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Assassination

Historical, Journalism, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Jan 29: Michael Cannell Discusses Blood and The Badge

January 29, 2025

The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked The Nation

Blood and the Badge with author Michael Cannell

Michael Cannell‘s BLOOD AND THE BADGE reads like a novel – except it’s not. This true tale features Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracapp, two decorated NYPD detectives, who double-dipped as Mafia informants and paid assassins.

Considered the most corrupt chapter in NYPD history, Cannell sheds new light on Eppolito and Caracapp, who the Mafia cap called his “Crystal Ball”.

We discuss: Why the FBI couldn’t indict them. What motivated both cops to betray their own, frame innocent people, set up assassinations. And, what drove the detective who finally broke the cold case, putting them where they belong – behind bars.

Meet Michael Cannell

Michael Cannell is the author of five non-fiction books, most recently Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation. His previous books include A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc., and Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling. Cannell has worked as a reporter for Time and an editor for The New York Times. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated and many other publications.

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History, Non Fiction

MAY 20: The Lincoln Conspiracy with Brad Meltzer

May 20, 2020

“ …  a story few people know, one that’s set in a time of deep political division in America … It shows us what good leaders can do in times of strife – perfectly on point for where our country is today.” Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer returns to Conversations Live to share some of the stories from The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President and Why it Failed. While most Americans know Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, few know of the first attempt on his life. It happened on the way to his inauguration, setting his presidency off to a rocky start. We discuss the challenges he faced as an underdog and how, even during times of civil war, Lincoln’s primary aim was to unite the country.

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist and many other bestselling thrillers, as well as the Ordinary People Change the World series. He is also the host of the History Channel TV shows Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. Meltzer coauthored The Lincoln Conspiracy with Josh Mensch, a New York Times bestselling author and documentary television producer, with a focus on American history.

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