The Barefoot Bandit tells the riveting true story of Colton Harris-Moore, America’s 21st century outlaw. Born into a poor family marred by alcohol abuse, Colt foraged in neighbor’s homes and had the local sheriff after him before the age of 10. He learned to evade the law by melting into the Pacific Northwest wilds. As a teenager, he escalated to stealing cars, boats and identities. An extensive manhunt finally caught Colt, but he escaped juvenile prison and fled to nearby Orcas Island where he assured his place alongside D. B. Cooper by stealing an airplane without ever having a flight lesson. And that was just the beginning…

As a resident of Orcas, author Bob Friel witnessed firsthand as local police, the FBI, SWAT teams and even Homeland Security helicopters pursued Colt around the island. The crime spree infuriated and terrified many locals while others sympathized with the young criminal, the controversy tearing at the formerly quiet community. The story gained international fame with Time magazine calling Colt “America’s Most Wanted Teen” when he stole and crashed his third airplane. After more than two years on the run, Colt fled Orcas and began a spectacular cross-country trek. Friel followed the Barefoot Bandit all the way to the Bahamas, where the chase finally ended in a hail of gunfire at 3 a.m. on a dark sea.

Through his personal experiences and hundreds of interviews with witnesses, victims, authorities, Colt’s family, and by using Colt’s own words, Friel gives readers an exclusive look at an outlaw legend. Set against the backdrop of the Northwest’s evergreen islands where tech billionaires coexist with survivalists and ex-hippies, this is a gripping, stranger-than-fiction tale about a neglected and troubled child who outfoxed the authorities, gained a cult following, and made the world take notice.