Saturday, February 29, 2020

Guest Post: RESEARCHING FOR THE POLICE PROCEDURAL by Jim Doherty (Part One)


Please welcome SMFS list member Jim Doherty with the first of several posts over the next few days as he explains how to research and write police procedurals.


RESEARCHING FOR THE POLICE PROCEDURAL
By
Jim Doherty

Let’s begin by defining our terms.  A police procedural is a piece of crime fiction, in any medium, in which the main, or at least a major interest is the authentic depiction of the profession of law enforcement.  It’s less about the crime, or even about the solution of the crime, than it is about how cops work on the Job. 
And maybe, at its best, as Joseph Wambaugh has suggested, it’s about how the Job works on cops.
To a degree, what I’ll be talking about here is applicable to research for any mystery, or, for that matter, any piece of fiction.  But the police procedural is the only mystery sub-genre which is defined by its technical accuracy (or at least by the appearance of technical accuracy).  So, for this article, I’m talking about research in the context of that sub-genre.
God’s in the details, and nowhere is that more true than in the police procedural, because what’s true for one police force probably won’t be true for another.  Sticking strictly to US municipal police departments, let’s look at how different things can be.
What’s the official title of the Head of the Force?  Certainly “Chief of Police” is the most common.  That’s what the job’s called in the Los Angeles Police, the San Francisco Police, and the Miami Police, among thousands of others.  But a lot of big-city departments use the title “Commissioner,” like the New York City Police, the Baltimore Police, and the  Philadelphia Police;  “Superintendent,” like the Chicago Police, or the New Orleans Police; “Director,” like the Memphis Police or the Trenton, NJ, Police, “Colonel”  like the St. Louis Metro Police or the Providence, RI, Police; even “Sheriff,” like the Las Vegas Metro Police (a consequence of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Vegas City Police merging back in the ‘70’s).
What are local stations called?  “Precincts,” as in NYPD or Detroit PD?  “Districts,” as in Chicago PD or Honolulu PD?  “Divisions,” as in San Diego PD or Dallas PD?  “Briefing Stations,” as in Oklahoma City PD?  “Patrol Stations,” as in Houston PD?  “Zones,” as in Atlanta PD?
What are plainclothes officers assigned to criminal investigation called?  “Detective,” of course, as used in NYPD, Chicago PD, Seattle PD, and hundreds of others, is the most common title.   But some, like the Rochester, NY, Police, use the title “investigator.”  San Francisco PD calls them “inspectors.”  And Cincinnati PD refers to them as “specialists.”
More than likely your cop’s going to be investigating a murder.  What’s the branch assigned to murder investigation called?  The Homicide Squad, as in the Pittsburgh Police?  The Homicide Division, as in the Houston Police?  The Homicide Unit, as in the San Antonio Police?  The Homicide Detail as in the San Francisco Police.  The Homicide Branch as in the Washington, DC, Metro Police?  The Robbery-Homicide Division as in the Los Angeles Police?  The Violent Crimes Division, as in the  Kansas City, Kansas, Police?  Or the Crime Against Persons Section, as in the Scottsdale, Arizona, Police?
Getting the answers to these questions correct is what the police procedural is all about.  And not just about police work, but anything else that impinges on the story.  I started a police novel some years back set in San Francisco in which, on the very first page, the author referred to the legislative branch of San Francisco as the “City Council.”  I stopped reading immediately, appalled at the glaring error.  Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows that, since the City and the County of San Francisco are co-extensive, the legislative body there is called the Board of Supervisors. 
So how do you avoid those errors?  How do you sweat the details?  There are several ways, and they’ve all worked. Come back tomorrow as I start explaining the various ways.

