  Mystery
This week: In Pursuit of Criminals Edited by: Jeff  
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
-- Carl Sagan
Random Mystery Trivia of the Week: Umberto Eco isn't just your average mystery novelist; he often manages to combine his other interests with his fiction. The Name of the Rose (1980), for example, is an intellectual mystery that also incorporates semiotics, biblical analysis, medieval studies, and literary theory. That novel actually contains metatextual references to other sources, which require the reader to solve on his or her own in order to apply it to the novel's narrative and make sense of it. As if that weren't enough, he's also an accomplished essayist, philosopher, and children's author... although I'm not sure he incorporates the metatextual biblical analysis into those books. 
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IN PURSUIT OF CRIMINALS
In the world of bringing criminals to justice and investigating crimes, there are a wide variety of career paths and job opportunities. It's not just the good guys versus the bad guys, or even the cops versus the criminals. In this day and age, there are dozens of different jobs related to the field of criminal investigation and fugitive recovery. Some of these careers include:
Police Officer: Police officers (and their various ranks) are usually tasked with keeping the peace, law enforcement, protection of citizens, and the investigation of crimes. They are government employees, often with a very specific set of rules and regulations that they must follow in carrying out their jobs.
Private Investigator: A private investigator is a for-hire individual who undertakes investigatory action for his clients. In many cases, private investigators are employed by insurance companies and attorneys in relation to suspicious claims and court cases, respectively. Many jurisdictions require private investigators to be licensed. Depending on local laws, they may or may not be permitted to carry firearms, and they do not possess police powers.
Bounty Hunter: A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward. Sometimes called bail enforcement agents or fugitive recovery agents, bounty hunters typically track down fugitives who have either escaped from custody, or posted bail and then gone on the run rather than appear for their court date. Bounty hunters are most often employed by bails bondsmen and typically earn about 10% of the bond amount that the bondsman put up for the fugitive's release.
Skiptracer: Skiptracers, simply put, locate people. They usually employ a variety of indirect means (phone number tracing, credit reports and credit card activity, job application information, background checks, utility bills, internet activity, etc.) to track down their targets. As a result of their indirect methods, many bounty hunters can be skiptracers or engage in skiptracing practices in carrying out their job, but skiptracers - by definition - cannot be bounty hunters because they do not go out into the field and directly apprehend their targets.
U.S. Marshals: The United States Marshal Service is the government agency that deals with fugitive recovery, protecting judges, transporting federal prisoners, and protecting federal witnesses. Like bounty hunters, they have task forces that are responsible for tracking down criminals who are on the run, and ensuring they're brought back to stand trial (or return to prison).
Crime Scene Investigators: As made famous by the three CBS series, CSIs are responsible for collecting and analyzing evidence found at the scene of the crime. That includes, among other things, fingerprints, DNA, trace evidence, ballistics, shoe prints, etc. They can work as part of a police force, or sometimes as independent contractors.
There are so many different aspects of tracking down criminals and solving crimes; it's no longer just a matter of bad guys and the cops who chase them. When writing a mystery story about the pursuit of a fugitive or the solving of a crime, consider the possibilities that arise when the story is told from a different kind of investigator. If a fugitive is on the run, a bounty hunter would employ very different tactics than a police officer or a private investigator. When looking at a crime scene, a CSI would likely focus on an entirely different set of criteria than a detective. If you're in search of a unique perspective for your next character, you might just find it in the law enforcement career they choose. 
Until next time,
-- Jeff
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Which job seems the most appealing? Which one the least?
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This week, I would encourage you to check out the following mystery items:
There I was, sitting in my car, waiting for my suspect to arrive, as he always does around six o'clock. My night camera hung heavy around my neck, ready to be used to record his arrival or anything else unusual. My name is Joe Patelli and I'm a police detective, though at the time, I'm off duty. I work in Seattle, the city of clouds and rain, but the air is always fresh and clear. All my days seemed to go fast, but I had a feeling this assignment was different.
Those were my last thoughts before I faded into the unknown… my eyes became harder and harder to keep open. The feel of tape pressed hard against my face, and the feel of latex gloves as it smeared across my skin. I was loosing a battle to stay conscious, unaware of what might happen when I ventured past being heavily sedated.
The sound of a bell screeched through the air. Books slammed Shut. Chairs ground against tiled floors. Doors banged open. Excited, insistent chatter marked the end of the school day. “Saved by the Bell,” Tierra thought, slinging her full rucksack over her shoulder. Hiding her beautiful, flawless porcelain face with her hoodie, she shuffled as quickly as she could through the busy school hallways.
To whom I may be calling to, to whom may be there, I come with fantastic tidings to share! To whom sees me invisible, to whom I may be writing to, the world we live in is indeed blue, but I know that you, whomever you may be, perhaps a lost mystery, is there with love and tender care. Though you can’t hear the words I share, that you may never be there truly waiting, I write this love poem through the polluted air that is dangling.
“What do you mean she is dead, do you know what this means for us.” Levine said, he was a beautiful man who was 254 years old, but didn’t look a day over 21. He became the leader of this coven around the time Josephine was killed. That had been a horrible time for everyone, humans and vampires alike.
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In response to my last newsletter on mundane conspiracies (the question was regarding which conspiracies readers believe really exist):
Here's a mystery- Where are my socks? Oh wait, I just found them, right next to Atlantis. -- BIG BAD WOLF is Merry 
Glad you were able to track those down! 
Great NL Jeff! Even after our conversation about this same subject, I found this interesting and I love how you geared it to writing. You really find curious and interesting new subjects to shine light on. Keep up the great work.  Oh and you just know Patterson doesn't do several rewrites on those books! He might as well be listed as an editor on some of those, not a writer.  -- Brooke 
Thanks, Brooke! Glad to know I'm not the only one who is fascinated by obscure trivia.
Scribe of Mysteries, A question worthy of scratching your head until the hair falls out: What is the biggest toad in the puddle when it comes to the most cockeyed conspiracy ever laid out? I don't go for the mundane; I reach for the cosmic. Hint: H.P. Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood were wringing their heads about it. It is one of the most long held mystery this world will ever know. And disbelief will give you a bloody nose and black eyes; perhaps, a K-O. Then there's the killer punch. -- Specter 
I have no absolutely no idea which conspiracy that is...  Care to share? |
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Mystery: February 15, 2012 Issue [#4881]
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