New eBook Collection Out Now! HEAR BURL BARER DISCUSS THE COLLECTION ON CRIME BEAT WITH RON CHEPESIUK! This three-in-one volume features Edgar Award-winning author Burl Barer's works: MAN OVERBOARD, BETRAYAL IN BLUE, and A TASTE FOR MURDER. Barer, a media legend with a decades-spanning career, is a one-of-a-kind, must-read true crime master. MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne details a mind-boggling … [Read more...]
[Re-Post] Author Burl Barer Recalls his First Meeting with Con Man Phil Champagne
Originally Posted October 7, 2014 By Burl Barer 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 … [Read more...]
[Re-Post] Burl Barer Tells Another Wild Harold Stegeman Story
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 grasp … [Read more...]
[Re-Post] Who is the Real Harold Richard Stegeman? Or is it Phil Champagne? Read More in Burl Barer’s MAN OVERBOARD.
Originally posted in 2015 By Burl Barer Phil Champagne, the main character in MAN OVERBOARD, is every bit the rascal at eighty-four years of age as he was when he died in 1982-of course, Phil didn't know he was dead until he read it in the newspaper. Those of you who were born in the '80s or later probably can't imagine it being so easy to make fake driver's licenses with press-on letters you buy at the stationary store, but back in the "old … [Read more...]
[Re-Post] In Love With a Dead Man? The True Love Story in Burl Barer’s MAN OVERBOARD
Originally posted June 29, 2015 by Burl Barer Barb Fraley fell in love with Harold Stegeman, who treated her like a queen, provided for her six kids, and built her a new home and her own restaurant. The restaurant went bust, the couple went broke, and then one day at a pancake house, Barb was arrested for passing a counterfeit $100 bill. The next thing she knew, Harold was arrested. Then she discovered that Harold wasn't really Harold-he … [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...]
MAN OVERBOARD-The legendary Burl Barer (& Co.) interviews the infamous Phil Champagne
Listen in as author Burl Barer talks counterfeiting, drug deals gone bad, and life after death with the protagonist of his book MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne on True Crime Uncensored. The special 20th Anniversary edition of MAN OVERBOARD was recently released by WildBlue Press. … [Read more...]
MAN OVERBOARD-Q&A With Burl Barer
Author Burl Barer answers questions about the special 20th Anniversary edition of his true crime classic MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne Q: How much of this story is true? A : Good question. If it is a pack of lies, the lies are well packaged and expertly delivered. As an investigative journalist, I am trained to investigate. Am I always correct? Yes, eventually. I am perfectly willing to be corrected. Once … [Read more...]
Burl Barer on True Murder
Date: October 8, 2014 Time: 8 p.m. (Central) Author Burl Barer discusses the Special 20th Anniversary Edition of his acclaimed true crime book MAN OVERBOARD: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne with True Murder host Dan Zupansky … [Read more...]
The MAN OVERBOARD Phil Champagne on True Crime Uncensored
Date: October 11, 2014 Time: 2 p.m. (Pacific) What: Phil Champagne, the main character in Edgar Award winning author Burl Barer's 20th Anniversary Special Edition of MAN OVERBOARD recently released by WildBlue Press, will be regaling Burl with tales of his adventures (and misadventures) on True Crime Uncensored. … [Read more...]
