Marc's A-Z of Crime Fiction

Eyewitness:

An eyewitness is a critical part of a criminal investigation so getting one leads to them becoming very well looked after. No matter what the crime that has been committed, this individual(s) are crucial to the case that is built up by the Police and later the CPS.
Eyewitness are crucial and sometimes the things that people see are processed by the brain differently with different people and I have heard of cases where by the victim or eyewitness has had a really good look at the offenders and over the course of the questioning process they have remembered more details and the details begin to deviate.

The biggest case of Eyewitness Misidentification that has caused enormous consequences was JEAN CHARLES DE MENEZES.

In 2005, an eyewitness stated that they saw a male running from police, jump over a turnstile in the train station, and was wearing a bulky jacket to cover they believe a device. This was a time of major threat from the Bomb Threats in London and a high security tension across the world.

Mr Menezes DID run but only to catch the train, he WAS wearing a denim jacket and he WALKED through the barrier after collecting a newspaper.

Mr Menezes was shot and killed. Eyewitnesses are not always reliable and unfortunately this is the consequences similar to arresting and imprisonment of offenders.

Here is a website that I found whilst thinking about this topic of eyewitness misidentification:
http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/Eyewitness-Misidentification.php

EVIDENCE

Key piece of making a crime comes true!
Evidence is the key component to proving something to be truthfully.

Evidence comes in many forms:

Physical evidence: Found at a crime scene - Weapon, mode of transport, entry/exit method through smashed windows or doors, even down to the hairs, fibres. Anything basically that can be classified as physical objects. Collected from the scene in an evidence bag and processed at the labs.



Trace Evidence: Anything that you need equipment to see - Blood traces that require Luminol to identify them, Fingerprints that need dusting or ninhydrin for using on paper.



Biological: Body fluids - sweat, tears, urine, DNA, saliva.



Statements: As with eyewitnesses, peoples account on the events that unfolded.

EXIT MUSIC - Ian Rankin

I am a huge admirer of Ian Rankin and of the Rebus Series that Rankin has created. I discovered Rankin by accident (as I believe most of us do with many of our now favourite authors!) I entered The Works and they had their 3 for £5 offer on and was looking for some new books, I picked up 'Tooth and Nail' within this deal and was totally engrossed.



Synopsis:
It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence, a delegation of Russian businessmen is in town - and everyone is determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically.

Review:
This book was allegedly the last of the Rebus series as he goes of on retirement, well I didn't think that this was the end when reading it! There were a few loose ends in terms of Rebus and with so many cult bands coming back from the dead, I knew that this rocker was not gone yet!
Lots of politics, Russian mobsters and the business underworld which leads Rebus to his 'friend' Big Ger Cafferty, one last showdown with the old foe?
Twists all over the places, guessing to the last chapters and the good old Rebus style policing, getting in trouble for doing things his way!