Writers On The Beat: Crime Writers and Crime Fighters

International bestselling author Marc Cameron stepped into the Interrogation Room, just to clear a few things up. Marc is a retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal who spent nearly thirty years in law enforcement in assignments across North America. He holds a second-degree black belt in Jujitsu and is a certified scuba diver and man-tracking instructor.

The Jericho Quinn Thriller series became Marc’s first NYT bestsellers, and Marc’s short stories have appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and BOYS LIFE magazine. In late 2016, he was chosen to continue the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan/Campus Thriller series.

Marc just released a brand-new series last February about Arliss Cutter, a veteran of the Global War On Terror and current US Marshal working in Alaska. This first installment is called OPEN CARRY.

In this episode, Marc and host Gavin Reese discuss the realities of life in the Marshal's Service, why writers and aspiring authors should consider writing about a Deputy Marshal, and the burden of hunting armed and dangerous men.

Mark's Works:

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Veteran investigator and technical adviser B. Adam RIchardson stepped into the Interrogation Room to answer a few questions about his expertise and technical advisement services. In addition to his daily superhero work on the mean streets, Richardson hosts the Writer's Detective Bureau podcast, sends a monthly email blog on technical research issues related to law enforcement, and freely gives of his time and knowledge to help authors succeed in the marketplace.

In this episode, Richardson and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss technical advisement, the critical difference between "necessary" and "reasonable," and how their cop jobs stood up to their pre-academy expectations.

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Gavin's works:

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Veteran police investigator and supervisor Patrick O'Donnell stepped into the Interrogation Room to help clear up a few things about his expertise and technical advise for authors. Patrick has more than two decades under his duty belt and has worked patrol, armed robbery details, vice squads, undercover, task force, and served as the incident commander for multiple Officer Involved Shooting investigations.

In this episode, Patrick and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss the burden of the badge, his quick initiation to the mean streets, and why Lt. Peter Columbo remains among the greatest fictional investigators.

Patrick can be reached for technical assistance through his FB group, Cops and Writers, or by email at [email protected]

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Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

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Retired Sergeant David Putnam stepped into the Interrogation Room, just to clear a few things up about his recent release, THE RECKLESS. David began writing as a child, and turned to novels during the later years of his police career. His latest release, THE RECKLESS, is the sixth installment of his Bruno Johnson series, and David based the story on his real-life experiences when he worked an armed robbery task force with the FBI.

In this episode, David and Writers On the Beat host Gavin Reese discussed how using alcoholic blackouts to hide the plot is tantamount to cheating, how he balances authenticity and "accepted," and how his particular skillset made his years on the sheriff's "dog teams" the best part of his job.

David's works:

David's site:

Gavin's works:

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Bestseller Diane Fanning stepped into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about her newest release, DEATH ON A RIVER. Diane has written 16 true crime novels, 11 mysteries, 4 anthologies, and 2 digital shorts. She studied chemistry at Lynchburg College, first wrote professionally for an ad agency, and earned more than 70 Addy Awards. Her novels have been nominated for an Edgar Award, and her work to free an innocent woman earned her a "Defender of the Innocent Award" from The Innocence Project.

In this episode, Diane and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discussed how her attempted kidnapping solved a child murder and got her started in crime writing, how she helped right a wrongful conviction, and how she views the role of true crime authors in a free society. Her newest release, DEATH ON THE RIVER, releases on 30-April-2019 and details the 2015 death of Vincent Viafore and that subsequent investigation and court proceedings.

Diane's works:

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Gavin's works:

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Former Counterterrorism Agent and bestselling author Simon Gervais stepped into the Interrogation Room to answer a few questions about his latest release, HUNT THEM DOW. Before writing full-time, Simon served in the Canadian Infantry and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In his time as a federal agent, he worked in counter-drug trafficking operations, antiterrorism units in Canada, the Middle East, and Europe, and finished his career in dignitary protection.

In addition to HUNT THEM DOWN, Simon and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss his writing process, the journey to become a bestseller, and how he balances authenticity with reader expectations and "Law Enforcement Use Only" information.

SImon's works:

Simon's site:

Gavin's works:

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International bestselling author Mark Greaney stopped into the Interrogation Room to answer a few questions about his new Gray Man release, MISSION CRITICAL. He’s released seven novels in the Gray Man series, featuring Court Gentry. Mark is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author or coauthor of seven Tom Clancy novels, including his most recent release in that series, TOM CLANCY TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE, and he collaborated on three Jack Ryan novels before Tom’s death in 2013.

In addition to MISSION CRITICAL, Mark and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss his path from inspired writer to published author and international bestseller, what his research process is like, and how Tom Clancy influenced both their lives. Mark also humbly mentioned "how everything in the world is cheapened by [his] ability to do it," which should help inspire all of us to get that next book written.

Mark's works:

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Gavin's works:

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International bestseller William L. Meyers, Jr., writes the Philadephia Legal series. Its first installment hit #6 on Kindle's sales, and William's just had the third book, A KILLER'S ALIBI, published. William uses his own expertise as a highly regarded trial attorney to write commanding and authentic legal thrillers with characters as gritty and complex as his native Philadelphia.

In this episode, William and Writer's On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss his writing, the Constitutional importance of competent defense counsel, and the challenges of writing flawed and moral characters forced into "impossible choice" circumstances.

William's works:

William's website:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

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"The kitchen looked like a hospital morgue...with a stainless steel counter."

Jeffrey Dahmer faced 16 life sentences for the murder and dismemberment of men in Wisconsin and Ohio. Convicted in 1992, he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994. A sexual sadist, Dahmer abused, killed, dismembered, and consumed a portion of his victims.

His former landlord, Christie, stopped into the Interrogation Room to clear a few things up about the aftermath that she and her husband faced as owners of the 50-unit property where Dahmer lived and committed the majority of his crimes. She detailed her interactions with Dahmer, how she learned of the crimes in her building, and what awaited them seven days later when police turned the scene back over to them.

This is intended for a mature audience, and is published for the express intent of aiding writers to better understand the aftermath that remains behind for families and property owners at violent crime scenes after the detectives and CSIs tear down the yellow tape and leave. Numerous points of trivial macabre have been intentionally omitted from this interview.

Listener discretion is advised.

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Kris Frieswick joined host Gavin Reese in the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things. She's an award winning editor, journalist, humorist, and author. Her debut novel, THE GHOST MANUSCRIPT, released on April 2, and her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, The Economist, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, and others.

Kris discussed her deep love of history and historical fiction; how Steve Berry's master class at Thrillerfest made her momentarily doubt her manuscript; that Steve later blurbed her novel; and how she would trust Jack Reacher to avenge her death.

Kris' debut novel:

Kris' website:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

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