How did the heir to the Kahlua fortune go from Beverly Hills to a tragic end inside a shallow grave? Explore the Mojave Desert's most mysterious unsolved crime.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Laguna Niguel, CA — Investigative journalist Doug Kari releases his true crime exposé, The Berman Murders – Unraveling the Mojave Desert’s Most Mysterious Unsolved Crime March 5, 2024, from publisher Rowman & Littlefield.
During his investigation of the Berman case, Doug laid in a shallow grave to imagine the carnage that occurred there. When a Vietnam veteran went missing, he scoured a remote corner of Death Valley to discover a key clue. And while covering the migrant crisis in Mexico, he walked through squalid encampments to interview refugees.
Doug’s immersive approach allows him to discover the facts without resorting to the “What ifs?” and exaggerations that plague the true crime genre.
In his debut true crime exposé, Kari uncovers the story of Barry Berman, heir to the Kahlua fortune, and his wife Louise — who went missing in 1986 in Saline Valley, a popular Mojave Desert draw for nudists and eccentrics.
“After years of investigation and interviews, I uncovered information no one expected,” says Kari. “The chief suspect’s history of dominance and deviancy in his intimate relations. Jailhouse informants who said they’d heard talk of the murders. The observations and suspicions of a retired Marine Corps general who knew the suspect well.”
The story of The Berman Murders begins at daybreak on January 6, 1986, as a couple on a camping trip in the Mojave Desert set out for a stroll, only to never return. Eventually, the local sheriff’s office discovered that Barry and Louise Berman had been murdered.
As years passed and the double homicide went unsolved, speculation and conjecture grew around the Berman case. Despite extensive investigation by local and federal authorities, there has never been, to this day, an arrest made in the case, let alone a conviction. But to Kari, this doesn’t mean there’s no plausible theory.
Fast paced and meticulously researched, “The Berman Murders – Unraveling the Mojave Desert’s Most Mysterious Unsolved Crime” is the first book to reveal the full story surrounding the Berman murders, making it a must-read for true crime lovers.
Discover more on Doug Kari’s website.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Berman-Murders-Unraveling-Mysterious-Unsolved/dp/1538186381/
Hardcover: 9781538186381, eBook: 9781538186398
PRICING: $34.00 Hardcover; $32.00 Kindle
About
Doug Kari investigates true-crime stories firsthand and in depth. His true-crime stories have run on the front pages of LA Weekly, Las Vegas Review-Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, and other respected outlets. With an English major from U.C. Berkeley, Doug honed his writing skills under novelist and professor Leonard Michaels (The Men’s Club). After receiving his law degree from U.C. Law San Francisco, Doug practiced IP law while doing pro bono wilderness protection work for Desert Survivors, an outdoor group he co-founded.
