Colin McLaren

Colin McLaren is an Australian crime writer and former police detective sergeant and task force team leader. A feature length telemovie about his life by Underbelly Productions, starring Sullivan Stapleton in the title role, aired in 2011 in Australia and other territories. He was a well known police officer, (detective sergeant) for the period 1980s and 1990s, working on many nationally significant crimes. After leaving police work, he developed his interest in Italian style gourmet food and wine, designing the Italian villa ‘Villa Gusto’ in the countryside in north-east Victoria, Australia.^[1] A luxury accommodation and 6 time awarded ‘chef hat’ restaurant, Villa Gusto's 2013 awards included the ‘Sustainability’ award. The ‘chef hat’ awards are Australia’s version of the Michelin Star for excellence in dining. Acting on suggestions from his clientele, he commenced organizing gourmet tours through Italy. He has taken tours to Italy for ten years and is branching out to other territories. He sold his Villa Gusto in 2013 and now travels constantly.

It was during 2005 that Colin discovered that he could write. He commenced on his first, (best selling) book straight away. He has now penned 5 books to date. McLaren's first book, Infiltration, is the true story of his efforts as a suit and tie detective and the undercover agent who infiltrated the Mafia.^[2] McLaren followed this up with On the Run, a novel that details the exploits of Cole Goodwin, McLaren's real-life Mafia alias, which has been adapted to a screenplay. The story picks up with the Mafia sending a hit-man after Cole and his undercover girlfriend, Jude. Cole escapes a hit and goes 'on the run' with the assassin in pursuit; through South America, New York and eventually throughout Italy. The plot follows a massive drug importation as well and culminates with a face-off between the assassin and Cole, in the Mafia-controlled mountains of southern Italy.

McLaren's third book, Sunflower, is a historical work graphically depicting the real life experiences of his own grandfather, one of Australia's longest-serving foot soldiers from the First World War.^[3][4] McLaren is currently working on further manuscripts and screenplays. These include a mini series likened to Deadwood.^[5] McLaren co-wrote the fourth Underbelly book with famous Australian authors Andrew Rule and John Silvester, and published his fifth book, JFK: The Smoking Gun, concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy, in November 2013, which was released in conjunction with a 90-minute TV documentary of the same name.

McLaren's police career has been the focus of various television documentaries, and the Underbelly Files: Infiltration telemovie series screened on Channel 9.^[6]

The major phase of McLaren's real life police career took place during the 1980s and 1990s. McLaren rose through the police ranks rapidly and when asked to join an elite covert surveillance unit, he began spying on drug importers and the ringleaders of organised crime, before going undercover and organising covert stings. As a member of some of the most high profile task forces in Australia, McLaren, as a suit and tie detective, worked on the Walsh Street murders of police constables Steven Tynan and Damian Eyre,^[7] the Mr Cruel child rapes and the murder of thirteen-year-old Karmein Chan,^[8] and the bombing of the Adelaide NCA police headquarters where he was task force leader. McLaren then went undercover, where for two years he infiltrated Australia's mafia in the guise of a money laundering art dealer, in what is still the largest undercover sting in Australian history. Eleven Mafia bosses received sentences of up to 13 years each for major drug trafficking and racketeering.^[9] He also went undercover for another year to gain evidence on the Mafia responsible for the NCA bombing. Six mafia were jailed. He ended his police career as a permanent lecturer at the prestigious detective training school, his subject was 'crime scene management' and 'field investigations'.

McLaren is the owner of Scuttlebutt Media, a company specialising in writing books, screenplays and offering assistance to film projects. He is a frequent guest speaker at Australian events such as the Perth Writers Festival,^[10] corporate events and the Byron Bay Writers Festival.^[11]

McLaren has been the technical advisor for many TV series and films in the crime genre, among them the Screentime Films trilogy of Tell them Lucifer was Here, The Man that Got Away and Infiltration. Also the TV series Squizzy about Squizzy Taylor, a gangster from the 1920s, for which McLaren wrote storyline material. McLaren also contributed to Killing Time, the television mini-series based on once corrupt lawyer Andrew Fraser's life, produced by FremantleMedia, TV1 and Film Victoria. McLaren was also Producer of a one hour debate show made in Hollywood titled 'JFK:Inside the Evidence'. He also headed up a panel of experts on the show which was anchored by America's most known anchorman Bill Kurtis. It aired on Reelz TV channel in late 2013 across USA.

In November 2013 Colin released his fifth book; 'JFK: The Smoking Gun' which came from 4.5 years of research into the Warren Commission report and the Assassination Records Review Board, he read over 10,000 pages of documents. His book claims to have have found the smoking gun, a second weapon that was also fired on the day John Kennedy was murdered. The second shooter was a Secret Service agent, who accidentally slipped and fell backwards at the time he picked up his rifle, shooting JFK in the back of the head. 'JFK: The Smoking Gun' the 90 minute documentary, was shown worldwide in over 20 countries to a flurry of support by readers and viewers alike. McLaren was a Producer on the show, as well as starring in the documentary, acting as a host and narrator. He drew on his own law enforcement skills to create the documentary as well as using the ballistic science skills of Howard Donahue, a well known Baltimore gunshop owner and firearm expert. The documentary was embraced in all its viewing territories and found high media praise. It is now accepted as a definitive answer as to who killed JFK.

Publications

• (2009) Infiltration, Victory Books ISBN 978-0-522-85679-8
• (2010) On the Run, Victory Books ISBN 978-0-522-85703-0
• (2010) Sunflower, Victory Books ISBN 978-0-522-85762-7
• (2013) JFK: The Smoking Gun

References