About Colin Nelson

Colin T. Nelson worked for 40 years as a prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer in Minneapolis. He tried everything from speeding tickets to first degree murder. His writing about the courtroom and the legal system give the reader a "back door" view of what goes on, what's funny, and what's a good story. He has also traveled extensively and includes those locations in his mysteries. Some are set in Southeast Asia, Ecuador,Peru, and South Africa. Readers get a suspenseful tale while learning about new places on the planet. Colin is married, has two adult children, and plays the saxophone in various bands.

How to Start Writing a Book

writing a bookI’m starting my 7th novel and know how difficult it is to get going.  For those of you who are thinking of writing a book—fiction or nonfiction—the process of how to start writing a book can seem overwhelming.  I’ve got some suggestions for you from my experience.  It’s also important to remember what mountain climbers always talk about:  …

Why the Border-Adjustment Tax Won’t Work

border-adjustment taxI usually write about crime, the courts, and writing, but here’s an article about the border-adjustment tax I submitted for the opinion page of the Minneapolis daily newspaper.  I thought you may be interested since the topic is being considered by congress right now.

I realize an undergraduate degree in Economics doesn’t make me an expert on international …

Here’s Why the World Isn’t Going to Hell

world going to hellI know, everywhere you look or listen, the message is grim—even if you skip everything out of Washington.  It seemed to have been the motivation for Americans to elect Donald Trump—if we need to make America great again, is it really broken?  Is the world going to hell?

I don’t agree entirely.  But that means I take a …

The Answer–Why Our Jails Are Crowded

In most of the cities across the country, our jails are crowded to bursting.  Why is this?  Here’s the answer: $78!!jails are crowded

As an example, in my city, Minneapolis, when low-level offenders are arrested they are put in jail until their first court appearance.  At that time, bail is routinely set at $78 which basically covers some of the …

Why We Have a High Prison Population

high prison populationWe always hear that our high prison populations tops most other countries in the world.  Here are some new ideas that explain this from an essay by Charles Lane at the Washington Post:  http://www.startribune.com/combating-crime-most-hopeful-reforms-bloom-at-grass-roots/420124693/ 

What you’ll find are unique ideas that are different from the usual stories in the media.  Let’s see what he said.

  1.  It is true