Howdunit: How Crimes Are Committed and Solved

By: John Boertlein

Book Overview

This all-in-one writer's crime reference compiles 20 classic chapters from the original series with nine new offerings that illuminate the dark side of human nature. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582970157
• ISBN13: 9781582970158
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Informative

"Howdunit" is an exceptional tool for the mystery and suspense writer. The information on investigative procedure, profiling, forensic psychology and so on, will assist the fiction writer with the reference material needed to make his or her story factual. It is imperative for the screenwriter or novelist not to just brilliantly structure a story but to add "realism" in his or her craft. Howdunit has helped me to affix genuineness to my storytelling by presenting the pure facts about crime, law enforcement techniques and the criminal justice system. I personally enjoyed the segment on the con. Howdunit provides a concise glimpse of the con's master art. This makes for good drama within the novel and screenplay. (It will also help you to spot one in real life!) I firmly recommend "Howdunit" and the complete "Howdunit" series for the writer who is serious about producing quality material. Excellent choice of books. Kudos!!

Excellent Beginning Resource

I have been purchasing the entire HowDunnit Series from Writer's Digest. I have been for the mostpart, impressed with how in depth each book is. This a good synposis of the series in one volume. My disappointment came mainly from the section on Autopsies. I wanted there to be more from the book it was exerpted from. Also, I would love to see the book "Police Procedural" come back into print. I would recommend it to anyone who is writing fiction about cops, detectives and forensic professionals.

Everything you want to know about crime... and more!

Howdonit is one of a series of books for the serious mystery writer. The book outlines mayhem, police investigation procedures, and anything a budding - or experienced - mystery writer may need to know to make a story authentic. There is nothing worse than reading, or worse yet, writing, a story which has a clever plot, good characterization, but is faulty as far as procedure goes. With this book as a guide your stories will do justice to your writing abilities and your ability to research your topic.Barbara E. Pugh, Ph.D.

A Guide for Every Genre Writer

Does your novel contain a crime? Surveillance? Child molesters? From terrorists to street gangs, "Howdunit: How Crimes Are Committed and Solved" has complete, accurate police techniques and procedures for writers of every genre. This guide is a master compilation of the Howdunit crime reference series. You'll find 29 chapters, 20 from 14 volumes and nine brand new chapters. Begin your own fictional investigation into these sample chapters: * An Overview of Murder * How the Body is Handled * The Autopsy * Crime Tools Guide * Crime Scene Search * Interviews and Interrogations * Profiling the Criminal * Prostitution * TailingInstead of spending all of your time interviewing police officials, simply add this book to your reference library. Everything you need to add realism to your novel is contained in one volume. Passing on this book would simply be a crime.

Fabulous Resource for Crime Writers

I recently wrote a story involving a police detective, and got numerous comments from my writer's group that there were factual errors about how he went about solving the case. Having read this book, I found almost all of those problems and was able to make the story much more realistic. The chapters on Forensice Psychology, Criminal Profiling, and "Bizarre Murders" provide much more than the "just the facts" approach I was expecting from the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who considers having a crime, a criminal, or a cop in one of their stories.