The podcast where TWO passions become ONE!
May 9, 2023

Episode 36. Author/Retired Homicide Detective Danny R Smith

Danny R. Smith is a retired homicide detective who spent 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In 2004 he moved to Idaho where he worked as a private investigator and consultant before retiring his business in 2022.

He is the...

Danny R. Smith is a retired homicide detective who spent 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In 2004 he moved to Idaho where he worked as a private investigator and consultant before retiring his business in 2022.

He is the author of the Dickie Floyd Detective Novel series, the Rich Farris Detective Novel series, his autobiography, Nothing Left to Prove: A Law Enforcement Memoir, and The Murder Memo, a true crime (et cetera) blog.

Danny has appeared as a subject matter expert on numerous crime podcasts and shows including True Crime Daily and the STARZ channel’s WRONG MAN series.
He is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Get your Copy of Nothing Left To Prove HERE

Danny R Smith Website

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Transcript

00:00
This podcast is part of the Deluxe Edition Network. To find other great shows on the network, head over to deluxeeditionnetwork.com. That's deluxeeditionnetwork.com.

00:20
homicide detectives. They deal with a lot of things. They see a lot of things that normal everyday citizens would never know how to cope with. But what happens when a retired homicide detective writes an autobiography and leaves everything that he went through on the table? He truly has nothing left to prove. Join me as I talk to

00:49
retired homicide detective and author Danny R. Smith on this episode of true crime and authors. Welcome to true crime and authors podcast where we bring two passions together. The show that gives new meaning to the old adage truth is stranger than fiction. Here's your host David McClam.

01:19
What's going on everybody? Welcome to the episode of True Crime and Authors. Of course, I'm your man, David McClam. Hey, if you guys haven't already, make sure that you're following us on all of our social media. One link to a link tree gets you to everything you need to get ahold of the podcast and the show notes. If you're looking at your calendars to follow the show, you know that it is yet again time for another author interview. And boy, do I have one for you today.

01:49
Let me tell you about who our guest is. He has appeared as a subject matter expert on numerous crime podcasts and shows, including True Crime Daily and the Starz Channel's Wrong Man series. He is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the Public Safety Writers Association. He is the author of Dickie Floyd Detective Novel Series, the Rich Ferris Detective Novel Series, and Nothing Left to Prove, a law enforcement memoir.

02:17
He is author Danny R. Smith. Danny, thank you for coming on the show today. Thanks, David. I guess my first question for you is what was it like to be a part of the LA County sheriffs as a homicide detective for 21 years? Work in homicide is without a doubt the most challenging, but also rewarding and perhaps even prestigious job that is available in law enforcement, in my opinion.

02:47
It's the most important thing a person can do when you're investigating the death of a human being. There's no greater responsibility that a detective can have. So with the sheriff's department, we all start out working. Usually we have a short stint in custody and then we work patrol. And then you work your way through other assignments and kind of, you know,

03:16
Different people have different ideas about what they want to do. Some want to promote up through the ranks. Some want to go to SWAT. Some want to be detectives. And, uh, and I had chosen the investigation route. I wanted to be an investigator and, um, and I made detectives at Firestone station and, uh, eventually went to detective division, working special investigations, Metro, and then homicide. So for me.

03:45
I tell people getting the homicide is sort of like making the big leagues, you know? Uh, it's a whole different ball game there. You you're treated differently. It's you have a lot more responsibility, but you also have a lot more freedom. And, um, and it was, it was a really, really good assignment, uh, a tough one, but, uh, a great assignment. Um, I'm not really a lot of this in your book, but I want to give a lot of ways. So I ask you these questions. So I have no chance of running the book for anybody else.

04:13
But how long does it take you to make a homicide detective or detective in general from start to when you first start out? So to get to homicide, I mean, it's different for everybody. And you know, it was interesting. I actually, I wanted to stay in patrol longer than I actually did. I love patrol. Patrol is a fun job. It's kind of the foundation of police work, right? You're driving around in a black and white, you're wearing a uniform, you're answering calls for service. You're...

