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Detective/crime books


Centrist Simon Steele

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I just finished writing a novel where one of the main characters is a homicide/serial killer investigator, and I realized how little I know about that line of work.



I am looking for books that can help me with that a bit. Non fiction, fiction, things that can help me with the processes of investigation. Since these are things I don't normally read or watch (watching True Detective now for a bit of help, avoiding CSI), if you make a recommendation give me a few details about it. Ultimately I know there is a whole genre surrounding this kind of thing and I want to avoid the cliches of the genre, so let me know if the recommendation is full of cliches, or if it is a fresh take on the concept.



Even books that help me understand the types of investigators that the FBI would field in the first might help. The extent of my FBI knowledge comes from limited work with them while in the service, and the X Files.



Edit: I think I would prefer non fiction.


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I'll echo the recommendation for "Homicide". It doesn't tell you much about law, but it gives you a lot of insight into policing culture and the minds of detectives. It's more about the day-to-day grind of policing than it is about casework, though.



Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" isn't about law or investigation per se, but it's still a classic deconstruction of a brutal crime and the people who commit them.


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Have you read Homicide: Life on the Killing Streets by David Simon? Not sure it will help you with 'the process of investigation' but it's non-fiction and a good read.

I'll echo the recommendation for "Homicide". It doesn't tell you much about law, but it gives you a lot of insight into policing culture and the minds of detectives. It's more about the day-to-day grind of policing than it is about casework, though.

Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" isn't about law or investigation per se, but it's still a classic deconstruction of a brutal crime and the people who commit them.

I'll look at Homicide, that actually sounds perfect. I did read In Cold Blood a couple of years ago, and I still have it, that would be a good one to go back through with an eye toward what I'm looking for--though it will be extremely difficult reading through it again. Thanks for the ideas guys!

I'd go Thomas Harris for Fiction. Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs primarily.

I never saw the movies and didn't know they came from books. I'm going to check my library for those, those seem like great ideas for fiction.

I asked a similar thing a few years back and got some great suggestions. Mine was more crime/noir but there's definitely some overlap if you want to check it out. http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/51485-crimenoir-recommendations/

Thanks! That is a pretty intensive thread--should work out great. Really anything in the crime genre, whether fiction or non, should help me with the language.

I won't be revising for about four months, so I'll spend the time reading.

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Ben Aaronovic said that the biggest influence on getting Rivers of London right from the policing perspective was sitting down and talking to a genuine policeman about the kinds of things writers tend to get wrong. If you can't get hold of a policeman from your novel's locality, the best thing you can do is get hold of specific information about how those police operate - not just "non-fiction" but the technical nuts and bolts of procedures etc.


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For non fiction, John E. Douglas might be the name to search under. He's written a lot about hunting serial killers, and he's probably the most famous of the FBI BSU agents. He's often cited as the inspiration for Thomas Harris's characters Jack Crawford and Will Graham.


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Ben Aaronovic said that the biggest influence on getting Rivers of London right from the policing perspective was sitting down and talking to a genuine policeman about the kinds of things writers tend to get wrong. If you can't get hold of a policeman from your novel's locality, the best thing you can do is get hold of specific information about how those police operate - not just "non-fiction" but the technical nuts and bolts of procedures etc.

I was going to suggest the same thing, but I remembered how much simon hates cops. Might not be a great idea.

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The novels by Lee Child might appeal to you. It is not necessarily about homicides but all the novels are based on a retired Military Police man drifting round USA solving crimes and dealing with "situations". The author portrays him as a very good investigator.



There was recently a film based on one of those books called Jack Reacher (the name of the main character) which was based on the novel One Shot. If you have seen the film, don't judge the book on it, as that particular one is one of the best in the series.


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I was going to suggest the same thing, but I remembered how much simon hates cops. Might not be a great idea.

Well the likelihood of framing for revenge against any person they can for abuse they have received in life and as a police officer and the framing for statistical target achievement funding is less with actual police than uniformed.

Though there's going to be some extremely dark individuals in homicide departments they're just don't get the free pass given at lower court, yes there's many homicide cases where they could get away with their behaviour (active lying and framing) they're also going to have to deal with those cases where a rigorous and sometimes equally dark defence exists. It just wont be anywhere near as tolerated for the wrong person to be framed for murder.

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James Ellroy's LA Quartet

The Big Nowhere - the first one is especially focused on a serial killer

Beat me to it! :cheers:

Damn, he is good. I've read American Tabloid and LA Confidential. His prose is like reading in short hand. The fastest 600+ page read I've ever done.

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Beat me to it! :cheers:

Damn, he is good. I've read American Tabloid and LA Confidential. His prose is like reading in short hand. The fastest 600+ page read I've ever done.

There is the Lloyd Hopkins trilogy by James Ellroy also. These were written before The LA Quartet. These are also rather dark and I quite liked them.

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