
Blessed Are the Bank Robbers
The True Adventures of an Evangelical Outlaw
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $13.60
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Chas Smith
-
By:
-
Chas Smith
About this listen
A rollicking true story of Bibles and bank robberies in Southern California, from a talented and highly praised gonzo journalist.
Chas Smith grew up deeply enmeshed in the evangelical Christian world that grew out of Southern California in the late 1960s. His family included famous missionaries and megachurch pastors, but his cousin Daniel Courson was Grandma’s favorite. Smith looked up to Cousin Danny. He was handsome, adventurous, and smart, earned a degree from Bible college, and settled into a family and a stable career.
Needless to say, it was a big surprise when Cousin Danny started robbing banks. Known as the “Floppy Hat Bandit”, Courson robbed 19 of them in a torrid six-week spree before being caught and sentenced to seven years. When he tried to escape, they tacked on another year. And when he finally got out, despite seeming to be back on the straight and narrow, Cousin Danny disappeared. Banks started getting robbed again. It seemed Cousin Danny might be gunning for the record.
Smith’s Blessed Are the Bank Robbers is the wild, and wildly entertaining, story of an all-American antihero. It’s a tale of bank robberies, art and jewel heists, high-speed chases, fake identities, encrypted Swiss email accounts, jilted lovers, and the dark side of an evangelical family (and it wasn’t just Danny; an uncle was mixed up with the mujahideen). It’s a book about what it means to live inside the church and outside the law.
©2022 by Chas Smith. Published in 2022 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved (P)2022 by Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
-
Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell
- A True Story of Violence, Corruption, and the Soul of Surfing
- By: Chas Smith, Joan Jett - foreword
- Narrated by: Chas Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell is surfer and former war reporter Chas Smith's wild and unflinching look at the high-stakes world of surfing on Oahu's North Shore - a riveting, often humorous, account of beauty, greed, danger, and crime. For two months every winter, when Pacific storms make landfall, swarms of mainlanders, Brazilians, Australians, and Europeans flock to Oahu's paradisiacal North Shore for surfing's Triple Crown competition. Smith reveals how this influx transforms a sleepy strip of coast into a lawless, violent, drug-addled, and adrenaline-soaked mecca.
-
-
Chas Smith is a jerk, but he writes well
- By Kevin Degnan on 12-15-22
By: Chas Smith, and others
-
Reports from Hell
- By: Chas Smith
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gonzo ride through war-torn Yemen as only Chas Smith, the award-winning author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell and Cocaine + Surfing: A Sordid History of Surfing's Greatest Love Affair, could provide. Follow Smith and his misfit band of merrymakers as they search for the true origins of Al Qaeda and endeavor to ride the unsurfed waves of Yemen all while exploring the slim opportunities for fun in the margins of our global war on terror and at any cost - even if it means eventual kidnapping by Hezbollah.
-
-
What a great listen
- By Anonymous User on 10-22-24
By: Chas Smith
-
Bad Karma
- The True Story of a Mexico Trip from Hell
- By: Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Joe Zieja
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1978, 21-year-old Paul Wilson jumps at the chance to join two local icons on a dream surf trip to mainland Mexico, unaware their ultimate destination lies in the heart of the drug cartel country. Having no earthly idea of where he’ll get the money to pay his share and determined to prove his mettle, he does the only thing he can think of: He robs a supermarket.
-
-
Incredible
- By Ed Leon AKA Perro on 05-15-21
By: Paul Wilson
-
Barbarian Days
- A Surfing Life
- By: William Finnegan
- Narrated by: William Finnegan
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pulitzer Prize, Biography, 2016. Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.
-
-
What a Jerk.
- By ML Sadler on 03-06-17
By: William Finnegan
-
Pipe Dreams
- A Surfer's Journey
- By: Kelly Slater
- Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleven-time world surfing champion, actor, and American heartthrob Kelly Slater tells his inspiring story of triumph over adversity. From Beach Blanket Bingo to Baywatch to Blue Crush, surfing has fascinated people for years, and Kelly Slater is the sport’s hottest star. He has won more world championships than any other competitor, and he continues to change peoples’ minds about what can and can’t be done on a surfboard.
-
-
Not about surfing
- By Deborah McCandless on 07-31-21
By: Kelly Slater
-
Let My People Go Surfing
- The Education of a Reluctant Businessman - Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual
- By: Yvon Chouinard, Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove, Yvon Chouinard
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his long-awaited memoir, Yvon Chouinard - legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc. - shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment.
