As a historical crime writer, I’m naturally interested in the forensic methods and knowledge of earlier times. I try to track down old handbooks on the subject, one such being Henry Cadwalader Chapman’s Manual of Medical Jurisprudence, Insanity and Toxicology. It’s slightly after my period, but a lot of the techniques it discusses were in …
From A Manual Of Medical Jurisprudence, Insanity and Toxicology (1903) Read More »
This is marvellous for me. I can almost feel I’m there, as I write my new book! I can’t wait for the water to freeze over. And then the thaw too, in spring. That’s when my new book will be set, the last in my Porfiry Petrovich quartet.
During his time as an inmate of a katorga (prison camp) in Siberia, Dostoevsky had plenty of opportunity to observe murderers at close range. His observations are interesting, and clearly informed his later work. In the following extract, he identifies one particular type of murderer that he said was often encountered: “He lives quietly and …
I came up with an idea for an article earlier this week. I shared the idea with Alex, my press officer at Faber, and she seemed to think there might be something in it, though it was a little too Dostoevsky-focused, perhaps. I was going to write something about the theme of child rape as …
I’ve started work on a new book, so naturally my usual writing partner tries to muscle in on the act. Now she’s lying on the notes I need.