Ann Rule’s first claim to fame came with publishing her first book The Stranger Beside Me, her own personal account of tracking down Ted Bundy, who she knew personally from working with him at the Seattle suicide hotline.
But this story was not the only notable one she wrote; she published almost 100 true crime books before she died, covering cases from necrophiliac Jerome Brudos of Salem, Oregon to Randall Woodfield.
The difference between Ann Rule and other true crime writers is not just in her prose—though her work was always expertly written. The difference is her outside experiences.
She had a long history with fighting crime, from summer volunteer work in the local jail preparing meals for the prisoners to studying criminology in school, to working for the Seattle Police Department and eventually advising the FBI with her serial murder expertise.
Though she started off writing under a male pen name so no one questioned her authority on the subject, she proved any naysayer wrong with her long and successful writing career.
But more than just her experience, Ann Rule was always invested in the enjoyment of her readers. She wanted to know why killers become killers, and she wrote her stories in a way that answered those questions for her readers.
And she was a tireless advocate for victims' rights. As readers, there is an unyielding appreciation for authors who not only have experience in their fields and can write a story like they were really there, (and in Ann’s case, it’s because she was) but also for authors who stand up for what they believe in, and tell their stories to benefit both themselves and others.
Down below is a list of nine must-read Ann Rule true crime books—but be warned, once you start reading Ann Rule, it becomes an addiction that even rehab won’t fix.
Empty Promises
A compilation of true crime stories, Empty Promises recounts the realities of love gone wrong. In particular, Rule expertly dissects a story about a seemingly perfect family: a young, beautiful, and successful wife; her wealthy, entrepreneur husband; an adorable son and a gorgeous home. But a sudden, violent death that results from drugs, sordid sex, and con operations brings their happily ever after to a tragic end.
No Regrets
Another compilation of seven stories, this one explores detailed accounts of shameless destruction and murder. Of particular interest is the convoluted case of the Neslund’s marriage that took many years to solve. Rolf Neslund, a legendary ship’s pilot, was also a known ladies’ man who lived on Lopez Island with his wife, Ruth. But one day, a ship he was helming crashed into the West Seattle Bridge, accruing millions of dollars in damages, and he’s been missing ever since.
No one knew if he committed suicide, ran off with some floozy, or if his wife was involved in the disappearance. Some even believe that he’ll return home one day…
Without Pity
This riveting anthology explores the minds of serial killers; how they can commit brutal acts of violence with no remorse, how material success connects to the murder of innocents, and how they form and maintain the facade of being ordinary people. You would think that the scariest part of it all is that they’re heroes in their minds–but what’s scarier is that sociopathic minds can exist in the heads of people you think you know.
And Never Let Her Go
A riveting account of forbidden love, jealousy, and murder among the rich and powerful, Ann Rule's And Never Let Her Go is another true crime book that warns that evil can hide behind even the most innocent charade.
Anne Marie Fahey, 30-year-old scheduling secretary for Delaware’s governor in 1996, was having dinner with a man she had been having a secret affair with for over two years the night she disappeared forever. “Tommy” Capano, 47, an extremely politically powerful man, was an insatiably charming man who was a trusted patriarch of his family, despite being recently estranged from his wife.
But unfortunately, the originally unremarkable affair ended in death, and it would take years to uncover the convoluted layers that revealed that the terrible things to happen to Anne Marie, along with many other mistresses, were all a result of one man’s jealous obsessions and a greed that drove him to destroy anything or anyone who got in his way.
But I Trusted You
This collection of true cases is centered around the idea of trust, and features stories about sociopaths who targeted the people closest to them. Headlining this collection is Chuck Leonard’s case, a middle-school counselor who was found shot to death unexpectedly one morning. As Rule breaks down the case to help you discover “whodunnit,” she illustrates just how easy it is for those we think we know most to get away with crimes we thought they’d never commit.
Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder By Ann Rule
A shocking and painful true story, Small Sacrifices begins with Diane Downs bringing her three fatally injured children to the Oregon hospital, screaming, “Somebody just shot my kids!”
But a dedicated district attorney, unable to quash the thought that it was really Diane who had shot her own kids, searched desperately for reasons why she may have done it.
And what he discovered was absolutely appalling.
The Stranger Beside Me
Her first best-seller and most-loved work, The Stranger Beside Me is a breakdown of Rule’s own experience befriending a sociopath: Ted Bundy. A slow chill that intensifies with every written moment, the saga describes how she realized that Ted Bundy, her charismatic, sensitive coworker on a crisis hotline, was one of the cruelest serial killers in America.
Seamlessly transitioning between her own personal insight and her perspective as a crime reporter on the hunt for a stone-cold killer, readers get an inside look into just how easy it is for someone you think you know to be a completely different person.
Green River, Running Red
Another eye-opening account from Rule herself, this novel details Wendy Coffield’s body turning up on the banks of Washington’s Green River and the string of murders that will shatter the Seattle area for the following two decades. Not only was this monster able to elude authorities long enough for a 20-year murder spree that took the lives of over 49 female victims, but he also attended Ann Rule’s book signings and lived less than a mile away from her home.
If You Really Loved Me
Wealthy yet seemingly bland David Brown suffered greatly when his daughter Cinnamon shot his young wife to death in her sleep–or did he?
Though his 14 year-old daughter confessed to killing his wife and was sentenced to 24 years to life, two determined lawmen discovered that David collected nearly $1 million in insurance money, married his dead wife’s teenage sister, and perhaps most bizarre, turned young women into his own personal slaves, his daughter included. After all, is there any other way to prove your love to your dad than by killing his wife?
Featured photo: David von Diemar / Unsplash
Sources: The Seattle Times
