STEPPING into the shoes of a dogged sleuth who solves gruesome murders and baffling mysteries is a long-cherished dream of a many crime fiction fans.
And now the University of Dundee is giving armchair detectives the chance to do just that with the launch of a course written by author Val McDermid that places them at the centre of the action.
Available on the university's FutureLearn website and run by the world-renowned Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, the course allows people to sift their way through a developing plot which unfolds over six weeks, and solve the riddle of surrounding a dead body.
Those taking part will be presented with pieces of evidence and video footage around the case, and will have to draw on their own deductive powers to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Filming for the course has already sparked an alert after locals who spotted people in uniform and police tape thought there had been an actual incident on the Law.
Dr Helen Meadows, of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification and project manager said: "At CAHID we work on this kind of investigation all the time, helping police in criminal investigations and identifying bodies in all manner of different circumstances."
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