The Berman Murders: Unraveling the Mojave Desert's Most Mysterious Unsolved Crime
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- Create Date：2024-02-23 15:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Doug Kari
- ISBN：1538186381
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Summary
At daybreak on January 6， 1986， a couple on a camping trip in the Mojave Desert set out for a stroll and never returned。 The local sheriff’s office eventually discovered that Barry and Louise Berman had been murdered。 As years passed and the double homicide remained unsolved， the Berman case spawned speculation and conjecture。 Despite extensive investigation by local and federal authorities， to date there’s never been an arrest made in the case – let alone a conviction。 But this doesn’t mean the crime is unsolvable。 After years of investigation， research， and interviews， Kari was able to link the Berman murders to a Cambodian sex crimes and trafficking case involving a former Marine。 This is the first book to tell the full story of the Berman murders and uncover the likely suspect。
Reviews
Lee Husemann
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I enjoyed this very interesting book about the disappearance of Barry and Louise Berman who were camping and went for a stroll in the Movave Desert on January 6， 1986 never to return。 The author did an excellent job researching and writing this fascinating story。Thank you NetGalley and Rowman and Littlefield Publishers for the ARC of this very interesting book。
Live Your Life Reading
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thankyou Bookinfluencers for giving me the opportunity to read The Berman murders！Firstoff， I checked the already existing reviews that were put on reviews and they weren't all that positive because not the whole book is about the Berman murder case， and some people were bothered by it。 So here I am， stirring up the pot。 I loved the writing style of Doug Kari。 He makes reading nonfiction very easy and fun to do！ He writes in a way that makes the story more visual and easier to imagine with less Thankyou Bookinfluencers for giving me the opportunity to read The Berman murders！Firstoff， I checked the already existing reviews that were put on reviews and they weren't all that positive because not the whole book is about the Berman murder case， and some people were bothered by it。 So here I am， stirring up the pot。 I loved the writing style of Doug Kari。 He makes reading nonfiction very easy and fun to do！ He writes in a way that makes the story more visual and easier to imagine with less cut and dry info to dig through。He describes very carefully what happened to the Bermans and then proceeds to describe their trip to Saline Valley， using every point the drive by to give some information on their background， family， personality and beliefs。 It was， for me， the very best part of the book and I enjoyed this way of reading about the Bermans a lot。 A map would have been convenient tho， because there are a lot of places that are named in the book that are unfamiliar for me as a Dutch person。 I did however enjoy looking up those places and maps on my own and it even caused me to watch videos about Saline Valley。 There are some pictures in the middle of the book， which， in my opinion were placed a little bit in aff point， because they were pictures of what was already talked about and about what was still to come， giving away some spoilers of you didn't know the case already。 About halfway through， the subject changes from the murder to the suspect and then takes a turn to other crimes he committed。 It could have used a trigger warning on sexual abuse of children， I was disgusted by it， although I can see why it was talked about。 The Berman case never got the supect convicted but his other crimes paint a very clear picture on what kind of person he actually was。 I really still hope the case can be solved， but I am very glad the supect is behind bars and even almost cried when I read the verdict on his other charges。 But I do hope one day， they find enough evidence to also charge him on the Berman murders。 He may have never been convicted for those murders， but I am sure as hell he did it。 I loved reading about this subject， about these people and I loved reading a book from Doug Kari who is very meticulous about his research and his writing。 3，5-4 stars for The Berman Murders！ 。。。more
Brooke
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Through in-depth exploration， Kari vividly portrays the victims， the crime scene， and the relentless pursuit for the truth。 His straightforward writing style and thorough analysis present every detail of the case with clarity， keeping true crime enthusiasts engaged until the very end。While the narrative is intense， Kari's expertise in storytelling and comprehensive examination of the facts make for a compelling and enlightening read。 If you love true crime and tales of justice prevailing， this b Through in-depth exploration， Kari vividly portrays the victims， the crime scene， and the relentless pursuit for the truth。 His straightforward writing style and thorough analysis present every detail of the case with clarity， keeping true crime enthusiasts engaged until the very end。While the narrative is intense， Kari's expertise in storytelling and comprehensive examination of the facts make for a compelling and enlightening read。 If you love true crime and tales of justice prevailing， this book is a must-read that will linger in your thoughts even after you've reached the final chapter。 。。。more
book_withquotes
