A kind of detective story

This appraisal of the diagnostic process is drawn from the long investigatory experience of someone who has now retired from the BRE. Mr Fielding likens the process to a detective story — the crime, the suspects and the dénouement. He cites four cases, not for their complexity but to emphasise that it is the attitude and method of approach which is important — recording, observing and taking nothing on trust or for granted.