Burl Barer (born 1947 in

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

) is an American author, literary historian and

radio host A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a radi ...

. He is best known for his writings about the character

Simon Templar ''The Saint'' is the nickname of the fictional character Simon Templar, featured in a series of novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books un ...

Career

Fiction

''The Saint''

''The Saint: A Complete History in Print,

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, and Film'' was first published in 1992 and republished in 2003. Barer received a 1994

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for the book. In 2010, Barer began research on a second edition for McFarland and Co., expanding the time period from 1992 through 2013 to include everything about the character of Simon Templar. Considered an expert on

and the work of the character's creator,

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.novelization of the screenplay for the 1997 film adaptation of ''The Saint'' starring

Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...

, although the film was loosely based on the character. It was followed by ''

Capture the Saint ''Capture the Saint'' is the title of a 1997 mystery novel by Burl Barer, featuring the character of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint" who was created by Leslie Charteris in 1928. Along with a novelization of the 1997 film, ''The Saint'', also w ...

'', which was released by The Saint Club (an organization founded by Charteris) to mark the 70th anniversary of the character's first appearance in ''

Meet - The Tiger! ''Meet the Tiger'' is an action-adventure novel written by Leslie Charteris. In England it was first published by Ward Lock in September 1928; in the United States it was first published by Doubleday's The Crime Club imprint in March 1929 with ...

''. It is the most recent Saint story to be published . In June 2010, Barer began writing '' The Return of the Saint'', also known as ''The Saint Strikes Back'', a novel set in the U.K. in which Simon Templar takes a personal interest in combating international human trafficking. In collaboration with producer William J. MacDonald, Barer penned a two-hour screenplay, ''The Saint in New Orleans'', as a pilot episode for a new Saint television series that was set to begin filming in July 2011. Unexpected delays, including changes in the lead actor, shut down initial production. As of September 2011, the pilot was cut down to one hour by another screenwriter, and a search was launched for a new lead actor. In 2013, Barer consulted for a new television pilot for "The Saint," starring

Adam Rayner Adam Chance Abbs Rayner (born 28 August 1977) is an English actor. He is known for television roles including: Dominic Montgomery in '' Mistresses'', Dr. Steve Shaw in '' Hawthorne'', Aidan Marsh in '' Hunted'', Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed in ''Tyr ...

as Simon Templar.

True crime

Barer is the author of

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

non-fiction books, including '' Man Overboard: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne'', which was nominated for an Anthony Award by the World Mystery Convention in the category of Best True Crime, ''Murder in the Family'', ''

Body Count A body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate. Often used in reference to military combat, the term can also r ...

'', ''Head Shot'', ''Mom Said Kill'', ''Fatal Beauty'', and ''Broken Doll''. Barer and co-writer

Frank Girardot Frank Girardot (born January 1961) is an American author, journalist, victim advocate, and radio host. He is best known for "Name Dropper" his biography of serial imposter Christian Gerhartsreiter. He is communications director for BYD Auto's N ...

collaborated on the 2016 true crime tale ''A Taste for Murder''. The two authors reunited that same year to write "Betrayal in Blue" based on the memoir of former corrupt NYPD officer Ken Eurell. Barer is listed by the Williamsburg Regional Library in its list of 100 plus

narrative non-fiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction or literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contra ...

authors to read. Barer is known for using real people in his novels and using the names of fictional characters from his novels as "replacement names" in his true crime books, for people who do not want their real names used. Barer, who was once also a "distance reader" (psychic/mentalist), appears in his own true crime book, ''Body Count'', as psychic/mentalist/true crime author Jeff Reynolds, the name of his fictional protagonist in the novel ''Headlock''. Chet Rogers, Travis Webb, and Donna McCooke are other real people who appear in both his works of fiction and non-fiction. Rogers and Webb are journalists, and McCooke is a prominent

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

professional in the UK. Rogers appears as a newsman in Barer's novelization of ''The Saint'', and McCooke appears as a love interest for a jet pilot in the novelization of '' Stealth'', published first in Japan and later in the US and UK as an e-book demonstrating the craft of writing novelizations. He contributed "The Alaska Mail Bomb Conspiracy," to the anthology ''

Masters of True Crime ''Masters of True Crime: Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre'' is a true crime anthology edited by American crime writer R. Barri Flowers. It was released by Prometheus Books in July 2012. Details The book includes 17 true-crime short s ...

