Ghost Burglar: The True Story of Bernard Welch: Master Thief, Ruthless Con Man, and Cold-Blooded Killer

by Jack Burch, James D. King

Sociopath, murderer, thief...Bernard C. Welch was all these yet he passed himself off as normal. One of his favorite aliases, of the 11 known he used, was Norm. How did this One Man Crime Wave; manage to escape from two prisons, elude police for years and amass a huge personal fortune to become America's Most Wanted burglar? Reporter Jack Burch and Detective Jim King (who was the first to finger Welch) peel back the layers of the criminal career of the single individual that most Washington D.C. enforcement agencies thought was a gang of roving of thieves. The night of December 5, 1980 when Washington's most beloved cardiologist, Michael Halberstam and his wife Eliot Jones-Halberstam returned home to feed the dogs, Bernard C. Welch was doing his fifth burglary of the night in the Halberstam home. Halberstam fought back and Welch shot him twice in the chest. As Welch fled on foot, Halberstam, driving himself to Sibley Hospital, spotted the criminal and ran him down with his 1977 Monte Carlo. Halberstam died that night, but Welch--AKA Norm Hamilton--lived and the resulting trial became a media circus. This is the fascinating story of a criminal mind and life that wreaked havoc in the lives of thousands and thousands from New York to Washington to Duluth, Minnesota.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2012

Reviews

[Wendy Bunnell]

True crime is not usually my thing, but a friend had suggested it and there is a Minnesota connection, so I gave it a shot. The crime and the criminal were truly interesting. But, I don't know if it was enough of a story for a 300+ page book. This guy was fascinating though, and what it took back in the 1970s and early 80s to link together criminal acts together across jurisdictions, makes you wonder what other major criminals never took the rap for half the stuff they did.

It was interesting that it started with a crime that resulted in arrest, but then jumped back to his early life. I had mixed feelings about a ton of it though, as it did seem like an awful person who hurt lots of others was getting undo attention. Also, and I know this is a problem with non-fiction, it was repetitive and got boring. I did like seeing the pictures, so that was an advantage of the paperback. I could not locate an audiobook of it.

I'd like to say that his actions were surprising or shocking, but sadly, they weren't. It was interesting hearing about the different prisons though.

[Doug]

A very well written true crime story. Co-written by a police detective who was a key player in solving the crime. The story takes place in the DC metro and environs area in the 80’s, sort of like watching “The Americans”. In this era coordination between police jurisdictions was very limited which allowed the perp in this story to have a very successful time as a career criminal. Excellent details are provided on his early family life or lack thereof and his personal life taking advantage of women who fell allegedly for his double life as collector of valuables and con man. Jack Burch brings to life in engrossing detail with the aid of the relentless detective James King a hard to put down American crime story.

[Mike Kennedy]

Very interesting true crime read. Bernard Welch was a burglar in the 70’s and early 80’s. He escalated to rape and eventually murder. He was said to have committed over 5,000 burglaries on the east coast. He lived in exclusive neighborhoods and had a cabin with an indoor pool. I really enjoyed this book. The only reason it was read over a long period was due to a couple other books I was also reading. It was interesting to look back into the world of the 70’s where Welch was able to exploited the lack of police cooperation and the spike in gold and silver. It is not a long book, about 260 pages, but it covers a lot of ground. If you are into true crime books, I would highly recommend this one.

[Hope Irvin Marston]

Recently my octogenarian friend told me that he and his brother-in-law once spent several nights sharing an Adirondack campsite with a congenial stranger many years ago. The camper introduced himself as Bernie Welch. Bernie later spent many years on the lam as a master thief and a killer. The story of this notorious gangster is not my ordinary fare when it comes to reading. But the book was a page turner for me, and the end notes about one of the chief investigators land co-author of this book left me in tears.
Hope Irvin Marston, author of THE WALLS HAVE EARS: A BLACK SPY IN THE CONFEDERATE WHITE HOUSE

[Amy McCall]

This was the quickest I have read a book in a long time. I was a criminology major and have worked many years in Minnesota corrections, and yet do not recall ever learning about Bernard Welch. After meeting Jack Burch in person and conversing about this story, I had to buy this book.

