I have a morbid taste for bones - a guilty pleasure to be sure, but hey, there are millions of us totally strung out on James Ellroy, CSI, and Law and Order franchises. I find myself fascinated with the way evidence is a code to be deciphered in order to understand the horrible and horrific.

In trying to develop believable scenarios of homicide for a novel-in-progress, I needed texts that described complicated forensic material in accessible language, suitable for the writer/criminalist wannabe. Murder OneMurder One is a great resource in that regard.

Written by two investigators for the Monmouth County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office, this text gives a clear-cut overview of different kinds of homicide, appropriate investigation techniques, and evidence collection. Both Mauro V. Corvasce and Joseph R. Paglino have been in law enforcement since 1978, and have an excellent handle on presenting information to the general public. The chapters of the book are organized into the following sections:

• Familial murders, usually triggered by simmering feuds
• Gang murders - from contract hits to drive-by shootings
• Organized crime hits, and the psychology and code of behavior within crime families.
• Business and financial murders, directed to silence whistle-blowers
• The rising trend in vehicular murder
• Crimes of passion, their triggers, and underlying motivation
• Cult murders, serial murders, and the details of real-life investigations

The authors also delve into legal definitions, forensic terms and definitions, and the basic structure of initial homicide investigation. This allows readers and writers to explore opportunity, motive, use of weapons, and details at the scene of the crime. Interspersed throughout is the author's commentary, reflecting their own case file experiences.

Since I plan on describing more than one unholy execution, I was excited to get the corporeal goods necessary to get the right take down on paper, and I won't get into how that morbid curiosity of mine was further piqued.