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  • Det. III Steve Hodel, LAPD Hollywood Homicide Division (ret.)
    Riveting and unique because it is told from the inside out. Exceptionally well-written and highly recommended. Read it!
    Det. III Steve Hodel, LAPD Hollywood Homicide Division (ret.)
    New York Times bestselling author of “Black Dahlia Avenger”
  • -Jeff Guinn
    Everything about I, a Squealer is unique, from its disturbing theme to the staccato, first-person narration. My best advice is to read it with the lights on.
    -Jeff Guinn
    author of the bestselling “Manson”
  • James Renner
    In the tradition of ‘The Stranger beside Me’ and ‘My Friend Dahmer’ I, a Squealer is an intimate remembrance of a friend who turned evil. It dares to expose the human side of a monster and asks, can we have sympathy for the devil?
    James Renner
    journalist and author of “True Crime Addict”
  • Ron Franscell
    Take a deep breath before you start.”
    Ron Franscell
    bestselling author “The Darkest Night”
  • RJ Parker, PhD
    A gripping and compulsive read that takes you on a twisted ride through the mind of a serial killer and the sinister murders he committed. Hold on tight.
    RJ Parker, PhD
    author of 25 true crime books including, “The Serial Killers Encyclopedia
  • Diane Fanning
    A powerful and intimate exploration of one man’s moral dilemma.
    Diane Fanning
    Edgar Award finalist author of 14 true crime books
  • Emily Ross
    Nothing I’ve read about Charles Schmid brings him and his crimes to life in the way this book does.
    Emily Ross
    award-winning author of “Half in Love with Death”
 

The Book Trailer

 

About the Author

Richard Bruns is the man who turned Charles Howard Schmid Jr. aka “The Pied Piper of Tucson” into the authorities and was the star witness for the prosecution in the cases against Schmid. He wrote his firsthand account at the time of the trials in 1966 through 1967. Once finished, he packed the manuscript away like a time-capsule. He was ready to close this chapter of his life. Fifty years later, his daughter’s have uncovered the manuscript and have convinced him to release his side of the story.

Bruns is a retired teacher and continues to reside in Tucson, Arizona. He takes great pride in his three daughters and three grandchildren and has a passion for collecting antiques. Richard can be contacted through his book website at: Contact Me. He can also be reached through his publisher at www.twinfeatherpublishing.com.

Testimonials

Det. III Steve Hodel LAPD Hollywood Homicide Division (ret.)

New York Times bestselling author of Black Dahlia Avenger


Author Richard Bruns’ chronicling of a serial killer’s fifty-year-old murders in Tucson, Arizona is riveting. Riveting and unique because it is told from the inside out. Though Bruns was trashed by a sensationalized press who publicly labeled him an “accomplice”; in actuality, he was nothing more than what we in law enforcement call “a percipient witness.” He had no involvement in the horrific murders, and he committed no crimes. Mr. Bruns’ writing comes from the abyss found in a hard life lived well. Highly recommended. Read it.

Steve Jackson

New York Times bestselling author of "No Stone Unturned"


A haunting story from the past, written by someone who lived it.”

Jeff Guinn

author of the bestselling "Manson"


Everything about I, a Squealer is unique, from its disturbing theme to the staccato, first-person narration. My best advice is to read it with the lights on.

Ron Franscell

bestselling author of "The Darkest Night and Edgar-nominated Morgue: A Life in Death"


Good folks are rarely permitted behind the dark curtain of crime into the inner sanctum of evil where deeply flawed souls lurk. That’s what makes Richard Bruns’ intimate true-crime memoir so striking and memorable. It is a journey along the razor’s edge of morality inside the criminal psyche, where few answers are black-and-white, but all deathly gray. Take a deep breath before you start.

RJ Parker, PhD

author of 25 true crime books including The Serial Killers Encyclopedia


I, a Squealer is a gripping and compulsive read that takes you on a twisted ride through the mind of a serial killer and the sinister murders he committed. Hold on tight.

Diane Fanning

Edgar Award finalist author of 14 true crime books


I have never read a story quite like I, a Squealer. This is a true story written in 1967 by Richard Bruns, a young man who became friends with a man in his neighborhood who later committed multiple murders as a serial killer nicknamed ‘The Pied Piper of Tucson.’ I, a Squealer is a first-person look at Bruns’ battle with his conscience, his fears and the stigma against ratting on a friend -- a powerful and intimate exploration of one man’s moral dilemma.”

Peter Vronsky

author of "Serial Killers: the Method and Madness of Monsters and Sons of Cain: A History of Serial Killers From the Stone Age to the Present"


In 1965 the charismatic serial killer Charles Schmid, the ‘Pied Piper of Tucson,’ gathered around him a group of teens to whom he bragged about his killings and sometimes even showed them the bodies of his victims. One of them was Richard Bruns who eventually went to the police and later testified against Schmid. After the trial and conviction of Schmid, Bruns wrote his inside account of the murders but never published it. Now, fifty years later, Bruns’ shocking manuscript has been released to the public giving us for the first time a valuable look into the ‘Pied Piper of Tucson’ Serial murders in 1964-1965.

