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joshualeet697 's review for:
The Stranger Beside Me
by Ann Rule
Solid 4/5. I found myself intrigued to the end, to find out more and more. I can't say there were any times I was "bored" by reading this. There are some court bits much later on that get a bit dry, but I still found those interesting. This book has many updates which glue you to the pages till the last words. I hadn't even realized the author had passed away in 2015. A shame. I'll have to pick up some of her other books.
You should read this because it's important to know that monsters often hide in plain sight. They can even be close friends. Be aware. Be on guard. Don't necessarily live in fear, but be aware and don't take silly risks like free lifts with men (even if you think they're good looking). If someone tries to grab you... Run. Scream. Fight. GET AWAY! If he says scream and you die... chances are you might die if you DON'T scream... Feel free to argue with me over that fact... but it's so true... that so many people get away from people like this because they made a lot of noise and risked the would be perpetrator getting caught.
I've been getting a bit interested in true crime for a few years and this book always comes up as a "must read". I started with podcasts, Gruesome/Morbid/Crimebeat etc. All good. This lead me to want to read something more in depth. I'm glad I did.
Ann Rule doesn't dwell or glorify the acts of murder. They are point blank stated. Facts laid out. This can be a bit underwhelming at times (startling in a few others where the details are very gruesome, but fact given), but I agree with the style and its presentation. They were horrific crimes and I think it's important people read about this stuff, so they know there are monsters in the world.
I found myself a bit overwhelmed early on and a bit throughout. There are just so many victims, investigators, places, names etc. But that is very much expected. I do like that a few times Ann Rule summed up some things for us... like so far here is a list of victims or potentials... etc. That was useful in following the trail of horrific carnage this sociopath of a man perpetrated.
I devoured the rest of this book this week... July 5th 58 pages, July 6th 91 pages, July 7th 132 pages, July 8 (today) the last 71 pages. At times I combated eye strain in my struggles to read more. I ended up taking more breaks, against my will, to keep on reading.
MY MAIN COMPLAINT about this book is how positively Ann Rule talks about him, and the sympathy she seemed to have for him for SO LONG, even after it was pretty obvious he was a serial killing sociopath. I just couldn't see how she could be fooled for so long. But I guess when it's a friend, it's hard to believe. There were some interjections about her life and what she was doing, but I didn't mind those, I found they added to the story and her relationship to him and how she knew him and what was going on in their respective lives etc.
This particular edition was frustrating to read from because the pages are so floppy. It's mostly conducive to reading it set on your lap or table. You can't really hold this edition with one hand, it flops too much.
You should read this because it's important to know that monsters often hide in plain sight. They can even be close friends. Be aware. Be on guard. Don't necessarily live in fear, but be aware and don't take silly risks like free lifts with men (even if you think they're good looking). If someone tries to grab you... Run. Scream. Fight. GET AWAY! If he says scream and you die... chances are you might die if you DON'T scream... Feel free to argue with me over that fact... but it's so true... that so many people get away from people like this because they made a lot of noise and risked the would be perpetrator getting caught.
I've been getting a bit interested in true crime for a few years and this book always comes up as a "must read". I started with podcasts, Gruesome/Morbid/Crimebeat etc. All good. This lead me to want to read something more in depth. I'm glad I did.
Ann Rule doesn't dwell or glorify the acts of murder. They are point blank stated. Facts laid out. This can be a bit underwhelming at times (startling in a few others where the details are very gruesome, but fact given), but I agree with the style and its presentation. They were horrific crimes and I think it's important people read about this stuff, so they know there are monsters in the world.
I found myself a bit overwhelmed early on and a bit throughout. There are just so many victims, investigators, places, names etc. But that is very much expected. I do like that a few times Ann Rule summed up some things for us... like so far here is a list of victims or potentials... etc. That was useful in following the trail of horrific carnage this sociopath of a man perpetrated.
I devoured the rest of this book this week... July 5th 58 pages, July 6th 91 pages, July 7th 132 pages, July 8 (today) the last 71 pages. At times I combated eye strain in my struggles to read more. I ended up taking more breaks, against my will, to keep on reading.
MY MAIN COMPLAINT about this book is how positively Ann Rule talks about him, and the sympathy she seemed to have for him for SO LONG, even after it was pretty obvious he was a serial killing sociopath. I just couldn't see how she could be fooled for so long. But I guess when it's a friend, it's hard to believe. There were some interjections about her life and what she was doing, but I didn't mind those, I found they added to the story and her relationship to him and how she knew him and what was going on in their respective lives etc.
This particular edition was frustrating to read from because the pages are so floppy. It's mostly conducive to reading it set on your lap or table. You can't really hold this edition with one hand, it flops too much.