So many errors during an investigation can be attributed to tunnel vision and heuristical thinking. This book presents solid examples of the wrong idea of Occam's Razor -- that the simple explanation is always the best one. It clearly is not. I will be writing a blog about this book soon. The formatting was tough in places, especially at the start of each chapter, so I hope this issue was corrected before the book was made available. This is a valuable resource for investigators and a good critique of a common problem.

An interesting read but not an easy one. The book is well written, includes interesting cases and how they were resolved. Recommended for readers of true crime.

This was an interesting take on the true crime genre. The cases examined were engaging, interesting, and were broken down and presented well.

The author looks at how the misapplication or misunderstanding of the principles behind 'Occam's Razor' has led to unintended consequences in true crime cases. The vagaries of crime & those committing it means that the simplest explanation is not always the correct one.

This reads very much like it was based on a thesis or dissertation which are not always the most scintillating reading. I enjoyed an exploration of many of the true crime cases themselves, but the continued repeating of how 'Occam's Razor' pertained to each case was very much a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 3.25 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This is one of the least enjoyable books in the genre I have read. It is like a combination of poorly translated Wikipedia articles and ChatGPT. More than once, Kaur writes, "The dictionary defines..." She restates things she just wrote in almost the same words. She often uses a word that doesn't quite fit, as though she used a synonym to avoid plagiarism on a freshman comp paper. She mixes metaphors to a criminal degree. She never goes beyond the surface of anything and lacks the voice to show interest in or compassion for the victims.

Occam's razor would not be kind in figuring out how this book was written. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

How to Solve True Crime contains a series of true crime stories. They illustrate how detectives have used Occum’s razor, both successfully and not so successfully, to solve their cases.

Occum’s razor is a scientific theory that encourages looking at the simplest solution first. It doesn’t prohibit expanding the investigation’s scope if the easiest solution is not the correct one. Many of the examples in the book show detectives getting stuck on one suspect, often the spouse, to the exclusion of all others. Others show detectives correctly unraveling complex motives even though a simpler solution was available.

What I loved about How to Solve True Crime is that each case had a full conclusion. Never was I left hanging like on so many televised true crime shows. Each case made a point about how the police’s skill set, doggedness, attitudes, preconceived notions and sometimes pure incompetence can make or break a case. Each case was chosen to make a particular point. None seemed redundant or duplicative. In addition to true crime buffs, this book is intriguing reading for mystery, especially police procedural, readers. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword True Crime for providing me with an advanced review copy.

I received a free copy of, How to Solve a True Crime, by Davina Kaur, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never really heard of Occam Razor, before reading this book. Occam Razor means the simplest answer is usually the right answer. This crime book shows that is not always true. Im not going to spoil the book though. There are some heartbreaking crimes in this book. An interesting read.

How To Solve True Crime, Occam’s Razor and the limitations of simplicity in investigations by Davina Carr. it is said the most logical conclusion is usually the right one or some version of that but in this book the author shows up where that theory would and would not work where it has proven true and also has failed the narrative. From a drunk driving mother who no one thought to be intoxicated to a man finding his dead grandmother when all odds look like he was the perpetrator only to find the outrageous story he told turned out to be true. I found the author to be very knowledgeable on the subject and told some very unlikely stories that turned out to be absolutely true and I think that was my favorite part about the book. They say truth is stranger than fiction and in this book you will find many examples of that. from over told True Crime stories to never told I found the book didn’t read like a dry educational text but more like a conversation that you didn’t want to end. I love this author, her books and she never seems to disappoint me. I cannot wait for other books by her.#HonestReview, #NetGalley, #PinAndSwordTrueCrime, #TheBlindReviewer, #DavinaCar, #HowToSolveTrueCrime,

This was a very surprising book. It was very informative and I learned much about how crime is solved. Well done.