Kim Wozencraft discusses her novel, “Notes From the Country Club.” She begins by explaining that her book is about psychiatric evaluations before a murder trial. She talks about how doctors diagnose criminals as mentally incompetent so they...
Simon Tolkien discusses his novel, “The King of Diamonds.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a murder case and a prison break. He talks about the relationships between his characters in the book, and how a marriage can break...
Michael Tolkin discusses his book, “Under Radar.” He begins by explaining the plot, which follows the character Tom, who has taken his family on vacation to a resort in Jamaica. However, the vacation runs a foul when Tom pushes another guest...
Ex-convicts - United States - Biography; Baseball - United States - Biography; McLain, Denny
Denny McLain discusses his book, “Strikeout.” He begins by explaining that the book is an autobiographical account of his life. He discusses how he got involved in baseball and how difficult it was to make the transition from being a major...
African American neighborhoods - Fiction;
Real estate business - Fiction;
Real estate agents - Fiction;
Gentrification - Fiction;
Ex-convicts - Fiction;
Journalists - Fiction;
Harlem (New York, N.Y.) - Fiction
Mat Johnson discusses his novel, “Hunting in Harlem.” He begins by explaining that his book is a story about the recreation of Harlem and bringing in a new community. He introduces his 3 main characters who are released from prison and...
Conlon, Edward, 1965-;
New York (N.Y.). Police Dept. - Biography;
Police - New York (State) - New York - Biography
Edward Conlon discusses his autobiography, “Blue Blood.” He begins by explaining that he is a detective for the New York Police Force, and that he is a third generation policeman. He discusses several jobs he has had in law enforcement and...
Murder - California - Pasadena - Case studies;
Teenagers - California - Social conditions - Case studies
Léon Bing discusses his book, “Smoked.” She begins by explaining that her book is about three teenage girls who were murdered in an affluent community in Pasadena, CA. She describes the girls’ relationships with drugs, money, and sex at a...
Ex-convicts - Fiction;
New Orleans (La.) - Fiction;
Philadelphia (Pa.) - Fiction;
Revenge - Fiction
Sidney Sheldon discusses his book, “If Tomorrow Comes.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a woman who breaks out of jail and flees to Europe. He talks about how he tried to incorporate humor into his book and modeled his...
Gangs - United States;
Gangs - United States - Prevention
Dr. Lewis Yablonsky discusses his book, “Gangsters.” He begins by explaining that he worked to rehabilitate former gang members in New York City. He talks about the most popular gangs in America and how they got started. He describes the...
Morris, Robert, 1734-1806;
Governors - Pennsylvania - Biography;
United States - History - Revolution, 1775-1783 - Biography;
United States - Politics and government - 1775-1783 - Biography
Charles Rappleye discusses his biography, “Robert Morris.” He begins by explaining that Robert Morris became famous after financing the American army during the Revolutionary War. He talks about how Morris managed the economy and saved the...
Murder - California - Case studies;
Deleon, Skylar, 1979-;
Hawks, Jackie, d. 2004;
Hawks, Thomas, d. 2004;
Homicide - California - Case studies
Caitlin Rother discusses her book, “Dead Reckoning.” She begins by explaining that her book is a case study about a murder in California. She talks about how Skylar Deleon killed Thomas and Jackie Hawks by throwing them off their yacht and...
African American boys - Fiction;
Boxers (Sports) - Fiction;
Phoenix (Ariz.) - Fiction
Murad Kalam discusses his book, “Night Journey.” He begins by explaining that his book is about two brothers who choose drastically opposite life paths: one goes to prison, and the other becomes a champion fighter. He discusses the epidemic...
Milken, Michael;
Stockbrokers - United States - Biography;
Securities industry - Corrupt practices - United States
Jesse Kornbluth discusses his biography, “Highly Confident: The Crime and Punishment of Michael Milken.” He begins by explaining that his book is about the life of financier Michael Milken, who developed high-yield bonds and was convinced for...
Siberia (Russia) - Fiction; Indians of North America - Fiction
Louis L’Amour discusses his book, “Last of the Breed.” He begins by detailing the plot of the novel, which follows the story of U.S. Air Force Major Joe Mack whose aircraft is forced down in the middle of Siberia. Mack is then placed in a...
Gangs - California - Los Angeles - Biography; Mexican American youth - California - Los Angeles - Biography
Luis Rodriguez discusses his book, “Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.” He talks about growing up in El Paso, Texas, and the numerous jobs his parents held. Rodriquez shares that his eldest son joined a gang and is now in...
Mary Higgins Clark discusses her book, “We’ll Meet Again.” She describes the scene where the character, Molly, is found covered in blood with no memory, after her husband, Dr. Lasch, is found dead in the library by their housekeeper. Clark...
Business intelligence - Fiction; Success in business - Fiction; Corporate culture - Fiction; Commercial crimes - Fiction; Deception - Fiction
Joseph Finder discusses his book, “Paranoia.” He begins by discussing the research he did into competition amongst American technology companies and how there is more espionage going on between these companies today then there was during the...
Murder - California - Twentynine Palms - Case studies
Deanne Stillman discusses her book, “Twentynine Palms.” She begins by talking about the generational impact that poverty and violence has on individuals. Martinson asks Stillman to read a passage from the book about the Mojave Desert. ...
Fantasy fiction, American; Science fiction, American
Paul Erdman discusses his novel, “The Panic of ’89.” He begins by explaining that the book is a fictional account of what would happen if Mexico and Brazil stopped paying the United States and lowered oil prices. He talks about how he...
Mecklenburg Six (Group); Mecklenburg Correctional Center (Va.); Prisoners - Virginia - Biography; Fugitives from justice - Virginia - Biography; Escapes - Virginia - Case studies; African Americans - Folklore
Daryl Cumber Dance discusses her book, “Long Gone.” She begins by explaining that her book is about the 6 escaped death row inmates from Mecklenburg Prison in 1984, and other tales of black escape folklore. She talks about teaching at the...