IT has all the hallmarks of her blockbuster novels – a body on a hill, a mystery about its identity and a forensic expert who can solve it all.
But Val McDermid’s latest bestseller will not be hitting any bookshops after the crime writer penned the words for an online course in forensic investigation for Dundee University.
More than 16,000 people have registered for the free course, called Identifying The Dead: forensic science and human identification, ahead of its launch on Monday.
However, organisers expect many more to sign up to discover how the case unfolds.
Those who do will spend six weeks searching for clues and piecing the mystery together.
Participants will spend 3-4 hours on the course each week, with the story progressing over the duration of six modules.
Only those who crack the case will be able to read McDermid’s story in its entirety, with the specially commissioned work available to download only when the course is completed.
Organisers at the university’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID) commissioned the former journalist to write the plotline underpinning the course, with the story revolving around a body discovered on Dundee landmark the Law.
Filming for the course sparked an alert after locals who saw police tape and people in uniform believed a genuine incident had occurred.
The plotline sees police appeal for a forensic investigator to assist in their investigation, with online learners taking on that role.
Course director Dr Helen Meadows said: “We are really excited to be nearing our launch date and opening up this case to thousands of people from around the world.
“At CAHID we work on this kind of investigation all the time, helping police in criminal investigations and identifying individuals in all manner of different circumstances.
“We know from the queries we get from the public, and also from the huge audiences for programmes like CSI and the sales of crime writers like Val, that there is a huge interest in how this works. What we are doing with this course is giving everyone a chance to find out for themselves how we do it.
“This course will give a real insight into the work we do.”
Aside from gaining the satisfaction of solving the mystery, learners can sit an optional exam for a fee.
Entrance will remain open until September 20.
The course is the second MOOC – massive open online course – launched by the University of Dundee after it signed an agreement with the Open University’s FutureLearn platform, which reaches almost two million people in more than 190 countries.
Dundee’s first offering focused on emerging world health problems.
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