Crime & Law Books > Ann Rule Crime & Law Books

Advantages: well told and factual
Disadvantages: so much information to take in....

This is the first Ann Rule book I ever read and I have been a fan ever since. The story of Ted Bundy and his heinous crimes will be sure to have you turning those pages...... Shocking as it is for the content of the book, it seems even more so with the strange and slightly disturbing coincidence that Ann Rule was working on this book whilst (unaware of his true identity) maintaining a friendship with the 'main character'. Yet on discovering this, ...
...as chronological as possible in the telling of the disappearances of the victims and alleged victims and the subsequent investigations. Another is the story of Ted - who he is and how he became that man. The third part has a different tone again and focuses on what happened once Ted was apprehended. The 3 intertwine smoothly to create one of the best true crime books I have ever read. I think one of the reasons that Ann Rule is such a successful ... Read review

Advantages: smooth storytelling
Disadvantages: a harrowing true story

I love this book and have read it numerous times but not since becoming a mother. I think if I was to read it again now, the book would have a whole new tone for me. The thought of my child in danger and pain makes me sick to my stomach - to be the one who would inflict such terror and hurt upon her is just so far beyond my comprehension. The tragic story of Diane Downs and her 3 children is a harrowing one indeed. Separated from her husband and ...
...obsessive relationship with a married colleague - Lew. Lew enjoys freedom from such complications as children so torn between the excitement of Diane (and her burden) and his love for his wife, Lew is back and forth between the two women. Eventually, he decides to save his marriage and leaves a heartbroken but undeterred Diane. After many unsuccessful attempts to win back the love of her life, Diane comes up with a final, fatal plan which she sure ... Read review

Advantages: 6 well written true crime cases
Disadvantages: none

...My edition's full title is You Belong To Me and other true cases - Anne Rule's Crime Files: Vol 2. With this book you actually get 6 crime stories, all of them true and each of them lavished with her eye for detail. The book is dedicated thus: "From the time my memory began I have believed that policemen are among the finest human beings on this earth. Nothing has ever changed my mind. My grandfather was a sheriff and then my uncle. At the age ...
...uphold the law. I dedicate You Belong To Me to the millions of good cops out there - to those who will, and too often do, lay down their lives for us. I thank them and wish them Godspeed." 1. You Belong To Me Tim Scott Harris was a young and goodlooking police officer. Clean, professional and well spoken, he impressed those that he worked with. However, when going before the board for promotion to the full job of Trooper, one of the members commented ... Read review

Advantages: Suspenseful, engrossing, hard to put down
Disadvantages: Horrifying true story

I purchased the paperback edition of Ann Rule's "Bitter Harvest" several months ago. My brother had warned me that I would probably find this book disturbing, as he had read it last summer. His advice was on the mark. It wasn't only disturbing, it was downright horrifying. However, I found that once I got started reading it, I could not put it down. Every spare moment I had was spent reading bits of the book. I was desparate to find out how such ...
...commit such a horrific crime. Ann Rule begins this book in her usual fashion, telling about the childhood and teenage years of Debora Jones Green. This brilliant, popular, and seemingly normal young woman should have had the world by its tail. Unfortunately, something was brewing beneath the witty, engaging exterior. This popular young lady's world seemed to begin to unravel during her medical training. By the time she became a doctor, she had become ... Read review

Advantages: Riveting story, easily read book
Disadvantages: Not for the faint-hearted

...or misled. Rule explains every aspect of the complot in great detail, literally getting into the thought processes of the mastermind behind the plot and his pawns who carried it out. I was never bored or confused while reading this book. Rule kept my interest up until the very last words of the final chapter. “Every Breath You Take” is a chilling story of a man so psychologically disturbed that it took a myriad of diagnoses to explain his personality ...
...as it is packed full of details that are often gruesome and sickening. There are some special features in this book that are very helpful to the reader. Before the story begins, Rule gives us a “cast of characters.” Each character in the book is presented with a brief overview of their role and important facts about their life. She also tells us why she wrote this story, which is an interesting vignette in itself. A collection of photos of the characters ... Read review