Rating: 
Summary: It was the scent of death with twist of almond.
Review: Cause of Death ranks 2nd place in my "Favorites from the Howdunit Series". This book is amazingly informative and it will keep you reading straight through to the end! Cause of Death informs you that you might be able to tell how a victim died by the smell. For example, almond scent often relates to cyanide poisoning, or cyanide gas.Cause of Death goes in depth on how a person might have died, what happens to a body once it is dead, types of injuries, and so much more! It even has detailed pictures such as the emergency room, and (in autopsy) how a human is cut for examination. Cause of Death covers it all...from priorities in the ER, to the order things are done at an autopsy. The three most interesting sections of the book cover: * the discharge of firearms with pictures of types of bullets, how they impact, and what a hole would look like shot at different distances. * how to distinguish a murder from a suicide. * Crime and punishment (including a list of states' death penalties and how they are carried out). I see no faults in this book. It has a great amount of information to create the perfect, believable death plot in your story. I highly recommend getting this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good reference for writers.
Review: If you're planning on writing a suspensful novel and are unsure of whom to turn to in order to obtain information on forensic medicine, then this book is a useful resource. This can help you write clues for the detective in your novel to follow in the search for answers. Scientific terms are explained, so it is a great book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: This book answered several questions I had while pounding out my first manuscript. Like how the police and coroner go about removing a dead body. The autopsy procedures are quite gruesomenot for a weak stomach. There are hundreds of diagrams and pictures, investigation procedures, legal and medical terms, etc. Without it, I would have spent countless hours researching the basics. However, it did not cover everything. No book can. For instance, I had to find out what the effects of a frontal head trauma were and how long it would take the victim to recover, if at all.The section on murder and suicide is interesting, particularly the part about the crime scene and the difference between a hanging and strangulation. The wounds around the neck are markedly different. Like I said, the details in this book can turn some stomachs. But I learned a lot in one short volume.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: This book answered several questions I had while pounding out my first manuscript. Like how the police and coroner go about removing a dead body. The autopsy procedures are quite gruesomeÂÂnot for a weak stomach. There are hundreds of diagrams and pictures, investigation procedures, legal and medical terms, etc. Without it, I would have spent countless hours researching the basics. However, it did not cover everything. No book can. For instance, I had to find out what the effects of a frontal head trauma were and how long it would take the victim to recover, if at all.The section on murder and suicide is interesting, particularly the part about the crime scene and the difference between a hanging and strangulation. The wounds around the neck are markedly different. Like I said, the details in this book can turn some stomachs. But I learned a lot in one short volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Great as a reference
Review: This book is a useful reference tool for anyone who wants to write about death well. It deals mainly with forensics -- how you can rule out certain causes of death and circumstances of the crime. Some parts of it are dry -- others are anecdotal, which occasionally gave me story ideas but often left me bored. If you want to write a story with an important forensic element, this can be a great book. Keep it by you and read the sections you need as you need them.
Rating:
Summary: Great as a reference
Review: This book is a useful reference tool for anyone who wants to write about death well. It deals mainly with forensics -- how you can rule out certain causes of death and circumstances of the crime. Some parts of it are dry -- others are anecdotal, which occasionally gave me story ideas but often left me bored. If you want to write a story with an important forensic element, this can be a great book. Keep it by you and read the sections you need as you need them.
Rating:
Summary: A lively guide to death
Review: This book is an excellent resource for writers who want to imbue their stories with the authentic details of unnatural death but don't really have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner. In my case, as a crime author, the text was an invaluable reference, putting some highly technical material into easily digested context. Recommended for writers of all kinds who need a good reference work on the myriad ways to die.
Rating:
Summary: Very useful - helped me to sell my first crime novel.
Review: This book was very useful when it came to describe an autopsy, crime scene victims, and especially gun-shot wounds. I've used it as a research tool for my first novel FIRST KILL (JB Books)and saved myself countless hours of research. I recommend it to anyone who wants to increase their chances of publication. I sold my first crime book (to be released next year), and I'm convinced I wouldn't have been able to accomplish an authentic setting with relative ease if I didn't have this book (and others in the series).
Rating:
Summary: Wow....
Review: This is one of the best books in the howdunit series...It is a very good book for people just starting to learn about forensics. It is very detailed in many differnet areas including: medical and leagal procedures, how to deterimin time of death, autopsy, differnt methods of death, capital punishment, and of course, causes of death. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in crime scene investigation, or forensics, police work, ect. Happy reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Good information, bad writing
Review: This is part of the Writer's Digest "Howdunnit" series--aids for the mystery writer when constructing a story. There's a lot of great information here, from the description of how an emergency room is arranged and operated, to the same for an autoposy, to numbers for ways in which people die by suicide, homicide and accidents. Wilson uses some quotes from books--mystery and otherwise--to illustrate his sections. I can't say much for his choice of quotes, especially this one from Robin Cook's Mortal Fear: "Glancing up at the monitor, which still showed normal ECG activity, Jason touched Cedric's neck. He could feel no pulse. 'Let me have a cardiac needle,' he demanded. 'And someone get a blood pressure.' A large cardiac needle was thrust into his hand as he palpated Cedric's chest to locate the ridge of the sternum." I imagine that it might be difficult to continue to work after someone thrust a huge needle into your hand, eh? Such wonderful writing to be used as a model for would-be authors. I also noticed that Wilson is in love with the M.D. designation following his name. His name never appears in the book without it. From the use of quotes from his own published novels, and from the fiction that he created from this book, its obvious that the M.D. never helped his fiction writing any, other than provide him the information that makes up this book. Maybe it did help him understand the material presented here; at least enough to present it in a clear and readable manner. I plan to go on and check out the other books in this series, but I hope the other authors are better fiction writers than this guy.
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