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daredeviling 's review for:
The Stranger Beside Me
by Ann Rule
dark
informative
medium-paced
There's been a lot that's been said about this book, given that it is a classic true crime novel. Of course, I enjoyed the in depth information in this book and everything we learn about Ted Bundy. From a true crime, historical point of view, this book was really great. The author clearly did her research and talked to all the people involved and really did a thorough job in getting to know the subject of her book. And the way the book was set up hooks the reader in and really makes you want to keep turning the page, especially as you get closer and closer to the end.
I think my frustration just came from the fact that the author remained sympathetic to Ted long after the evidence was pretty clear that he killed people. And even after his trial, she sent him money and stamps and all that — I thought that was very weird. If they had been like best friends or something, then maybe I would understand her loyalty a bit more, but it feels like she over-exaggerated how well she even knew him. They worked together for a while, but other than that, their meetings and conversations seemed fairly sporadic over the years. They seemed more like acquaintances than anything else. Maybe she sent him money because she was writing about him, but that didn't seem like it was the case, at least based on what she said. So that was definitely the most frustrating part of the book, where I just wanted to ask her what she was thinking when she did that.
I do like her writing though. It's very accessible, and I have a few other books by her that are on my list for me to get to at some point!
I think my frustration just came from the fact that the author remained sympathetic to Ted long after the evidence was pretty clear that he killed people. And even after his trial, she sent him money and stamps and all that — I thought that was very weird. If they had been like best friends or something, then maybe I would understand her loyalty a bit more, but it feels like she over-exaggerated how well she even knew him. They worked together for a while, but other than that, their meetings and conversations seemed fairly sporadic over the years. They seemed more like acquaintances than anything else. Maybe she sent him money because she was writing about him, but that didn't seem like it was the case, at least based on what she said. So that was definitely the most frustrating part of the book, where I just wanted to ask her what she was thinking when she did that.
I do like her writing though. It's very accessible, and I have a few other books by her that are on my list for me to get to at some point!