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At daybreak on January 6， 1986， a couple’s stroll in the Mojave Desert became a chilling mystery that would captivate the public’s imagination for decades。 The unsolved double homicide of Barry and Louise Berman unfolded as a true-crime saga that resisted resolution for years。 Doug Kari’s meticulous investigation， detailed in ‘The Berman Murders，’ sheds light on this cold case， revealing a connection to a Cambodian sex crimes and trafficking case involving a former Marine。 The narrative unfolds At daybreak on January 6， 1986， a couple’s stroll in the Mojave Desert became a chilling mystery that would captivate the public’s imagination for decades。 The unsolved double homicide of Barry and Louise Berman unfolded as a true-crime saga that resisted resolution for years。 Doug Kari’s meticulous investigation， detailed in ‘The Berman Murders，’ sheds light on this cold case， revealing a connection to a Cambodian sex crimes and trafficking case involving a former Marine。 The narrative unfolds with a factual geological description of the Mojave Desert’s topology and an exploration of sexual rules in a clothing-optional environment。 Kari’s advisory regarding graphic descriptions establishes the dark tone that pervades the book。 The vivid descriptions of the victims’ fate， the suspect’s unsettling life， and the courtroom drama make for a true-crime page-turner that is nearly impossible to put down。The geographical and geological details add a delightful layer to the storytelling， creating a vivid backdrop for the unfolding events。 The book takes unexpected turns， delving into the suspect’s life and the legal intricacies of the case。 While the victims were well-to-do， the mystery somehow escaped widespread attention， contributing to the intrigue surrounding the disappearance。 The reviewer notes that the narrative becomes truly intriguing with the introduction of the Marine into the story， highlighting the turning point in the investigation。 However， they mention that the book lacked readability and intrigue， leaving room for improvement in delivering a more engaging storytelling experience。On the contrary， another reviewer appreciates the well-documented and well-written nature of the book。 The flow of the author’s style is praised for its clarity and lack of unnecessary embellishments。 The unexpected twists and turns in the narrative are commended， contributing to the book’s enjoyment。 In summary， ‘The Berman Murders’ is a compelling true-crime narrative that unravels the mysterious disappearance of a couple in the Mojave Desert。 Doug Kari’s meticulous research and storytelling skills bring the case to life， connecting it to a wider web of criminal activities。 Despite some critiques on readability， the book successfully sheds light on the decades-old cold case， offering justice and closure for the victims。 。。。more
Ke MK
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"The Berman Murders" is a wild ride through a fascinating true crime story。 Kari tells the story of "a colossal assembly of lapses， mistakes， miscues， and derelictions， at multiple levels of officialdom"， that prevents this crime from being solved。 He masterfully takes the reader from Saline Valley's "aura of unfettered freedom" to the wilds of Cambodia to tell the story of the murder of Barry and Louise Berman。 Kari does a great job of researching this true crime story by interviewing many invo "The Berman Murders" is a wild ride through a fascinating true crime story。 Kari tells the story of "a colossal assembly of lapses， mistakes， miscues， and derelictions， at multiple levels of officialdom"， that prevents this crime from being solved。 He masterfully takes the reader from Saline Valley's "aura of unfettered freedom" to the wilds of Cambodia to tell the story of the murder of Barry and Louise Berman。 Kari does a great job of researching this true crime story by interviewing many involved across many years。 It is clear that this book took a lot of work to complete and has personal meaning due to Kari's appreciation of the valley's "adventure， inspiration， and solace。" I would recommend this book to all fans of true crime and adventure stories。 Thank you to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for this ARC！ 。。。more
Cara Norris
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I absolutely loved this book！ It completely fed into my inner crime junkie， and I practically devoured it in three days。 There were parts that were relatively graphic so I definitely appreciated the forewarning。 This was a fantastic nonfiction book！ I would recommend this book to all of my fellow true crime junkies。
Melissa
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Compelling true story of the mysterious disappearance of a unique married couple with the husband who is the son from a wealthy family。 In the search for answers to their disappearance the book turns into a murder mystery which is pretty much solved by the author’s piecing together the details of the topography and layout of the specific area of the Mojave Desert， witnesses’ facts and the presumed killer’s weird， kinky， sadistic life compiled with his lifestyle in Cambodia。The writer’s style flo Compelling true story of the mysterious disappearance of a unique married couple with the husband who is the son from a wealthy family。 In the search for answers to their disappearance the book turns into a murder mystery which is pretty much solved by the author’s piecing together the details of the topography and layout of the specific area of the Mojave Desert， witnesses’ facts and the presumed killer’s weird， kinky， sadistic life compiled with his lifestyle in Cambodia。The writer’s style flowed without being overly flowery or trying too hard。 The book goes a lot of places I wouldn’t have anticipated from the start and I enjoyed that！I always looked forward to picking the book back up and I read this book quickly as I do every good book。Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Kasia Hubbard
