Criminal Mischief: The Art and Science of Crime Fiction

Bad guys, and girls, seem to always need some way to overpower or control another character. There are many ways to that.

Motives for Murder: Financial – – insurance, inheritance, business takeovers, avoidance of alimony Property disputes Revenge Political Cults & Religions Murder for hire Empathy and sympathy Crimes of passion Domestic Protect self image or secrets To protect others Blackmail To cover another crime Social and hate crimes Sex, jealousy, obsession Mental illness – – delusions and hallucinations Dr...

MANNERS OF DEATH : For what purpose and by whose hand NATURAL: Natural deaths are due to the workings of Mother Nature in that the death results from a natural disease process. Heart attacks, cancers, pneumonias, and strokes are common natural causes of death. This is by far the largest category of death that the ME sees. ACCIDENTAL: Accidental deaths result from an unplanned and unforeseeable seq...

DETERMINATION OF THE TIME OF DEATH Determining TOD is critical Both an art and a science The sooner after death the more accurate the estimate Changes death variable and unpredictable. Physiologic TOD, Estimated TOD, Legal TOD Always a best guess None of the methods are very accurate Body temperature Rigor mortis Livor mortis (lividity) Degree of putrefaction Stomach contents Insect activity Scene...

Who is telling the story? Is he/she also the protagonist or an observer? Is he/she reliable? How many POV characters is too few/too many? Which characters know too little to drive the story/or know too much and might spoil the story?