Idris & Caleb
Caleb
I’ve been digging into how forensic science is portrayed in crime fiction—do you think the novels are keeping up with what actually happens in the field?
Idris
Not really. Crime writers still love the dramatic reveal, so they tend to push the pace and gloss over the meticulous steps that make a lab actually work. A few series are starting to add the slow‑burn of waiting for DNA results or the noise of a messy crime scene, but the core of forensic practice—accuracy, protocol, and the frustratingly slow tempo—gets lost in most thrillers.
Caleb
That’s the problem, right? The reader expects a midnight revelation and the writer delivers a quick twist. I’ve seen a few novels get it right by letting the lab chair creak and the evidence sit on the table for days, but that takes guts. If the story can afford the pace, the truth of a careful protocol actually makes the thriller feel heavier, not lighter. I’ll keep digging for the detail that makes the crime scene breathe.