Synopses & Reviews
A true story of a bank robber and a chilling car chase worthy of an Elmore Leonard novel or a Brian De Palma movie.
Like many new arrivals to Canada, Hermann Beier came to this country with big dreams - visions of a wide-open country where hard work and entrepreneurial flair would make him rich. A charismatic handyman, martial arts teacher, and small business owner, he charmed women and earned the respect of men. He was loved in his community of Alliston, Ontario, and had a plan to make a million bucks. But when those dreams soured, Beier turned to crime to pay the bills.
Faced with bankruptcy in 1991, Beier hatched a plan to rob a string of banks in a single day. But it was all too much, too fast. After leading authorities from Guelph to Caledon on what was then the longest police chase in Canadian history, Beier was gunned down alongside a farmer's fence, his body pierced by a hail of police bullets.
But he survived, and the end of his crime spree marked a new beginning. After spending almost a decade in various Ontario prisons, searching for a way to get his life back on track, Beier was finally paroled. He now lives a quiet life, dividing his time between Canada and Austria.
Review
Cooper has written a fast-paced, first-person account of a crime spree, its back story, the actual event in great detail, and the aftermath, prison, parole and now, private life. It's an absorbing slice of real crime reporting, well worth tracking down. Owen Sound Sun-Times
Review
This is a great book, especially if you're a fan of true crime. This is one you'll want to add to your reading list. Crime and Punishment, CJOB
Synopsis
Desperate, Hermann Beier of Alliston, Ontario, turned to bank robbery in the early 1990s to pay his mounting bills and ended up being pursued in what became at the time the longest police chase in Canadian history. Gunned down in a hail of bullets, Beier lived to tell the tale and gain a chance to restart his life.
About the Author
John Cooper has published a number of books on African-Canadian history, including Shadow Running: Ray Lewis, Canadian Railway Porter and Olympic Athlete and Season of Rage: Hugh Burnett and the Struggle for Civil Rights. He is also the author of the teen novel The Greyhound. Cooper lives in Whitby, Ontario.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Happy Halloween
Chapter Two: 1985
Chapter Three: Millhaven Penitentiary, March 1993
Chapter Four: Visit Number Two, Millhaven
Chapter Five: The Robberies
Chapter Six: Halloween 1991
Chapter Seven: Rockwood
Chapter Eight: Guelph
Chapter Nine: The Aftermath
Chapter Ten: Alliston
Chapter Eleven: Budgies
Chapter Twelve: Collins Bay Penitentiary
Chapter Thirteen: The “Help” Groups
Chapter Fourteen: The Surprise
Chapter Fifteen: Hermann at Work
Chapter Sixteen: Wedding Bells
Chapter Seventeen: Hermann’s Lawyer, Paul Stern
Chapter Eighteen: Granola and Sandals: Beard, Carlisle
Chapter Nineteen: In the “Bay” with Mr. and Mrs. Beier
Chapter Twenty: Bank Robbery — A Popular Subject, a Popular Crime
Chapter Twenty-One: The Trial
Chapter Twenty-Two: March 13, 1995
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Operation and the Appeal
Chapter Twenty-Four: Endpoint