--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Murder investigations start with the…" description: "\"“Murder investigations start with the victim, because usually in the first instance that's all you've got. The study of the victim is called victimolog..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/ben-aaronovitch-3199_detective_murder-investigations-start-with-the-vic_2999581.jpg" --- # Murder investigations start with the victim, because… ![“Murder investigations start with the victim, because usually in the first instance that's all you've got. The study of the victim is called victimology because everything sounds better with an 'ology' tacked on the end. To make sure you make a proper fist of this, the police have developed the…” quote by Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/ben-aaronovitch-3199_detective_murder-investigations-start-with-the-vic_2999581.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/ben-aaronovitch-3199_detective_murder-investigations-start-with-the-vic_2999581.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/ben-aaronovitch-3199_detective_murder-investigations-start-with-the-vic_2999581.jpg) > ““Murder investigations start with the victim, because usually in the first instance that's all you've got. The study of the victim is called victimology because everything sounds better with an 'ology' tacked on the end. To make sure you make a proper fist of this, the police have developed the world's most useless mnemonic - 5 x W H & H - otherwise known as Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Next time you watch a real murder investigation on the TV, and you see a group of serious-looking detectives standing around talking, remember that what they're actually doing is trying to work out what sodding order the mnemonic is supposed to go in. Once they've sorted that out, the exhausted officers will retire to the nearest watering hole for a drink and a bit of a breather.”” [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Detectives often begin investigations focusing on the victim, using a mnemonic that can be confusing and sometimes misapplied. **In simple terms:** Start with the victim, but the process can be messy. Key Takeaway Remember to stay flexible with investigative steps. Themes investigation mnemonics detective work Mood irry skeptical Type humorous observational When to use this quote - crime scene analysis - police training - media portrayal - team debrief Key Concepts victimology procedural analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on the victim shape the investigation? - What are the limits of the 5Ws and H? A Different Perspective The mnemonic may oversimplify complex cases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) ## Related quotes > [The study of the victim is called victimology because everything sounds better with and ology tacked on the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-study-of-the-victim-is-called-victimology-because-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Metropolitan Police has a very straightforward approach to murder investigations, not for them the detective’s gut instinct or the intricate logical deductions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-metropolitan-police-has-a-very-straightforward-approach-to-murder/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [ “Naomi Misora, are you familiar with the murder investigation going in Los Angeles as we speak?" \[...\] "I am not so skilled that I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nisioisin/naomi-misora-are-you-familiar-with-the-murder-investigation-going-in/) NisiOisiN > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. 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And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Sure, I'll have characters drop in and out of books but the main cast of characters always changes. Maybe I'm wrong but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/sure-i-ll-have-characters-drop-in-and-out-of-books-but-the-main-cast/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. 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You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) [Browse all 482 Detective quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Murder investigations start with the victim, because usually in the first instance that's all you've got. The study of the victim is called victimology because everything sounds better with an 'ology' tacked on the end. To make sure you make a proper fist of this, the police have developed the world's most useless mnemonic - 5 x W H & H - otherwise known as Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Next time you watch a real murder investigation on the TV, and you see a group of serious-looking detectives standing around talking, remember that what they're actually doing is trying to work out what sodding order the mnemonic is supposed to go in. 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