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All writers who want to include weapons of any sort in their books should study that weapon, and the wounds
they are likely to cause, first. Too many people know too much these days for you to fool all of them all the
time. One writer showed they did not know the difference between an automatic pistol and a revolver, so try
to avoid these obvious errors.
Some writers lump all the detail together of every weapon used, showing they have copied the details from
reference material. Try to include the detail subtly, and over at least several lines, so you seem knowledgeable.
Of course, any object can become, or be used to disguise a weapon. Ice has been used so often, either as a
knife or bullets, that it is now becoming a cliche. However, I have not seen ice made of anything except water.
I might have missed some gems, but many substances freeze well.
Talking of which, many writers have used poisons. This is more of a delicate subject because the writer
should ensure they know all the facts about the poison they are using. Few work quickly, or disappear in the
bloodstream. Most need to be taken in large quantities. The fastest poisons can still take too long, and the
majority, if not all, are almost impossible to administer without the victim knowing. One well-known story
and its associated movies, allows the victim twenty-four hours (sometimes less) to find his killer. The original
version used a fictitious substance, but the writer floundered with the name he chose. Inventing poisons is
acceptable provided the writer can join known substances and produce a workable name for it. A most deadly
poison is mercury, but try getting the lethal dose inside somebody. One writer did try wine, but a lethal dose
of mercury would have stuck in the victim's throat, or they should have noticed it, and would probably have
vomited immediately, or not swallowed.
The description of a 'blunt' instrument is used for anything that is obviously not a knife, or a bullet, for
causing damage to the body. Hammers, come high, with baseball bats now probably coming close. Timber,
pipe, bricks, and even cars are blunt instruments. So is the family cat if you can swing it against somebody
hard enough. Has anyone used a frozen cat? Each object causes different damage to the victim, leaving marks
that can be matched when the object is found. Also, many such wounds can tell the police the attacker's
height, handedness, and possibly their sex, unless a heavier woman works out often or is a weight-lifter.
Sharp instruments produce penetrating wounds, and include knives of all types, screwdrivers, and ice picks,
for starters. Again, the wound will show the instrument's sharpness, whether double-edged or not, and it's
length, and may point to a particular weapon. Jagged holes are made by screwdrivers, although a blunt,
well-used knife can give a lesser effect.
One often-used hospital death is by injecting air into the victim's vein, or intravenously, to produce an
embolism. Nobody seems to survive this, but the amount of air used is rarely lethal. The killer really needs to
inject a much larger volume of air, preferably two or three doses to ensure death.
Most writers and readers now know all there is to know about guns. If a doctor or policeman, or whomever,
states the entry wound is star-shaped, then everyone knows the gun was fired against, or very close, to the
skin. Traces of powder burns show a close shot, but from farther than the previous example, and so on.
Audiences are getting more used to the fact that silencers still allow for a lot of noise, especially in confined or
quiet places. However, writers must understand that using a silencer is useless at deadening the sound when
using normal ammunition. Less grains, or powder, in the shell can reduce the bullet's speed. This is called
sub-sonic ammunition. You can't get much quieter than using a.22 pistol with sub-sonic ammunition and
pressing the barrel against the victim's head. The bullet might still rattle around the skull, so it is effective. Use
a .22 at a greater distance, and you're more likely to give the victim a headache and a bad cut in his scalp.
Using larger calibre weapons with sub-sonic ammunition and a silencer gives a pop but is quieter than normal
ammunition going through the sound barrier. |
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