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Strictly Murder!: A Writer's Guide to Criminal Homicide
For writers wanting to attract readers a bit more sophisticated than the average viewer of television crime shows, provides information on murder motives, methods, and types; criminal profiles; police investigation, crime lab, medical examiner, and criminal court procedures; and other aspects of the profession. A highlight is a Los Angeles law enforcement agency's complete records of a case from the first report of the murder to the arrest of a suspect. The information can be used for crime writing in any media. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
About the author
Martin Roth
6 books1 follower1924-2000.
Screenwriter, television producer, and writing instructor. Also known and published as Marty Roth.
Screenwriter, television producer, and writing instructor. Also known and published as Marty Roth.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 4, 2008
This book's entire title is Strictly Murder! A Writer's Guide to Criminal Homicide. Ok, so maybe you aren't a writer. But you read crime books, right?
My friend the Lieutenant tells me that he detests Patricia Cornwell's books. "No M.E.," he says, "could possibly know the things that she does." Indeed. And while I agree with him, I'm still intrigued by every Cornwell book I pick up - because I learn something. Maybe I'll never need to match a torso to a head... but now I have an idea of how it's done.
So how do you find accurate information without hanging around a police station or the morgue? After all, who has time for that?
This is what Roth addresses with his book Strictly Murder! The chapters are short - some are only a couple of pages - and the reading is easy. Roth shows the difference between murder and homicide, talks about motives, profiling, and different types of murders: terrorist attacks, organized crime hits, cult killings, contract killers, serial killers. Guess what? Female serial killers prefer poison as their weapon of choice. But in domestic cases, guns and knives are used by most wives to bring their disputes to a conclusion.
Other chapters discuss the role of the medical examiner, how an autopsy is performed, what happens in the courtroom, how the death penalty is carried out, and what goes on in a crime lab. For example, dusting for prints isn't the only way to find them - super glue is used in the crime lab to find them as well. And handwriting experts see right through attempts to fool them by writing with one's off hand.
There are pictures, and they're graphic, so be warned. The front cover of Ann Rule's paperbacks shout "8 pages of shocking photos!!" Well, here are 5 pages of photos that you'll never see in one of those books.
One of the coolest parts of Roth's book, though, is section titled The Murder Book. He has compiled paperwork from an actual 1993-94 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department murder investigation, following the case from the initial murder report (the complaint) through the arrest of a suspect. Some of it is hard to read because these are photographs of the actual papers and while much of it is typed, some is also handwritten. The names of all of the people who were involved, including the medics and policemen are blacked out, making it a bit confusing to read, but you'll still be able to follow the investigation if you can get past that.
Strictly Murder! is by no means a detailed manual in forensics or crime scene investigation. You can't read it and hope to accurately interpret blood spatter on a wall. It won't teach you how to write up a profile of a mass murderer. It will, however, explain how investigators do their job and give you a good look into the world of criminal homicide. It should give you a better appreciation for the research that goes into writing a good crime novel - and you'll be able to pick out the phonies.
My friend the Lieutenant tells me that he detests Patricia Cornwell's books. "No M.E.," he says, "could possibly know the things that she does." Indeed. And while I agree with him, I'm still intrigued by every Cornwell book I pick up - because I learn something. Maybe I'll never need to match a torso to a head... but now I have an idea of how it's done.
So how do you find accurate information without hanging around a police station or the morgue? After all, who has time for that?
This is what Roth addresses with his book Strictly Murder! The chapters are short - some are only a couple of pages - and the reading is easy. Roth shows the difference between murder and homicide, talks about motives, profiling, and different types of murders: terrorist attacks, organized crime hits, cult killings, contract killers, serial killers. Guess what? Female serial killers prefer poison as their weapon of choice. But in domestic cases, guns and knives are used by most wives to bring their disputes to a conclusion.
Other chapters discuss the role of the medical examiner, how an autopsy is performed, what happens in the courtroom, how the death penalty is carried out, and what goes on in a crime lab. For example, dusting for prints isn't the only way to find them - super glue is used in the crime lab to find them as well. And handwriting experts see right through attempts to fool them by writing with one's off hand.
There are pictures, and they're graphic, so be warned. The front cover of Ann Rule's paperbacks shout "8 pages of shocking photos!!" Well, here are 5 pages of photos that you'll never see in one of those books.
One of the coolest parts of Roth's book, though, is section titled The Murder Book. He has compiled paperwork from an actual 1993-94 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department murder investigation, following the case from the initial murder report (the complaint) through the arrest of a suspect. Some of it is hard to read because these are photographs of the actual papers and while much of it is typed, some is also handwritten. The names of all of the people who were involved, including the medics and policemen are blacked out, making it a bit confusing to read, but you'll still be able to follow the investigation if you can get past that.
