23 min
Interview with Crime Writer Richard T. Cahill — S. 5, Ep. 11 The Crime Cafe
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- Books
Debbi Mack interviews crime writer and non-fiction author Richard T. Cahill on the Crime Cafe podcast.
Read along with the podcast or, if you’re in a rush, download a copy of the show notes here.
Debbi: [00:00:13] Hi, everyone. This is the Crime Cafe, your podcasting source of great crime, suspense, and thriller writing. I’m your host, Debbi Mack. Before I bring on my guest, I’ll just remind you that the Crime Cafe has two ebooks for sale: the nine-book box set and the short story anthology. You can find the buy links for both on my website DebbiMack.com, under the “Crime Cafe” link. You can also get a free copy of either book if you become a Patreon supporter. You’ll get that and much more if you support the podcast on Patreon, along with our eternal gratitude for doing so.
Debbi: [00:01:02] Hi, I'm pleased to have with me today another lawyer-turned-writer, which in my book is always a great thing. A member of the New York State Bar, he's worked as both an assistant district attorney and a criminal defense attorney. Not at the same time, of course. And he also practiced civil law---practices, I should say, civil law. He currently represents injured workers and volunteer firefighters, which is way cool in my book. He has written and published two true crime books. His latest work is a crime fiction thriller. It's my great pleasure to have here today Richard T. Cahill. Thank you so much for being here today, Richard.
Richard: [00:01:51] Well, thank you for having me.
Debbi: [00:01:54] It's a pleasure to have you on. Your first book was Hauptmann's Ladder, is that the correct pronunciation?
Richard: [00:01:59] It is.
Debbi: [00:02:02] Which was a detailed account of the Lindbergh kidnapping. At the very beginning of the book, you talk about what drew you into writing this book. Maybe you can do that. Tell us a little about that, as a teaser for the book, for readers.
Richard: [00:02:18] Sure. Well, when I was 18 years old, I was in my freshman English class and the professor, Dr. Cotter, said that he wanted us to write a research paper. And so I thought, well, no problem. I'd read some books about, you know, the Lincoln assassination and I could do something about that. But then, being a wise professor, he then announced that it had to be something that you've never read anything about or ever done any research on. So part of me, I have to be honest, said, well, maybe I'll just do it anyway. But then I thought, now I've got to follow the rules. So I went to the library and I started looking around to see what I could find. And I found this small book and it had a whole series of stories in it, stuff like did Jesse James die the way history records? You know, did Neil Armstrong really walk on the moon? You know, stuff like that. And one of them was, did Bruno Richard Hauptmann kidnap and kill the Lindbergh baby? And as I read that particular article, I then remembered many years ago seeing an old TV show called In Search of ... with Leonard Nimoy. And all I remember was they did a show on it. And the only thing I could remember, there was a guy with a mustache who said that it was a miscarriage of justice. That's really all I remembered. So I thought this might be interesting. So I read one book. Ironically, I later found out it was written by the guy with the mustache. I didn't find it out for many years later that that's who it was. And I read two magazine articles.
[00:03:45] And I wrote what I thought was a wonderful paper proclaiming that Hauptmann was framed, didn't do it, and so forth. And it came back, and I believe I got a B or a B-plus as memory serves me. And, geez, I should have gotten an A. Well, now, looking back, seeing the paper, my lousy research and so forth, I should have gotten an F. So the professor was very kind in what he gave me.
Debbi Mack interviews crime writer and non-fiction author Richard T. Cahill on the Crime Cafe podcast.
Read along with the podcast or, if you’re in a rush, download a copy of the show notes here.
Debbi: [00:00:13] Hi, everyone. This is the Crime Cafe, your podcasting source of great crime, suspense, and thriller writing. I’m your host, Debbi Mack. Before I bring on my guest, I’ll just remind you that the Crime Cafe has two ebooks for sale: the nine-book box set and the short story anthology. You can find the buy links for both on my website DebbiMack.com, under the “Crime Cafe” link. You can also get a free copy of either book if you become a Patreon supporter. You’ll get that and much more if you support the podcast on Patreon, along with our eternal gratitude for doing so.
Debbi: [00:01:02] Hi, I'm pleased to have with me today another lawyer-turned-writer, which in my book is always a great thing. A member of the New York State Bar, he's worked as both an assistant district attorney and a criminal defense attorney. Not at the same time, of course. And he also practiced civil law---practices, I should say, civil law. He currently represents injured workers and volunteer firefighters, which is way cool in my book. He has written and published two true crime books. His latest work is a crime fiction thriller. It's my great pleasure to have here today Richard T. Cahill. Thank you so much for being here today, Richard.
Richard: [00:01:51] Well, thank you for having me.
Debbi: [00:01:54] It's a pleasure to have you on. Your first book was Hauptmann's Ladder, is that the correct pronunciation?
Richard: [00:01:59] It is.
Debbi: [00:02:02] Which was a detailed account of the Lindbergh kidnapping. At the very beginning of the book, you talk about what drew you into writing this book. Maybe you can do that. Tell us a little about that, as a teaser for the book, for readers.
Richard: [00:02:18] Sure. Well, when I was 18 years old, I was in my freshman English class and the professor, Dr. Cotter, said that he wanted us to write a research paper. And so I thought, well, no problem. I'd read some books about, you know, the Lincoln assassination and I could do something about that. But then, being a wise professor, he then announced that it had to be something that you've never read anything about or ever done any research on. So part of me, I have to be honest, said, well, maybe I'll just do it anyway. But then I thought, now I've got to follow the rules. So I went to the library and I started looking around to see what I could find. And I found this small book and it had a whole series of stories in it, stuff like did Jesse James die the way history records? You know, did Neil Armstrong really walk on the moon? You know, stuff like that. And one of them was, did Bruno Richard Hauptmann kidnap and kill the Lindbergh baby? And as I read that particular article, I then remembered many years ago seeing an old TV show called In Search of ... with Leonard Nimoy. And all I remember was they did a show on it. And the only thing I could remember, there was a guy with a mustache who said that it was a miscarriage of justice. That's really all I remembered. So I thought this might be interesting. So I read one book. Ironically, I later found out it was written by the guy with the mustache. I didn't find it out for many years later that that's who it was. And I read two magazine articles.
[00:03:45] And I wrote what I thought was a wonderful paper proclaiming that Hauptmann was framed, didn't do it, and so forth. And it came back, and I believe I got a B or a B-plus as memory serves me. And, geez, I should have gotten an A. Well, now, looking back, seeing the paper, my lousy research and so forth, I should have gotten an F. So the professor was very kind in what he gave me.
23 min