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Being a Detective: An A-Z Readers' and Writers' Guide to Detective Work
A Straightforward Guide to Being a Detective An A-Z Readers and Writers Guide to Detective Work Past and Present is an essential research companion for all writers of crime fiction and non-fiction. In all genres of popular crime writing today, detective characters figure prominently. What is the life of a detective actually like? What was it like in 1890 or 1990? Former detective Stuart Gibbon and crime historian Stephen Wade answer these questions in this new companion guide. This new volume provides an ideal companion volume to the authors' previous book, The Crime Writer's Casebook
- GenresNonfiction
290 pages, Paperback
Published March 25, 2019
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About the author
Stephen Wade
144 books31 followersStephen Wade was born in Leeds and educated at the universities of Wales and Leeds.
He taught in further and higher education for many years, and this was followed by six years as a writer working in prisons.
He has written over fifty books, mainly in non-fiction, and he also lectures part-time at the University of Hull.
He taught in further and higher education for many years, and this was followed by six years as a writer working in prisons.
He has written over fifty books, mainly in non-fiction, and he also lectures part-time at the University of Hull.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 28, 2019
After devouring The Crime Writer’s Casebook, the first book by ex-Metropolitan Police Detective Stuart Gibbon and crime historian Stephen Wade, I was extremely excited to read Being a Detective. And it didn’t disappoint one iota. If you’re like me, a crime addict, whether that be for crime fiction novels or those addictive true crime documentaries on Netflix, this is the perfect book to have on your shelf. It’s bursting with information, everything you could possibly want to know is in these books.
The authors look back and explore ‘case studies,’ disassembling all aspects of a crime, exploring the motivation of the perpetrator and the following investigation to give readers a clear and illuminating perspective on what, why and how. This book also explores things such as spice, genealogy, facial recognition, murder bags, physics in crime detection and so much more. It examines how detective work as changed over the decades, how crimes such as acid attacks go back as far as Victorian times and so much more. This is a fabulous guide and source of information, the index at the back is particularly handy for quick reference.
Something I particularly love about this book, is how it shines a light on how detective work has changed and evolved over time. I also love the case studies. I’m a true crime addict so this feeds my fascination. Having said that, they can be very emotional because these are real events. Real crimes, real victims. The authors do a splendid job in creating a clear picture for readers and offering all the facts and information.
I love knowing that I have these two books on my shelf literally two steps away if I need them, whether it be for research for a novel or just to shed a little light on a term or fact I’ve read or heard about. They are an invaluable source of knowledge. My copy of The Crime Writers Casebook is well-thumbed and dog-eared, highlighted and marked within an inch of its life. Treat yourself or make a writer or armchair detective happy this Christmas with copies of these books. They’re the perfect stocking filler for crime fans.
The authors look back and explore ‘case studies,’ disassembling all aspects of a crime, exploring the motivation of the perpetrator and the following investigation to give readers a clear and illuminating perspective on what, why and how. This book also explores things such as spice, genealogy, facial recognition, murder bags, physics in crime detection and so much more. It examines how detective work as changed over the decades, how crimes such as acid attacks go back as far as Victorian times and so much more. This is a fabulous guide and source of information, the index at the back is particularly handy for quick reference.
Something I particularly love about this book, is how it shines a light on how detective work has changed and evolved over time. I also love the case studies. I’m a true crime addict so this feeds my fascination. Having said that, they can be very emotional because these are real events. Real crimes, real victims. The authors do a splendid job in creating a clear picture for readers and offering all the facts and information.
I love knowing that I have these two books on my shelf literally two steps away if I need them, whether it be for research for a novel or just to shed a little light on a term or fact I’ve read or heard about. They are an invaluable source of knowledge. My copy of The Crime Writers Casebook is well-thumbed and dog-eared, highlighted and marked within an inch of its life. Treat yourself or make a writer or armchair detective happy this Christmas with copies of these books. They’re the perfect stocking filler for crime fans.
February 1, 2020
This book, newly released this year is crammed full of useful procedural information that you can spend ages trawling through the internet to find. It's organised beautifully, so navigating it is a breeze and as well as useful facts, there's also anecdotal real life representations to contextualise the information. I found myself dipping in for a specific piece of info and loitering about for ages, picking up snippets of infomrmation to store away for use in future books
February 27, 2024
A great resource for writing detective fiction, which answered a lot of my questions. It was also an interesting read and well written, and even had a bit of humour throughout.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews