The Mystery Starts Here» CSI http://themysterystartshere.com A PLACE TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS ABOUT MYSTERY NOVELS Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:54:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 The Mentalists – Is This a New Mystery Show???? http://themysterystartshere.com/the-mentalists-new-mystery-show.htm http://themysterystartshere.com/the-mentalists-new-mystery-show.htm#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:20:00 +0000 carlene http://themysterystartshere.com/?p=92 Well, I had a tough choice to make last Tuesday. Watch “Fringe” which I really like, or check out the new show, “The Mentalists.” I opted for the new show. I wanted to get to know the characters, figure out which one did what, etc. Long story short, I wasn’t impressed. The main character was interesting but inconsistent. At the start, the camera showed you what he was seeing to determine specific facts. For instance, a girl had been murdered. Patrick Jane, the mentalist, noticed several things (which we, the audience saw) and solved the case in a matter of minutes.

Then Jane and a team when to Palm Springs to help solve the murder of two people. Now, we are never introduced to the team and have no clue what each of their roles are. By the end of the show, Jane has once again pulled a rabbit out of a hat and solved the crime but….we are never privy to what he saw or how he came to those conclusion. That was irritating and so was the fact that they got some of the forensics wrong. The police hauled a man in for questioning because one of his hairs was found at the crime scene. Now, we all know that no one can tell conclusively that a hair found belongs to a certain individual. It may be consistent with hair from that individual, but not a match. The ONLY way to match a hair would be if it had the root and one could do DNA on it and that would take a while.

So, bottom line – I won’t bother next week. I’ll be watching “Fringe” and probably eating ice cream.

]]> http://themysterystartshere.com/the-mentalists-new-mystery-show.htm/feed 2 “Howdunit Forensics” by D.P.Lyle, M.D. If you write mystries, you have to get this book! http://themysterystartshere.com/howdunit-forsenics-by-dplyle-md-if-you-write-mystries-you-have-to-get-this-book.htm http://themysterystartshere.com/howdunit-forsenics-by-dplyle-md-if-you-write-mystries-you-have-to-get-this-book.htm#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:46:23 +0000 carlene http://themysterystartshere.com/?p=54 I bought "Howdunit Forensics" from Writer’s Digest Books to use as a reference tool when writing my own mysteries. No one was more surprised than me when I wound up reading it like a novel. Why? Because it’s fascinating. The book is broken down into three large categories: The Forensics System, The Coroner and the Body, The Crime Scene and the Crime Lab. There are numerous sub-categories under each main heading and believe me, Lyle covers everything you would ever need to know when writing a mystery. Even if you’re not a writer, but simply a lover of good mysteries, you’ll enjoy this book.

Lyle writes in a style that is easy for anyone to understand and not too technical. Who else but a mystery writer or reader would enjoy reading the steps in doing an autopsy? You can in this book, Chapter 3, The Autopsy: A look Inside the Body. Want information on trace evidence? Chapter 15: Trace Evidence: Sweating the Small Stuff. I especially liked the blue-back grounded side bars citing real cases and telling how forensics helped solve the crime and convict the bad guys.

Lyle writes in a style that is easy to read and not too technical  Besides being a working doctor, he has published mysteries, and worked as a consultant to several television crime shows including Law & Order, CSI:Miami, Women’s Murder Club and Homicide,

If you write mysteries this is the one reference tool you must have on your shelf.

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