The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I liked it too Nguyen. I read #3 as well (but missed #2 so there were some holes in the story) but I think I liked the first one better.

Hi, Death Master by Anna-marie Morgan is a fast-paced crime thriller which includes forensics, anthropolgy and psychological profiling. If you like that sort of thriller, I recommend it. It's fast-paced and the tension does not let up. Female detective takes the lead. Death Master

Benoit LeLievre reviews my novel Mr. Glamour at Dead End Follies. Here's a sample

Her Cartier sunglasses did little to hide her discomfort, She wanted to wear cheap clothes, like the mothers at the supermarkets, and hide behind brands that had no cachet. The enjoyment of being watched was gone from her, and she wondered if there were places she could go anonymously and blend into a crowd, lost among the little people she never know.

There are various ways to stand out in the overcrowded literary landscape, if you're not the second coming of Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Richard Godwin is a writer that found his method to success but mixing up skills, originality and absolute fearlessness in order to push the boundaries of certain genres. APOSTLE RISING, published last year, was one of the first psychological thrillers I've read that went beyond the ghost of Thomas Harris. MR. GLAMOUR explores the same format, but goes in another direction. I'd like to tell you it goes in the opposite direction of APOSTLE RISING, but the reality is far more abstract. Not only it's a novel that makes its own path, but it's taking more inspiration outside literature. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you MR. GLAMOUR a fine-and-dandy, over-the-top, GIALLO extravaganza of a novel. Yep, you heard me.

You can read it all here

http://www.deadendfollies.com/2012/04...

Jan C wrote: "Having read them in order I think they probably make more sense in order. Actually I am still reading Bones of Betrayal: A Body Farm Novel."

As a forensic artist, I've found the information in about any of the Body Farm (Bass) books to be quite beneficial. We've studied a number of these skulls and have used them as tests to see if our 2D skull reconstructions are right on point. Usually, we experienced artists are close enough that the rendering would probably get an ID if it were a real case. I would recommend any of the Bass books for such forensic readings.

Ken Lang

Impeding Justice is a fast-paced story with a terrifying villain and a great heroine. I love books with strong female characters and Lorne Simpkins is one of the best I've come across - no matter what's thrown at her, she keeps on fighting. The book has the feel of an English version of 24 with a female Jack Bauer.

My favorite authors right now are Kathy Reich and Tess Gerritsen mostly because of their tv shows. I like the show Bones but can't stand the tv Tempe character. I read I think Spider Bones first then decided to go back to the begining. I'm on to Monday Mourning now and this one and Bare Bones before it seem to be hard to get through.

I watched the Rizzoli and Isles tv show before reading Tess Gerritsen though my wife told me to read them a long time ago. I like Gerritsen's writing. They are not too technical and the characters seem completely different from the tv show, but I am still early on in those so we will see.

I wanted to write my own "procedural" novel so I wrote Red Island: A Novel with the help of actual members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in order to get what they do correct. There are no female police officers showing up at crime scenes in heals in my book. I also wanted to show how a killer can become the evil that they do become so you get to see it all.

check out the first chapter http://facebook.com/redislandnovel in the notes. Thats enough shamless plugging for me.

I've enjoyed Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series

I watched a Frontline episode on forensic science in the courtroom and was astounded at how it was portrayed as unreliable.

For instance fingerprints, for nearly a century considered incontrovertible were demonstrated as unreliable in about half the cases tested. Examiners were given the same prints they had matched up in one case and the particulars of the case were changed. About half the time, the examiner who had declared a match before declared no match on the same prints.

Even more distressing was the certification of expert witnesses. Many 'experts' are certified based on the ability to write a check to the certifiying agency. It was a little disturbing to watch given the reliance of courts and juries on expert testimony.

One federal judge stated when an 'anomaly' in forensic science is revealed, it doesn't mean its an anomaly, it means they finally figured out the science was faulty.

That sounds quite disturbing, Ken.

Our Fingerprint Experts in England had to jump through some incredible hoops to get their expert status.

Until recently (maybe six or seven years ago now), they employed a point system when identifying fingerprints. They needed a minimum of sixteen points of reference before they could declare the mark as identified. That 'standard' disappeared, and now it is down to the discretion of the expert to identify the mark irrespective of the number of points.

As far as anomalies go, I would suggest that the science part of forensic evidence is fairly solid. One of the things that puts it in the shade though is how it is recovered, packaged and handled. The second thing is interpretation; often a subjection thing.

Black & White is an excellent, detailed, book about police procedure, written by an expert.

Hearing about all sorts of books I need to check out. Beverly Connor's books sound really interesting. I love Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, although the later books haven't been as good, in my opinion.

I really like Dr. Bass's Body Farm series. I've read the first two books - it's been a while - and need to get back into them. The Body Farm itself is fascinating to me, and he's got a writing style that makes forensics easy.

In real life forensics rarely proves a crime or identifies the criminal. It's better at eliminating people than anything else. I almost always got my convictions by getting confessions, but then it was often the forensics that led to getting the confession.

