The Crime Writer’s Casebook by Stephen Wade & Stuart Gibbon

Val Penny ♦ June 24, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

I am sure that all writers have different books, experts and texts that they refer to with a view to ensuring that the background to their novels is correct. I write crime novels and so it was a real gift to discover The Crime Writer’s Casebook after it came out last December.

The two authors of this book deal with quite different aspects of crime: Stephen Wade reveals the truth behind various murders throughout Britain’s long history while Stuart Gibbon, a retired DCI, explains the processes and challenges facing the modern day police men and women dealing with serious crime.

It is usually to the modern day sections that I turn in order to try to get procedure correct in my novels. However, when I am flicking through to find the correct page, I often find a historical term or incident that catches my eye and causes me to digress.

The Crime Writer’s Casebook is meant as a research tool for authors and to be read by those with an interest in crime. I fall into both categories and find this book most useful resource as well as an interesting read.

It is an excellent guide to police investigation past and present containing detailed information on police and criminal procedures. It also features true crime case studies from two leading experts in their field..  The Crime Writer’s Casebook is a real treasure and I highly recmmend it.

Val Penny