Episode #46: The World of The Kept Girl: Raymond Chandler, love cults, real-life Philip Marlowes & the L.A. underworld of the 1920s

Summary: Join us this week as we talk with writer Rick Baudé about his research into the little-known Great Eleven cult, a fascinating group whose eccentricities and brash proselytizing provide backdrop to The Kept Girl, our Kim Cooper’s forthcoming novel about Raymond Chandler in 1920s Los Angeles. We’ll also visit with LA Noir author John Buntin to learn about “The Combination,” Los Angeles’ underworld from that time, made up of a potent mixture of bootleggers, elected officials and their henchmen, and about Thomas H. James, the do-gooding cop who stood up to them, one of the “real life” Philip Marlowes who inspired Chandler in his detective fiction. In lieu of a “closely watched trains” section this week, our intro is dedicated to exploring the jazz age Los Angeles of Kim Cooper’s forthcoming historical mystery novel The Kept Girl. We’ll discuss the true crime research and unexpected discoveries that led her from a pair of dangerously charismatic cult leaders atop Bunker Hill to the young Raymond Chandler’s work in the oil business to the “real life Philip Marlowe” policeman who railed against corruption on a busy Broadway street corner. Then we’ll discuss how the various threads have been drawn together into a fictional narrative of a 1920s detective story, and the opportunity for listeners to Subscribe to the book and receive some fabulous benefits. All this and more as Kim & Richard usher in the week of December 2, 2013.