As law enforcement myself, I love reading about "true crime" if it is well researched and well written. The sensationalism and generally low quality writing seen in so many "pulp" true crime books is just annoying. I'd also like to see some police procedural fictions that actually read as real, where everything isn't solved in a 1 hour time slot. And, I should add, where the gross stuff is real life gross, where the language is real (on both sides of the badge) and where even us old crusty types can nod and relate. Any suggestions?

Holly wrote: "As law enforcement myself, I love reading about "true crime" if it is well researched and well written ...where even us old crusty types can nod and relate. Any suggestions? "

Held for Ransom

My Favorite Author and Charecter in this genre is Patricia Cornwell. Her forensic Dr.Kay Scarpetta is fascinating. The things she does to hunt for clues just blow my mind. Such as boiling bones to see a knife wound to doing expermints at the "Body Farm" I have learned so much about forensics from her that Iam starting to feel quite the expert lol. For anyone who enjoys this type of mystery,as I do, I would recommend her as #1.

In Yorkshire, forensic evidence contributes to almost 50% of convictions and we use it proactively.

Holly, try Stealing Elgar

Ken wrote: "Many 'experts' are certified based on the ability to write a check to the certifiying agency...."

This is so very true and is the main reason why I will not pursue my 'certification' as a forensic artist. The main goal of any of the certification bodies is to have you pay the yearly fees and earn the required continuing education credits which is usually comprised of only the classes they offer at their national conference. In essence, they are guaranteeing their existence. The only benefit that I can see from that is that I can then testify as an 'expert witness.' But in the last ten years of working as a forensic artist I have only needed to testify at two trials as an artist, and neither occasion would have benefited the State to qualify me as an 'expert witness.'

No thanks, I'll save MY money... (because our agency doesn't pay for it).

I recommend British author, Elly Griffiths who writes the Ruth Galloway books, who is a forensic archaeologist who lives in Norfolk, England. They are a delight.
The Crossing Places The Janus Stone The House at Sea's End A Room Full of Bones

Holly wrote: "As law enforcement myself, I love reading about "true crime" if it is well researched and well written. The sensationalism and generally low quality writing seen in so many "pulp" true crime books ..."

My favorite true crime author is Ann Rule. She used to be a police women in Seattle, so the stories that she writes on about cases that she was involved in. You should check her out.

Has anyone read the J. D. Robb In Death series featuring Lt. Eve Dallas? I think it's a good representation of a police procedural.

Lili wrote: "I recommend British author, Elly Griffiths who writes the Ruth Galloway books, who is a forensic archaeologist who lives in Norfolk, England. They are a delight.
The Crossing Places The Janus Ston..."

This sounds great - thanks for the recommendation

Britney wrote: "Holly wrote: "As law enforcement myself, I love reading about "true crime" if it is well researched and well written. The sensationalism and generally low quality writing seen in so many "pulp" tru..."

Ann Rule is a fine author, her books meticulously researched. I was fortunate to meet her once and came away even more impressed than I had been before. She is (or was in 2004) a member of a Seattle-based writers group that included several other authors in completely different genres — people like Don McQuinn (SciFi) and Jean Auel (Clan of the Cave Bear series).

I'm currently reading Watching The Dark by Peter Robinson. Part of the Inspector Banks series. It's a police procedural, similar to a British version of Harry Bosch. It's the first thing by this author that I have read, but it is excellent.

Make a coffee and settle in. Well worth a watch.

If you didn't make it to the recent British Library talk on the history of Crime Fiction with PD James, Henry Sutton and Jason Webster, you can watch the video recording of it at http://youtu.be/xx5VKnbkDQM

The Story of Crime Fiction
youtu.be
Mark Lawson, who recently wrote and presented BBC Radio 4 series Foreign Bodies: A History of Modern Europe Through Literary Detectives, is joined by crime f...

hi, I am a new member and disappointed at the lack of contributions for forensic mysteries. Favorite authors in this genre are Patricia Cornwell ; Simon Beckett; Kathy Reichs ; Jonathan Hayes ; Keith McCarthy. Do not particularly enjoy Jefferson Bass. Also loved the "China" series by Peter May. Can anyone recommend any more?

I've been reading Peter May's Extraordinary People. But I had to return it to the library unfinished. Maybe time for another trip to the library.

I'm going to visit your author page, which I'm especially interested in because I just published a police procedural/thriller. Not having a background in law enforcement, I was able to get help from the police chief in my city (he was a lieutenant at that time), and worked on the book for four years before publication. I also took classes, and took part in a citizen's police academy. I wrote the first draft of the second book in the series during National Novel Writing Month. The focus of this new book is different and I'll be doing a lot of research. I'd also like recommendations for novels such as police procedurals.

Joan K. Maze
Writing as J. K. Maze
The Hierophant - now available as an ebook from B&N and Amazon and a paperback at Amazon
http://www.joanmaze.com

The earlier books by Patricia Cornwell are excellent and I did learn quite a lot about forensics. However I dislike her later ones - they are silly and feel forced.

