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Thread: Helping Authors.

  1. #1
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    Helping Authors.

    I do a lot of paid reviews for a company that I “think” has ties to Kindle. You have to actually buy the books you review, but you get paid for reviewing them. So far I’ve had free rein to give honest reviews. Good for the ones that deserve it, and bad for those that are bad.
    I’ve recommended this site to several authors after reading about the protagonist slamming a clip into his silenced revolver. (OK, that may be a bit over the top, but not a lot.)
    I’m hoping a thread by this title will direct such authors, and the folks who can help them, to a helpful and cooperative space. I’m hoping those authors who come here are truly interested in “getting it right.” My experience, so far, with this forum is people more than willing to help somebody really seeking help.

  2. #2
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    OK, First question.
    The setup:
    My next novel is a murder mystery. A body is found in rural SE Arkansas, 5 miles SE of the city of Gillett. He is just over the property line on a neighbor's farm, found face down with an arrow in his back. He's been there at least 12 hours during a heavy rain storm. His pickup is just 30 yards up the road from his body and unlocked. The closest route back to the highway runs from this road of two ruts, to a paved driveway at the victims house. Both car and house are unlocked. (Even today, in that area, folks wouldn't lock their house or car unless they would be gone overnight or longer.)
    The agency that would respond, after being notified by the county Sheriff's Deputy, would be CID in the city of Warren. I have a Deputy from Warren CID process the site. He takes photos, bags potential evidence, draws maps, and takes statements from interested parties. I have him working closely with the Sheriff's Deputy as that person knows most of the town's people personally:
    Question:
    I'm sure the Detective will want to look through Bill's truck and house. Does he need a search warrant. To clarify, Bill lives alone. His next of kin is an estranged brother living in Florida. He uses a lawyer in silicon valley where he made his fortune. I'm sure the lawyer is the executor of the estate, but everything is left to the brother.
    So, does the Detective need either a search warrant, or permission from the executor,or next of kin, to search the house and/or truck?
    How would he find these people?

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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigguy View Post
    OK, First question.
    The setup:
    My next novel is a murder mystery. A body is found in rural SE Arkansas, 5 miles SE of the city of Gillett. He is just over the property line on a neighbor's farm, found face down with an arrow in his back. He's been there at least 12 hours during a heavy rain storm. His pickup is just 30 yards up the road from his body and unlocked. The closest route back to the highway runs from this road of two ruts, to a paved driveway at the victims house. Both car and house are unlocked. (Even today, in that area, folks wouldn't lock their house or car unless they would be gone overnight or longer.)
    The agency that would respond, after being notified by the county Sheriff's Deputy, would be CID in the city of Warren. I have a Deputy from Warren CID process the site. He takes photos, bags potential evidence, draws maps, and takes statements from interested parties. I have him working closely with the Sheriff's Deputy as that person knows most of the town's people personally:
    Question:
    I'm sure the Detective will want to look through Bill's truck and house. Does he need a search warrant. To clarify, Bill lives alone. His next of kin is an estranged brother living in Florida. He uses a lawyer in silicon valley where he made his fortune. I'm sure the lawyer is the executor of the estate, but everything is left to the brother.
    So, does the Detective need either a search warrant, or permission from the executor,or next of kin, to search the house and/or truck?
    How would he find these people?
    Assuming Bill is the victim, yes you would need a warrant or valid consent but in a murder case you would likely just get a search warrant. You never know where the investigation will go and it is just cleaner to get a warrant. It’s also faster than trying to track down people out if state.

    Properly working a crime scene for a murder is a lot of work for one person to do properly in a timely fashion. A small agency is more likely to get assistance from the state police.

    The Warren AR PD only has 14 officers. A Warren PD CID LEO would be a police officer or detective not a deputy. Regardless if the murder occurred in county justification either 1) County Sheriffs CID would handle it; 2) County Sheriff CKD would handle it with help from the state police or another agency; 3) the state police CID would handle it entirely if the county lacked the resources to do so.
    Last edited by HCM; 08-09-2020 at 01:35 AM.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Bigguy View Post
    I’ve recommended this site to several authors after reading about the protagonist slamming a clip into his silenced revolver. (OK, that may be a bit over the top, but not a lot.)
    Yep, maybe not a lot. I remember a scene from a medium famous genre author where a game of Russian roulette is played with a semiautomatic... which would be brief but exciting...

