I was cleaning the garage today, and I found a CD with no label, no nothing. You know, the kind you use to make your own music mixes. I popped it into my cd player, and there was not a single note of music – but there was Secret Service Special Agent Lyle Workman having a conversation with me, over twenty years ago, in which he tells me ANOTHER wild Harold Stegeman story. I recognized Lyle’s voice right away, but it took me a few minutes to … [Read more...]
MAN OVERBOARD-Praised by newspaper as “darkly funny”
"Barer pulls no punches in his telling of the story," writes Frank Girodot, the senior editor of the San Gabriel Valley News Group, "which begins humorously enough: “Phil Champagne died Aug. 31, 1982, in a tragic boating accident off Lopez Island, Washington. He was 52. Champagne was survived by his wife of 28 years, four grown children, an octogenarian mother and two despondent brothers. Phil didn’t know he was dead until he read it in the … [Read more...]
Burl Barer Hosts True Crime Uncensored
Date: Saturdays, 2 p.m. (Pacific Time) Author and Outlaw Radio host Burl Barer interviews crime writers, experts, journalists and even criminals on True Crime Uncensored. Click here for upcoming shows. … [Read more...]
MAN OVERBOARD-Author Meets Conman
Author Burl Barer discusses his first meeting with the conman/counterfeiter that led to the writing of MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne I wasn’t the first author to approach Mr. Champagne about a book, and the fact that he hadn’t said “yes” to any of them encouraged rather than discouraged me. I fired up my Volvo 1800E, aimed it at Spokane, and passed through security at Geiger Correctional Center wearing faded … [Read more...]
Man Overboard – Introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition
My first foray into true crime, MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne, was a surprise hit, achieved universal rave reviews, and was nominated for an Anthony Award at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention as “Best True Crime Book of the Year.” “Oh, Burl,” said true-crime author Ann Rule, “I just know you’re going to win.” I didn’t. Ann won for Dead by Sunset. Ann Rule actually appears in Man Overboard and was the … [Read more...]
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