Jim Doherty ©2020

A cop of some kind or another for more than 20 years, JIM DOHERTY has served American law enforcement at the Federal, state, and local levels, policing everything from inner city streets to rural dirt roads, from college campuses to military bases, from suburban parks to urban railroad yards.  He’s the author of the true crime collection Just the Facts – True Tales of Cops & Criminals, which included the WWA Spur-winning article “Blood for Oil,” Raymond Chandler – Master of American Noir, a collection of lectures about the pioneering creator of hard-boiled private eye Philip Marlowe used for an on-line class; and An Obscure Grave, featuring college student and part-time cop Dan Sullivan, introduced in a series of short stories, which was a finalist for both a CWA Dagger Award and a Silver Falchion given at Killer Nashville.  He was, for  several years, the police technical advisor on the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip, and was a guest writer for a short sequence that ran in April and May on 2019.   Coming in 2020 are The Adventures of Colonel Britannia, written as “Simon A. Jacobs,” an unlikely (but incredibly fun to write) mash-up of Jane Austen’s Persuasion with Captain America, and an as-yet-untitled collection of Dan Sullivan short stories. 

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Little Big Crimes Review: Bride of Torches by Kenneth Wishnia

 Little Big Crimes: Bride of Torches, by Kenneth Wishnia: "Bride of Torches," by Kenneth Wishnia, in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery magazine, March/April 2020. Haven't the AHMM covers be...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 92


As posted by Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list…

This week’s blog extols short mystery and crime fiction with links to a medley of deadly reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes free-to-read stories from the Akashic Books anthologies Staten Island Noir and Venice Noir.
Plus, Tricks of the Trade: a Michael Bracken essay on writing and selling shorts.
A short walk down a dark street (#92). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

SleuthSayers: Just Doing My Laundry, Officer by R. T. Lawton

SleuthSayers: Just Doing My Laundry, Officer: Laundry Night Let's assume you own a legitimate small business in the service industry. Maybe something like a dry cleaners or bar,...

Friday, February 21, 2020

SleuthSayers: More about Opening Lines by O'Neil De Noux

SleuthSayers: More about Opening Lines: More about Opening Lines I feel the opening line of a short story or novel is the most important line in the piece. First impressions are...

Jacqueline Seewald: One Approach to Writing Effective Fiction

Jacqueline Seewald: One Approach to Writing Effective Fiction: Once you’ve decided on a premise for a story or a novel, the real effort begins. How should you approach the writing of your first draft? A...

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

SleuthSayers: Premises, Premises by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Premises, Premises: I recently had an amazing insight into my own writing.  You might say: Well, after forty years it's about time.  To which I reply: Do...

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

SMFS Members Published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: March/April 2020


Several SMFS members are published in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: March/April 2020. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and newsstands and bookstores. The SMFS members published in this issue are:

Catherine Dilts with “Industrial Gold.”

John F. Floyd with “Quarterback Sneak.”

Robert Mangeot with “Lord, Spare the Bottom Feeders.”

William Burton McCormick with “Night Train for Berlin.”




SMFS Member Publishing News: Edith Maxwell


SMFS list member Edith Maxwell’s short story “One Too Many” appears in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: March/April 2020 issue. The read is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and other vendors.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 91


As posted by Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list…

Looking for trouble? Try a short walk down a dark street: links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more—and all about short mystery and crime fiction.
This week: ten free-to-read shorts by legendary author Dashiell Hammett.
Plus, Tricks of the Trade: Two types of stories—Abnormal characters vs. abnormal situations.
A short walk down a dark street (#91). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

Little Big Crimes Review: Mistaken Identity by Wayne J. Gardiner

Little Big Crimes: Mistaken Identity, by Wayne J. Gardiner: "Mistaken Identity," by Wayne J. Gardiner, in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, January/February 2020. Gary Hoffman is the se...

SMFS Members Published in Mid-Century Murder


Several SMFS list members are published in the new anthology, Mid-Century Murder. Published by Darkhouse Books, the read is available in print and eBook formats at Amazon. The SMFS members in the book are:


Michael Bracken and Sandra Murphy with “Where’s Sarah Jane?”

Herschel Cozine with “A Desperate Act.”

John M. Floyd with “Clara’s Helper.”

Kaye George with “Life and Death on the Road.”

