By Max Bowen 
Author Paul Coggins
From nationally-recognized criminal defense attorney, Paul Coggins recently made the switch to writer with his debut thriller, “Sting Like a Butterfly,” and introducing the world to Cash McCahill, a criminal lawyer who finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
In his new book, “Chasing the Chameleon” (March 6, Savio Republic), A drug cartel gives Dallas defense lawyer Cash McCahill an ultimatum: betray his client or face death. He refuses to turn on his client, prompting the cartel to put out a hit on him. Instead of going on the run, he hides in plain sight by surgically altering his face and stealing the identity of a dead cop 20 years his senior.
Only two people know his secret: the surgeon who gave him a new face, and Tina Campos, a trusted paralegal in Cash’s law firm and a trans woman who helps others find safe, affirming care.
In this Five by Five, Paul talks about McCahill’s growth from the first book to the third, how his career influenced his writing and the messages for readers in the new book.
How has the protagonist changed from the first novel to now?
Between the first novel and the present, Cash McCahill (my protagonist) has done time for a crime he didn’t commit, lost and regained his law license, and gone underground to escape death at the hands of a drug cartel. His legal skills were always sharp, but his survival skills are sharper than ever.
How do you plan your books, given that it is a series?
The series is like the peeling of an onion. At the end of book one, a conspiracy is exposed to reveal a deeper and more dangerous conspiracy, which will be peeled back in book two. The end of each book should expose one conspiracy and tease the next one.
How does your experience with the justice system help you as a writer?
Cops and agents are the biggest gossips and yarn spinners on the planet. As a young prosecutor, I went out of my way to retain their tales, which were a mix of fact and fiction. Since it is nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction, I chose the course of least resistance and became a novelist.
Law and writing are complementary skills. A law professor once told me that 99% of success as a lawyer was picking the right word at the right time, which is 100% of being a good writer.
What are the lessons and messages in the new book?
Cash’s small law firm is the David that takes on a different Goliath in every book, and occasionally he squares off against more than one giant adversary. Diversity and inclusion are the keys to the success of Cash and the firm, which features his over-the-hill mentor, a Dreamer in constant fear of deportation, and a trans woman as the lone associate.
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