The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

There are actually two stories here: one describes the gradual disintegration of a seemingly normal, affable, brilliant man into a sexual psychopath so evil, so methodical in his vicious killings, that one wonders if he was at all human. The other story is that of Ann Rule herself, a decent, hard-working, middle-aged mother of four who meets and befriends a nice young man working beside her in a crisis clinic. A man she regards as a younger brother; a man she views as a close and trusted friend. The slow but inexorable realization on Rule's part that this man is in fact an unspeakably violent serial killer is as painful to read as it was for her to experience.

Each victim is described in terms of such respect and such anguish that even a family member, I think, can feel that his or her daughter has been given a chance to shine, a chance to be more than a victim, more than a nameless number (8th girl killed, and so forth). The poignancy of these girls' very human preoccupations and lives serves to outline the contrasting horror in even more detail. That is why Rule does not have to defile the victims with intricate detail. The contrast between their young lives and their terrible deaths is enough in itself.

I pretty much said all I needed to say about this book through the status updates I gave while reading it. It feels like it took forever to finish reading this book. While there were a few interesting parts, for the most part, the book just seemed to drag by. It got tiresome reading about her conflict over Bundy's guilt and the bits and pieces of her personal life. She came across as being too sympathetic toward Bundy and did not give nearly enough information about the victims. It ticked me off at one point in the book when she went to Florida and said that “Ted could never go home again.” Well, neither could his victims - what about them? I love reading Ann Rule's books, but this one was a disappointment, because she just came across as a “Ted groupie” to me, except toward the very end when she finally stated her opinion on his guilt.

True Crime Time[b:The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story 15654 The Stranger Beside Me Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story Ann Rule https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1330072383s/15654.jpg 1353958]Ann Rule takes us on a thrilling journey of the life and death of serial killer Ted Bundy. Being friends with a serial killer isn't the easiest thing in the world. But Ann didn't find that out until much later... I find that she was willing to open up about the fact that they were friends very brave. Not all authors would be willing to put a book like this together. Oh, Ted Bundy... what can I possibly say about this American icon that hasn't already been said in this book? I had several problems with this book but it had absolutely nothing to do with the author. Problems such as the diagnosis that they gave Ted Bundy which I felt was completely false and only used so that he could not use the insanity plea in his trials.The relationship with Ted is a rollercoaster that really isn't explained until “The Last Chapter” where she explains that she held hopes for him to still help the world in the way that she first knew him to help people. She explains how she doesn't understand and cannot comprehend how someone can hurt an innocent victim and not feel remorse for it. Perhaps this is why she continued to send him money even in prison and why she continued to correspond with him even after his conviction. She wanted to use him to do good in the only way that she knew how. Whereas in the beginning I believe she was simply in denial that someone she called her friend could possibly be such a monster. I started watching that Netflix show all about him and I can see how his charm can fool his victims and his friends including the author. As for Ted Bundy himself oh, I feel that he ultimately got what he wanted. Control. He was able to convince everyone that he was the scariest monster under your bed and that he was the most horrific of the serial killers. By manipulating the public, the way that he did he was able to victimize people that he hadn't even touched yet. When we as a populist think of Ted Bundy we think of fear. That is his legacy. and in my opinion the legacy that he wanted for himself.But anyways enough about my thoughts on the book. Let's talk about the nitty-gritty. The book was masterfully written as with most of Ann Rule's works. Her profession has allowed her to write these true crime novels in such a way that anyone can understand and follow but she still uses the police and detective crime jargon. She makes it easy for her readers to follow along and even makes her books exciting by turning the facts and evidence into a storyline. She is without doubt America's number one true crime novelist.I enjoyed this book immensely. although I already knew a lot about Ted Bundy there is still so much in this book that I did not know and was eager to learn. My degree in the field of psychology made this book more than fascinating for me. I don't think we realized when Ted was convicted how rare a jewel he actually was. And when I say that here's what I mean: it is so positively rare that we get a serial killer the likes of Ted Bundy. It is even rarer to get a serial killer the likes of Ted Bundy caught alive and held in captivity. Many say that he should have stayed alive but I feel that he needed to be put to rest so that the families of the victims could get closure. I could honestly go on and on about this book but I will refrain from doing so Please read this book if you have not already. I think this is one of those books that everyone should read no matter who you are, no matter where you come from. Ted Bundy is a study and not only American history but human history itself. Because you never know when you might meet a Ted Bundy yourself. So this book should open up your eyes to the crazy that the world has to offer.