Former WGN-AM/WMAQ-AM'er writes mystery novel

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: Mystery author reveals suburbs' dark secrets : : Winnetka author Doug M. Cummings says the suburbs like to cover up their dark secrets. : A former reporter for WGN and WMAQ radio, Cummings saw more than his share of crime scenes and police press conferences all over the Chicago area. In many cases, Cummings encountered tight-lipped officials who told him nothing was going on, even when it was blatantly obvious that a murder or some sort of mayhem had just taken place. : Reputation : "These towns don't want a reputation as a place were a crime happened," he says. "The wealthier the town, the more crap you get from the police -- and the neighbors. The attitude was, 'We don't have to talk to you. We're above it all.'" : Cummings was a deputy sheriff in Kansas before he was a Chicago news reporter, so he understands why the police can't reveal everything, but he says some officials have taken secrecy to ridiculous extremes. : In his second novel, the just-published Every Secret Crime, Cummings explores the relationship between the suburbs and crime -- including that tension between police officials and the media. He'll be appearing at a book signing at Centuries and Sleuths in Forest Park July 13. : The book is the second in a projected series of mysteries featuring a crime-solving television reporter (what else?) named Reno McCarthy, following his first novel, Deader by the Lake. : Although Cummings is best-known for his work as a broadcaster, he has been writing since he was a kid growing up in Winnetka. He recently came across a story he wrote when he was 7. : "It was about a bunny and a dog solving a mystery -- a stolen bicycle," he recalls. : Cummings is still writing mysteries, but the subject matter is considerably darker. Every Secret Crime involves a marijuana-smoking teenager shot during a burglary at a home in Falcon Ridge (Cummings calls the town a composite of various Chicago suburbs). The police charge a friend of the murder victim, but McCarthy believes they've got the wrong guy. As he delves deeper into the whodunit, someone throws a firebomb at one of the TV station's news trucks. The body count increases, and McCarthy begins to discover some disturbing secrets involving a corrupt suburban politician. : "He's kind of like a mob boss," Cummings says. "He has a dirty background going back years, and it's all about to unravel." : Inspirations : This is fiction, of course, but Cummings says it was inspired by some of the real crimes and politicians he has covered over the years. : Cummings spent a decade writing Deader by the Lake. He finished the new novel in a comparatively quick two years, and he hopes the next one will come even faster. "This time, I actually have an outline," he says. : Cummings self-published his first book through iUniverse and he praises the company for getting him into print and helping him to make the novel a success. But Cummings says he encountered a lot of hostility among bookstore owners, publishers and other writers to the whole idea of self-publishing. So he postponed the release of Every Secret Crime last year, even though Booklist had already given it a positive review. : Cummings lined up a deal with an established publisher, Five Star. Cummings, who is signing Every Secret Crime this month in Forest Park, Lake Forest and Winnetka, is pleased with the results so far. : "The book is getting out there," he says. : : (Oak Park Leaves)

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