The Introverted Detective

Saint Olga of Kiev is a name few know. I only heard about this woman, the patron saint of widows and converts, last week. Olga of Kiev was widowed after her husband, Igor I of Kiev, was assassinated by the Drevlians in a terribly gruesome way. The tribe that killed him then sent a marriage proposal to her and she accepted- or so it seemed. (I'm sure you're wondering why this is important to writers and mystery/suspense fans about now. Well, here comes the violent part, so you can stop wondering.) She sent for a party of men from the proposing tribe to celebrate the marriage with her, then buried them alive in a pre-dug ditch while she asked them loudly whether this was honorable enough for them. If this wasn't violent enough, she then set up a bathhouse and invited a party to join her there. She locked them in and burned them alive.  About now you're probably wondering if this can get worse for the tribe who assassinated her husband, and it can.  She de...

The musical Chicago is a famous, favorite musical. It may interest many to know that Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart were real people, but had different names. The woman reporter who covered these events wrote the show Chicago as a satire and wanted us, as the audience, to hate the characters portrayed. They weren't written to be related to, at all. Maurine Watkins, 28,  wrote about Belva Gaertner (Velma Kelly) and Beulah Annan (Roxie Hart) as if they had been guilty and played the system. She was put on the murderess row beat because it was too boring for the men, apparently. Murder, boring? Ha! What you have to know about a reporter's access to jails was that they had 24-hour access in 1924. They competed with police to solve crimes, in their minds. Watkins would go in acting like what they used to call a "sob sister". As a result, they talked to her and she could use their words against them. Sob sisters were a way of playing the system and creating sympathy for t...

Informants are legal, first of all. They confidentially provide information to law enforcement agencies. Yes, they can get paid, but that is the minority. Most got caught doing something and complied with a sting operation (being undercover) to get leniency or charges dropped. One thing to remember with this topic is that their identity is protected unless they are called as a witness in court. Also, to be a legal informant, many things are considered. Some of this is common sense to an investigative mind, but some aren't. Below is a simple list of what is considered. 1. age 2.alien status 3.are they party to privileged info? 4. relevance of info 5.relationship to anyone involved 6.ability of officer to ensure they only do what they are supposed to / how they would use legitimate organizations for info 7. motivation 8. various risks to case 9. can statements be backed? 10. reliable/truthful? 11. prior record as witness 12. criminal history 13. risk of flight or harm...

Investigators have to be aware of whether evidence is admissible in court or not. It is important to your story line and plot that you know what can and can't be used as evidence in a court of law. You have the power to make your characters win and lose court cases based on this information alone. Admissible evidence is defined as being relevant, reliable, and obtained legally. Relevant means it must prove or disprove important facts in the case. Reliable means it is credible. Basically, you can't have an illegally obtained recording, an unreliable video tape that's bad quality, or an irrelevant Facebook post as evidence. Any good lawyer would object to this evidence, but then again, does your lawyer character have to be a good lawyer? That's your call, fellow writers. Inadmissible evidence is basically the opposite of what admissible is. It can't be used against anyone in court. Below I have listed some of the specifics of why it can be declared inadmissible ...

I've talked about how private detectives can be booked for stalking if they stake-out and tail people wrong. If you tail someone like detectives from noir movies your fictional investigator can get picked up for stalking, and the fictional police will laugh at your private investigator for their stupidity. What is considered stalking by law? Do you actually know? No matter what people claim it is, here are the facts when it comes to the actual (Ohio) laws. Private Detectives (PIs) can be picked up because someone is scared and perceives a PI driving by their home or office as a threat. Tailing too obviously, and too often, has the same effect and therefore the police can pick up your fictional PI and put them in jail. The laws on stalking/menace by stalking say that there is perceived threat (much like self-defense laws) of physical or mental harm. There is also a pattern of malicious behavior with the intention of intimidation. This can be cyber, too. Cyber is connected with s...

Last blog I talked about PTSD, which is sometimes caused by Survivor's Guilt. According to Google, the definition of survivor's guilt is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress experienced by someone who survived an event where others died. In short, one might feel guilty about surviving. For example, a bombing may take place and one of the few survivors may suffer from this condition. It is often connected with grieving someone's death. Not surprisingly, it has some of the same symptoms as PTSD and contributes to PTSD. Symptoms include flashbacks, irritability, difficulty sleeping, feeling numb or disconnected, being unmotivated, feeling helpless, fear, physical distress (headaches, heart issues, stomach issues),  and suicidal feelings. Curiously, it is often spotted through exploring dreams. Dream journals are a good source of coping. People who have depression and low self-esteem, especially past victims of childhood abuse, are more likely to get this...

PTSD is an unfortunate side effect of trauma, specifically combat, severe abuse, and rape. When it comes to writing characters that are afflicted with PTSD here is what you need to know. The basic definition of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental condition caused by traumatic events. The symptoms of this disorder are similar in men and women, but not quite the same. More women soldiers are seeing combat and going into the military as a career. They face the same challenges in some ways, but not in every way. The basic symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares, mental health issues, panic attacks, and hallucinations. These are the traits that men and women share within this disorder. People also have trouble sleeping, eating, dealing with memory triggers, and dealing with other people within these symptoms. Some turn to drugs and alcohol. Changes in personality and moodiness are common. A once loving spouse may beat their spouse and suddenly hate them. W...