About

Paul Dettmann writes nonfiction about crime, gangs and music. He sometimes writes novels.

Tennessee Vibes

My main project in 2025 was my music Substack. It follows a number of up-and-coming independent Americana musicians mainly based in Tennessee. There is an occasional podcast linked to this newsletter. You can follow or subscribe for free here.

Crime Guy

My longest-running project is Crime Guy. I follow two cases closely: Sophie Toscan du Plantier from 1996 and Suzy Lamplugh from 1986. There is an occasional podcast linked to this newsletter. You can follow or subscribe for free here.

Books

I wrote my first novel as Paul Charles, during my X-Files period in the mid 1990s. From Beyond Belief, also known as The Playground, describes Peter Flynn’s hunt for the evidence that might prove his wife really was taken by aliens. My only other Paul Charles novel was Kicking Tin and it tells the story of an NTSB investigator who tries to solve the mystery of a plane crash that resembles TWA-800. More recently I wrote British Gangs 1900 - 1950, a nonfiction history of gangs in the first half of the twentieth century. I also write crime noir pot-boilers as Ernest McQueen. My two-volume history of Fleetwood Mac is due at the end of 2026. You can read about my books here.