-
-
Good presentation, though a little preachy
- By Jim Perkins on 05-25-17
By: Yvon Chouinard, and others
-
Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell
- A True Story of Violence, Corruption, and the Soul of Surfing
- By: Chas Smith, Joan Jett - foreword
- Narrated by: Chas Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell is surfer and former war reporter Chas Smith's wild and unflinching look at the high-stakes world of surfing on Oahu's North Shore - a riveting, often humorous, account of beauty, greed, danger, and crime. For two months every winter, when Pacific storms make landfall, swarms of mainlanders, Brazilians, Australians, and Europeans flock to Oahu's paradisiacal North Shore for surfing's Triple Crown competition. Smith reveals how this influx transforms a sleepy strip of coast into a lawless, violent, drug-addled, and adrenaline-soaked mecca.
-
-
Chas Smith is a jerk, but he writes well
- By Kevin Degnan on 12-15-22
By: Chas Smith, and others
-
Reports from Hell
- By: Chas Smith
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gonzo ride through war-torn Yemen as only Chas Smith, the award-winning author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell and Cocaine + Surfing: A Sordid History of Surfing's Greatest Love Affair, could provide. Follow Smith and his misfit band of merrymakers as they search for the true origins of Al Qaeda and endeavor to ride the unsurfed waves of Yemen all while exploring the slim opportunities for fun in the margins of our global war on terror and at any cost - even if it means eventual kidnapping by Hezbollah.
-
-
What a great listen
- By Anonymous User on 10-22-24
By: Chas Smith
-
Bad Karma
- The True Story of a Mexico Trip from Hell
- By: Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Joe Zieja
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1978, 21-year-old Paul Wilson jumps at the chance to join two local icons on a dream surf trip to mainland Mexico, unaware their ultimate destination lies in the heart of the drug cartel country. Having no earthly idea of where he’ll get the money to pay his share and determined to prove his mettle, he does the only thing he can think of: He robs a supermarket.
-
-
Incredible
- By Ed Leon AKA Perro on 05-15-21
By: Paul Wilson
-
Barbarian Days
- A Surfing Life
- By: William Finnegan
- Narrated by: William Finnegan
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pulitzer Prize, Biography, 2016. Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.
-
-
What a Jerk.
- By ML Sadler on 03-06-17
By: William Finnegan
-
Pipe Dreams
- A Surfer's Journey
- By: Kelly Slater
- Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleven-time world surfing champion, actor, and American heartthrob Kelly Slater tells his inspiring story of triumph over adversity. From Beach Blanket Bingo to Baywatch to Blue Crush, surfing has fascinated people for years, and Kelly Slater is the sport’s hottest star. He has won more world championships than any other competitor, and he continues to change peoples’ minds about what can and can’t be done on a surfboard.
-
-
Not about surfing
- By Deborah McCandless on 07-31-21
By: Kelly Slater
-
Let My People Go Surfing
- The Education of a Reluctant Businessman - Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual
- By: Yvon Chouinard, Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove, Yvon Chouinard
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his long-awaited memoir, Yvon Chouinard - legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc. - shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment.
-
-
Good presentation, though a little preachy
- By Jim Perkins on 05-25-17
By: Yvon Chouinard, and others
-
All for a Few Perfect Waves
- The Audacious Life and Legend of Rebel Surfer Miki Dora
- By: David Rensin
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 20 years, Miki "Da Cat" Dora was the king of Malibu surfers - a dashing, enigmatic rebel who dominated the waves, ruled his peers' imaginations, and who still inspires the fantasies of wannabes to this day. And yet, Dora railed against surfing's sudden post-Gidget popularity and the overcrowding of his once empty waves, even after this avid sportsman, iconoclast, and scammer of wide repute ran afoul of the law and led the FBI on a remarkable seven-year chase around the globe in 1974.
-
-
Disappointing
- By L. Fogelquist on 02-16-22
By: David Rensin
-
Waterman
- The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
- By: David Davis
- Narrated by: Aaron Killian
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Waterman is the first comprehensive biography of Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968): swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon, waterman.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Chris on 10-07-18
By: David Davis
-
Gambler
- Secrets from a Life at Risk
- By: Billy Walters
- Narrated by: Billy Walters
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anybody can get lucky. Nobody controls the odds like Billy Walters. Widely regarded as “the Michael Jordan of sports betting,” Walters is a living legend in Las Vegas and among sports bettors worldwide. With an unmatched winning streak of thirty-six consecutive years, Walters has become fabulously wealthy by placing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in gross wagers, including one Super Bowl bet of $3.5 million alone. Competitors desperate to crack his betting techniques have tried hacking his phones, cloning his beepers, rifling through his trash, and bribing his employees.
-
-
Good but
- By Amazon Customer on 08-30-23
By: Billy Walters
-
Beyond the Mountain
- By: Steve House, Reinhold Messner - foreword
- Narrated by: Steve House
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does it take to be one of the world's best high-altitude mountain climbers? A lot of fundraising; traveling in some of the world's most dangerous countries; enduring cold bivouacs, searing lungs, and a cloudy mind when you can least afford one. It means learning the hard lessons the mountains teach. Steve House built his reputation on ascents throughout the Alps, Canada, Alaska, the Karakoram, and the Himalaya that have expanded possibilities of style, speed, and difficulty.