'', edited by

R. Barri Flowers Ronald Barri Flowers is an American writer of mystery novels and non-fiction books, as well as a criminologist. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. Early life and education Flowers was born the second of five children in Michigan. He attended Mumford ...

and published by Prometheus Books in 2012.

Television

In the 1980s, Barer and Kenneth H. Thompson established a cable television advertising interconnect in Eastern Washington. Barer Cable Advertising, Inc., utilizing a proprietary method of inventory allocation, became the highest grossing interconnect in America, garnering over 1000 X the national average in dollar per subscriber household revenue per month. The markets were later sold to the Multi-System Operators in the various markets. In 2012, Barer and Don Woldman, previously teamed on Outlaw Radio's True Crime Uncensored, reunited as contributors to various true crime-related specials and discussions on Hart D. Fisher's American Horrors channel, featured as part of the basic tier of channels offered on filmon.com. Barer has appeared on

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Ameri ...

television shows, including ''

Deadly Women ''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network. The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by former ...

'' (2011), ''

Snapped ''Snapped'' is an American true crime television series produced by Jupiter Entertainment. The series depicts high profile or bizarre cases of women accused of murder. Each episode outlines the motivation for murder, whether it be revenge agains ...

'' (2011), '' Scorned: Love Kills'' (2012), '' Deadly Sins'' (2013), and ''

Behind Mansion Walls ''Behind Mansion Walls'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on June 6, 2011. The series, hosted by Christopher Mason, tells the stories of crime and investigation that are unveiled in wealthy fam ...

'' (2013). Barer and his dog, Isis, were featured in two episodes of the series ''

Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan ''Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'' is a reality television series that featured dog trainer Cesar Millan's work with problem dogs. After nine seasons, the series finale aired on September 15, 2012. Episodes of ''Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan ...

''. In 2013, Barer served as a consultant to the television pilot series, "The Saint," starring

as Simon Templar.

Radio

Before becoming an author, Barer was a radio personality in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. He began his broadcast career on

KUJ (AM) KUJ (1420 AM) is a radio station licensed to Walla Walla, Washington, United States. The station is currently owned by Alexandra Communications. It features a news/talk format. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a p ...

in Walla Walla, Washington,

KTEL (AM) KTEL (1490 kHz, "Fox News Radio") is an AM radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Walla Walla, Washington, United States, the station is currently owned by Randolph and Debra McKone's Elkhorn Media Group, through its license ...

in Walla Walla, KYAC Seattle, KJR Seattle, KOL AM & FM Seattle, KIRO Seattle, KQUIN Burien, Washington, and

KZOK-FM KZOK-FM (102.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KZOK's transmitter is located near Issaquah, Washington, on Tiger Mountain, and operates fr ...

. In partnership with Terry McManus, Barer wrote and produced national radio commercials for many touring performers, including

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Barer frequently contributed to the Robert W. Morgan Special of the Week. He received Gold Records for "Nights in White Satin," "Layla," and "Walk on the Wild Side." A compilation by Burl Barer, ''Selections from the Holy Qurʼan: Translations and Emendations by

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; 1 March 1897 – 4 November 1957) was the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, appointed to the role of Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. He created a series of teaching plans that over ...

