Death Becomes Her - Research

It's hard to believe we're into our last week already! Hopefully, this last lesson will cement everything we've gone over so far, as well as tie up any loose ends we still have hanging out there. And speaking of tying up the loose ends...

Part of any good novel is believability. If the plot isn't believable, or the resolution isn't believable, the reader is going to walk away feeling cheated. So, how do we make our crimes believable? You guessed it...research. I don't know a whole lot about police procedures, so when it comes to making sure my hero gets his facts straight, I call in the experts, namely a friendly police sergeant from Beaumont.

Here is your first assignment: Make a list of possible websites, resources (such as books or articles), or people whom you can contact to help you in your research. TV shows like CSI don't count, because believe it or not, you really can't rely on them for accuracy.

Here a few of my favorites to get you started:

Books:

Deadly Doses, A Writer's Guide to Poisons
The Writer's Complete Crime Reference Book by Martin Roth


Websites:

www.keepmeinsuspense.com
www.mysterywriters.org
www.crimelabproject.com
www.forensicfiles.com
www.policewriter.com
www.sistersincrime.org
www.police-writers.com
http://manuscriptediting.com/MysteryResources.htm http://www.writers.com/resources_mystery.html
www.dplylemd.com