What am I Reading This Month? (April 2011)

My Reading List for April. Yeah, when do I have time to read? Usually later at night, after the kids go to bed and right before I go to sleep.

1) Ninja: The Shadow Warrior by Joel Levy. Richly descriptive with full-color pictures, this talks about the upbringing, training and the equipment of the ninja (also known as the 'shinobi no mono'). How can you separate the fact from the fiction regarding these shadow warriors?

2) Criminal Investigation: Evidence, Clues and Forensic Science by John D. Wright. How do forensic investigators go about processing a case? This book covers the steps of investigating a crime scene, and the various jobs involved. Other important members of the crime scene team include the photographer/sketch artist, criminal profiler, forensic pathologist, toxicologist, ondontologist (who identifies victim by dental records) and ballistics expert.

Note: This book is mostly focused on the UK, but other international law enforcement organizations are mentioned, like Ireland's The Garda, Scotland's New Scotland Yard, the United States' FBI, Canada's National Police Services (which include the Royal Canadian Mountain Police) and the UK's Forensic Science Service (including the National Firearms Unit in Manchester).

3) The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs by Linda Schele and Peter Mathews. More on this book here.


 All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2011

The Howdunit Series

My writing shelf has all sorts of research books. I recently unearthed five (relatively) older books from the Writer's Digest HowDunit series. There are a total of 12 books in the original series, each one focuses on an area of crime investigation.

Just the Facts, Ma'am by Greg Fallis: What does an investigator actually do on the job? What kind of techniques does he/she use at a crime scene?
Missing Persons by Fay Faron: How do the police and investigators go about finding a missing person? Who are the easiest to find, and how and why do they hide?
Scene of the Crime by Anne Wingate: Who's the first person to arrive at a crime scene? What do investigators look for at the crime scene? How is evidence identified, handled and analyzed?
Private Eyes by Hal Blythe, Charlie Sweet and John Landreth: How does someone become a P.I.? How do they run their businesses? And what kind of working relationships do they have with the police and courts?
Police Procedural by Russell Bintliff: What's the police "mindset"? How are officers trained and how do they advance in rank? Who has jurisdiction over whom/what, and what kind of techniques do they use for their jobs?

The other seven in the series (which I don't own) are:
Armed and Dangerous by Michael Newton: A guide to guns and everything that goes 'boom'.
Murder One: A Writer's Guide to Homicide by Mauro V. Corvasce and Joseph R. Paglino: What's involved in murder cases, including accidental homicide and crimes of passion?
Deadly Doses: A Writer's Guide to Poisons by Serita Deborah Stevens and Anne Klarner: The symptoms, reactions and administration of all sorts of poisons, and how investigators analyze and identify them.
Malicious Intent by Sean P. Mactire: What goes on in a criminal's mind?
Modus Operandi by Mauro V. Corvasce and Joseph R. Paglino: What are the nuts and bolts of a murder case? A counterfeiting case? Smuggling? Other crimes?
Amateur Detectives by Elaine Raco Chase and Anne Wingate: How does someone make a citizen's arrest? And how can the amateur sleuth help (or hinder) police?
Rip-Off: A Writer's guide to Crimes of Deception by Fay Faron: What are the ins and outs to crimes like Ponzi schemes, three card monties, charity scams, bait-and-switches and identity theft?

If you aspire to write crime fiction, these are must-haves for your bookshelf!
All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2011