-
-
A life-changing book
- By barbudo on 05-02-18
By: Steve House, and others
-
Against the Water
- A Surfing Champion's Inspirational Journey to Olympic Glory
- By: Owen Wright
- Narrated by: Barton Welch
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the morning of 10 December 2015, Owen Wright entered the water at Pipeline, Hawaii, determined to become a world champion. But after being pounded by a set of monstrous waves, he ended up fighting for life and facing extensive brain trauma. In this inspirational memoir, Wright chronicles the events leading up to that fateful day, as well as the months and years that followed as he battled to regain basic functioning, and eventually the capacity to compete again at the apex of surfing.
-
-
Truly excellent - exceed expectations and some.
- By TuJaded on 10-24-23
By: Owen Wright
-
In Search of Captain Zero
- A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road
- By: Allan C. Weisbecker
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his longtime friend and surfing companion, Christopher, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Christopher's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, and the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend.
-
-
another poser
- By will crow on 02-20-20
-
Trailed
- One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders
- By: Kathryn Miles
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1996, two skilled backcountry leaders, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, entered Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park for a week-long backcountry camping trip. The free-spirited and remarkable young couple had met and fallen in love the previous summer while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. During their final days in the park, they descended the narrow remnants of a trail and pitched their tent in a hidden spot. After the pair didn’t return home as planned, park rangers found a scene of horror at their campsite.
-
-
Far Too Long
- By Judy on 06-21-22
By: Kathryn Miles
-
Born to Be Hanged
- The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune
- By: Keith Thomson
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than 300 daring, hardened pirates—a potent mix of low-life scallywags and a rare breed of gentlemen buccaneers—gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships. The booty: the bright gleam of Spanish gold and the chance to become a legend. So begins one of the greatest piratical adventures of the era—a story not given its full due until now.
-
-
Fascinating tale of 17th Piracy in the Americas
- By Xmeromotu on 07-11-22
By: Keith Thomson
-
Caught Inside
- A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast
- By: Daniel Duane
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A wondrous, uproarious, and surprisingly informative account of a year spend surfing, Caught Inside marks the arrival of an exuberant new voice of the outdoors. This remarkable narrative of Daniel Duane’s life on the water is enhanced by good-humored explanations of the physics of wave dynamics, the intricate art of surfboard design, and lyrical, sharp-eyed descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Pacific wilderness.
-
-
The Surfer Memoir that Changed Everything
- By Susie on 11-28-12
By: Daniel Duane
-
Rogues
- True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks
- By: Patrick Radden Keefe
- Narrated by: Patrick Radden Keefe
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing—and one of the most decorated journalists of our time—twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue.
-
-
Too political
- By Xi Chen on 07-11-22
-
The Drop
- How the Most Addictive Sport Can Help Us Understand Addiction and Recovery
- By: Thad Ziolkowski
- Narrated by: Joe Knezevich
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revelatory and original book, the award-winning author of the acclaimed surf memoir On a Wave illuminates the connection between waves, addiction, and recovery, exploring what surfing can teach us about the powerful undertow of addictive behaviors and the ways to swim free of them.
By: Thad Ziolkowski
-
A Brief History of Surfing
- By: Matt Warshaw
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing than any other person on the planet, as evidenced by The History of Surfing, Warshaw's definitive take on the sport. Now he has honed that book into an abridged and excerpted edition for surfers everywhere. Each spread features a micro essay alongside an image capturing a slice of surf history, from Kelly Slater and the invention of the thruster to shark attacks and localism. A Brief History of Surfing deftly defines surf culture in an entertaining and irresistible volume with wide appeal.
-
-
Mixed Feelings
- By Doug on 09-24-21
By: Matt Warshaw
What listeners say about Blessed Are the Bank Robbers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- joe jessal
- 03-21-22
Chaz Delivers Again!
I had the pleasure of listening to Blessed Are The Bank Robbers on my surf trip from my home in Newport Oregon to North San Diego County. Oh the irony. Gotta say the book made the drive through the night much more enjoyable.
I’ve enjoyed all of Chaz Smiths books so far and I loved that this not only told a great tale but also allowed us to peek a little further behind the curtains.
Fantastic book Chaz! I hope your already hard at work on the next 🤙
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer Jepsen
- 08-08-22
Mischaracterization
Personally know the subject. Visited and wrote him at multiple prison locations. Only person at his federal sentencing. Nothing in this book addresses the deep and lasting pain he caused himself, his sweet family and those across the bank counter. The glorification of bank robbing while skipping over mental illness made it tough to finish. Chas, I hoped to meet under different circumstances.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!