Please Welcome Crime Writer John Lansing

with John Lansing

We are delighted to welcome crime writer John Lansing to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Partners in Crime Tours, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his schedule here.

The author of a true crime book with former NYPD Inspector Glen Morisano, John's debut novel is The Devil's Necktie (Gallery Books; December 2012 ebook formats).

We asked John to give us a backstory to his new book, a piece he has titled "A Necessary Evil". And he is offering our readers a chance to win a Kindle plus a copy of his book; details below.

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As a writer of crime/thrillers, I'm intrigued by the concept of Confidential Informants.

Photo provided courtesy of
John Lansing

Most cops don't trust them, most cops don't know how to treat them, but most cops can't solve serious crimes or put major drugs on the table without them.

And turning someone on the inside is the only way the good guys are going to gain entry into a nefarious billion-dollar enterprise like a Colombian drug cartel.

I love that relationship; the conflict that comes from the good guys — sworn to uphold the law — deal making with the bad guys, paying the CIs large sums of money, or allowing them to work off prison time in exchange for information.

The cartels run their businesses like Fortune 500 companies. They have Harvard MBAs on staff to clean the billions of dollars cocaine generates. And they have the finest law firms on retainer to represent their incarcerated operatives. If you don't speak the language, or aren't genetically connected, you're out of luck.

Most cops treat their informants like snitches. Cheese eaters. And their results suffer. If an informant is killed in the line of duty, so be it. Just another criminal bites the dust.

The smart cops gain their trust, and have their backs. Make them feel like James Bond, an undercover operative, which is what the good CIs are. You want them to use all of their expertise helping you take your target down. And it is incumbent upon the cop to protect their safety. The only guarantee in the drug world is your word.

The line in the sand is no personal relationships. The detective is always in total command and control. If the Confidential Informant breaks the trust, if he tries to make money on the side, deal again, play two sides against the middle, or break the law in anyway, he goes back in the joint for the full term of his sentence. That's the power cops wield. Play by the rules or do the time.

Nobody in law enforcement wants to let a criminal out of jail. A friend of mine on the force once told me his decision to cut a deal was based on one criterion: whether it served the greater good.

The DEA has its own equation in place. From their point of view in the war on drugs, the more cocaine a CI can deliver, the higher their pay scale. And those numbers can run into the six figures.

But an informant's shelf life is more tenuous than a fifth round draft pick in the NBA.

Mia, the beautiful informant in The Devil's Necktie, working with Jack Bertolino, who was an NYPD narcotics detective at the time, and Kenny Ortega, a DEA agent based in Miami, was able to infiltrate a Colombian drug cell responsible for the importation of a thousand pounds of coke into Miami on a weekly basis.

The drugs were bleeding into NYC and Jack needed Mia to take down the leader of the drug cell. She was successful beyond Jack's wildest dreams and got rich in the process, but at great personal risk.

Once a cartel realizes there's a "sickness" in their organization they do everything in their power to hunt down the informant. If the cartels catch them, the CI turns up dead, and usually in some horrific way as an indelible lesson.

Jack promised Mia that if things ever got too hot to handle he'd be there to help.

After retiring from the force and living through a contentious divorce, Jack Bertolino left his old Staten Island neighborhood and moved to Marina del Rey, California to start a new life. It was working out pretty well until Mia came knocking on his door. She was turning in her chit.

All of Jack's resolve and lines in the sand disappeared at the sight of her. Their relationship got very personal, very quickly.

They said Mia had ice water in her veins. But it was red, and warm, and very human when the cartel caught up with her. Jack Bertolino was blamed for her murder and pulled back into his old life to clear his name.

The relationship between CI and cop is so intriguing to me that in my new book, Working the Negative, retired Inspector Jack Bertolino enlists the help of an old Confidential Informant to work a case.

Mateo, an MBA and a Colombian National, had the potential to be the CEO of IBM if the cartel's money hadn't seduced him. Multi-tons of cocaine flew into NYC on his watch. Jack caught him and a deal was struck. A twenty-five year prison sentence was put on hold if the tall, good looking man would help Jack gain entry into the cartel's money laundering cells.

Mateo proved his loyalty and his worth, and Jack proved there could be redemption.

All of the energy Mateo had expended making money for the cartels was harnessed by Bertolino and used against the Colombians. Together, they were able to shut down money laundering cells, and dupe the cartels out of millions of dollars. Mateo was able to work off his entire prison sentence and come out the other end a free man with money in the bank. Not an easy feat.

Mateo owed Jack his life. Friendships based on loyalty and strength-under-fire are rare and built over time. Trust isn't an easy commodity for Jack, but Mateo passed muster and was now a confidant whom he trusted with his life.

Nick Aprea, Jack's confidant on the force, has LAPD blue running through his veins. He's a first- rate narcotics detective and has his own take on CIs. He thinks a bad guy is a bad guy — someone always running a con and looking for an end game. From Nick's point of view, Jack Bertolino better watch his back.

It's that kind of conflict that fuels my fire and keeps me in front of the computer.

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John Lansing started his career as an actor in New York City. He spent a year at the Royale Theatre playing the lead in the Broadway production of Grease. He then landed a co-starring role in George Lucas' More American Graffiti, and guest starred on numerous television shows. During his fifteen year writing career, Lansing wrote and produced Walker Texas Ranger, co-wrote two CBS Movies of the Week, and he also co-executive produced the ABC series Scoundrels. John's first book was Good Cop Bad Money, a true crime tome with former NYPD Inspector Glen Morisano.

To learn more about the author and his work, you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Devil's Necktie
A Crime Novel by John Lansing

Retired inspector Jack Bertolino had strict rules when dealing with confidential informants. But Mia had the kind of beauty that could make a grown man contemplate leaving his wife, his job, and his kids. After a passionate night together, Mia is found murdered — and Jack is the lead suspect.

Facing threats from the LAPD, the 18th Street Angels, and a Colombian drug cartel, Jack delves deeper into the seedy world of drug dealers and murderers and discovers that the top players knew Mia personally. And now Jack is torn between fearing for his life and seeking revenge for his slain lover … either way, the body count will rise.

        

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