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The Stranger Beside Me
The Stranger Beside Me
Author: Ann Rule
Ann Rule was a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass-murderer. Little did she know that Ted Bundy, her close friend, was the savage slayer she was hunting. — The most fascinating killer in modern American history...Ann Rule has an extraordinary angle that makes The Stranger Beside Me as dramatic and c...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780451158727
ISBN-10: 0451158725
Publication Date: 7/1/1981
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 36

4.2 stars, based on 36 ratings
Publisher: Signet
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

bytemare avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Good read per usual for Ann Rule. I didn't know she was that involved with him, in other words, I wasn't aware that the author was such a steady friend. Scary!!! It is a fairly fast paced book and doesn't get bogged down in lengthy descriptions as some of her other novels do. It kept me glued to it!
staceid avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 65 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is a chilling account of a case that I only vaguely remember from my childhood. It was a little tough to get into reading, but once you get past the first few chapters it's a tough one to put down.
liliroze avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Anne Rule started her crime-writing career by accident when she realized the serial murderer she was helping to investigate bore a striking resemblance to her former coworker and friend, Ted Bundy.

The best and most detailed and revealing story of this famous murderer ever written. Fantastic photos as well, including a personal letter written by Bundy to the author. A frighteningly close look into the mind and habits of a cold-blooded killer who managed to fool a lot of people for a while . . .
MyLikeIt avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 450 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This tour de force is Ann Rule's first true crime bestseller. It tells the story of serial killer Ted Bundy, who just happened to be Ms. Rule's acquaintance during the early years of his killing spree. The book recounts Bundy's crimes and Ms. Rule's shock as she comes to understand that the likeable young man she knows is a brutal and clever serial killer of women. A memorable read.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This edition includes several updates to the book after the original edition came out. It is a fasinating look at one of the worst serial killers this country has seen, as seen through the eyes of a woman who knew him. Fantastic read.
Read All 47 Book Reviews of "The Stranger Beside Me"

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bromeliad avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 9 more book reviews
At the time that I read this book, I had just moved into a 'ghetto' area near the school I was going to and began having problems with a peeping tom and other weirdness peculiar to ghettos. I lived alone in a ground floor apartment. I had to call the police on several occasions, usually at three in the morning. I don't live there anymore, but to this day I never leave the house without my pepper spray, and so many times while walking down the street, I remember some of the wisdom Ann spoke of in her book: look like you know what you're doing and where you're going. Don't look like a person someone might want to target, because you just never know.
booklit avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 473 more book reviews
it is absolutely amazing that you can be friends with a killer and live to tell about it. I am glad they finally killed Ted Bundy but it would have been great if he would have given all the families closure in who he killed and where they were. If he truly had two personalities I guess it is possible that he doesn't know all the people he did kill and where he put them.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on
Much better than most of her true crimes which I think focus on trials and courtroom drama too much. Great insight into Bundy's outrageous crimes.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 31 more book reviews
AWESOME read great sad but great book!!
Janny avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 21 more book reviews
very sad but interesting book, I had a hard time putting it down!
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on
Anne Rule's 1st and best book!
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 377 more book reviews
Very good book. Interesting profile into the mind of a serial killer.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 42 more book reviews
The book was great. The only thing I didn't like about it was it never indicated if Bundy was ever electrocuted or not. I had to look it up on the internet.
Chocoholic avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 291 more book reviews
This book is proof that the truth is really stranger than anything fiction could dream up. Ann Rule here writes about her relationship with Ted Bundy, how she once worked with him at a crisis call center, and how she came to become his friend and later prison penpal. Though there are places that make this book seem dated, this book is still compelling and keeps the reader on edge. One of the best of Ann Rule's books!
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 407 more book reviews
This was a good true crime book in which Rule not only wrote about the life and crimes of Ted Bundy, but also wrote about how she was fooled by him for many years.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 14 more book reviews
This book is the last true crime book I have read. She is so good at explaining Bundy it scared me. I read some really scary books, but no more true.
ruthie
mrswiggs avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 51 more book reviews
Super creepy and extremely well written, Ann Rule lays out all the details and still manages to keep the reader engaged.
reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 39 more book reviews
This book was not gruesome yet I found it more terrifying for being that way. It is scary what people can be like. I recommend this book to anyone.
jjares avatar reviewed The Stranger Beside Me on + 3413 more book reviews
This book is the very personal story of Ann Rule's relationship with the serial killer, Ted Bundy. The unique thing about this edition is that it is a talking book with Ann Rule reading her story. It is fascinating; I could hardly put it on pause. Rule's matter-of-fact speaking voice is a great counterpoint to the horrors she recounts.

At the end, Rule writes insightfully about Ted Bundy. She is convinced that he could never have been healed. He was manipulative, brilliant, and dangerous. Unhampered by a conscience, Ted was into instant gratification, that did not fill him up. He needed women, but he felt he could control and manipulate them. Ted planned and plotted to humiliate Stephanie (his first girlfriend) after she once rejected him, but it wasn't enough when he dumped her (and got his revenge). Most of Ted's victims seemed to look like Stephanie.

Ms. Rule is eloquent in her sorrow for Ted Bundy and his victims. I look forward to finding more of her books; she has a wonderful way about her descriptions and insights.


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