Episode 12: James L'Etoile

Author James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, facility captain, and director of California’s state parole system. He is a nationally recognized expert witness and consultant on prison and jail operations. L'Etoile's crime fiction work has been recognized by the Creative World Awards, Acclaim Film, and the Scriptapalooza Television Script Competition. Bury The Past was a 2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award finalist for best procedural mystery of the year.  He is also a frequent contributor to top short story collections. Dead Drop is his latest novel.

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Episode 11: Max Allan Collins & Matthew Clemens

Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his Road to Perdition series was the basis for a film of the same name. Matthew Clemens worked with Max Allan Collins on his USA Today bestselling CSI books, as well as his Criminal Minds, Dark Angel and Bones novels. Clemens is the co-author of the regional bestselling true-crime book, Dead Water, and his short stories and articles have appeared in such national publications as Fangoria and TV Guide. He lives in Davenport, Iowa.

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Episode 10: Eric Beetner

Eric Beetner is that writer you've heard about but never read. Then when you finally do, you wonder why you waited so long. There are over 25 books and more than 100 short stories so you'd better get started. Books like Rumrunners, All The Way Down, Two In The Head and The Devil Doesn’t Want Me. He also hosts the podcast Writer Types and the Noir at the Bar reading series in L.A. He’s been described as “The 21st Century’s answer to Jim Thompson” (LitReactor) He’s been nominated for three Anthony’s, an ITW award, Shamus, Derringer and 5 Emmys. Seriously, what are you waiting for?

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Episode 9: Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and cowrote the feature film Retreat. She lives in London and is the author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code.

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Episode 8: Matt Coyle

Matt Coyle is the author of the best-selling Rick Cahill crime novels. He knew he wanted to be a crime writer when he was fourteen and his father gave him The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler. He graduated with a degree in English from University of California at Santa Barbara. His foray into crime fiction was delayed for thirty years as he spent time managing a restaurant, selling golf clubs for various golf companies, and in national sales for a sports licensing company. His latest Cahill novel, Doomed Legacy, is available from Oceanview Publishing.

Please visit his website.

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Episode 7: David Putnam

During his law enforcement career, “Deputy Dave” Putnam worked primarily in California on teams for Patrol, Investigations, SWAT, Narcotics (street level and majors), Violent Crimes, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Affairs and the Detective Bureau. He rounded out his law enforcement career with a few years in the Hawaiian Islands as a Special Agent–part of a real-life “Hawaii-50” team. He’s now retired from law enforcement and spends his time growing organic California avocados and writing, with his wife Mary and their three dogs.

Please visit his website.

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Episode 6: Joe Goldberg

Today’s guest on Spies, Lies and Private Eyes is Joe Goldberg – who has been a CIA covert action officer, corporate intelligence director, international political consultant, and currently is a college instructor and writer.

His work at the CIA garnered three Exceptional Performance Awards. In the private sector, as leader of Corporate Intelligence at Motorola, Joe received the Meritorious Award recognizing a single individual who has made significant contributions to the intelligence profession. He had consulted on numerous international presidential, prime minister, and legislative elections.

Joe is the best-selling Amazon author of two award-winning espionage novels: Secret Wars: An Espionage Story (2014) and The Spy Devils (2021). His upcoming book, Rebellious Son (The Spy Devils #2) is out on November 15. He has a passion for writing, US history, Jimmy Buffett, the Iowa Hawkeyes, and his wife, children, and grandchildren. Joe supports the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the American Cancer Society, and several local charities. He holds degrees in Political Science and Communications from the University of Iowa.

Please visit his website.

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Episode 5: Dana King

Dana King has twice received nominations for Shamus Awards from the Private Eye Writers of America. He was born in New Kensington, PA and grew up in Lower Burrell, PA. A classically-trained musician, Dana holds a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Trumpet Performance from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Charles Schlueter of the Boston Symphony. He has also worked as a computer network administrator, pre-sales software technical consultant, and training officer for a government agency that would really rather he not mention their name. The Penns River and Nick Forte series of novels are his responsibility, as well as the standalone Wild Bill and numerous short stories.

Please visit his website.

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Episode 4: Damien Lewis

Today’s guest is Damien Lewis, the Author of Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. Damien is an award-winning writer who spent twenty years reporting from war, disaster, and conflict zones for the BBC and other global news organizations. He is the bestselling author of more than twenty books, many of which are being adapted into films or television series, including military history, thrillers, and several acclaimed memoirs about military working dogs. Lewis lives in Dorchester, England.

Please visit his website.

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Episode 3: Michael Frost Beckner

Today’s guest is author Michael Frost Beckner, an accomplished author and screenwriter. After earning a degree in Novel Writing from USC under PEN/Faulkner winner T.C. Boyle, Michael became the writing assistant to Academy Award winner Barry Levinson on the films "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Rain Man." His first film "Sniper" is currently in production with its ninth franchise film, followed by Texas Lead & Gold, "Cutthroat Island," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (Disney). 

Beckner went on to later adapt "The Night Manager" by John LeCarre. He wrote the screenplay for "Spy Game," which became an international success starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. He has just released a trilogy based on that movie: Muir's Gambit, Bishop's Endgame and Aiken in Check. 

Please visit his website.

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Episode 2: Frank Zafiro

Today’s guest is author Frank Zafiro, who writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. This includes his River City series (an ensemble cast of police officers), his SpoCompton series (a rotating cast of criminals) and his Charlie 316 series of police procedurals. His storytelling creed is that the good guys usually win…but not always, and never without a cost.

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Episode 1: Matt Betley

Today’s guest is Matthew Betley, the author of The Neighborhood (Blackstone Publishing) and the Logan West thrillers (Atria). He spent 10 years as a Marine officer and was trained as a scout sniper platoon commander, an infantry officer, and a ground intelligence officer. His experiences include deployments to Djibouti after 9/11, and Fallujah, Iraq, prior to the surge.

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