Blog
Can Forensic DNA Tell Identical Twins Apart?
Have you ever thought of using identical twins in your next crime fiction novel as a plot twist? What if your suspect had an identical twin that no one knew about? What if one twin deliberately framed the other? Or what if they were in it together? Could they get away...
What It’s Like to Date a Police Officer
I’m going to do something a little different for this post. I’m going to talk about my love life. My romantic relationships are not something I normally put out on the internet for all to read. In fact, only my sisters and some close friends know what goes on in that...
How Working in a Crime Lab Changed Me
I’ve had many jobs in my lifetime. My part-time jobs have included detassling (bonus points if you know what this is), waitressing, mail room clerk at college, science tutor, and meat and cheese tray maker. After college, I worked as a lab tech in a parasite lab and...
How to Refer to Crime Lab Employees in Your Crime Fiction Novel
Criminalist. Forensic scientist. Forensic investigator. Crime lab scientist. Are these titles referring to the same job? Are they different? What do you actually call people who work in crime labs and process crime scenes? What are their actual job titles? Are they...
How to Use Touch DNA as Forensic Evidence in Your Crime Fiction Novel
You’ve probably heard of touch DNA in forensic cases in the news or on your favorite crime drama, and now you’re thinking that maybe you could use it in your crime fiction novel. But first, do you know what touch DNA is? Is it different than “regular” forensic DNA?...
The Best Body Fluids for Forensic DNA Results
When you’re writing your crime fiction book and you’re using forensic DNA evidence as part of your homicide investigation (or other criminal act), it would be helpful to know what types of samples you can get DNA from and have a general idea of their success rates....