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Hometown:: Los Angeles

About Me:: I love to read fiction of all kinds but particularly crime related books (however, I don't typically read "true" crime books).

I am a federal criminal investigator and sentencing adviser. I previously worked as a public defender and private criminal defense attorney/barrister.

I Am A:: Reader, Writer

Books And Authors I Like:: Vachss
Connolly
Evanovich
Crais
Evers
Shannon
Dickens

and many more.

Movies And TV Shows I Like:: Any action movie (especially ones with intrigue and interesting plots, yes I'm serious!)
Law and Order, especially criminal intent
The Wire

I also enjoy Romantic Comedies. Sue me!

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Luis's Blog

Death of Analog Television and Its Benefits

Since my wife and I decided not to go digital -- or to get cable-- we no longer have the "boob" tube to occupy my time (my wife hasn't watched t.v. in years).

So, now I've subscribed to Ellery Queen and Harper's and plan to read more novels and write some more!

p.s. It's actually difficult to break the t.v. habit, but I'm going to give it a year and see how it goes.

Posted on June 20, 2009 at 8:00am — 4 Comments

True Crime As a Source of Stories and Characters

The following link is a fascinating look at criminal justice from over a century ago! http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

Posted on April 25, 2009 at 1:58pm

Trip to London

My wife and I plan to be in London for three weeks in May. Does anyone have a recommendation for an author of police procedurals whose main character is based in London? I would welcome any suggestions.

p.s. I intend to witness the proceedings of London's Central Criminal Court (The "Old Bailey") during me trip for about two days to get a general feel of criminal justice there.

Thank you.

Posted on April 20, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Comment Wall (35 comments)

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At 1:39am on March 5, 2010, Victoria Dougherty said…: Hi, Luis. Thanks for your friendship. Love your photos.
Victoria

At 8:44pm on July 22, 2009, Preetham Grandhi said…: Hi Luis, I want to introduce you to my debut novel "A Circle of souls" which is a murder, mystery, psychological thriller and a tale of justice and hope. Do visit www.acircleofsouls.com to read more about the book. Make sure you sign up to win an autographed copy of the book. You can also read more reviews by clicking on the More Reviews button at the website. Thanks for your time in advance.

Best regards

Preetham Grandhi

Early Endorsements for “A Circle of Souls”

Linda Fairstein, NYT Bestselling Author: "A fascinating debut - this novel takes the reader to the darkest places in the human soul, from a writer with the authenticity to lead us there. A stunning thriller and an important read."

Judge Judy Sheindlin, star of the Judge Judy Show: "The seminal work of this fine author kept me glued to my chair until the adventure was over and the mystery solved. A great read!"

Book Synopsis:

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.
In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

At 10:51am on June 21, 2009, Luis said…: I'm reading Janet Evanovich's Plum Spooky in addition to magazines right now!

At 2:12pm on April 22, 2009, Jennie Msangi said…: Thanks for the invite. I am envious of your upcoming trip and itinerary!

At 10:49am on April 22, 2009, Michael Berish said…: Lui9s,

Thanks for inviting me to be your friend.
Lt. Michael Berish (Retired-M.P.D.) of the REAL Miami Vice!
Author of “REFLECTIONS FROM THE PIT”
This book pulls no punches. It shows you the dark side of police work: the good, the bad and the ugly (warts & all), both the humor and the tragedy.
WEBSITE: www.realmiamivice.com
BLOG SITE: www.realmiamivice.net

At 2:12am on April 22, 2009, Kathleen M Puckett said…: Hi Luis - Have a wonderful time in London, and if you have time check out the North - the Lake District must be beautiful right now (well, it always is as far as I'm concerned!)

At 5:17am on April 21, 2009, Richard Kunzmann said…: There's quite a surge of interest in crime fiction set in Africa, which I'm very happy about. Much of this comes from Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana morality tales dressed up as the No1 Ladies Detective Agency, but also Deon Meyer's excellent thrillers set in South Africa. He's the stalwart, being at it nearly ten years longer than I have. Last year a writing duo, two Americans now living in South Africa, hit the ground running with their blend of police procedural and hardboiled fiction, set in Botswana. Their first book A Carrion Death took a while, but creep onto the LA Times bestseller list it did.

Matt Hilton recommended Peter James. He's got good taste. James comes thoroughly recommend. The fact that he's also an accomplished film-maker makes his writing highly visual and very well paced; he also has a lot of sources inside Scotland Yard. I'd definitely start with Looking Good Dead.

Happy reading,
R.

At 4:25am on April 21, 2009, Matt Hilton said…: Hi Luis, London's a fabulous city and I think you'll love it.

At 6:58pm on April 20, 2009, Matt Hilton said…: Hi Luis, thanks for adding me as a friend. I'm an ex-cop, though I worked in the north of England not in London. I write 'American-style' crime/thrillers based primarily in the States, which you might find a little strange. My debut takes my characters to your stomping ground of LA. Your question about police procedurals: I'd say Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Peter James all write excellent procedurals - not all of them set in London but does the city matter so much? Simon Kernick writes some good stuff as well, some through the eyes of the police, some through the eyes of the common man caught in dire situations, but all good reads. Most of Kernick's books are London based. All the best, and I hope you enjoy the trip. Matt

At 5:17pm on April 20, 2009, Richard Kunzmann said…: Hi Luis,

Thanks for the invite, but I'll unfortunately have to disappoint you so soon after becoming a friend ;-)

I'm a bit of a worldly writer: born in Namibia, raised in South Africa, currently living in London. I am a crime writer, yes, but so far all my books have been set in South Africa. Harry Mason, one of my lead detectives, is London-born, but he works in Johannesburg, not London.

If you want to sample some of the British writers, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, and Simon Kernick are hard-edged writers. Ian Rankin comes particularly well recommended, though his Inspector Morse books are set in Edinburgh.

If you're into less hardboiled and more police procedural, try P.D James and Ruth Rendell --- they're both London writers, good friends (though highly competitive, from what I hear) and their novels tend to also be set in the city. They've won a stack of crime awards and thoroughly deserve them.

Hope that helps. And enjoy your trip. The Old Baily is a magnificant place.

Best,
Richard