About Mark Lauchs

NBN Episodes hosted by Mark:

Federico Varese, "Mafias on the Move: How Organized Crime Conquers New Territories" (Princeton UP, 2011)

April 12, 2019

Mafias on the Move

Federico Varese
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Tonight we are talking with Federico Varese about his new book Mafias on the Move: How Organized Crime Conquers New Territories (Princeton University …

Charles Miranda, "Deception" (Allen and Urwin, 2012)

February 13, 2015

Deception

Charles Miranda
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Mark Standen was a hero to drug enforcement police. Not only was he a great guy but he was an extremely effective police officer. Unfortunately, he al…

James Martin, "Drugs on the Dark Net: How Cryptomarkets are Transforming the Global Trade in Illicit Drugs" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)

October 9, 2014

Drugs on the Dark Net

James Martin
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

I am old enough to realise that we have entered a science fiction world in which the old systems of the market place are being sidestepped by new tech…

Robert Lombardo, "Organized Crime in Chicago: Beyond the Mafia" (U Illinois Press, 2012)

September 8, 2014

Organized Crime in Chicago

Robert Lombardo
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Chicago would be one of the first places that people think of when the topic of organized crime is raised. Al Capone made the city famous during prohi…

Mark Mazzetti, "The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth" (Penguin, 2013)

August 8, 2014

The Way of the Knife

Mark Mazzetti
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

There are many movies about evil CIA agents assassinating supposed enemies of the US. Those who saw the latest Captain America movie will have witness…

John Dickie, "Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse" (Sceptre, 2014)

July 1, 2014

Mafia Republic

John Dickie
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse (Sceptre, 2013) is the second book by John Dickie on the history of the three organized crime groups from South…

Peter Maguire and Mike Ritter, "Thai Stick" (Columbia UP, 2013)

March 29, 2014

Thai Stick

Peter Maguire and Mike Ritter
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Reading Peter Maguire and Mike Ritter's book Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade (Columbia University Press, 201…

Jarrod Gilbert, "Patched: The History of Gangs in New Zealand" (Auckland UP, 2013)

February 6, 2014

Patched

Jarrod Gilbert
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Jarrod Gilbert is very lucky that he comes from a country the size of New Zealand. With only 4 million people he could carry out a project that would …

Joseph Albini and Jeffrey S. McIllwain, "Deconstructing Organized Crime: An Historical and Theoretical Study" (MacFarlane, 2012)

January 31, 2014

Deconstructing Organized Crime

Joseph Albini and Jeffrey S. McIllwain
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Joseph Albini and Jeffrey S. McIllwain, Deconstructing Organized Crime: An Historical and Theoretical Study (MacFarlane, 2012) is not, as some academi…

Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, "Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda" (Time Books, 2011)

October 25, 2013

Counterstrike

Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

There are many books about the war against Al Qaeda. Most of these focus on counter-terrorism or counter insurgency military tactics or espionage oper…

Dick Hobbs, "Lush Life: Constructing Organized Crime in the UK" (Oxford UP, 2013)

September 20, 2013

Lush Life

Dick Hobbs
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

There is a fascinating area of study of how communities around the world realized there was such a concept as organized crime. This topic is driven by…

Guido Steinberg, "German Jihad: On the Internationalisation of Islamist Terrorism" (Columbia UP, 2013)

September 10, 2013

German Jihad

Guido Steinberg
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

I have read quite a few books on terrorism but always from an English language perspective. This has meant that I was missing the alternative stories …

Ioan Grillo, "El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency" (Bloomsbury, 2012)

August 19, 2013

El Narco

Ioan Grillo
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Today I spoke to Ioan Grillo about his book El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency (Bloomsbury, 2012). This book is an excellent introduction t…

Michael F. Armstrong, "They Wished they were Honest: The Knapp Commission and New York City Police Corruption" (Columbia UP, 2012)

June 19, 2013

They Wished they were Honest

Michael F. Armstrong
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Anyone who studies police corruption will be aware of the Knapp Commission that examined allegations of police corruption in New York City in the 1970…

Jeffrey D. Simon, "Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat" (Prometheus Books, 2013)

April 26, 2013

Lone Wolf Terrorism

Jeffrey D. Simon
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

It was timely to record this interview just after the Boston Bombing. Lone Wolf terrorists are individuals operating outside organized groups. If the …

Paul Lieberman, "Gangster Squad: Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles" (St. Martin's Press, 2012)

April 17, 2013

Gangster Squad

Paul Lieberman
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Gangster Squad (St. Martin's Press, 2012) the book is not Gangster Squad the movie. One is a detailed and thoroughly researched account of organized c…

John Dickie, "Mafia Brotherhoods: The Rise of the Italian Mafias" (Septre, 2012)

April 9, 2013

Mafia Brotherhoods

John Dickie
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

John Dickie is an historian of Italian organized crime who has a fairly unique perspective as he writes in English but is able to read the Italian sou…

Patrick Dunleavy, "The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism's Prison Connection" (Potomac Books, 2011)

March 28, 2013

The Fertile Soil of Jihad

Patrick Dunleavy
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Patrick Dunleavy is the author of The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism's Prison Connection (Potomac Books, 2011). He provides us with a fascinating in…

Paul Kan, "Cartels at War: Mexico's Drug-Fueled Violence and the Threat to US National Security" (Potomac Books, 2012)

March 7, 2013

Cartels at War

Paul Kan
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

The violence in Mexico is receiving a lot of media attention internationally. Paul Rexton Kan has produced a book that provides us with a comprehensiv…

Declan Hill, "The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime" (McClelland & Stewart, 2010)

November 13, 2012

The Fix

Declan Hill
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Today we are talking to Declan Hill about his new book The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime (McClelland & Stewart, 2010). Most of my research focus…

Blake Mobley, "Terrorism and Counter-Intelligence: How Terrorist Groups Elude Detection" (Columbia UP, 2012)

October 23, 2012

Terrorism and Counter-Intelligence

Blake Mobley
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Today we talked to Blake Mobley about his new book Terrorism and Counter-Intelligence: How Terrorist Groups Elude Detection (Columbia University Press…

Maurice Punch, "State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles: Counter Insurgency, Government Deviance and Northern Ireland" (Pluto Press, 2012)

October 16, 2012

State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles

Maurice Punch
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Today we spoke to Maurice Punch about his new book: State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles: Counter Insurgency, Government Deviance and Northern I…

Antonio Guistozzi, "The Art of Coercion: The Primitive Accumulation and Management of Coercive Power " (Hurst, 2012)

September 5, 2012

The Art of Coercion

Antonio Guistozzi
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Today we have been talking to Antonio Guistozzi about his new book The Art of Coercion: The Primitive Accumulation and Management of Coercive Power (H…

Riaz Hassan, "Suicide Bombings" (Routledge, 2011)

July 9, 2012

Suicide Bombing

Riaz Hassan
Hosted by Mark Lauchs

Suicide Bombings is a Routledge Shortcuts version of Riaz Hassan's longer book Life as a Weapon: The Global Rise of Suicide Bombings (Routledge, 2011)…