It was well written; it kept a good pace and yet was detailed into the upbringing/mind/reasoning of Bernard Welch and how he maintained such a grand scheme. I was mostly fascinated by how cunning he was in involving others in his identity changes. This is an uncommon skill for a criminal, and I appreciated how much the book highlighted it.

This book is well worth your time. Highly recommend.

[Cheryl]

I bought this from the author at a Christmas craft show. It is a true story and much like the Catch me if you can vibe. As Bernard was previously in jail, he then taught himself about what was worthwhile to steal that he could turn around to sell easily on a second hand market. He even had a family that made him look like a regular guy and they did not know how he made his living. He was from out east and met a gal from Duluth MN that in turn helped him with a secondary market for selling his stolen goods. Very detailed writing about the case. It did seem a little long and wordy later on but still an enjoyable read.

[Merry Wallin]

I am always up for a good crime novel. Because of the Minnesota connection and it’s non fiction reporting, it drove me to research the area and the timeframe of events. It was interesting and an easy read.

[Anne]

Bernard C Welch, Jr
Michael Halberstam, cardiologist, Washington DC

[Jefferey Clark]

Amazing crime story, with a local Minnesota connection. Bernard Welch hid in plain sight in Duluth MN. More than 5 stars if I could.

[Twobbema]

3.5 stars. Unbelievable.

[Rita]

Amazing story of a sociopathic criminal who committed over 4,000 burglaries along with rapes and one murder. Only a dedicated detective brought him down.

[Allie]

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in criminology or criminal law. If you're not, you can read the first chapter and skim the rest. It's definitely an interesting story - and one of those that you can't believe it's real. So while it wasn't necessarily the best written book, I was still very curious how it all turned out. The writing acts more as a description of events, although occasionally it attempts to be a narrative. Some of those attempts go better than others, with some stilted police dialogue helping break up the very long paragraphs. It doesn't read like a mystery novel, so don't go into it hoping for a cop who follows his nose to track down the bad guy.

[Marguerite (Margot) Peter]

I have to recuse myself as I've known Jim King for almost forty years, and was quite familiar with the Burglaries which were plastered in the news on numerous occasions over our years in DC. That being said, this is a can't put down saga...totally true and if it doesn't get made into a Movie there is something very wrong with the entire system. The cunning, arrogance and dishonesty of Bernard Welch, and the dogged determination of a few detectives, along with the courage of Dr. Halberstam can't be overstated.

[Scarlett]

The book is co-written by my cousin, James D. King. I'll admit bias, but this book is a great read. My cousin was the detective who investigated this long-running case of a thief with good taste -- who stole only high quality art, jewelry, and various other high end items in Richmond, Washington, D.C., and the Midwest. How he got away with it for such a long time is a compelling story. How he was stopped is another. It's fast-paced, personal, and fascinating. True-crime and mystery lovers will especially like this book.

[Anna Fischer]

I love true crime books and the Ghost Burglar is a fascinating case. The authors did a great job of weaving a long and complex timeline into an enjoyable, comprehensive narrative. I especially liked getting the inside view of law enforcement and understanding how the system worked to Welch's advantage for so long.

[Mike Savage]

Totally true. Totally holds ur attention. Great photos. Stranger than fiction. LOCK YOUR DOORS!

[Mark]

I really enjoy reading about con men and deceitful thieves. I'm happy to say Ghost Burglar has more than I anticipated. The book captivated me.

[Missy]

Cool Duluth connections! Read it!

[Mjw]

Very well researched and written! Keeps you interested. Recent enough history that parts are remembered from news of the times.

[K]

This is a great book that should be a movie. The story is very interesting. I love the Minnesota connection, and the fact that it is a true story.