04:41
chasing bad guys and bringing them to jail. And that's a lot of fun. And of course, when I was doing that, it was in the 80s and 90s, back when the crack cocaine epidemic was hitting South Los Angeles, and that's where I was assigned. Gang warfare was at an all time high, homicide rates were stunning. And so if you're into excitement and you're a guy that likes

05:11
you know, the adrenaline rush for me, that was probably one of the most exciting times of my life looking back. And I hadn't planned to leave patrol when I did, but just a few things kind of lined up and, you know, they say doors open and you kind of have to pay attention to that. And I was asked to put in to go to our detective bureau. So I did. And I made detectives at Firestone Station.

05:40
That was in 1980 or 91 and I'd been in patrol for five years. So the minimum to be a detective, I think, is two years of patrol. Usually people are in there at least three or four years before they go to detectives. So I did that and I stayed there for another five years. I worked the Detective Bureau, has a few different parts to it.

06:08
And for the most part, I worked the night car, a night detective car, which to me was, you know, a great assignment. It was, you're still, still suiting up and going out there in the field and doing police work rather than, you know, just day shift detective. So I had fun doing that. I worked the crime impact team. And from that early part of my station detective's career, I started, you know, thinking, okay, I want to get to homicide because again, that's the pinnacle.

06:37
So for me, it was just, I was very fortunate. All my stars kind of lined up at once. I'd put in to go to special investigations and to go to homicide. And usually it takes people a few applications to get to either one of those assignments. And I actually got accepted to both units the first time I applied. And it was kind of shocking and surprising, but a great dilemma to have. And the two units...

07:05
basically worked out a deal where I would go to spy for a year. That's what they call it. Special investigations, spy SPI. Um, I'd go to special investigations for a year. And then after that year, I'd go to homicide and that's what I did. So it was kind of a cool thing. And I was pretty fortunate to have, have everything work out that way. So nothing left to prove is a ton of your memoir. Why did you choose that title? That's, that's a little bit of a, uh, a spoiler alert because it's in the book, but, um,

07:34
But that quote actually is, is, it is derived from a conversation that my wife and I had when I, when I had to leave law enforcement. I retired early. I hadn't anticipated retiring when I did. I got hurt on the job and, and anyone in law enforcement will probably relate to this. But you know, when you leave law enforcement, it's not like just leaving a job. It's you're leaving a family. You're leaving an identity.

08:03
There are a lot of, just you find that it leaves some holes in you. And there's a big adjustment to moving on from law enforcement to the rest of the world. So it was a tough, very, very difficult time for me. And my wife actually said that to me when I was basically...

08:29
just having a difficult time with where I was in life and not knowing what I was going to do with the rest of my life and feeling like I had left law enforcement prematurely. We were talking about that and some other things and that was just something that she said to me that really resonated and she said, you know, honey, you've got nothing left to prove. You know, it's time to go on and go on with the rest of your life. And it was just a very meaningful thing.

08:58
to hear and a wonderful thing for her to have said. And there was no doubt when I was writing the book that that was gonna be the title. And truly, David, it's the theme of the book as well. I mean, you know, the book, a lot of law enforcement memoirs, you know, they're full of war stories and things of that nature. And of course, mine has those things too. But there's a theme to my book that's different than.

09:26
most law enforcement memoirs you'll read and that is basically the damage that the job did to me. I left there with chronic PTSD and some real physical ailments and I was, as I say in that memoir in the very first chapter, I was a broken man when I left and it was tough to recover from that and to come out of that darkness.

09:51
You know, the book starts with showing that dark place I was in, and then it reverts back and shows my career and how I went from A to Z. And when you're done reading it, you'll say, wow, you know, yeah, thank God he made it through. And that's the feedback I get from people all over the country and beyond, that they're grateful for my service.

