Most people think of death as an either-or proposition: you’re either dead or alive. I’m not here to dispute that (sorry, zombies!). Instead, I want to talk about what a body goes through immediately after death. These are known as the stages of death or post-mortem changes.

If you’re a mystery writer, you’ve probably written about a medical examiner or detective estimating the time of death based on some or all of these stages. Even if you haven’t, most people have heard the term ‘rigor mortis.’ In fact, that (and a few others) are the go-to ways for investigators to predict when the person died during the early post-mortem interval (up to 72 hours after death).

Welcome to the glittering world of forensic science, where solving mysteries is only half the fun. Ever wondered how forensic technicians make bloodstains at crime scenes light up like neon signs? Spoiler alert: it’s not magic, it’s Luminol!

So, what’s the deal with this glow-in-the-dark wonder? Luminol is a chemical compound that glows bright blue when it reacts with the iron in hemoglobin. In simpler terms, if there’s even a trace of blood on a surface, Luminol will make it pop.