The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder [Paperback]

Martin Roth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0941188493 | ISBN-13: 978-0941188494 | Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Here's the book no writer of murder mysteries, thrillers, action/adventure, true-crime, police procedurals, romantic suspense, and psychological mysteries, whether scripts or novels, should be without.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Roth is based in Melbourne and is an internationally successful financial journalist and one of Australia's leading authors of investment books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188493
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188494
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save Your Money, April 23, 2004

By 

John Kole (Longmeadow, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder (Paperback)

I'm not sure what the other reviewers found so compelling. I found little here other than pages and pages of lists. Some examples: 6pp. of LAPD police radio codes, 3pp. of FBI case classifications, 16pp. of org charts for the LA County Sherrif's Dept. My favorite, however, is the full page devoted to a listing of "Weapons Used by Criminals" which begins "Acid, Air gun, Ax, Bayonet, Bazooka, Billy Club..." Well, you get the idea. The portions of the book not devoted to lists tend to be laughably superficial (e.g., "Street gangs now battle over who sells the drugs and where." Really, thanks.) Granted, there are suggestions for further reading, but my advice would be to save yourself some money and do your readers a favor -- do your own research.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Individual chapters cover what a writer most needs to know, March 9, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder (Paperback)

The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips For Writing The Perfect Murder by Martin Roth is a detailed resource especially intended for aspiring authors of mysteries, suspense thrillers, action/adventure crime novels, true crime stories, and police procedurals novels. Individual chapters cover what a writer most needs to know in order to avoid common errors and misconceptions when writing about crime, criminals, police, courts, and prisons. A highly recommended basic primer, this edition of The Crime Writer's Reference Guide is enhanced with a new Foreword and updated information supplied by Rey Verdugo, a former police officer, a top criminal investigator, and a technical consultant for film and television projects.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you need to know to write a crime drama, February 3, 2003

By 

Chris Robertson (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder (Paperback)

The premise of this book appeals to every screenwriter that is ready to enter the world of crime and investigation, a book written for screenwriters regarding the world of crime. This book is the ultimate starting point for creating a believable world for thrillers, mysteries, and other related crime dramas.

Written by Martin Roth with adaptations from Sargeant Rey Verdugo, this book grabs hold of you at page 1 by offering the 10 most common mistakes writers will make regarding police work. So, Is "taking a suspect down to the precinct for questioning" an appropriate phrase to use in your screenplay?

Then, the Crime Writer Reference Book states the different types of crimes and possible motives for creating such crime. It allows you, the writer, to explore any possible scenario and making that scenario accurate.