Category Archives: Writing Death Scenes

Conspiracy Theory Heart Attacks

Posted on June 29, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In previous blogs (here and here) I’ve discussed how to construct a murder plot using a drug or medical device that could mimic a heart attack that would be virtually undetectable as a murder—the so-called perfect murder weapon! But there … Continue reading →

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TOXIDROMES: Wet vs Dry Symptoms

Posted on June 15, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog, I introduced the concept of toxidromes—defined as a group of specific symptoms and clues which medical examiners use to identify the specific substance used to poison a victim. In that blog, I discussed two of the … Continue reading →

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TOXIDROMES: Solving The Poison Puzzle

Posted on June 8, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The murders that occur in my novels and short stories often involve a lethal medicine or a poison. To create a believable plot, I make sure to do my homework to get the toxic effects of those substances correct. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Depressant and Stimulant Toxidromes, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapon Groupings and Categories, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Murder, Toxidrome's, Toxidromes and Murder, Toxidromes in Murder Mysteries, Toxidromes to Identify a Poison, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Aconite – A Two-Edged Sword!

Posted on April 13, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Many botanical compounds have important medical uses, and some of modern medicine’s most important drugs were derived initially from plant sources. However, some of these botanical compounds have a very narrow dosage range between a therapeutic effect and toxicity. This … Continue reading →

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Mad As A Hatter!

Posted on March 9, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

More than 200 years ago, hat making was a profitable business, but it could also be a deadly one! The furs used to make felt hats were dipped in a preservative made with mercury nitrate solutions. The soaking also helped … Continue reading →

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LADY KILLERS’ PHARMACEUTICALS

Posted on March 2, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

 ~ Female Murderers are the Exception! ~ That’s what I found out when an author friend asked me to guest blog on her “Profiles of Murder” blog site this week. Diane Kratz is a crime fiction writer who holds three … Continue reading →

Posted in A Diane Kratz Interview, A Guest Blog, A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A Thriller Novel, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Drugs in America, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, Free Book Downloads, Guest Blogging, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Profiles of Murder Blog, Published Novel by James J Murray, The Psychology of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Lethal Compounds, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Perchloric Acid – A Versatile Murder Weapon!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Unique lethal compounds fascinate me and, as a medical thriller writer, I’m constantly on the search for new methods of murder. Today, I’d like to discuss a most interesting chemical—perchloric acid. It has deadly potential in a number of ways … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, Acids and Tissue Damage, Acids and Tissue Death, Acids Used to Murder People, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Almost Dead, Bioterrorism, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chemical Poisons, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Flesh Eating Acids, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Substances Used For Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Free E-Book, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, New Murder Mystery Novel, PCA and Murder, PCA as a Superacid and Oxidizer, Perchloric Acid, Perchloric Acid and Murder, Perchloric Acids as a Superacid and Oxidizer, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Strong Acids Used For Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Unique Lethal Compounds, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Transdermal Poisoning

Posted on January 20, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

One day last week I was talking to a doctor of physical therapy and he asked a most interesting question that I had to think about before attempting an answer. He said that he had a patient who could not … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Contact Poisons, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Patches For Murder, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Making Your Own Topical Drug Therapy, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons in Transdermal Patch Therapy, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Transdermal Patch Therapy, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

COPPER SULFATE – The Green Chemical

Posted on January 13, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Copper sulfate is a fascinating substance that burns with a green to aquamarine colored flame. Often it’s used in high school chemistry classes to demonstrate just such a phenomenon. It’s also considered a “green chemical” in that the US agricultural … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Blog About Poisons in Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Copper Culfate, Copper Sulfate Poisoning and Farm Workers, Copper Sulfate Poisoning and India, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Methods of Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Pesticides and Murder, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Green Chemical, The Writings of James J. Murray, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SMILES – No Laughing Matter!

Posted on September 9, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I’ve blogged before about designer street drugs being used as murder weapons (here, here and here to name a few). The drug choices are numerous and they are usually deadly in large doses. Using a street drug as a murder … Continue reading →

Posted in 2C-1 Street Drug, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, A New Drug Abuse Threat, A New Street Drug, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemicals Used For Murder, Designer Drug Deaths, Designer Street Drugs, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Abuse, Drug Misadventures, Drugs Used For Murder, Ecstasy Replacement, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, Murder With Party Drugs, New Drug Abuse Phenomenon, Prescription For Murder Blog, Smiles Street Drug, Street Drug Overdosing, Street Drugs, Street Drugs and Murder, Tools of Murder, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment