When: Monday, March 14
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Southeast MWA Chapter Zoom. Free but registration required.
Brian Thiem is the author of “Red Line,” “Thrill Kill,” and “Shallow Grave.” In his previous life, he spent 25 years with the Oakland Police Department, much of it working homicide, and retired as a lieutenant. He’s also an Iraq War veteran, retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. He holds an MFA in creative writing and is an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. He lives and writes in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Brian will do a presentation on Writing Authentic Police Procedurals. As crime fiction writers, we often include cops as main characters in our stories. Knowing how police operate and how detectives investigate crimes can make the difference between writing a realistic story that resonates readers and one that leaves readers confused and frustrated. Brian will walk us through how police departments are organized, the roles of different law enforcement officers and the process of a criminal investigation—focusing on homicides, since that is the “ultimate” crime and the primary crime in most mystery novels. Be prepared to view some gory photos and hear some gallows humor, which homicide detectives are famous for.