Trivia / While My Pretty One Sleeps

• Science Marches On: It's mentioned that Ethel's murderer removed her jewellery and cut the labels from her clothes in an attempt to conceal her identity in the event her body was discovered, with the police saying they would've had a much harder time identifying her if her body was severely decomposed; these days they could've just done a DNA test and compared it to a sample of Ethel's DNA taken from her apartment or to a sample from Ethel's nephew to determine her identity, even if her body wasn't found for months or years. The killer even mentions the advances in forensics being a problem, saying that the cops are "getting too smart these days" and deciding not keep Ethel's body wrapped in the bin liner he used to move her in case there's any physical evidence left behind.
• Technology Marches On: Advances in technology since the book was published mean that some elements of the plot are rooted in the late 1980s. Characters frequently have to call around on landlines and occasionally ask to have messages passed on to reach other people, whereas these days they could use cellphones, emails or some form of social media. Most notably, considering we now have the internet to easily access and share information, it seems a lot less likely that Sal would've been able to get away with his deception about the Pacific Reef design for as long as he did these days, as it would be much more difficult for he or the Chicago Aquarium to hide that the Pacific Reef exhibit's opening was delayed a year, and a lot easier for just about anyone to fact-check these things compared to in the '70s and '80s.

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