Michael Allan Mallory with "Agent Provocateur.”

Camille Minichino with “Lorna.”

Sandra Murphy and Michael Bracken with “Where’s Sarah Jane?”

Michele Bazan Reed with “The Hitler Heist.”


Amazon Synopsis:

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear!Featuring stories by:Michael Bracken & Sandra Murphy, Kaye George, John M. Floyd, Margaret S. Hamilton, Diane Arrelle, William J. O’Connor III & Arthur Vidro, Camille Minichino, Albert Tucher, Karen Keeley, Herschel Cozine, M.M. Elmendorf, Michael Allen Mallory, Michele Bazan Reed, Kenneth Gwin, DG Critchley, Adam Beau McFarlane, Mel Goldberg




Saturday, February 15, 2020

SleuthSayers: Building "Crow's Nest," Jan/Feb 2020 EQMM

SleuthSayers: Building "Crow's Nest," Jan/Feb 2020 EQMM: Some of my favorite columns by my fellow SleuthSayers have been those that give us a sneak peek into the creation of the mystery stories...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Hillary Davidson


SMFS list member Hillary Davidson’s new book, Don’t Look Down, is now out from Thomas & Mercer. The sequel to One Small Sacrifice is available in a variety of formats from Amazon and other vendors.

Synopsis:

From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice, a gripping mystery about a sinister murder that everyone wants to stay buried—except one dogged NYPD detective.
Jo Greaver is a model of success. Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business from nothing. But she has secrets she’ll do anything to keep buried. When her blackmailer offers to meet, Jo expects to pay him off—but gets a bullet instead. Bleeding and in shock, Jo flees with no one to turn to.
When NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza, find Andray Baxter murdered in his own home—shot through the heart—everything points to Jo as the killer. Her blood is at the scene, and so are disturbing photos of her taken as a young teen. But Sheryn has doubts. Was the kindhearted Andray really a criminal? Why did he repeatedly report finding spyware in his apartment? Was there something shady about Jo’s sister dying a year earlier?
Something’s not right, and it’s up to Sheryn to piece together the sinister puzzle, no matter the cost.

SleuthSayers: Life of Crime Leads to Writing Crime Fiction by Michael Bracken

SleuthSayers: Life of Crime Leads to Writing Crime Fiction: Several fellow crime fiction writers, including a handful of SleuthSayers, became crime fiction writers while working in, or after retiri...

Monday, February 10, 2020

SMFS Member Publishing News: Alan Orloff


Today is publication day for SMFS list member Alan Orloff’s new book, I Know Where You Sleep. Published by Down & Out Books, it is available in both print and digital formats. The read can be purchased at the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors.

Synopsis:

When Anderson West takes on the pro-bono case of Jessica Smith, a twenty-something restaurant hostess being stalked, the last thing he expects is for his investigation to spiral into breaking and entering, assault, and legal threats from the suspects and the victim.

But that's what happens when you run a private investigation firm with your rule-breaking, loose-cannon sister at your side.

While Anderson spends his time deducing and interviewing possible suspects, Carrie handles interrogations in her own unique--and personal--fashion. And it seems like everyone is a suspect. There are Jessica's ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend, her incredibly creepy boss and the suspicious reverend at her church who definitely seems to be hiding something.

Or someone.

The closer Anderson and Carrie get to an answer, the more danger Jessica finds herself in. Her stalker's notes become increasingly more threatening, trading the scary phone calls and text messages for terrifying photographs and notes at her gym, work, and home. To make things even more complicated, Jessica's backstory begins to unravel, and the secrets of her past could potentially solve everything...if only she'd let Anderson and Carrie in.

With time ticking down, will the brother-sister investigative team be able to solve Jessica's case before she tries something foolhardy, like facing up to the tenacious bastard on her own, armed only with a handgun and a prayer?



