Questions about research

[procrastinatingperson]

Hello from a newbie (to this board, anyway).

For some reason, I have ideas for plots, characters, scenes...uncontrollably bubbling up out of my brain, and I'd like to do something about it.

The most promising ideas are a murder mystery. I know who, how, why, when and by whom and I know the detective who is going to work on the case.

What I don't know is how a real investigation would be carried out. Or anything much about modern policing. I wish it could be an amateur sleuth, but it can't. My detective and his colleague want to exist!

How can I find out all the things I need to know to make my novel credible? I don't know any police officers whose brains I can pick. Is there a website I can use? Any good books? Should I get myself arrested and do some authentic field research?😂

All help greatly received!

I'd suggest getting your book written while the ideas are bubbling and watching a ton of police procedural documentaries alongside that process. There is no shortage - 24 Hours in Police Custody is absolutely excellent; Forensics - the Real CSI; Reported Missing all give very detailed accounts of how police gather evidence (it generally seems an unbelievably dreary process of looking through hours of CCTV). There are also some fantastic documentaries and drama-docs of famous/notorious cases. In my opinion, they give a sense of the marginal gains that make up a lot of prosecutions and give a plausible sense of what detective work is like. There are also a lot of books written by ex-coppers - but I'd avoid the schlocky ones - or non-fiction crime books that go into investigations which will give you an idea of how detectives conduct an enquiry.

Once you've written your book, you can ask around until you find someone with expertise that can help you on details. But get it down on the page as much as you can in the first instance. Good luck.

Thank you so much @everythingcrossed for taking the time to write such a detailed, and encouraging, reply. Off to check out the police procedural documentaries...