Strictly Murder! is by no means a detailed manual in forensics or crime scene investigation. You can't read it and hope to accurately interpret blood spatter on a wall. It won't teach you how to write up a profile of a mass murderer. It will, however, explain how investigators do their job and give you a good look into the world of criminal homicide. It should give you a better appreciation for the research that goes into writing a good crime novel - and you'll be able to pick out the phonies.
January 28, 2011
No equivocating--this is a terrible book. I have been collecting a number of mystery novel how-to guides and amateur forensics manuals for a writing project and this is--by far--the worst one I have come across yet. Written by an illustrious television series writer who counts Hawaii Five-O and Ellery Queen among his credits, this manual takes a quick and vague approach to outlining information that one might conceivably use when writing a crime novel or Law and Order-style TV episode. Rather than deal in detail with information about crime scene procedure or murder investigation, however, Roth seems to prefer providing cursory summaries of real life murders--particularly those which involved serial killers and/or terrorists (although it was published in 1998, so obviously the terrorism bits are not what they might be now)--and lists. Lots of lists.
Basically, what you have in Strictly Murder! is a sensationalist summary of things that you can learn about in detail other books. Each 'chapter'--with the exception of the ones on serial killers and terrorism--are a page in length, give about a paragraph's worth of suggestions as to how one might incorporate the chapter's subject matter into a plot, a bulleted list of things to look up and, if you're lucky, a short bibliography of books to refer to. The chapter titles themselves can tell you a lot; topics include: "Outstanding Murder Cases," "Sex & Murder" (which is literally given a single paragraph), and "Kids Who Kill & Killers of Kids" are particularly indicative selections.
But really, I can't help but quote you my favorite chapter, in full: "Female Murderers." Directly from the source:
Just to be clear: that is the whole chapter. I didn't leave anything out.
Given that there is not a similar page on male murderers, I'm unable to say how the listed characteristics are particularly female (are male murderers not amoral or self-destructive? or are they just less likely to be satanic?). But more importantly, let's all take a minute to appreciate the gems of statistically-founded data that we have on the motives for female murder. Take note: ladies kill because they are PMS-ing or just really bad moms, everyone. Yep--mystery solved.
Basically, what you have in Strictly Murder! is a sensationalist summary of things that you can learn about in detail other books. Each 'chapter'--with the exception of the ones on serial killers and terrorism--are a page in length, give about a paragraph's worth of suggestions as to how one might incorporate the chapter's subject matter into a plot, a bulleted list of things to look up and, if you're lucky, a short bibliography of books to refer to. The chapter titles themselves can tell you a lot; topics include: "Outstanding Murder Cases," "Sex & Murder" (which is literally given a single paragraph), and "Kids Who Kill & Killers of Kids" are particularly indicative selections.
But really, I can't help but quote you my favorite chapter, in full: "Female Murderers." Directly from the source:
The most prominent characteristics of female murders are that they are (1) Amoral, (2) Impulsive, (3) Jealous, (4) Insincere, (5) Self-Destructive, (6) Satanic, (7) Religiously Zealous, (8) Sociopathic.
Statistics reveal that the most common motives for female murders are
*Profit
*Jealousy
*Revenge
*Sex
*Cult Membership
*Tired of caring for a child or elderly person
*Inadequacy as a spouse or mother
*Under the influence of alcohol or drugs
*In need of money for drugs or alcohol
*Hormonal changes/premenstrual syndrome or post-partum depression (emphasis mine)
Just to be clear: that is the whole chapter. I didn't leave anything out.
Given that there is not a similar page on male murderers, I'm unable to say how the listed characteristics are particularly female (are male murderers not amoral or self-destructive? or are they just less likely to be satanic?). But more importantly, let's all take a minute to appreciate the gems of statistically-founded data that we have on the motives for female murder. Take note: ladies kill because they are PMS-ing or just really bad moms, everyone. Yep--mystery solved.
May 21, 2013
I found this book to be invaluable to me as a crime/romantic suspense writer. The level of detail contained within its pages sometimes shocked me - photographs of murder victims. The murder book - case file - included gave great insight to how these cases are investigated. The book includes information on forensics, the courtroom, police terminology, tools of the trade and a whole lot more. If you're a writer wanting a more indepth look at how a murder is investigated, or you are just curious, then this book is a great place to look.
September 11, 2016
I think I may have learned one tiny thing.
Granted, the book is old, but I refuse to accept that it was ever good or informative. Even though I held out, hoping to eventually reach a helpful section until only 15 pgs from the end, don't Netflix the idea that it was worth reading if I got that far. It's more that I'm A) Far too optimistic about some things, B) Obviously delusional...
Granted, the book is old, but I refuse to accept that it was ever good or informative. Even though I held out, hoping to eventually reach a helpful section until only 15 pgs from the end, don't Netflix the idea that it was worth reading if I got that far. It's more that I'm A) Far too optimistic about some things, B) Obviously delusional...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews