Yes, there’s a load of ‘How-to’books out there, and how useful they are depends very much upon the user, but I thought there might be a place to list not every book we use, but the most useful.
To start, and more specifically for crime writers, I can thoroughly recommend ‘The real CSI’ by Kate Bendelow. Kate did a workshop at the ‘Crime & Publishment’ event I went to last month which was hugely informative. She has 18 years experience as a CSI with Greater Manchester Police and is also a would-be novelist. This books answers many questions and offers potential uses and solutions in a thoroughly readable (and admirably indexed) manner.
What it does not do is cover Scottish practice.