I'm new to the group. I think I'm aware of most fiction falling in this particular thread, but if anyone is aware of a newcomer author to the sub-genre, I'd appreciate you mentioned the name and providing a GR link.

I'd recommend Miles Corwin for spot-on police procedural accuracy. He's a LA crime reporter who has written non-fiction about police procedures. Miles is also a buddy of Michael Connelly.
His thriller-fiction books are "Kind of Blue" and "Midnight Alley".

Thanks, Patricia.

Hold the phone Lee,
I'm Ann & I'm new too. I absolutely love forensics & I have some suggestions for you. However, I am using my phone so I can't set up a thread. Can you give me about an hour at most so I can get you started faster?

OK Lee, I'm back,
The first series I highly recommend is the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Saches. Jeffery DeaverThe Bone Collector
You probably already read them but wanted to share it anyway. The other is the
Denialseries.
I haven't had a chance to read these yet but they sound great. Hope this helps.

Sorry this is a mix of threads. Still learning how to do it. I got it now though! I've been using my phone since I joined this week and I can't post nearly as easily as I can on my laptop. I think I will look into the books Patricia recommended too. Happy reading.

Hi, Ann. Yes, I've read most of the Jeffrey Deaver series. I thought the first few books were terrific but that the series became repetitious. I'll check out the Denial series.

The bone collector is one of this month's group reads, check out the discussion In the group reads folder.

Thanks, Donna, I will. Did you happen to see the movie?

No I haven't but I think I will look for it on Netflix. Sounds good.

My novel has crime scene forensics and some cyber, that adds to the thrill ride. It's pretty realistic as I am also a practitioner. For those who care to check it out, it is on 99 cent promo for another day. It's called Safe Havens: Shadow Masters (A Sean Havens Black Ops Novel).

http://www.amazon.com/SAFE-HAVENS-Sha...

J.T. wrote: "My novel has crime scene forensics and some cyber, that adds to the thrill ride. It's pretty realistic as I am also a practitioner. For those who care to check it out, it is on 99 cent promo for a..."

Hey JT
Can you repost this in the author's corner segment of this discussion? It doesn't really go here. Thanks!

Donna wrote: "I recently read The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett. I liked the main character, David Hunter, a lot but I was slightly disappointed in part of the solution to the c..."

I enjoyed the 4 books in this series but there haven't been any new ones since 2010.

There is a website I follow and they also have a Facebook page called Forensic Outreach. They teach forensics in the UK. I just love their posts. They get into the nitty-gritty of things. Sometimes they have posters. One was really cool of a illustration of a guy on the ground and all the different stages that insects go through. Quite fascinating.
Here is their website http://forensicoutreach.com/
And facebook page http://forensicoutreach.com/

I find I hop from one thing to another.:)They post quiz type thing too like name the criminal, or can you solve this crime. Neat stuff.

P.S. Loving all the book recommendations. My son got my an Amazon gift card for Mothers Day!

Cindy wrote: "There is a website I follow and they also have a Facebook page called Forensic Outreach. They teach forensics in the UK. I just love their posts. They get into the nitty-gritty of things. Sometimes..."

Sounds interesting, Cindy, thanks for the recommendation.

I do most of my research personally by attending autopsies and discussing plot points straight with Dutch forensic scientists. My books are set in the Netherlands, where work methods of both law enforcement and forensics differ from, for instance, the US and the UK.

I think The Body Farm series sounds really fascinating.


There is a patch of ground in Tennessee dedicated to the science of death, where human remains lie exposed to be studied for their secrets. The real-life scientist who founded the "Body Farm" has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics . . . and now he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences.

Christine wrote: "I think The Body Farm series sounds really fascinating.


There is a patch of ground in Tennessee dedicated to the science of death, where human remains lie exposed ..."

I think it is a pretty good series. His writing partner, Jon Jefferson, is on GR and you'll occasionally see his posts here.

The MysterySequels.com site recently reviewed all 3 of the Emilia Cruz police procedural mystery novels, giving all of them a rating of 4.5 our of 5 stars. The reviews are all well written, thoughtful, and really dive into the characters and setting (Acapulco.) The site is worth a look: http://mysterysequels.com/reviews/aut...

thanks, Carmen

Carmen wrote: "The MysterySequels.com site recently reviewed all 3 of the Emilia Cruz police procedural mystery novels, giving all of them a rating of 4.5 our of 5 stars. The reviews are all well written, thought..."

Thanks! However, this is edging on self promotion. Please post in the Author's corner and not in the reader threads. I would appreciate it!

i tried the jefferson bass book but couldn't get into it

Chris wrote: "Has anyone read Precious Blood or A Hard Death by Jonathan Hayes? Both are excellent and the hero Edward Jenner is extremely likeable - if flawed! I believe there are two more in the pipeline too."

I'm way late to the conversation, but based on your note here, I picked up A Hard Death almost 2 years ago and finally read it. He is good. I've bought another and it's in my stack. Thanks for the suggestion.