"She looks like such a nice lady, a grandmotherly type."
That's what one of my friends said about local resident, and true crime writer, Ann Rule. My friend would be right on both accounts. Ann Rule is a very nice lady AND she is a grandmother. She is also the author of 29 true crime book, most of which have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List. She is considered an expert on crime, and teaches at a variety of police agency seminars.
How did this very nice lady become such an expert on crime?
Ann says that it started in her childhood, when she spent summer with her grandparents. She'd help her grandmother prepare meals for inmates at the local jail, and wondered how these seemingly normal and sweet people could have committed heinous crimes. Her insatiable curiosity about the "why" of crime led to a lifelong interest in criminal behavior.
I've read most of Ann's books over the years, although looking at her list of published books I see a couple that I have missed. The first one that I can remember was The Stranger Beside Me about serial killer Ted Bundy. Since some of the story occurred here in the Seattle area, I was fascinated - and it was so much more than what appeared in the newspapers or had been reported on television. In all her books, Ann seems to tell three stories: the victims' story, the investigation story (law enforcement and the legal story), and the killers' story (including family history). While these stories can be very, very different, it takes all three to give a full picture to the crime.
You can meet Ann at her appearance at the Seattle Mystery Book Store, one of my favorite bookstores.
Location: Seattle Mystery Book Store, 117 Cherry Street (Pioneer Square)
Her book on child-killer Diane Downs was fascinating and very well written. As is her book on Ted Bundy who she met on an MH crisis line. 'The Stranger Beside Me' was an epic piece and made her a true-crime writer.