10:20
and that I was able to pull through that. Like I said, I give my wife a lot of the credit for that. She was there for me when I was in my darkest moments and she helped me put that in perspective and realized that I'd done enough and it was time to go ahead and move on. I wanna tell you, I definitely agree with that. Your book is different in that way and I definitely appreciate it. I do thank you for your service. I've read a lot of memoirs that has been written by ex-cops.

10:50
And you're the only, the second one that I've dealt with that actually puts PTSD, the mental health and what you went through out there in the front. I think off the air I told you, I interviewed a guy named Billy the Liquor guy. He's the same way. You know, he told us all about his PTSD, what he went through. He spent 12 years undercover. So he played different, you know, variant roles. And I think what I need you to know, something I told him is, you're actually saving people's lives, right? A lot of mental health things people feel like,

11:20
If you're in a tough job like law enforcement, it's something that you shouldn't say or keep behind. But when you get people of your stature that comes out and says, hey, this is what happened. I suffer from this. I'm a broken person, but this is how I survived. It does, it works miracles. So I wanna thank you for that. Thank you, David. I appreciate it. And I agree with you 100%. I've been amazed at the feedback I get on this book. It's only been out a year. I, there's over 500 reviews on Amazon already. And

11:49
It's been a bestseller and it's just really done well. And the feedback I get from, from people all over, but especially from cops, it's almost alarming. Um, where, well, first, let me say this, this book resonates with every cop because my story is their story. It it's a different story, but it's their common threads to it. And I think that every cop, uh, it is certainly every cop in this country would relate.

12:19
to many parts of the book. But also, I have had a lot of people thank me for being honest about where I was and how the job affected me because it's not a natural thing for us cops to bear our souls like that. And I felt like it was important because a statistic that some people find shocking is we have more law enforcement suicides every year than we do line of duty deaths.

12:49
Those are just the ones that they actually classify as suicides, but there's a lot more. I mean, I have several friends that have drinking themselves to death, guys younger than me, that they've been gone for years now, and old partners and good guys, good friends, and they're dead because they drink themselves to death, and those aren't called suicides, but they are, David. And the problem is, is that law enforcement, we experience a lot and we live through a lot.

13:17
And it affects each of us differently. And there's some people that make it through their careers and they don't have any problems at all, but there's a lot of people who leave there in a very dark place, as did I. And if they don't recognize that, if they don't have a good support system like I had, and they don't have a way to deal with it, it can be a very dangerous thing, a very volatile situation. So...

13:44
Yeah, it's, I truly wish every cop would read my book and take it to heart and say, yeah, you know, it's, it's okay to, to recognize that, you know, that, that, that you're hurt, that you're in a dark place, that you, that you cry, you know, I mean, that you literally break down and lose it and fall apart at times because we all do, it's just not that many people will admit it. So I know that you've pretty much seen a lot.

14:11
You know, done a lot of things, you know, just a few things you trust in the book, you know, the crack cocaine epidemic, you was there for spiking the homicides, you know, you even been knocked out or took a beating that left you unconscious yourself. Because of all of these things, you do suffer from PTSD. I just want to know how are you doing with that now? How does that affect your daily life at this point?

14:41
chronic and acute. And acute is typically diagnosed in a person that is traumatized by an event. And chronic, my shrink told me, is more, it's from an accumulation of traumatic events and it's more aligned with what they find in combat veterans, people returning from war.

15:08
And the problem with chronic PTSD is it never goes away. It's there. It's kind of under the surface most of the time. And again, I've got a good support system. I have done things in my life to make sure that I can move on. And I'm pretty good at recognizing when I get dark. And I can tell you when I wrote my memoir, I went through a challenge. I mean, I definitely had a lot of, there was a lot of,

15:37
recollection in there that wasn't pleasant. And, um, and I started reliving some of that stuff and having some of those, those, uh, dreams at night, you know, the restlessness and the fighting at night and things like that. So, you know, it's, it's a, it's an ongoing battle, but, um, you know, the biggest thing is to have a good support system and also to be aware of, of, you know, where you are and, and how to, how to deal with it.

