Burl Barer Tells Readers About the Unique Collaboration That Made BETRAYAL IN BLUE

BETRAYAL IN BLUE: The Shocking Memoir of the Scandal That Rocked the NYPD will be available December 6. Pre-Order Now and Save!

While I’ve collaborated on writing projects previously, BETRAYAL IN BLUE was a unique experience because not only would this be written with Frank C. Girardot with whom I have an established professional relationship, but also Ken Eurell who is a primary character in the story of police corruption in the NYPD.

I knew Ken was a strong personality, and a man who had been through things most of us cannot even begin to imagine. I also knew from talking to Tampa journalist, Paul Guzzo, that Ken was one hell of a nice guy, good father and a very well respected man in his community.

“It is hard to believe,” said Paul, “that Ken was once one of the most corrupt cops in NYPD history. He is such a good guy, it’s really difficult to picture him that way.”

My first questions were, “Can Ken take a bit of ribbing? How does he handle being challenged on things? Will Ken view us as his partners in this effort, even if we push him a bit, and not see us as actually adversarial?”

I couldn’t be more pleased with the answers. It was apparent from our first conversations that he understood that we were in this project together, that our goals were the same, and that all three of us shared a firm dedication to bringing readers a unique, honest and compelling book that didn’t make excuses. Ken, his wife, Dori, and others came forward to offer in depth interviews

When we pressed Ken to reveal more, and make himself more vulnerable, he didn’t back away, but put his heart and soul into this project. After all, this book was Ken’s idea, and he had written a personal memoir upon which we established the book’s foundation.

Brothers in crime Frank Giradot and Burl Barer

Frank Girardot spent hours upon hours discussing all aspects of Ken’s life and career with Ken and his wife, Dori. As my writing hours are well beyond the midnight hour, I would follow up with questions of my own via Facebook messenger when Ken and Dori came on line early in the morning New York time. I’m in Los Angeles, so there was a three hour time difference. They were just starting their day, I was ending mine.

Because Frank and I wrote A TASTE FOR MURDER together, we knew each others strong points, and how to bring out the best in each other. Bringing Ken to the mix didn’t mess with that at all. In fact, Ken’s full participation and willingness to be completely open made this project exciting and fulfilling for both Frank and me.

BETRAYAL IN BLUE is now available, and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it with Ken Eurell.