True Crime Investigation Unmasked

Nonfiction requires time and patience to write, and the research mushrooms into a full-scale true crime investigation. This article focuses on contemporary crime.

For the sake of clarity, let’s define the word contemporary as:

• The crime occurred within the last 30 years.
• Most of the “characters” in the book are still alive.

One of the most important skills to learn is how to conduct an interview. Writers are curious creatures, and that natural curiosity helps a great deal. Knowing what questions to ask requires a full chapter by chapter summary. There’s no such thing as “winging it” in true crime. Not only do we need a solid plan to view the story on a macro-level but we can’t sell the proposal to a publisher without a chapter outline.

For example, I wrote a 40-page book proposal for my new case, not including the sample chapters. I also wrote a separate 20K+ word chapter summary (another 50 pages) to use as a guide for the upcoming book, now meticulously plotted. That’s 90 pages before ever writing one word of the manuscript. Whether other true crime authors write an expanded chapter summary (expanded from the one required in the proposal), I have no idea. But here’s why I do it.

A storyline should be greater than the sum of its parts.

The expanded chapter summary acts as a guide on how best to write the manuscript. Plus, it shows exactly what’s needed from the true crime investigation.

If you’re wondering about my case, I can only offer a teaser because, unlike fiction, true crime can be a cut-throat business. If another writer steals the case and writes the book before I do, all my time and hard work could be wasted. Few cases can commercially support more than one book. Serial killer cases often can, but for the first time in my career, I’m not focused on a serial killer.

Well, that’s not entirely true. While I’m working on my case, I am waiting — eagle-eyed — to see how a potential serial killer investigation plays out. Can’t write a book without an ending, right?

Anyway, my case revolves around one bizarre crime, complete with a sympathetic victim, charismatic criminal, a looney woman who morphed into a super sleuth—with a pet monkey! (truth really is stranger than fiction)—and a dogged investigator and world-renowned forensic anthropologist, both of whom wouldn’t rest till they tasted sweet justice. It’s a ready-made Netflix series. So exciting!

Initial Inquiries

When I first find a case, I need to gather enough research to see if it has enough potential to become a true crime book. Not all cases do. In the last year, I’ve researched four other cases and dismissed them all for one reason or another. I did write a book proposal for a lone historic female serial killer case, but I set it aside due to problems obtaining records. Good thing, too, because I never would have found the case I’m working on now. Fate? Perhaps. 🙂

The first thing I look for is the It-factor.

Is the criminal interesting? Is the victim(s) relatable? If I can’t answer yes to both, it’s time to move on.

What about the environment?

True crime requires a strong sense of place. Meaning, did the area contribute to how the crime occurred? If this crime occurred elsewhere, would the case have a different outcome? If I can’t answer yes to both, the book might fail. The environment becomes a character in and of itself.

Who investigated the crime?

If the investigator had a humdrum attitude and work ethic, readers won’t root for him to catch the bad guy.

Did the investigator go above and beyond the call of duty?

Need a strong yes here.

Once we find the perfect case, we can move on to the fun part of investigating the actual crime, right? Wrong. First comes the pre-investigation. There’s a lot of prep work in a true crime investigation.

Case Files for True Crime Investigation

The lead investigator loaned me all his case files and the Attorney General’s files, as well. Otherwise, I would have had to request them. Copy fees can add up, too. Court transcripts can run into the thousands. The other alternative is to snap photos of every page while sitting in a dark corner with mountains of case files, which I don’t recommend.

While researching the five cases in Pretty Evil New England, that’s exactly what I did to obtain diary entries at the state library, but it’s cumbersome to work with photos rather than physical files. For a historical true crime book, the author may not have a choice. With contemporary crime, research material is more readily available.

Think outside the box.

Contact the criminal’s attorney, the prosecutor, lead investigator, medical examiner or coroner, and ask for their case files. Did an expert testify? Ask for his/her files. If we find pieces of the case in various places, we can build a complete file. If the case hasn’t been heard in court yet, sit in on the trial.

To write my latest proposal I’d read hundreds, if not thousands, of pages at least twice. To give you some idea, the last numbered page in the case files is marked “949” and I have mountains of records without page numbers, too. Parts of the case files are repetitive, which doesn’t sound like a good thing, but it helps drive home the events in the correct order.

Every page is riveting.

If it’s not, then it might be time to find a new case. The true crime author lives with the case for months, sometimes years. If we’re not passionate about it, the book will suffer.

When I’m invested in a true crime investigation, I become downright obsessed. Seriously, the story consumes me at times. Living with death and destruction can take its toll. The cold hard truth of the genre is the author pays an emotional price. I think the pros far outweigh the cons, but I also try to balance the darkness with goodness and light. My sweet furbabies are the perfect distraction. Cuteness overload is a good thing. 🙂

Legal Protection

The publisher’s legal department will want proof they won’t be sued when the book releases. How we protect them is how we protect ourselves—by getting consent to publish someone’s likeness, words, mannerisms, etc. A release not only protects the book but the author from someone trying to make money from future film or television adaptations.