'', appeared as an appendix in James Heggie's ''Baháʼí References to Judaism, Christianity and Islam''. It was Barer's first contribution to an internationally distributed reference work. Returning to

in the 1980s, Barer teamed with Thomas D. Hodgins to launch several radio stations including Lucky 98, Power 99, and

KUJ-FM KUJ-FM(99.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Top 40 Mainstream station licensed to Burbank, Washington serving the Tri-Cities, Washington area. The Station is currently owned by Stephens Media Group. The New Northwest Broadcasters outlet broadcast at 99 ...

. Barer lived in the Seattle area from 1999 to 2002 before relocating to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

until 2005. In 2007, Barer became a regular participant on the long-running

Internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

program ''Outlaw Radio'' hosted by Matt Alan. In March 2008, Barer teamed with Woldman for their own show, with a focus on crime. True Crimes won the 2009 In Cold Blog Detective Award for Best True Crime Radio Program. The show was renamed "True Crime Uncensored" in 2010, and features interviews with authors such as

Gary Grossman Gary Grossman was the primary developer of ActionScript programming language. He currently works with Robert Tatsumi (creators of Adobe Flash) at Zendesk.https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagrossman/ In his previous position as a principal scientist ...

Gregg Olsen Gregg Olsen (born March 5, 1959 in Seattle, Washington) is a ''New York Times'', ''USA Today'' and ''The Wall Street Journal'' bestselling author of nonfiction books and novels, most of which are crime-related. The subjects of his true crime boo ...

Cathy Scott Cathleen "Cathy" Scott (born c. 1950) is a ''Los Angeles Times'' bestselling American true crime writer and investigative journalist who penned the biographies and true crime books ''The Killing of Tupac Shakur'' and ''The Murder of Biggie Small ...

, Pavle Stanimirović and

Daniel Genis Daniel Genis (born August 2, 1978) is a Russian-American Journalist, Writer, and media person. Early life and career Daniel Genis was born in New York City to Alexander and Irina Genis, only a few months after their emigration from the Sovie ...

. In May 2011, Howard Lapides, executive producer of Celebrity Rehab, joined the show as co-host when Woldman went on hiatus.

Personal life

Barer has two children, Anea Barer and Jordan Barer. Barer has spoken at events for Writers in Treatment, a nonprofit organization founded by

Robert Downey Sr Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue (Manhattan)#Advertising in ...

and Leonard Lee Buschel that provides assistance to writers who have problems related to substance abuse and addictive behaviors. He is the uncle of authors

Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including '' Diagnosis: Murder'', ''A Nero Wolfe M ...

and

Tod Goldberg Tod Goldberg (born January 10, 1971 in Berkeley, California) is an American author and journalist best known for his novels ''Gangsters Don't Die'' (Counterpoint),''Gangster Nation'' (Counterpoint), ''Gangsterland'' (Counterpoint) and ''Living De ...

. A cousin, Shlomo Barer, formerly with the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

, is also an author of historical non-fiction. A distant relative, songwriter Marshall Barer, composed the "

Mighty Mouse Mighty Mouse is an American animated anthropomorphic superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. The character was originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short ''The Mouse of Tomorro ...

Theme (Here I Come to Save the Day)," and co-wrote the book and composed the lyrics for the musical ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

''.. Two other distant relatives, Ariela Barer and

Libe Barer Libe Alexandra Barer (born December 19, 1991) is an American actress, best known for playing the role Carly Bowman in the Amazon Prime original series ''Sneaky Pete''. Early life Barer was born in Los Angeles. Her younger sibling is Ariela Barer. ...

, have appeared in various TV shows.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20161013073743/http://www.donaldwoldmanlaw.com/

External links

*
''The Pilot'', "True Crime Books Popular With Readers," February 12, 2006 (scroll down)"True Crime Uncensored" radio show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barer, Burl Living people 1947 births 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century Bahá'ís American Bahá'ís American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American non-fiction crime writers American radio personalities Edgar Award winners People associated with true crime People from Walla Walla, Washington Historians from California Historians from Washington (state) Writers from Los Angeles