Features
- Cover Type: Mass Market Paperback with 416 pages
- Published by: Pocket Star November 30, 2004
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0671691392
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0671691394
-
Book Dimensions:
6.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
- Weighs: 7.8 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Rule's true-crime books are cautionary tales, police procedurals, character studies and guilty pleasures. This ninth installment in her Crime Files series features a haunting collection of ten cases, most of which took place in Washington and Oregon in the 1960s and '70s. They are stories about love and obsession turned deadly, and they remain relevant today, especially in the light of the Scott Peterson trial. The title entry, about the murder of a pregnant young wife, was finally solved after 36 years thanks to DNA testing. Drawn out for 133 pages, it loses some of its impact because it also encompasses other cold cases that were eventually solved through advances in forensic science. Another story depicts the first modern-day serial killer, who preyed on aspiring starlets in 1950s Hollywood, and explains how the detective who cracked the case went on to create a nationwide tracking system to apprehend serial killers. If there's a running theme, it's that most of the victims are women who were acquainted with their killers but had no fear of them; three cases involve husbands murdering their wives. Rule displays immense empathy for the slain women without flinching from describing the often brutal assaults on them. Few true-crime authors write as thoroughly and sensitively as Rule, whose work is simple and straightforward yet as compelling as a good novel.
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Product Description
The dark side of love is no fairy tale.And while we may like to believe that crimes of the heart only victimize those who aren't careful, this page-turning collection of must-read accounts will convince you otherwise. America's #1 true-crime writer, Ann Rule reveals how lovers become predators, how sex and lust can push ordinary people to desperate acts, and how investigators and forensics experts work to unravel the most entangled crimes of passion. Extracting behind-the-scenes details, Rule makes these volatile relationships utterly real, and masterfully re-creates the ill-fated chains of events in such cases as the ex-Marine and martial arts master who seduced vulnerable women and then destroyed their livesthe killer whose calling card was a single bloodred rosethe faithless wife who manipulated and murdered without consciencethe blind date that set the stage for a killer's brutalityand more. In every case, the victim -- young and innocent or older and experienced -- unknowingly trusted a stranger with the sociopathic skill to hide their dark motives, until it was too late to escape a web of deadly lies, fatal promises, and homicidal possession.
Reader ReviewsI am an Ann Rule fan but these Crime Files books become more and more disappointing. While I like that there is a collection of stories in these books, of late I find that the main story drags on and that some of the shorter stories are stories that Ann has previously written about. If I am paying the price of a new book I don't want to read old fodder. I understand that Ann has a background in police work (making it near and dear to her heart) but I think there is too much focus on the detectives in the stories. I don't want to see photo after photo of detectives and D.A.'s. I'd much rather see photos that support the real life impact of the victim who was a real person. I do, however, appreciate that Ann avoids graphic and gruesome photos. I like how Ann tries to make the victim come to life but I often think she goes overboard in relating how absolutely beautiful, intelligent, generous, and vivacious each victim is. If you have not read very many of Rule's books then I recommend this one; if you have already read several then I would recommend passing. Although the book is truly entertaining you probably don't want to reread something she already wrote about--especially when there is no update to the story. Also, in Ann's defense, she wrote about some old, cold cases but they have recently been solved due to DNA evidence. I can't fault her for writing about these cases. Indeed, I applaud the diligent people who brought the psychopaths to justice.
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