatomy of crime. ISBN 978-1781251706 profilebooks.com
12 chapters on forensic techniques and their history. A fascinating read. I found it an invaluable resource when writing “The Bootlegger of Illinois” and “DCI Harry Morgan: Casebook”. My details are much more accurate thanks to Val (Queen of Crime).
I’m afraid I’m a bit of a pedant for accuracy and shout at my TV when the detectives walk into a crime scene of properly suited crime scene investigators but they resort to holding, not wearing, a glove to pick up some evidence, or poke at it with a pen. In fiction, read Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhymes novels for how to do it properly. Deaver is a man who researches and is a stickler for accuracy.
As first-time writers, you don’t want people nit-picking your errors or poor information. Check for mistakes and accuracy – don’t cut corners. Create excitement with realism.
Credits
Written by Keith Lawson
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