16:05
Now I won't go deep into it because I'll let people read the book for that because I really want people to go out and read the book, but I have to ask, how are you around firearms now? I know that there's an incident at one point that you had one pulled on you. Does that change the way that you feel being around them? Do you still own any? I mean, how does that work out for you? Oh, yeah, that's an interesting question. And actually I had a lot of them pulled on me over the years.

16:29
The incident you're referring to is the night I should have died. I had a guy pull a machine gun on me, a fully automatic open bolt machine pistol. And I dropped the hammer. He pulled the trigger and that first round misfired. Otherwise I'd be dead and you'd have someone else on your show to answer your question. I mean, I don't blame the firearm. It's, you know, I'm a fan of firearms. I have several myself. And.

17:00
And I absolutely believe that that we as Americans have the right to own and bear arms. And I think the responsible ownership and carrying of firearms is essential. But yeah, I've never, I've never looked at like, you know, gee, I wish there weren't guns in the world. That's that that's never crossed my mind. So the one thing I'm starting to find out is.

17:27
I've met more police officers than ex-police officers during this podcast than I ever have because the majority of you guys have retired and there's a couple that I know that are still on the force, but you guys have all written books. So is this a way of an outlet of getting things out that you want to get or is there something about being in law enforcement that maybe you didn't feel quite right about that you kind of want to write that wrong? Why do you guys turn into writers in your opinion? I turned into a writer because...

17:54
believe it or not, my shrink suggested it. The questionnaire that was sent to me before I had my first visit with him, it asked some questions like, what about your job do you think causes stress? And had a couple of lines to answer and I just, I said, well, that's not gonna work. So I drew a big line across the questionnaire and I said, see attached. And I typed up.

18:23
a 14 page response. And when my shrink was reading it, that when we first met, he kept saying you ought to write for a living, you ought to write for a living. You know, of course, I didn't really give much thought to that at the time. It wasn't my my purpose or my idea. I had never planned to be a writer. If I had, I would have kept a daily journal throughout my career. It would have been helpful at this time. But but no, I'd never planned to write. But

18:51
uh, my shrink, you know, he kept, he kept saying over and over, he says, man, you really, he goes, you're a powerful writer. You know, you've got a really good voice and you really articulate things well. And you ought to write for a living. I had to have a couple of surgeries. Part of, part of the reason I left, I got hurt on the job and I, uh, had two neck surgeries to, uh, take care of some ruptured discs in my neck and during the recovery from the second surgery. Uh, I.

19:20
decided to try writing. And he had told me, he said, you know, it's a very therapeutic thing, very therapeutic process to write. And I'd always enjoyed writing. I just never thought about being a writer, but I decided to try it because I was kind of homebound for a while and I was bored to death anyway. So I tried my hand at writing and I wrote a book and I learned that, you know, the old saying, you have to write a book to learn how to write a book is true.

19:49
And it was garbage, but I enjoyed doing it and I liked the process of it and I liked the fact that it was in fact therapeutic. So then I got serious about writing and I took some classes and started going to some seminars and met with some agents and editors and had my work reviewed. And I went through a learning process. I don't know how to say this without it sounding...

20:16
So some cops just write like they wrote their police reports and it doesn't really make for good reading, even though it's entertaining. You know, the story itself, you know, usually is pretty interesting. And, and as a good friend of mine often says, he says, you know, every, every cop's got stories in them, you know, but I wanted to, I wanted to learn to write mine in a way that would be entertaining, that it would, that people would enjoy reading it. You know, that's, that's kind of the direction I took.

20:45
And I've had some success and I'm thankful for that and grateful for the people that read my books. But yeah, for me, it's mostly, it started off being therapeutic and then just kind of turned into a passion. So if anybody would walk up to you and say, Danny, if you write books, you're gonna be a very successful author and be where you are now, would you have believed them? No, I mean, not back before I started or I tried. You know, it was weird, David, like I always enjoyed writing.