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    Assuming Bill is the victim, yes you would need a warrant or valid consent but in a murder case you would likely just get a search warrant. You never know where the investigation will go and it is just cleaner to get a warrant. It’s also faster than trying to track down people out if state.

    Properly working a crime scene for a murder is a lot of work for one person to do properly in a timely fashion. A small agency is more likely to get assistance from the state police.

    The Warren AR PD only has 14 officers. A Warren PD CID LEO would be a police officer or detective not a deputy. Regardless if the murder occurred in county justification either 1) County Sheriffs CID would handle it; 2) County Sheriff CKD would handle it with help from the state police or another agency; 3) the state police CID would handle it entirely if the county lacked the resources to do so.
    HCM, Thanks so much for the observations. I do have a Detective from Warren CID come over. The Sheriff’s Deputy was the one notified by the person who found the body. (He was already responding to a reported altercation between the victim and another party.) The SD is familiar with the area and people, so I have the Detective asking him to tag along as he investigates. Is that improbable?

    What is the procedure for obtaining a warrant? I assume you contact a judge. (local?) Would he do it on a Saturday, or just wait until Monday? I guess I’m wondering how long it would be before he actually started digging through the house and car.
    Again, thanks so much for responding. I’d really like to keep this credible.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigguy View Post
    HCM, Thanks so much for the observations. I do have a Detective from Warren CID come over. The Sheriff’s Deputy was the one notified by the person who found the body. (He was already responding to a reported altercation between the victim and another party.) The SD is familiar with the area and people, so I have the Detective asking him to tag along as he investigates. Is that improbable?

    What is the procedure for obtaining a warrant? I assume you contact a judge. (local?) Would he do it on a Saturday, or just wait until Monday? I guess I’m wondering how long it would be before he actually started digging through the house and car.
    Again, thanks so much for responding. I’d really like to keep this credible.
    You don’t just wait till Monday for a murder.

    No, there are normally magistrates working nights, weekends etc. the same magistrates who do infill appearances for arrested persons can normally sign search and arrest warrants.

    If not, there is normally some type of duty rotation among the judges. You might go to them to get a warrant signed or in exigent circumstances you can obtain a telephonic search warrant. Normal procedure is to write an affidavit in support of a search warrant which is why having a team doing multiple things concurrently is preferred but in exigent circumstances you can phone a judge who will record a statement of facts and grant verbal authorization for a search. It must still be followed up by a paper version later.

    For a serious or violent crime like a murder or a violent crime you would go to where ever the judge is - home, out in his bass boat, deer blind, golf course what ever.

    Hell you could have a game warden take a detective out onto a lake to get a good old boy judge to sign a search warrant on his bass boat.

    I would recommend watching The A&E reality show the First 48 as part of your research. You might also want to check out the Amazon Bosch TV series - it’s fiction and not 100% accurate but one strong point is they do show some of the multi task nature and admin burden as well. A good example is the LAPD “murder book” the case file for a homicide is often hundreds of pages.

  8. #8
    I know this has nothing to do with warrants- Why is the arrow sticking out of his back? Which part of the arrow is sticking out? The fletching? The point? I'm asking because most modern bows will drive a hunting arrow with a broadhead clean through an elk. The arrow still being in the body is a clue. Was the victim shot from a long way off? Bow had a light draw weight? Bow was only partially drawn? Arrow was driven into the victim by hand? Arrow point was a blunt?

    The investigators may not know these details, but the author should.
    We wish to thank the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, without whose assistance this program would not have been possible.

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    Good points all. I won't post the answers in the thread because that will spoil the mystery. Those are the questions the Detective will start working through.
    If you want to know the answers to those questions, buy the book when it comes out.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigguy View Post
    Good points all. I won't post the answers in the thread because that will spoil the mystery. Those are the questions the Detective will start working through.
    If you want to know the answers to those questions, buy the book when it comes out.
    If you want to advertise it here, you should be a site supporter.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

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