Not
long ago, I shared one of the best books on poisons that writers can use to
write about poisoning. Today, I am sharing my number two resource: Criminal
Poisoning: Investigational Guide Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic
Scientists, and Attorneys by John Harris Trestrial, III, RPh, FAACT,
DABAT. While the second edition was published
in 2007 by Humana Press. You should be able to find it online or (hopefully for
a cheaper price) at a used book store (or even at your friendly neighborhood
library (or college/university library))
With
an easy to understand writing style, cartoons and graphs, and poetry
(yes—poetry), John Trestrail takes the reader through the types of poisons, how a crime scene(s) should be
handled and what to look for in an autopsy.
One of the best chapters for planning any crime story (mystery) is
Chapter 10. He breaks down the method of investigation by using victimology as
the starting point, just as the Special Agents with the FBI Behavioral Analysis
Unit (commonly incorrectly named by “Hollywood” as profilers). Before I discuss the chapters in this book,
let me quickly outline the method that Trestrial uses in Chapter 10. (also see
my previous posts on the Writers’ Lens: The Murder’s Ladder
(http://www.thewriterslens.com/2012/01/murderers-ladder.html ) and The Fluid or
Unstatic Theory of Plots (http://www.thewriterslens.com/2011/11/erle-stanley-gardners-fluid-or-unstatic.html). Sadly, for me, Trestrial does this in a more
visual and effective method.
1.
A. Study the victim
B. How + Why = Who
C. Was the victim random or
targeted?
2.
What?
A. Since this is a book on
poisoning: Was the poison solid, liquid, or gas?
B. How was the poison absorbed?
3. Where?
A. With a poisoning (as with a
shooting and a few other methods of homicide), there may be multiple crime
scenes.
B. With a poisoning, there may
be crime scenes for:
1.The scene of
procurement of the poison;
2. The scene
where the poison is prepared;
3. The scene
where the poison is administered;
4. The scene
where the evidence is disposed;
5. The scene
where the victim dies.
4.
When?
A. Poisons take time to work,
even the fast acting ones.
B. How to detect:
1. If fast
acting: Blood, Urine, Gastric content
2. If slow
acting: same as 1, but add hair.
5.
Why?
A. What did the victim stand in
the way of?
B. Why did the victim become the
victim—Why them, at that moment.
6.
How?
A. How was the poison
administered?
7.Put
the clues together.
8.
(And this is the scary part, even for me) If the investigators don’t consider
poison in the first place, it will never be detected.
If
you think reading the above quick outline is enough, you have sadly undersold
yourself and your audience (regardless if you are a crime fiction writer or
happen to have a poisoning in any other genre.). Criminal Poisoning is broken down into 10 chapters, with
appendix that cover:
Chapter
1: Poisoners Throughout History
Chapter
2: Types of Poisons
Chapter
3: Poisoners
Chapter
4: Victims
Chapter
5: Crime Scene Investigation
Chapter
6: The Forensic Autopsy
Chapter
7: Proving Poisoning
Chapter
8: Poisoners in Court
Chapter
9: Poisoners in Fiction
Chapter
10: Conclusion
Appendixes:
Some Common Homicidal Poisons
Bibliographies on Homicidal
Poisoning
If
any story you write has poison involved (even if it is some kind of made up
poison on some distant world), you will want to have this book as a reference.
Do
you have a reference book you like to use for your crime research? Don’t be shy. Please share the title, author
and why in the comments. I will take a
look at it and I may include it in a future From a Crime Writer’s Library post.
Thank you for reading and please
visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com.
You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens
@TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in
our society to explore the human condition as he chooses
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