159: True Crime Writing and Reporting with Pepper Anne

When you were in school, you probably did some kind of project or report on a family member. Chances are you didn't uncover something like my guest.

Pepper Anne is a true crime writer, and the author of The Notorious Texas Swindler about Bob Leach, a cattle rustler turned con man and the mastermind behind the Grayson County Five, a group of fugitives who escaped from the Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Texas. Concurrently, Bob was also rustling cattle from unsuspecting ranchers and hosting a party ranch with his then-wife.

Bob is Pepper Anne’s cousin. She’s spent over a decade working on this story, piecing together interviews and insights from family members, victims, law enforcement officials, private investigators, and more. And she’s dealt with some ...