F. Lee Bailey

retired defense attorney and author of “The Defense Never Rests”


It is refreshing to find someone who believes that the Schmids of this world, tragic though may be their contributions to life, are potential assets not insects. If people were to carefully study and chronicle these misfits, we might learn something. I beat that drum best I could in the Desalvo (Boston Strangler) case, but no one was listening. Same applies to Schmid.

Stuart H. James

forensic consultant


I read I, a Squealer with a great interest as it provided me with a view of a serial killer’s behavior and interactions with others that, as a forensic scientist, I do not glean from a crime scene. The personal account given by Richard Bruns of his companionship with serial killer, Charles Schmid, offers a powerful insight into the complexities and uncertainties he endured with this evil person. This book is well-written and Bruns shares many fascinating details of his interactions with the “Pied Piper of Tucson.”

Emily Ross

award-winning author of "Half in Love with Death"


Nothing I’ve read about Charles Schmid brings him and his crimes to life in the way this book does. Bruns’ account of how he summoned the courage to come forward and confront this charismatic and frightening man is gripping and moving. I, a Squealer is a riveting and beautifully written memoir, full of suspense, touches of poetry, and sharp, well-observed details that provide a new and illuminating perspective on a terrible crime. It is both a cautionary tale, told by someone who was dangerously close to a disturbed killer, and a chilling evocation of a dark moment in our history.

Ronald J. Watkins

author of "Evil Intentions", "Against Her Will", and many others


Charles Schmid is Arizona’s most infamous serial killer. Known as the ‘Pied Piper of Tucson,’ Schmid possessed the uncanny ability to lure teenage girls into the desert and to their deaths. Written by his close companion, Richard Bruns, I, a Squealer provides rare insight into the pathology of a psychopath in the midst of his killing spree. Such accounts are rare and of immense value to students of deviant human nature. Though not a professional writer, Bruns presents a compelling account of murder and murderer, and provides at least partial answers to the nagging question of how anyone can commit such terrors. A must read

Marla Bernard

retired police sergeant and author of "Through the Rain, A True Crime Memoir of Murder and Survival."


Bruns chronicles the unraveling of his friend’s mental state and documents the outcome in a gripping story that holds you captive until the end. The re-telling of the Schmid murder spree from an insider’s view makes this a must-read for not only true crime readers, but all those interested in the inner workings of a ravaged mind and the wide net of horrors it can cast.

Keven McQueen

author of "The Axman Came from Hell", "Louisville Murder and Mayhem", and "Mayhem in Indiana"


An account of the notorious Schmid murders of 1964-65, as told not by a reporter or through hearsay, but by an actual acquaintance of the killer who, after struggling with his conscience, turned Schmid in. Bruns’ memoir may be unique in the annals of true crime writing.

Kim Cresswell

author of the "True Crime Quickie Series"


A powerful and chilling first-person true account of the 1964-65 Schmid murders. I, a Squealer is an extraordinary and thought-provoking look inside the mind of a serial killer told by Richard Bruns as he struggled through fear, torment, and ultimately turned Charles Schmid into the authorities.

Barbara Bentley

author of "A Dance with the Devil: A True Story of Marriage to a Psychopath"


I, a Squealer immerses the reader into the crazy-making world of psychopaths. In his firsthand account, Richard Bruns shares his involvement with Charles H. Schmid, Jr., the convicted murderer from 1960's Tucson. Mr. Bruns brilliantly details how easy it is to get tangled in a psychopath's web and how hard it is to escape.

Trudy J. Smith

author of :The Meaning of Our Tears"


This book is a rare opportunity to understand from a first person perspective what happens when a serial killer entangles an innocent person in his madness and crimes. Well-written and powerful, it's a tale of good and bad I'm not likely to forget.

Deb

TrueCrimeDiva.com


I, a Squealer is a riveting true story of one man’s struggle to do the right thing. Richard Bruns takes the reader on an emotional journey as he faces his darkest fears to help police catch a killera killer he personally knows and knows well. This book is well worth the read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves true crime books.

Dave Devine

author of "Tucson: A History of the Old Pueblo From the 1854 Gadsden Purchase"


A gripping eye-witness, behind-the-scenes account of a notorious murder spree from the mid-'60s, an event that marked Tucson's passage from a small innocent town to a large, violent city.

Jeff Klima

author of "The Dead Janitors Club"


Most people who get this first-hand peek into a serial killer’s mind wind up as victims; Richard Bruns has done a fantastic job of bringing us right into the insanity of his circumstances. I just wish he knew more killers so we could get some other books from him… but with his lively writing style, I’d settle for fiction too.

Wayne E. Beyea

author of "Reflections from the Shield"


A well written, interesting, exciting true crime story!

James Renner

journalist and author of "True Crime Addict"


In the tradition of ‘The Stranger Beside me’ and ‘My Friend Dahmer’ I, a Squealer is an intimate remembrance of a friend turned evil. It dares to expose the human side of a monster and asks, can we have sympathy for the devil?

Contact Info


Publisher:


Twin Feather Publishing
PO Box 18910
Tucson, AZ 85731
Website: www.twinfeatherpublishing.com
Email: info@twinfeatherpublishing.com

Contact the Author:


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