Spartan Profiles: R. Barri Flowers

BY THE BOOK

            Call him a literary criminologist. He has written 18 books, ranging from legal thrillers in the tradition of Grisham, to detective novels in the tradition of Spillane, to nonfiction books on prostitution, drugs, child abuse and domestic violence. Three more are on the way.

            Writer and novelist R. Barri Flowers, ’77, M.S. ’80, of Portland, OR, most recently published Damning Evidence (Writers Club Press, 2000), Murder In The Rose City (Writers Club Press, 2000) and Domestic Crimes, Family Violence and Child Abuse (McFarland, 2000). His books are in bookstores (or at http://barribythebook.homestead.com).

            “I always had the ability to write since I was a child,” says Flowers, who grew up in Detroit. “At MSU, I found out I was able to write term papers and reports very easily. In fact, even though I was advised to take the comprehensive exams, I chose to write a master’s thesis instead.” That thesis, Criminal Jurisdiction Allocation In Indian Country, became his first book. “It’s still in print, believe it or not,” says Barri, who credits Zolton Ferency, Ralph Turner and other MSU professors with helping him succeed. 

            “I enjoyed a full experience at MSU,” he recalls. “I met people from different nationalities and cultures, and they all had an influence on theperson I am today.” The diverse students he met also help him shape some of the characters in his novels.

            In 2001, Barri will publish three more books, a thriller called Murder At The Policeman’s Ball, and two nonfiction tomes, Runaway Kids & Teenage Prostitution, and Murder In 20th Century America. In addition, he’s planning a sequel to his best selling book ever, The Sex Slave Murders (St. Martin’s Press, 1996), an account of Gerald and Charlene Gallego, who murdered 10 people while they acted out their sexual fantasies. “The book is in its fourth printing,” Barri notes. “There’s clearly a public fascination with true crime stories.”