Episode 38: David Heinzmann

David Heinzmann is a Chicago Tribune reporter and author of the crime novel A Word to the Wise. After receiving his Master's in Journalism from the University of Illinois, David worked for the Associated Press in Baltimore and for the Daily Southtown on Chicago's South Side. It was while covering the sometimes gritty and corrupt south suburbs that David first began writing about white collar crime and the frequent connection between crime and development, and it was there that the seeds for writing crime fiction were planted.

Sara Paretsky, author of the V. I. Warshawski series described A Word to the Wise as "An eye-popping look at Chicago's political underbelly. Heinzmann knows what makes "the city that works" tick, and the lines he draws between the Outfit, City Hall, and Chicago's legal and corporate players will make your blood run cold."

As a reporter covering Chicago's crime beat, David has been interviewed on numerous programs on CNN, MSNBC and NPR. In addition to writing about crime for the Tribune, David does some political reporting. He was part of the investigation into the former lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen, whose background came into question following a primary victory that surprised even seasoned political observers.

David discusses his childhood in Metamora, his early inspirations, the influence of his creative writing teacher A. E. Claeyssens, media biases, and the role of a reporter in journalism.