Expert research tools for thriller & genre fiction writers

Ask Detective HawthorneYour interrogation room. On demand.

Get answers from a 20-year homicide detective, not a search engine. How it really happens, when it happens, and why cops do it that way.

Det. Dale Hawthorne — 20 Years Homicide. Ask him anything.

→ Try: "Can a bad guy survive gunfire by hiding underwater?"

Miranda timing Interrogation room Burner phone

First 3 questions free. No account needed. Ask like you'd hesitate to type into Google.

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"The accuracy is there. The Garrity warning, the proffer session, jurisdiction-specific procedure — this is what writers need to get right." — Will Pickens, FBI Consultant

"Pursuit policies, court procedures, federal laws, equipment, vehicles — The Writers Precinct covers the full spectrum." — Charles Moss, CHP (Ret.)

"Exactly the kind of research tool I needed to bring real authenticity to my novels." — Beth Crawford, Thriller Author

Why This Exists

Built by someone who actually got the call.

A few years back, deep in research for a novel — undetectable poisons, covert weapons, secret tunnels under the U.S. Capitol — I got a call from a D.C. area code. It was Special Agent Smith, Capitol Police Threat Assessment Task Force.

That's the moment The Writers Precinct was born. Retired law enforcement. #1 Amazon Hot New Release author. Built on real cases, not Wikipedia.

Retired Law Enforcement #1 Amazon Author 6 Optioned Series

From the case files — then ask your own

Q: Can my suspect hide underwater to survive gunfire?

Hawthorne: You can hide, you can't breathe. 9mm loses lethality at ~5 feet of water, but your guy is making bubbles, noise, and he'll have to surface. K-9 will be waiting at the bank...

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Q: How long can I legally hold someone before Mirandizing?

Hawthorne: The clock isn't Miranda, it's the 4th Amendment. You get reasonable detention for investigation, then custody triggers Miranda. In CA, that custody moment is what defense attacks...

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