Karl Kahler

Karl Kahler is coauthor with Harry Bodaan of the true crime book "The Murder in Room 3: The True Story Behind a Shocking Crime in Costa Rica," also available in Spanish under the title "Asesinato en la habitación 3: La historia real de un atroz crimen en Costa Rica." This book is an exhaustive exploration of the facts behind the 2020 murder of the Costa Rican anesthesiologist Dr. María Luisa Cedeño at a hotel in Manuel Antonio. Bodaan, the owner of the hotel, was charged with being an accomplice in this crime in 2020 but was acquitted in 2023.

Karl is also author of "Manic Dawn: The Strange Adventures of a Mad Father and a Loyal Son," a memoir about his father’s long battle with a severe type of bipolar mania that got him into every kind of trouble imaginable. "Manic Dawn" is a harrowing descent into madness, and a son’s uncommonly intimate portrait of a troubled father.

Karl is also author of "The Cult That Snapped: A Journey Into The Way International," the definitive exposé of a major American cult. A detailed history within a provocative memoir, this book draws on interviews with former top leaders and the women who knew them to craft a devastating portrait of The Way International.

Karl also wrote "Frommer’s Costa Rica 2017," a guidebook to “the happiest country in the world,” published by one of the leading names in travel books.

Born in Arkansas in 1963, Karl grew up in California, Venezuela, British Columbia, Mexico, Alaska and Bolivia, the younger of two boys in a globe-trotting family of international educators. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and history. He joined the San Jose Mercury News as a copy-editing intern and worked there for 25 years, departing in 2014 as national editor.

Karl moved to Costa Rica in 2015 and became travel editor of the Tico Times and then senior writer at Howler Magazine. He currently offers writing, editing and Spanish-English translation services through his company Writers on the Storm. Karl lives in Costa Rica’s south Caribbean with his girlfriend and two cats.​