From Publishers Weekly
This is an enormously entertaining collection of the best of Lyle's columns for the Mystery Writers of America newsletter, in which the doctor provides detailed and informative answers to questions regarding various aspects of medicine and forensics. Aspiring and experienced mystery writers will achieve verisimilitude, as well as the suspended disbelief of their audiences, by applying Lyle's insights, which he divides into three helpful sections: "Doctors, Hospitals, Illnesses, and Injuries"; "Methods of Murder and Mayhem"; and "Tracking the Perp." Lyle's direct style ("This is unlikely to work"; "Think James Bond") enlivens even the most obscure issue ("What is Calor Mortis?"), while the depth of knowledge he brings to some seemingly basic questions ("How Is the Time of Death Determined?") make his answers definitive. Readers will never again see the oft-repeated crime-scene words "sucking chest wound" in the same way after reading Lyle on its symptoms and treatment.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Lyle offers straightforward medical information, bound to be snapped up by savvy mystery writers everywhere."--Rocky Mountain News, 1/24/03
"[Lyle] takes a matter-of-fact approach to some very grisly questions."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/22/03
"This surprisingly funny book is for writers, readers, or anyone fascinated by medical or forensic details....The medical information is well researched yet simple enough to understand."--Library Journal, 1/1/03
"An essential reference work for the fiction writer: informative and fun. I can't imagine my bookshelf without it."--Taylor Smith, author of Deadly Grace and The Innocents Club
"Dr. Lyle has an unerring ability to diagnose what it is writers need to know in answer to their questions about forensic medicine. His fascinating replies to questions writers have posed to him are precise and clearly stated, so that while he'll provide the medical terms you want, he'll also give the definitions you need."--Jan Burke, author of Bones, Flight, Hocus, and Liar
"An invaluable source for writers who want to get it right and for readers fascinated with the mysteries of the human body. Dr. Lyle's explanations are accurate, clear, entertaining, and thorough, and you'll wonder how you managed without him."--Rochelle Krich, national bestselling author of the Jessie Drake series
"This book is at once wise, informative, funny, factually reliable, and accessible."--Barbara Seranella, author of the Munch Mancini crime novels
"In my samurai novels I usually have people dispatched by lopping their heads off with a sword. For more difficult medical-related problems, Dr. Lyle's responses are always outstanding. They're lucid, succinct, and provide the information a writer needs. What a tremendous resource Dr. Lyle is!"--Dale Furutani, award-winning author of the Samurai Mystery Trilogy
par"Whenever I have a new 'Law & Order' episode to write, the first person I call for help is Dr. Lyle. He has an amazing ability to explain complex forensics in simple laypersons' terms. He thinks like a writer and gives you exactly the information that a writer will need. This book is a terrific resource."--Matt Witten, executive story editor for Law & Order and author of the Jacob Burns mystery novels
"It's three o'clock in the morning, you're hard at work on your mystery screenplay, and all that's missing is the essential medical clue to solve the murder...who ya gonna call? Dr. Lyle is the go-to-guy for writers looking for the perfect piece of medical knowledge, filling the blanks that imagination alone simply can't."--Lee Goldberg, executive producer for Diagnosis Murder and Martial Law, and author of Writing For Television