21:14
police reports, which most cops hate. I enjoyed the writing process. And so I guess I just kind of always had a damey and didn't really realize it. I started off by writing novels. I had written and published seven novels before I wrote my memoir. And it took me that long because I retired in 2004. It took me that many years before I was even willing and able to write my memoir because that is a whole different deal. That's, you know, the novels, it's mostly

21:44
you know, fun to write those. But when you are going to dig down deep inside yourself and tell the true story about things, man, that's, that's heavy. So I couldn't have written my memoir, you know, within the, within the first 10 years of being retired, I just couldn't have done it. Well, I'll just tell the audience, you guys need to read this man's books because none of your books has lower than a four and a half star rating. I've done my research on that, looked at all your books to see what people were saying.

22:13
everybody praises your books and especially nothing left to prove. I mean, that's, it's carrying a four and a half. I think you're getting cheated there. I think that should be carrying a solid five. You always get, I mean, no matter, no matter what, you can go look at, uh, you know, Michael Connelly's books or Elmore Leonard or any of you, whoever your favorite author is and check, check or click on the, uh,

22:34
on the different stars and look at the one-star reviews. I mean, you're talking about, you can go look at Stephen King and you'll find one-star reviews, people just hammer them, you know, ah, this is garbage. So you're always gonna get those. No one's gonna have a 5.0 star average once you've gotten a couple hundred reviews, it's just not gonna happen. And people say the dumbest things in some of those bad reviews. It's like, they're just haters.

23:01
They just want to get on there and bash you because they hate you. And it's like, okay, whatever. And at first I took it personal. It was, it was hard to kind of get to the point where you see those reviews and you just laugh, but you know, in the beginning, it wasn't, it wasn't funny at all as kind of offended and upset and everything else. You know, it's the same way in podcasting, man, you know, you could have a solid five review and then you just release one episode that somebody didn't like and that's it, you know, you're, you're the worst podcast in the world. Don't listen to his show.

23:30
So I definitely know how you feel in that rating scale. So your Dickie Floyd series I do know that the seventh book of that is pre-orderable now. It does come out February the 2nd It's been very successful How did we come up with the Dickie Floyd series? Well, that was the first Well, actually not the first book. I told you I threw the first book away. The first book I wrote was It was it was not salvageable. It was like a

23:59
an old Volkswagen that had blown up and left oil everywhere. It was, it just had to be hauled off the road and put in the salvage yard. But then the second book I wrote is the first book I published. And basically, you know, because, because, uh, you know, I'd spent the last, uh, seven years of my career as a homicide detective, the, the, uh, the theme was going to be, you know, this, the homicide detectives. So.

24:27
The book was loosely based on me and one of my partners. And that's how the first couple of books kind of stayed with that theme. And then it evolved. Some other characters came in and, and over the, over the time, in fact, the seventh book is really interesting because in the third book, Echo Killers, uh, I introduced a new character and it's a, it's a female named Josie Sanchez and Josie's kind of a bad ass. And, uh,

24:56
And she's really cool and she does some really neat things. But I introduced her and she kind of took over the show. I mean, it's just like, if you go look at the cover, you'll get an idea. She's just a pretty cool gal. And she became one of the partners. And through the course of the following book, she kind of became more of a prominent character.

25:26
And then in the program, I took a pretty big risk. I actually wrote the majority of that book from her point of view. So that was kind of tricky and it was fun. But yeah, the program is told mostly from Josie's perspective. I think people would enjoy it. Now you also wrote the Rich Ferris detective novel. Is that kind of a spinoff of?

25:56
of the Dickie Floyd series or is that a standalone and how are we supposed to look at that differently? So it's a spinoff and kind of like Josie what happened is Rich, Rich Ferris was a background, you know, a character in the Dickie Floyd series that in the first couple books he's, you know, has these small roles. He was a character that just kept telling me that he wanted more and he

26:24
in the sixth book, Unwritten Rules, he kind of like what Josie did is he really became prominent in that book. He and Dickie were very involved in this case and he had some tragedies in his life, Rich Ferris did. And the way that book ends, it just really was set up and it parlayed into his own spinoff series very nicely.