Sunday, February 9, 2020

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 90


As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list…

This week’s blog applauds short mystery and crime fiction with links to a trouble-making troupe of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes reviews, reviews, reviews of Akashic Books’ Noir anthologies.
Plus, Tricks of the Trade: from The Stand Magazine— Ten ways to find and develop ideas for mystery stories.
Also, free reads from Mondays are Murder and Shotgun Honey.
A short walk down a dark street (#90). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

Little Big Crimes Review: Murderer Bill by John Grant

Little Big Crimes: Murderer Bill, by John Grant: "Murderer Bill," by John Grant, in Mystery Weekly Magazine, January 2020. Imagine, if you will, being a single mother with an...

Saturday, February 8, 2020

SMFS Member Publishing News: Guy Belleranti


SMFS list member Guy Belleranti’s short story, “Catching A Thief: Mystery Short Story” appears at Kings River Life Magazine today. The story is free to read online.

SleuthSayers Blog: Why The Detective Stopped By with Joseph D'Agnese

SleuthSayers: Why The Detective Stopped By: by Joseph D'Agnese   Somehow I managed to get a fantasy tale into the Jan./Feb. 2020 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazin...

Friday, February 7, 2020

SleuthSayers Blog: Shot By Your Partner, Part Two by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Shot By Your Partner, Part Two: I published the first half of this story on Wednesday.   Better start there or you won't have any idea what's going on. Here is...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Susan Oleksiw


SMFS list member Susan Oleksiw’s short story, “Kenny Orslow Shows Up On Time” appears in the Mystery Weekly Magazine: February 2020 issue. The read is available from the publisher  and at Amazon in both print and digital formats and other vendors.

Synopsis:
  
At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Weekly Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging mystery writers.
The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty.
Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g., Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary masters of mystery.

In this issue:
“Kenny Orslow Shows Up On Time” by Susan Oleksiw: Petty criminal Kenny Orslow is pushed off a bus to the County House of Corrections and finds himself homeless and friendless.
“Mr. Deshaw's Sculpture” by Jeff H.: An obscene sculpture is erected in a small town and no one knows why.
“Left Out” by Michael Wells: A delay in dropping off a library book sets Marcus on the path to commit murder.
“The Sizzle” by Jill Hand: Danielle faces a bleak future until her smooth-talking Uncle Everett offers her an opportunity to join him in his casket-sales business.
“We Suffered Such A Man As This” by Anthony Lowe: Arriving in the small mining town of Copperopolis in fall of 1899, Georges Armadale, self-proclaimed detective extraordinaire, has taken it upon himself to solve a murder recently committed in a local church. At the standard rate, of course.
“The Russian Triple Agent” by Arthur Davis: A mystery writer meets his characters that save his life.
“Where There's Smoke” by Eric B. Ruark: You can help Sheriff Tracy Hyers as she drops in at a fire scene and soon discovers that accidents don't always happen in this month’s You-Solve-It mystery.


SleuthSayers Blog: Shot By Your Partner by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Shot By Your Partner: Let's talk about Machine of Death, a concept I mentioned back in  October  (and will review below).  I wrote two short stories for th...

SPAWN: Research and Novels by Jacqueline Seewald

Research and Novels: by Jacqueline Seewald You’ll notice that a lot of writers set their novels in places they either live in or have lived in. This may seem provincial, but in fact, it makes for good writing. If writers know a place well, they can create a realistic setting, an intriguing background for their novels. Setting is …

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Little Big Crimes Review: Deportees by James Lee Burke

Little Big Crimes: Deportees, by James Lee Burke: "Deportees," by James Lee Burke, in The Strand Magazine, October-January 2019/2020. I think we need to begin by talking about ...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 89


SMFS list member Peter DiChellis has posted the below to the list regarding the issue that went live today.

This week’s blog takes a timeout from Super Bowl festivities to cheer short mystery and crime fiction: links to a winning roster of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes free-to-read stories from Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain) and from the Akashic Books anthology Trinidad Noir.
Plus, Tricks of the Trade: Tips for writing a villain.
Also, Robert Lopresti selects a dozen favorite mystery shorts of 2019.
A short walk down a dark street (#89). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter