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If you write or edit mysteries, thrillers, or other stories that have some element of crime lab analysis, you already know that getting the details right is a challenge. Sensationalized TV shows have people expecting a fingerprint or DNA match in 45 minutes (plus commercials), but the real world is very different. How accurate is your book’s portrayal of collecting and processing evidence? How can you make it better?
Start with this look at how a crime lab works. We’ll go over the different sections of a crime lab and the types of analysis each section does. We’ll talk about chain of custody, preservation of evidence, and precautions taken to avoid contamination (of the evidence as well as the analysts themselves). We’ll review some of the national criminal databases and how they’re used to develop leads on cold cases as well as solve current cases. And we’ll talk about realistic time frames — how long it may take from the time the evidence is collected until it has been fully processed — and the role of the crime lab analyst in a trial.
All writers and editors who deal with the analysis of evidence will learn a ton from this presentation, whether that analysis is central to your book or a sidebar. After our 90 minutes together, the work of crime labs will no longer be a mystery.
Cyndi Sandusky (she/her) started Sandusky Editorial Services in 2019 after a number of previous careers, including wildlife rehabilitation, data analysis, crime lab technician, mutual fund back office, graphic design, and healthcare documentation. She currently edits school psych reports, medicolegal reports, and fiction, including paranormal, romance, fantasy, cozy mystery, and thrillers. She has noticed a number of common errors in the documents and manuscripts she edits, and she began posting tips and tricks online to help authors navigate tricky grammar issues.
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