I am a huge fan of Tucson and a huge fan of true crime, so this book was pretty much made for me. I found Bruns's narrative voice to be remarkably vulnerable and well-developed for someone who hadn't done this before, and I was gripped the entire time. The fact that it was written so long ago is that much more astonishing.

It isn't often that the public is treated to such a close account of a serial killer's crimes. Richard Bruns was good friends with Charles Schmid (killer of 3 women) and was only 20 when he decided to come clean and try to end the nightmare that Schmid created. He recalls with vivid, terrifying detail the feeling of being in too far over his head and grasping for his safety as well as his sanity.

In particular, the scene where Bruns is patrolling his girlfriend's neighborhood to make sure that Schmid hasn't targeted her has honestly given me a nightmare or two. It is so raw that it was hard to get through, but it was definitely worth reading. With an author who was actually implicated in these horrendous crimes, I can't think of another book quite like it.

What an astonishing book! The author wrote in 1967 of the murders committed by his friend, a serial killer of 3 teenage girls. The killer actually involved the author in covering up his crimes. Richard Bruns struggled with the horror of the situation and then turned him in. It is only now that the book is published. I was fascinated and had to finish the book in one sitting. (Luckily the book is quite short.)

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I, Squealer is a book written by Richard Bruns, about his friend Charles Schmid, The Pied Piper of Tucson. When Richard was 20, he got mixed up in the saga of the Pied Piper of Tucson, a serial killer who was also his best friend. Can you imagine that? I can't. It would be horrible, and even worse when he blames you for the murders. Richard wrote this years ago and put it aside after he finished. His daughter convinced him to publish it, for which I personally am glad. I found this to be a very fascinating book. A story that needed to be told. I could not put this book down! I had to know more and more. I highly recommend this book! It is an excellent book, written by someone who actually went through the situation.

The author's original manuscript that described the serial murders in Tucson had been written five decades ago. Now dusted off and revived, it reveals the gory details of a serial killer on the loose that no one before had known about. The scenes of the tragedy were well-documented in chronological order.

Richard Bruns was a good friend to serial killer Charles Schmid. During the mid 60s in Tucson, Schmid had murdered three young girls and dumped their bodies in the Arizona desert. In private he confided these murders to his good friend Richard. He even showed Richard where the bodies had been hidden. Ultimately, that would be his undoing.

At some point Richard could no longer hold his tongue. He was conflicted. As much as he liked Schmid he also felt that he was sick and in need of help. He led the police to where the murder victims were taken and implicated Schmid as the primary suspect. He was promptly picked up by the police and charged with the murders. He'd been convicted of the crimes and sentenced to Death Row, later reversed to 50 years to life.

It was a media circus in Tucson. People were pointing fingers all around town mostly at Richard. Schmid had tried unsuccessfully to implicate him for the murders. There were still those in town that believed Richard was the killer. He had to leave. There was no way he could any longer call Tucson home and fled to Phoenix to begin a new life.

My thanks to NetGalley and Twin Feather Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

"I, a Squealer" by Richard Bruns is written from a first-hand account that the author wrote in 1967 about the murderer Charles Schmid, Jr. who was also known as "The Pied Piper of Tucson." This makes the memories of Brun all the more believable since it was written so close to the actual incidents. He writes about the murders he knew that Schmid had committed. Among those, was the murder of two sisters and one girl he had dated before. Brun eventually went to the police with the story because he was terrified that one of his former girlfriends and he himself was going to be murdered also. This look back at a famous murderer will be truly interesting to "True Crime" fans.

This account of the "Pied Piper of Tuscon" Murders doesn't give the insight that all the reviews tout.
The short manuscript was written in 1967 by Richard Bruns who ultimately reported Charles Schmid for the murder of two sisters who he helped bury. The book was ultimately published to dispel any suspicion that he had anything to do with the murders.
Personally, this book did the exact opposite. While the chapters are well written,
there isn't a coherent flow as if the author is leaving things out. It also raises more questions than answers. I kept waiting for the emotional impact that the reviews promised, but to me, any presentation of actual emotions was dissected and was well-written literature.
It's a great insight alright, but I cam away with a very different idea of the subject that other reviewers did.

This book about Charles Schmid, Jr. the so-called Pied piper of Tucson is rather astonishing, mainly because it was written back in 1967. It's an actual firsthand account from the days when Richard Bruns used to be a running buddy of the killer. Although by that late date, he was completely afraid of him and worried that he or the girl he cared about were going to be killed by Schmid. He was half out of his mind with worry and was spending most of his time practically stalking his former girlfriend, just to be sure she was safe. It got so bad, he finally felt he had no choice but to go to the police and become...a squealer. A thing he despised but was the only way he could keep the woman safe. If you are a true crime fan, you will enjoy this historic look at a famous killer from the 1960's, told by his friend who was there. It's certainly an insider's look.

An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, and author Richard Bruns, for my honest review.

Twin Feathers Publishing
March 20, 2018