Category Archives: Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes

Is the Future of Entertainment a Pharmaceutical?

At a recent Wall Street Journal conference (WSJD Live 2016), Netflix CEO Reed Hastings speculated that the future of entertainment might be something OTHER than watching and interacting with the screen of an electronic device. Netflix, an entertainment industry innovator … Continue reading

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ANTIMONY – A Shimmery Toxic Metal

Antimony is a naturally-occurring metal usually found in ore deposits. Although it is a rare element, it’s extensively used in the manufacturing industry and is present in many household items. Its appearance is described as “a silvery, luscious gray metal” … Continue reading

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Walking Dead Syndrome

I realize that the Halloween holiday is now behind us, but all that spooky stuff and people dressed up as zombies reminded me of a blog I did a couple years ago about an interesting medical disease known as Cotard’s … Continue reading

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Blog Writers, Blogging, Cotard Delusion, Cotard's and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Cotard's and Distorted Body Image, Cotard's Syndrome, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, Jules Cotard, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Murder, People Who Live in a Graveyard, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Science-Based Zombies, The Art of Storytelling, The Medical Zombie State, The Practice of Pharmacy, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead Syndrome, The Zombie Disease, Treatments for Cotard's Syndrome, Treatments for Walking Dead Syndrome, Unique Murder Plots, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes, Zombie Wannabe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Murder At 30,000 Feet!

Modern pharmaceuticals are excellent alternatives to more invasive procedures when a medical cure is required. Such medications not only prolong life but also enhance it in the process. Ironically, those same wonder drugs can become instruments of death when they … Continue reading

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Foods Can Kill

I often write about poisons and toxins that kill, but what better way to kill someone than with a substance that’s lethal but not so easy to detect. Such scenes make for good fiction reading, but a devastating reality is … Continue reading

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Got Milk or Brucellosis?

I’ve often blogged about biological weapons—both those used in the past and those with potential for use in your new thriller plots. The world’s population has certainly been victim to biological warfare in the past. In 184 BC, Hannibal’s warriors … Continue reading

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TOXIDROMES: Wet vs Dry Symptoms

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

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

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TABUN – A Dramatic Murder Weapon!

Although first developed as a possible pesticide in Germany in 1936, tabun quickly became known as an excellent chemical warfare agent and was made on an industrial scale by Germany during World War II. It was the first of the … 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 About Poisons in Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Contact Poisons, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Dramatic Murder Weapons, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Poisoning With Tabun, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, Tabun, Tabun as a Murder Weapon, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Toxic Chemical Warfare Agents, Unique Murder Weapons, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Aconite – A Two-Edged Sword!

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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