Criminal Mischief: The Art and Science of Crime Fiction
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Criminal Mischief: Episode #55: Victimology
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: https://www.dplylemd.com/post/criminal-mischief-episode-55-victimology PAST SHOWS: https://www.dplylemd.com/podcasts THIS IS A COPYRIGHTE...
Criminal Mischief: Episode #54: 15th Century Blood Transfusions
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: https://www.dplylemd.com/post/new-on-criminal-mischief-episode-54-15th-century-blood-transfusions
Criminal Mischief: Episode #53: Trace Evidence
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: https://www.dplylemd.com/post/criminal-mischief-episode-53-forensic-science-for-crime-writers-trace-evidence
Criminal Mischief: Episode #52: Forensic Science For Crime Writers: Autopsy
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An autopsy is a scientific procedure. Its purpose is to examine the corpse for evidence of the cause and manner of death. This is done through a gross...
51: Forensics For Crime Writers: Evidence
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: https://www.dplylemd.com/post/criminal-mischief-episode-51-forensic-science-for-crime-writers-evidence PAST SHOWS: https://www.dplylemd.co...
50: Forensics For Crime Writers: Coroner
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a new series of podcasts that I’ve titled Forensics For Crime Writers. In it I will talk about various aspects of forensic science and how i...
Episode #49: Familial/Genealogical DNA
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: GOLDEN STATE KILLER: CBS News (4-22-17): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/golden-state-killer-connecting-the-dots-in-the-search-for-a-serial-p...
Episode #48: Three Famous Toxicology Cases
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Poisons and drugs have been used as murder weapons for many centuries. Sometimes the poison itself does the killing and other times it simply faciliti...
Episode #47: Amnesia and Trauma
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amnesia has been a part of fiction for many years. Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity is a classic example. The character was apparently based on the...
46: The Critical Opening Scene
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Your opening scene carries a heavy load. It must hook the reader, introduce the story question—and often the protagonist/antagonist—-reveal the se...
Criminal Mischief: Episode #45: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES:http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief-notes/45-carbon-monoxide.html PAST SHOWS: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief.html From FOR...
Episode #44: Setting As Character
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
PAST SHOWS: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief.html SHOW NOTES: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief-notes/44-setting-as-character.html Ca...
Episode #43: Gunshot Wound Analysis
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the criminal investigation or injuries or deaths from gunshot wounds (GWSs), the anatomy of the entry and exit wounds, particularly the former, can...
Episode #42: Prior Bad Acts, An Author Reading
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Prior bad acts predict future bad acts.”—Harper McCoy Fear grips an isolated mountain town after drug dealer Dalton Southwell kills a rogue dea...
Episode #41: Writing Great Thrillers
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
My dear friend Gayle Lynds recently posted an excellent article on the Rogue Women Writers blog titled “10 Rules For Writing A Best-selling Thriller...
Episode #40:Nasty Deadly Poisons
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Crime writers love poisons. Even those who write the more cozy variety. I mean, arsenic and old lace? Arsenic, the queen of poisons, is often used as ...
Criminal Mischief: Episode #39: Do Series Characters Change?
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do Series Characters Change? A better question might be: Should series characters change? Go through some upheaval that arcs their life into uncharted...
#38: PIs Make Great Characters
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cops are cool, and memorable fictional characters, but P.I.s seem to come in more variable and quirkier flavors. From ex-military types to everyday fo...
Episode #37: Who The Heck Is Jake Longly?
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Longly is the protagonist of my series of comedic thrillers (DEEP SIX, A-LIST, SUNSHINE STATE, RIGGED).He’s an ex-professional baseball player....
36: Identifying Skeletal remains
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Identifying skeletal remains is no easy task for the ME and the forensic anthropologist. SHOW NOTES: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief-notes/3...
35: Corpse ID
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most corpses that are the victims of foul play are easily identified because they’re found in familiar places and reported by folks who knew them. B...
34: Toxicology Part 3
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the remote past, most poisoners favored botanical products such as hemlock, oleander, deadly nightshade, foxglove, hellebore, monkshood, opium, and...
33: Forensic Toxicology Part 2
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest problem facing the toxicologist is that there are literally thousands of drugs and chemicals that are harmful, addictive, or lethal if ing...
32: FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY PART 1
25 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first in a 3-part series on Forensic Toxicology LISTEN/SHOW NOTES: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief-notes/32-toxicology-part-1.ht...
31: Body Disposal Isn’t Easy
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Some criminals attempt to destroy corpses, the primary pieces of evidence in homicides. They think that if the police never find the body, they can’...
30: Evidence
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If Locard’s Exchange Principle is the cornerstone of forensic science, evidence is the heart and soul of the crime lab. Indeed, evidence is the sole...
29: SKIN IN THE GAME
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
SKIN IN THE GAME is the first story in my new Cain/Harper thriller series: Raised as siblings by an itinerant “gypsy” family, knife expert Bobby C...
28: The MacGuffin
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is a MacGuffin? Since Alfred Hitchcock coined the term, his definition—such as it is—might be best: “The main thing I’ve learned over the...
27: ABO Blood Typing
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
By simply typing the blood at a crime scene, investigators narrow their suspect list and completely exonerate some suspects by using the population di...
26: Storytelling In Dixie
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s the thing about the South—if you can’t tell a story, they won’t feed you. They’ll simply deposit you behind the barn and let you with...
25: A Stroll Through Forensic Science History
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Let's take a stroll through the history of forensic science
24: Common Writing Mistakes
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Writers, particularly early in their careers, make mistakes. Often the same ones over and over. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid.
23: Apollo 11 & Me
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years. Exactly 50 years. This show has nothing to do with crime writing or the science of crime. It is rath...
22: Common Medical Errors in Fiction
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Too often, fiction writers commit medical malpractice in their stories. Unfortunately, these mistakes can sink an otherwise well-written story.
21: Autopsy OF A Thriller: The Terminator
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
THE TERMINATOR just might be the perfect thriller. Here it is dissected scene by scene to see why.
20: Elements Of A Thriller
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What elements make a great thriller? Let's explore them.
19: SUNSHINE STATE Is Coming
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From Publishers Weekly: In Lyle’s ingenious third mystery featuring retired major league pitcher Jake Longly (after 2017’s A-List), Jake, who runs...
18: Gunshot To The Chest
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gunshot wounds (GSWs) come in many flavors and those to the chest can be particularly dicey. Yet, a chest GSW can be a minor flesh wound, a major trau...
17: DNA and Twins
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For years it was felt that the DNA of identical twins was indeed identical. Since they come from a single fertilized egg, this would seem intuitive. B...
16: Arsenic: An Historical and Modern Poison
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Toxicology is a relatively new science that stands on the shoulders of its predecessors: anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and medicine. Our knowledge i...
15: Introducing Characters
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The same is true for your fictional characters. So, make them vivid and memorial. How do you...
14: Rules of Writing
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are many "Rules" in writing. Fortunately, most are like STOP signs in Italy--merely suggestions.
13: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet...
12: Fentanyl—A Most Dangerous Game
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is as much as 300 times more powerful than morphine sulfate. It can be injected, ingested, inhaled, and will even ...
11: Civil War “Limb Pit” and the History of Infectious Diseases
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Here in the 21st century we know a great deal about infectious diseases. We can treat bacterial infections with antibiotics, immunize people against n...
10: Rattlesnakes and Murder
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
All sorts of weapons are used for committing murder. Guns, knives, poisons, explosives, ligatures, drownings, and gentle pushes off buildings or cliff...
09: The Mysterious Human Brain
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The physical and psychological corners of the brain can malfunction and create an array of character problems
08: Mood and Tone in Crime Fiction
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Setting the mood and tone in crime fiction should be done up front. The opening passages tell the reader the type of world they are entering and what ...
07: Famous and Odd DNA Cases
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The history of forensic DNA analysis has involved some fascinating cases
06: Is It Harder To Write Crime Fiction Today?
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do modern forensic science and police investigative techniques make creating compelling crime fiction more difficult? Are there simply too many balls ...
05: Making Characters Compliant
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bad guys, and girls, seem to always need some way to overpower or control another character. There are many ways to that.
01: Murder Motives
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Motives for Murder: Financial – – insurance, inheritance, business takeovers, avoidance of alimony Property disputes Revenge Political Cults &...
02: Cause and Manner of Death
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
MANNERS OF DEATH: For what purpose and by whose hand NATURAL: Natural deaths are due to the workings of Mother Nature in that the death results from a...
03: Time of Death
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
DETERMINATION OF THE TIME OF DEATH Determining TOD is critical Both an art and a science The sooner after death the more accurate the estimate Chang...
04: POV in Crime Fiction
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Who is telling the story? Is he/she also the protagonist or an observer? Is he/she reliable? How many POV characters is too few/too many? Which charac...