26:55
Um, and, and the spinoff series, the first book in the rich Ferris series is called the outlaw and, uh, and, and that's a really interesting book because rich Ferris is, is black and he gets involved with this, uh, case. He's off in the job now he's retired, but he has a relative who's murdered and he, he gets involved in that case. And it, it's, uh, it's, it occurs in Idaho.

27:23
So he's kind of out of his element and the killer, the outlaw that he's chasing is this white supremacist type of guy that just had gotten out of prison. So it's a pretty interesting story. It's a wild story. I can tell you this. I had a lot of fun writing that book. It's kind of a crazy, crazy story and it's fun, but yeah, it's different. So what do you want readers to take away from Nothing Left to Prove?

27:52
You know, the thing about that, you know, the memoir is, like I said, I really, I wish every cop or anyone who wants to be a cop or is thinking about being a cop, I would want them to read it. I would encourage them to read it. I think that most people, though, will take something away from it. One of the things I hear from a lot of people who are not in law enforcement, aren't married to a law enforcement officer.

28:22
just the regular average citizen is I've had a lot of people just say, wow, I've got more respect for law enforcement now than I did before I read the book. I can't believe what you guys can go through. Because I did, I went through a lot in my career. I don't think that people realize that a lot of cops go through a hell of a lot in their careers and it is a sacrifice to do that work.

28:51
Well, I definitely do. Uh, I've always had respect for law enforcement reading your book. I definitely have a lot more and it's definitely a lot more for you. I'm one of those people. I've never believed that a cop who is a bad cop, cause let's say we do have some of those. They didn't come in that way. I think they got corrupted somewhere along the way. Some people just with handling power like that. Yeah. No, some, you know, David though, some of them did. I mean, that's, you know, that's another thing that people need to.

29:20
recognize and consider is that we make mistakes. We hire the wrong people sometimes. There's people who have been involved. I mean, you look at the rampart scandals and David Mack, LAPD officer and some of his co-arts, they grew up as thugs. I think one or two of them were actually gangsters. And so, putting a badge on them is not going to change who they are.

29:47
And in fact, it was the opposite. It allowed them to kind of go off the charts with that stuff. And I mean, I remember when I was still on the job, we had a guy that was a deputy sheriff that he was hired and got through the academy and he was working custody. And he got busted bringing heroin into the facility and he was trafficking heroin into the jail. And it turns out he had grown up.

30:16
you know, being an associate of a street gang in East LA and was taking, basically he was doing the work of the Mexican mafia, Miami, and bringing dope in. And when they arrested him, and I wasn't there, this is what I was told, I believe it to be true.

30:42
they were going to put him in protective custody. And that's usually what happens when a cop's arrested. And he said, no, I'll walk the main line because he wasn't a cop. I mean, he was, you know what I mean? But he wasn't, he had no fear of walking the main line because the people in jail, they knew who he was. They knew he wasn't really a cop. He's just wearing the uniform. And then he had the protection of the Mexican mafia. And you know.

31:13
his fellow gang bangers. So I mean, there's, we hire the wrong people sometimes. To your point, other times we hire the right people and they become tainted. Environment's part of that too, you know? I mean, on the West Coast, I think there's a lot less corruption than on the East Coast. But on the East Coast, I mean, there's been a history of some really bad corruption.

31:40
you know, and sometimes guys go into that thing innocent and maybe even naive and next thing you know, they're being corrupted and they're, you know, overwhelmed by the peer pressure and they do things that they shouldn't do and never thought they would do and they didn't hire on to do it. Yeah, I appreciate that because I've never heard a take like that, especially from an officer. So I thank you for the insight because, you know, I've always looked at that maybe they don't come in that way but I guess in every,

32:10
aspects of life, you can always have a bad agent that is just looking to get in a position so that they have more power. I appreciate that answer. Yeah, you bet. And don't, you know, make no mistake, you know, some of these powerful organizations, whether you're talking about traditional mafia or the Mexican mafia or prison gangs like, you know, Aryan Brotherhood, whoever, you know, they need to cultivate people within the law enforcement community.

