Research is the lifeblood of all writing (well, one of them. Can you have more than one lifeblood? Probably not, but hey). While some writers hate it, others love it. I’m firmly in the latter camp. For what is there not to like? It’s interesting, presuming you’re writing about something that aligns to your interests or you enjoy, and you really should be, and you learn all kinds of fascinating facts.
But how to do one’s research? Well, obviously there’s that vast space known as the internet, but that’s sometimes the problem: it’s so vast. And not everything makes it on there, and some things are obscure and difficult to find and doing so takes time. So, there’s always room for a few choice books.
One such tome is most definitely Amanda Lees' new dictionary. At 320 pages, it's jam-packed with all manner of information, and while some of it is undoubtedly discoverable online with the right combination of search terms, why bother when you have this little compendium on the shelf nearby?
From famous serial killers to historical and contemporary gang slang, from forensics to poisons with which your antagonist can despatch their victims, it’s all here and more. There’s the terminology of the police and intelligence services, legal terms, and definitions of the myriad subgenres that make up the crime fiction canon.
Arranged as a dictionary (obviously, for that’s what it is) it’s all easy to find and is a wealth of information for the crime writer, writers in general, readers and the lay public.
My personal favourites are the poisons, something I have a perverse fascination in (no, don’t worry, I’m not a serial killer, just a writer) and the author has done an admirable job including a great range. Not just the obvious either - the cyanide and the arsenic - but the more obscure such as aconite, succinylcholine (not strictly a poison, but for us crime writers it might as well be), and my personal favourite, nicotine. Again, the author has done a great job summarising them and explaining how they can be used by our characters to despatch their victims.
This is definitely a must buy and the author has done a great job collating it all and explaining even the most complex subjects as simply as possible so that they’re comprehensible. Not easy when having to aim for brevity too.
A brilliant resource and one that every writer and reader should have on their shelves, do yourselves a favour and get a copy.
5 out of 5 stars
Funnily enough, I have a fascination with poisons too...and just about everything else to do with crime. Thank you so much James!
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