I know it’s not sexy to talk about money, but it’s an important part of the process. Conducting a true crime investigation takes time, and expenses quickly add up. Why wouldn’t we protect our work?

Before every interview, I ask my witness to sign a consent and release form for the whopping sum of one dollar (legal best practice). I include both the consent and release in one document—jokingly called Writer’s Miranda when talking to police :-)—so the legal jargon doesn’t overwhelm the signer.

Incidentally, I also ask my research assistant to sign a confidentiality agreement. That way, if she accompanies me on an interview, she can say she’s contractually bound not to repeat anything that’s said in her presence. Plus, her silence helps me sleep at night.

Now, we’re ready for the fun part of the true crime investigation.

Interviews in True Crime Investigation

Interviews are the lifeblood of any true crime investigation. It’s where we learn tidbits not included in the case files, details like how the investigator dressed, acted, first impressions, what they drove, funny nicknames, dark humor, family life, thoughts, feelings, past experiences, etc. Most importantly, I ask if they’ve ever been contacted by another author to write about the case.

The answers add richness to the story. Some of the things I’ve uncovered are hilarious! Like the time the department screwed up when ordering a new Crown Vic for one of my investigators, and this big burly guy got stuck driving a very un-cop-like car. LOL

Preparation is key to a good interview.

Before I approach anyone, I reread their statements and/or reports. Here’s where the expanded chapter summary comes in handy. Once I’ve reread their statements, I know exactly where I’ll use the information.

For example, if they’re friends of the victim’s family, the information they share will probably appear within the first few scenes, where I want the reader to bond with the victim. Thus, I know what I need from the witness—their personal memories. It’s a big ask. Think about how you’d feel if a writer asked to dig through your past. Kindness, respect, and empathy go a long way.

In-person interviews require travel.

Could be an hour drive, could be three. Once I drove six hours but what I uncovered made it all worthwhile. Right now, I have two people that live in South Carolina. They’re important witnesses, but it’s way too far to travel. In this case, I’ll ask if they have access to Zoom or Facebook Messenger. If they can’t or won’t use video calling, then rather than upset them, I’ll conduct a phone interview. Since the call will be recorded (we’ll get to that in a minute), I’ll read the consent and release form and ask for verbal confirmation.

Specific questions to ask.

Hard to say. Every story is unique. In some cases, I may only need a quick response to one or two questions (see how the one dollar fees accumulate? I might talk to 80-100 people). At other times, the interview might last 90–120 minutes.

Interviews rarely go as planned.

People ramble and tend to jump around the timeline.

She said this and that, and he went crazy. Hang on, I just remembered something from elementary school. We both kissed Sarah under the pine tree. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. So, when Jim Bob came to school on the day you asked about, he had an Uzi in one hand, a .44 Magnum in the other.

Let them ramble a bit before gently steering the conversation back on track. Some of the purest literary gold resides in the detail that seemed irrelevant at the time.

Tips & Tricks

A must for every true crime author is a topnotch recording device. I use an Evida 32GB voice recorder. It’s compact, unobtrusive, and easy to use. Transferring recordings to my computer is a breeze. And it fits in the palm of my hand.

Some states have one party consent, some have two. Regardless of the law, I still ask permission to record the interview. Most people don’t mind. After the first few minutes, they forget all about the device. For those who object, I explain one or all of the following:

• The recorder replaces handwritten notes.
• There’s nothing to fear, I’m the only one who’ll listen to the recording.
• If you grant permission to record, I’ll be able to give you my undivided attention.

Often, what someone tells you will lead you to someone else. And so on.

To record a phone interview, the easiest way is to download TapeACall app. This app records incoming or outgoing calls and stores them as MP3s. An alternative way is to purchase an ear microphone that connects to the recorder (see image below). Costs about $29 vs. the $11 app/yearly. The main difference is the app only records on a cell. So, if you have spotty cell service at home like I do, buy the device. I use an Olympus for my landline. Again, ask for verbal consent to record the call. Here’s what the device looks like and how it works…

Walk the Walk

The true crime author’s state of mind is, I’m on a mission to gather as much information as possible. There’s no such thing as an irrelevant detail. If it relates to my case in some way, I need to know about it.

That said, the mission should never overshadow the true crime author’s humanity.

True crime requires travel to crime scenes, body dump locations, mental hospitals, prisons, police departments, town halls, courthouses…wherever the killer, victim, or  investigator walked, I follow their footsteps.

Can writing true crime be a dangerous job? The short answer is yes. Some townsfolk don’t like writers poking around. Rural communities tend to bury secrets, and they like it that way.

Oh, well, I have a job to do, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. If my presence ruffles a few feathers, I say, if I don’t write this story another writer will. And they might not be as accommodating. big smile  Now, you can either help me or stay the hell outta my way. Your choice. another smile  I’ll only get tough if someone tries to push me around. Otherwise, I kill ’em with kindness.

Did you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look? If you’d like to learn more, I’ll write more about in the future. Let me know in the comments.