32:40
because it's helpful to them to have people inside. And there's been plenty of cases where that's been revealed and people have been identified and arrested for participating or facilitating the criminal activities of these organizations from within. So it wasn't that many years ago. And I know there's books about it. I can't remember the names, but there were two New York cops, there were homicide cops, and they'd been around forever that were actually hitmen for the mob. They were doing murders.

33:10
I can't think of the name of those guys offhand, but I know there's a book on it. But some of your listeners would probably know what I'm referring to, but you know, that, that kind of stuff is like shocking and it's, it's crazy, but you know, yeah, it happens. Unfortunately it does. So in closing, what would you like to say to all of your, your readers and fans out there? Thank you.

33:37
You know, honestly, David, this whole thing has been a, I didn't plan any of it. It's been a very enjoyable journey. It's a lot of hard work, but it's very rewarding that, you know, not everyone loves my stuff, but there's a lot of people who do. And that keeps me going, you know, and I hear from people constantly and I always respond to anyone that contacts me. And

34:06
And some of these people end up becoming friends. And to hear from people, to have them tell me how much did they enjoy reading my books or how much they meant to them, or especially with the memoir, to have cops get in the hold of me and tell me how it resonated with them. And then they tell me a little bit about their story, that kind of stuff. I mean, it's remarkable to me that I'm in this place now where...

34:36
I have this type of feedback and this type of support. It's just very unexpected and I'm just kinda enjoying the ride. Well, Danny, I do thank you for coming to the show today. I feel like I am a better person for having met you. I hope you consider me one of your new friends. You're welcome to come back on the show at any time that you choose. Just let me know and we can have you back. All right, David. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. And...

35:04
I absolutely would be honored to return to your show again someday. Thank you.

35:13
Alright guys, you heard it there. That was the incredible Danny R. Smith. You can pick up his books, the Dickie Floyd Detective Novel Series, the Rich Ferris Detective Novel Series, and his memoir, Nothing Left to Prove, all from Amazon. And if you are an Amazon Kindle subscriber, you have no excuse for not reading them because they're all free to you under that $9.99 subscription. Be sure though that you read it. Just don't download it. Danny does not get paid.

35:41
unless you are turning the pages, so let's make sure that we support him. All of his links and information will be in the show notes as well as attached to his episode on my website. All right, so thank you guys once again for tuning in. I hope you're all being safe out there. Be good to yourself and each other and always remember these things. Always stay humble. A little love and compassion goes a long way.

36:09
And this is the podcast where two passions becomes one. I'll catch you guys in the next one. Thank you for listening to True Crime and Authors. Don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe. Join us on social media, on Facebook at True Crime and Authors, on Twitter at Authors True, on YouTube and TikTok at True Crime and Authors, and email at truecrimeandauthors at gmail.com.

36:37
Cover art and logo designed by Dazzling Underscore Ray from Fiverr. Sound mixing and editing by David McClam. Intro script by Sophie Wilde from Fiverr. And I'm the voice guy, your imaging guy from Fiverr. See you next time on True Crime and Authors.

 

Danny R. SmithProfile Photo

Danny R. Smith

Author

Danny R. Smith is a retired homicide detective who spent 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In 2004 he moved to Idaho where he worked as a private investigator and consultant before retiring his business in 2022.

He is the author of the Dickie Floyd Detective Novel series, the Rich Farris Detective Novel series, his autobiography, Nothing Left to Prove: A Law Enforcement Memoir, and The Murder Memo, a true crime (et cetera) blog.

Danny has appeared as a subject matter expert on numerous crime podcasts and shows including True Crime Daily and the STARZ channel’s WRONG MAN series.

He is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the Public Safety Writers Association.