Man Overboard

Bauer, the author of this book, shows real talent. It was of little surprise when following the book, we . learn he's behind the scenes for many Hollywood Productions. In this true crime saga, we learn of the adventures of convicted felon Phil Champagne. Not knowing a thing about the topic, I found it an interesting read. But more important than the topic, is Mr. Bauer's methodology for spinning a yarn.I've read lots of true crime now, and Bauer is the first book I've read in this unique tone. The three words I'd use to describe Bauer are: funny, sarcastic, and smarmy. This to me is an extremely unique characteristic. How many times have you read Ann Rules and laughed out loud? Umm ... never? This book will have you laughing out loud every other page.Which is why, on the other hand, I dislike the book. These are not victimless crimes Mr. Bauer. I would say the sentence did not fit the crime. Lots of investors and people lost their money. At least one man lost his life because Champagne actively pursued $200K in ill-gotten gains. Widows and orphans were bilked nationwide by his printer press. That fact seems lost on you.The lesson here is "crime kinda pays." I think a better lesson for you to laser in on is: "the whole Damn system is corrupt." The farcical court system in the United States is nothing more than a tool for the Rich and politically powerful. Laser in on prosecutorial discretion, and select give enforcement. To me these two abortions of equal treatment under the Law undermine our Nations superstructure of trust, faith and hope more than any other. Want a concrete example? Follow closely the exploits of the future legal wrangling of disgraced ex-Governor John Kitzhaber and his Shack Up Honey Cylvia Hayes.Still, again, I'm impressed with the author's talent. Oh one more thing: get an editor or fire your existing one. This thing is ful of typos.

Maybe I'm just dense but this was one of the most confusing books I've read and I read a lot of books. It's actually a pretty good story though parts of it would seem to strain the bounds of credibility - shoot outs with no repercussions for example. The story jumped round on time lines and characters, There were lots of aliases and with the confusing jumping back and forth of time lines, much of the time I didn't know for sure who they were talking about. Is Harold actually Phil? (Yes he is.) X-Ray is not active so that's not a source to reduce confusion but honestly I'm not sure it would have helped. And there were some editing issues. Misspellings resulting in the wrong word (new for knew, on for one etc.- dates seeming mixed up. If I remember correctly the story has Barb marrying Richard in 1965 and meeting him in 1974. It's an interesting story but a tough read. If I could give it 3.5 stars I would.

The story here is borderline unbelievable. It will completely maintain your attention and is worth reading. I think everyone who reads will yearn for a bit of adventure and almost wish they could have the opportunity that Phil Champagne had. All of this while thinking Phil Champagne was a complete moron for what he was doing. Tricky and interesting balance. The book is very well written and I enjoyed the style. It had an almost Eric Larsen type feel. The only dissapointment here is that I felt like some things were unresolved by the book- but I think if you read you will understand that they had to be!

I gave up because the facts don’t add up. I’m sure they’re just typos, but it boggles my mind not being able to follow the timeline. On page 11 (of my kindle, 13 on the app) it says he fell overboard in 1982. Same thing on page 16. Then it says on page 44 that he checked into the hotel in 1992. It took 10 years for the bus to drive from Seattle to Portland. Or maybe it just felt like it. Then in the same paragraph it says Barb got married in 1965. She met her husband in 1975. That’s when I gave up. I can get around typos, but I need a reliable timeline.

With the author's interview skills he gets into the brain of Phil Champagne. Phil lives by a different moral code, where one reasons that money can be literally made without hurting anybody. Phil adores but at the same time mocks the wealthy lifestyle. He reasons that his family is better off without him, thinking no one values him anyway, and shows how easy it is to run away and feel the temporal relief of personal freedom. With his charms, it is easy for him to find female companionship and support. To me, it's a middle-aged man gone wild, with other men and women helping him out, not asking enough questions. Women, to Phil, seem to be necessary but on a lower level, made to be used. One hopes for justice throughout. I give this a five-star rating, though I am more of a fan of the gentility of romance novels.

Burl Barer's book is an compelling stranger-than-fiction story. It describes the life and adventures of a man who was presumed to have drowned when he fell overboard a boat. A decade later, after collecting almost a million dollars in his false death claim, he declared that he didn't fake his death -- he simply didn't contradict it. Apparently the money from his claim was not sufficient to support his life style, and he turned to counterfeiting. After a sharp-witted Secret Service agent apprehended him, he was convicted and went to jail. This engrossing book sheds light on what is virtually an urban myth.

I enjoyed this book. The story is an interesting tale of twists and turns. It is written in form of a movie scrip that takes a while for all the players and pieces to come together, but in the end all wonderment of the reader is cleared up. Would have preferred the story to unfold in sequence of events and reveal the players as it went along, but a great story just the same.Readers that enjoy a good crime mystery and adventure should definitely give it a read.

Phil Champagne was truly a character , as much as he tired to be a tough guy, he always seemed to end up on the right side of the law.This was a very different kind of story, it almost sounds like it was made up , and yet was true. He still ended up with his second wife and all turned out well. Truly a story most people will enjoy reading.

Cracking true (???) story which fairly zips along - deducted one star because you can never be sure this conman is not embellishing the truth from time to time. Great how-to manual if you're thinking of doing a runner!

Not what I expected. It seemed to jump from one topic to another and some of the events just did not make sense,inparticular the shooting incident on the boat which his friend was shot dead????

A good read and one of those books you kept turning the pages to see what more trouble he could be in. Well written and I would recommend this to anyone who likes true stories