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The Berman Murders is an interesting book about Barry and Louise Berman， who go on a 'make up' trip， and are never heard from again。 Doug Kari is great at research as well as very familiar with the Mojave Desert， and really adds details that help one to picture the natural landscape and terrain that brings this area to life。 In the investigations and digging， a suspect is uncovered， and then the story really shows that individual and his background in a different event， and how that event really The Berman Murders is an interesting book about Barry and Louise Berman， who go on a 'make up' trip， and are never heard from again。 Doug Kari is great at research as well as very familiar with the Mojave Desert， and really adds details that help one to picture the natural landscape and terrain that brings this area to life。 In the investigations and digging， a suspect is uncovered， and then the story really shows that individual and his background in a different event， and how that event really ties to the Bermans story。 I have not heard of this， the suspect， the other event。。。this was really bringing to light justice for the Bermans。 Very well done！*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley。 This review is my own opinion* 。。。more
kylie
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I apparently skipped over the line in the description that said these crimes would somehow be tied to trafficking in Cambodia。 That felt like the most in depth part of this whole book and I was not expecting it。 It actually feels misleading to call it The Berman Murders when really we learn very little about them， and instead are given really explicit information about the prime suspect's other unrelated， heinous crimes。 Regarding the titular crime we're only given some broad info on when they w I apparently skipped over the line in the description that said these crimes would somehow be tied to trafficking in Cambodia。 That felt like the most in depth part of this whole book and I was not expecting it。 It actually feels misleading to call it The Berman Murders when really we learn very little about them， and instead are given really explicit information about the prime suspect's other unrelated， heinous crimes。 Regarding the titular crime we're only given some broad info on when they went missing， when they were found， and some speculation in between。**I received my copy from Netgalley。 。。。more
BethK
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I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review。This was a true-crime pageturner that was nearly impossible to put down！ At the beginning were a factual geological description of how the topology of the regions were formed， and a true description of how sexual rules apply in a clothing-optional environment， along with an advisory that it contained graphic descriptions which some people might find disturbing。 Descriptions of the geography and geolo I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review。This was a true-crime pageturner that was nearly impossible to put down！ At the beginning were a factual geological description of how the topology of the regions were formed， and a true description of how sexual rules apply in a clothing-optional environment， along with an advisory that it contained graphic descriptions which some people might find disturbing。 Descriptions of the geography and geology of areas were delightful。 There were vivid descriptions of what happened to the murder victims， and when it happened and was discovered。 There were also vivid description of how the suspect – who was eventually convicted for other crimes – lived his life。 He seems like an all-around bad guy。 There were details about the court case and its appeals， which in itself was a novel application of law。Although these were well-to-do murder victims， and a father with a famous fortune， I don’t recall hearing about this as it happened – with the disappearance having occurred nearly 40 years ago。 。。。more
Kirsten Smidt
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Interesting true crime case。 It explains the story of Barry and Louise Berman。 The story got interesting once the marine got involved。
Kayo
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Interesting true crime。 Thanks to author， publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it。
Kay Oliver
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Barry and Louis Berman go on a camping trip in the desert of California。 When their vehicle is found abandoned they're declared missing and the search is on。 Surprisingly I had not heard of this case prior to picking up this book。 Barry's background made it a bit interesting as did his family's reaction to him being missing。 Things didn't get intriguing until the marine entered the story。 This was well written and well documented but it lacked on readability and intrigue。 Barry and Louis Berman go on a camping trip in the desert of California。 When their vehicle is found abandoned they're declared missing and the search is on。 Surprisingly I had not heard of this case prior to picking up this book。 Barry's background made it a bit interesting as did his family's reaction to him being missing。 Things didn't get intriguing until the marine entered the story。 This was well written and well documented but it lacked on readability and intrigue。 。。。more
Jackie
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