Murder in the big easy

Editors Note: Two of the writers are former military.

January 19, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) New Orleans swept onto the scene of Police-Writers.com with the addition of four new police officers. New Orleans area police officers added are John Dillmann, James Hurley, Brian Perry and James Colbert.

John Dillmann was a highly-decorated, veteran Homicide Detective for the New Orleans Police Department has written several true crime books. As an example, in “Deadly Weekend,” John tells the story of his investigation into the disappearance of Mark Sheppard, a 50-year-old M.D. from St. Petersburg, Florida. According to one reviewer, “With the discovery of the doctor's nude body, the case took a new and grisly turn which led down the treacherous streets of the Big Easy and into the darkest secrets of a respected physician described as 'a murder waiting to happen.”

Brian D. Perry Sr., was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He joined the New Orleans Police Department, obtained a Bachelor's Degree, and upon graduation with a Juris Doctor Degree, the Mayor of New Orleans selected him as the New Orleans Police Attorney. Activated during Desert Storm, he served as the Commandant of a large logistics command. Before redeploying back to the United States he was offered a position by a major oil company in Saudi Arabia to head their investigations unit. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve and was the Executive Officer for a Joint Command in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The American Community elected him to the School Board. After seven years in the Middle East, he returned to New Orleans to practice law.

His first novel is “Algiers Point.” According to the book description, “Nick Charbonnet is an honest cop with a beautiful wife and a seductive partner. He struggles with law school and his adulterous feelings. Then his world is shattered by a single phone call. The meeting that follows is the beginning of his involvement in a world he knows nothing about. Nick must make choices. Life changing choices. Good and evil live side by side and nowhere is it more apparent than in the Big Easy.”

Born and raised in Connecticut, James Hurley is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and a 10-year veteran narcotics agent of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. After moving to Florida, he worked in the financial industry for ten years as a stockbroker for 3 major wire houses. He currently lives in Cape Coral, Florida, where he spends most of his free time writing or on the golf course. In his 2004 book title “Gone,” “Former narcotics agent Sean Flynn must find Marcus Lowell, a professional money launderer and drug dealer under U.S. government protection. While making final preparations for one last drug deal, Lowell and his associates brutally murder a close friend of Flynn's on a remote Bahamian island and set into motion a number of events that will change Flynn's life forever. Flynn must return to the underworld of drug dealers and killers he left behind years ago. Its familiar territory, only this time the stakes are higher. His life is on the line-and he is no longer a cop.”


James Colbert served in the United States Marine Corps from 1970 to 1971. After his honorable discharge (E4), he would ultimately find his way to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office where he would serve as a Deputy Sheriff from 1976 to 1978. He has a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas, and a BA from Louisiana State University. He is the author of five books. In his novel Skinny Man, Skinny “Skinny is a New Orleans police detective who is on suspension after wrecking yet another police car. While working an interim job as security policeman for his apartment complex, he becomes involved in an arson plot involving his sexy neighbor, unscrupulous real estate developers, and an intriguing woman named Ruth. Skinny is a quirky guy with a sense of humor and a habit of referring to himself in the third person.” Colbert’s other books are “Profit and Sheen,” “No Special Hurry,” “All I Have is Blue” and “God Bless The Child.”

Both Colbert and Perry were also added to www.military-writers.com, a website that lists current, retired and former military personnel who have written books. Police-Writers.com now hosts 263 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 667 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.