Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers (Hardcover)

~ D. P. Lyle M.D. (Author)
Key Phrases: suspect weapon, United States, Lee Goldberg Los Angeles, Gar Anthony Haywood (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Indispensable . . . Don’t even think of writing a medical mystery without the wise counsel of Dr. D. P. Lyle.”
- Lee Goldberg, author of the Diagnosis Murder and Monk novels
 
“A terrific resource for crime writers and anyone interested in forensics . . . will jump-start your imagination about all kinds of ingenious crimes, crime-solving techniques, and plot twists.”
- Matt Witten, supervising producer of the Fox TV show House
 
“Every crime-fiction author’s best friend . . . as essential to my library as my Strunk and White.”
- Hallie Ephron, author of Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel
 
“There’s damn good reason why Dr. Doug Lyle’s e-mail is in every crime writer’s address book and why his reference books belong on every aspiring writer’s book shelf: His advice comes from the head of a medical expert but also from the heart and imagination of a writer. Whenever I paint myself into a forensic corner, Dr. Doug is always there to rescue me.”
- P. J. Parrish, author of An Unquiet Grave

Product Description

How long can someone survive in a cold, damp cave without food or water? How was diphtheria treated in 1886? Can Botox kill? Can DNA be found on a knife years later? How are mummified corpses identified? How long does it take blood to clot when spilled on a tile floor? What happens in death from electrocution?

 

As a consultant to many novelists around the world and to the writers of such popular TV shows as Monk, Law & Order, House, and CSI: Miami, D. P. Lyle, M.D., has answered many cool, clever, and oddball questions over the years. Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers is a collection of the best of these questions. The answers are provided in a concise and entertaining fashion that will keep you wide awake so you can read “just one more.”

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312365519
• ISBN-13: 978-0312365516
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #19 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery
  #41 in	Books > Reference > Writing > Genre Fiction
  #66 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Pathology > Forensic Medicine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable resource for writers and an entertaining book for readers, September 3, 2007

By	David Montgomery "Book Critic" (davidjmontgomery.com) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nothing ruins a good crime novel faster than factual errors or logical mistakes. That's why so many writers turn to Dr. D.P. Lyle for help. A practicing physician, Lyle is a writer himself, and he helps his colleagues figure out inventive (and accurate) ways of doing mayhem to the human body. "Forensics and Fiction" collects some of the most interesting questions Lyle has answered. Want to know how long a human head immersed in the North Sea would remain recognizable? This is the place to look. Not only is the book valuable for all the useful, obscure information it contains, it's also fascinating to see what kinds of questions writers ask. (Some of them, as you might expect, are rather strange.) "Forensics and Fiction" is an excellent resource for writers and an entertaining, informative read for fans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, August 26, 2009

By	Peggy Blann Phifer "Peg" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of those books you don't just sit down and read. It's a reference book that you reach for when you come to a bump int the road during your manuscript.

I've already found it quite useful ih my writing and I recommend it to anyone who is writing mystery, suspense, thriller-type fiction.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and insightful, March 10, 2009

By	R. BULL "a reader" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a writer i've used Dr Lyle as a resource several times. I highly recommend him and all of his books. I this one in particular because I have a question in it that resulted in a short story sale.