An excellent resource for writers of mystery, crime, thriller, suspense, or any other sort of fiction (or even non-fiction perhaps) who needs to incorporate accurate details into their stories. I own two other books written by Dr. Lyle and they too are invaluable resources for my writing. ( )

Attention authors and morbidly curious readers! This is a (forgive the cliché) must-have. I own a few other forensics books by Lyle. I love those and am now adding this newest one to the forensic family on my bookshelf.

First, broaden your minds. The questions asked and answered in Lyle’s newest are not just typical how-tos. For example, who would have thought to ask: ‘Can injected alcohol kill an already intoxicated person?’ Here are few others I’ll share as proof positive of the ‘morbidly curious’: ‘Can beach sand be used to connect a killer to his crime?’ ‘What substance available in 1924 would prevent blood clotting?’ ‘Before the invention of the stethoscope, how did a physician determine if someone was dead?’ (Please don’t tell me they guessed!) ‘Could DNA from spontaneously combusted vampires reveal their age?’

What blows me away is not just the questions asked. It is also that Lyle is able to not only answer them but do so intelligently and very thoroughly. He gives examples and ideas, depending upon how it’s being used in the author’s story. If you need to know how to make something “forensically-fictionally correct,” (adverb on adverb-cringe here!) Lyle is definitely the one to go to.

As an author, this book is a very valuable resource, as are his other forensic books and Lyle himself. 8 STARS.

Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake” ( )