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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I listened to this book on Audio and it was read by the author, Ann Rule - I enjoy when the authors read their own stories. (this was also a quick listen, only a couple of hours)
This outlines the story of Ted Bundy and his many year stint of killing and beating women and eventually his prosecution and death. Now, this was a bit more than a true crime story - the author actually knew Ted Bundy quite well and spoke to him many times throughout the years while everything was happening. I found this slanted the writing - I felt she downplayed the seriousness of some of the crimes or the evidence of the cases (but that is just my personal opinion - she admits throughout she didn't entirely believe or disbelieve during the process, but does not fully believe he was guilty). I do wish the book focused a bit more of the trial and prosecutions at the end of the book.
Only read this if you are interested in serial killer stories (and not interested in a weird way, you know what I mean....) this is not a book for everyone.
This outlines the story of Ted Bundy and his many year stint of killing and beating women and eventually his prosecution and death. Now, this was a bit more than a true crime story - the author actually knew Ted Bundy quite well and spoke to him many times throughout the years while everything was happening. I found this slanted the writing - I felt she downplayed the seriousness of some of the crimes or the evidence of the cases (but that is just my personal opinion - she admits throughout she didn't entirely believe or disbelieve during the process, but does not fully believe he was guilty). I do wish the book focused a bit more of the trial and prosecutions at the end of the book.
Only read this if you are interested in serial killer stories (and not interested in a weird way, you know what I mean....) this is not a book for everyone.
“Whenever he was outside a cell, Ted wore handcuffs, chains, and a bulky orthopedic brace from his left foot to thigh, a brace that made him walk with a pronounced limp. When a reporter asked him at one hearing why he wore the brace, he grinned and said ‘I have a problem with my leg - I run too fast.’”
.
“There was so much that jury in Miami never heard. They knew nothing about all the dead and missing girls in Washington, nothing about the three dead girls in Utah, nothing about the five dead and missing girls in Colorado, nothing of the Pensacola fantasy tapes; presumably they did not know that the man before them was felt by many to be the most prolific mass killer in America.”
.
This was one crazy book (I mean jesus how lucky/cursed was the author - holy shit); started it after seeing a coworker with it and read the back blurb. I didn’t really know all that much about Bundy before, but omg he escaped prison (not once but TWICE?!) and knew enough about the law to dodge a death sentence for almost a decade through appeal after appeal (he even went as far as the Supreme Court which upheld the conviction 7-2), victims families were asked if they wished to delay the execution further incase he could possibly tell them where any unfound remains were, to a person they declined. When he finally did face the electric chair, the TVA granted/sold the state of Florida 10 more megawatts of power and the Florida governor asked citizens to reduce their electronic use for a 5min period the morning of to see if they could squeeze an extra 5 megawatts into the chair...
.
“There was so much that jury in Miami never heard. They knew nothing about all the dead and missing girls in Washington, nothing about the three dead girls in Utah, nothing about the five dead and missing girls in Colorado, nothing of the Pensacola fantasy tapes; presumably they did not know that the man before them was felt by many to be the most prolific mass killer in America.”
.
This was one crazy book (I mean jesus how lucky/cursed was the author - holy shit); started it after seeing a coworker with it and read the back blurb. I didn’t really know all that much about Bundy before, but omg he escaped prison (not once but TWICE?!) and knew enough about the law to dodge a death sentence for almost a decade through appeal after appeal (he even went as far as the Supreme Court which upheld the conviction 7-2), victims families were asked if they wished to delay the execution further incase he could possibly tell them where any unfound remains were, to a person they declined. When he finally did face the electric chair, the TVA granted/sold the state of Florida 10 more megawatts of power and the Florida governor asked citizens to reduce their electronic use for a 5min period the morning of to see if they could squeeze an extra 5 megawatts into the chair...
Excellently researched and written giving both a factual evidence based portrayal of Bundy’s crimes as well as her own personal experience of knowing one of the many faces of Ted Bundy
It was okay. I feel like it humanised him and didn't get into his crimes or his brain as much as I wanted. The whole premise of the book was incredible though
Ann Rule has a unique perspective having known Ted Bundy AND being a seasoned true crime writer, and this combination gives The Stranger Beside Me something no other true crime book has. While it may be lengthy at times and suffers from the addition of multiple "end" chapters, it's a must read for any true crime buff.
This was not good. I gave a star simply because I finished it. The publisher's "hook" of this story is the "Inside story" of Ted Bundy. Even after finishing all 550 pages of this novel I didn't see where they could advertise anything as being a more indepth or personal than your standard Bundy true crime novel. Rule worked at a call center with Bundy for a handful of months and then exchanged a handful of letters after he was arrested. To me, Rule banked on a passing acquaintanceship, and I think she realized this too. Towards the end of the book she delivers a less than convincing argument that she was never took any money from Bundy or used him- which if she truly felt that way, would she have spent time addressing it? I don't think so. Her style of writing is problematic as well. Choppy and incredibly repetitive. Would not recommend.
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Ugh
This was hard to read on several levels, the most obvious being the details of the murders, the second being the author's naïveté in regards to the cad's (her friend's) involvement in the murders, and the third, on a much more superficial but still quite annoying level, the Kindle edition's glaring typos. Obviously, I picked this up knowing what it is about. I had just finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and wanted to continue along the true crime vein a little while longer. Michelle, in my opinion, was a much better writer and had a wonderful way of expressing our shared curiosity about human psychology and forensic methods. Ann, however, who used to be a cop, doesn't do this for me. As a matter of fact, I found myself wanting to shake some sense into her. I don't think I'm being too harsh considering her career path and the access to investigative methods and professional insight she had.
This was hard to read on several levels, the most obvious being the details of the murders, the second being the author's naïveté in regards to the cad's (her friend's) involvement in the murders, and the third, on a much more superficial but still quite annoying level, the Kindle edition's glaring typos. Obviously, I picked this up knowing what it is about. I had just finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and wanted to continue along the true crime vein a little while longer. Michelle, in my opinion, was a much better writer and had a wonderful way of expressing our shared curiosity about human psychology and forensic methods. Ann, however, who used to be a cop, doesn't do this for me. As a matter of fact, I found myself wanting to shake some sense into her. I don't think I'm being too harsh considering her career path and the access to investigative methods and professional insight she had.
This book was a fascinating take on Bundy and the acts he committed. That said, there’s a point in the book where the author says there’s “not enough time” to tell the stories of his victims. Respectfully, that’s bullshit. This is an 18 hour long audiobook - you could give even 5 minutes to each known victim, and the book would be better for it.
