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victoriabot 's review for:
The Stranger Beside Me
by Ann Rule
I knew Ted Bundy was a serial killer, but I didn't know the extent of his crimes or personality. Ann Rule's story is unique and powerful, and this book is a unique insight to a serial killer in a way that a lot of intimate true crime novels are not. The way Rule wrestles with guilt in both directions and the truth are extremely compelling. You get a full picture of Ted, of who he was and what he did, but you also get a full picture of everything else surrounding him. Rule struck a powerful balance between factual and thrilling. I was captivated as she explored who Ted really was, and the reader was able to come to the same startlingly reality of what type of person Ted was. All this being said, the book is a heavy burden, not because of prose, but because of the impact of the subject matter. I enjoy the true crime genre a great deal, but this novel featured murder and death that made it real and horrifying. It's painful to think of his , and the lives that would have been spared without that mistake. I'd encourage others to pick it up and avoid the temptation to "spoil" themselves by reading up Ted Bundy and his crimes beforehand. Reading the details through Ann Rule's eyes was powerful, and despite the weight of the subject matter, the read had me hooked throughout the novel.