"America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews) presents an all-new collection of crime stories drawn from her private files and featuring the riveting case of a fraudulent doctor whose lifelong deceptions had deadly consequences. The inspiration behind the upcoming Lifetime movie event Desperate Hours. Dr. Anthony Pignataro was a cosmetic surgeon and a famed medical researcher whose flashy red Lamborghini and flamboyant lifestyle in western New York State suggested a highly successful career. But appearances can be deceiving-and, for the doctor's wife, very nearly deadly. Now, the motivations of the classic sociopath are plumbed with chilling accuracy by Ann Rule. Along with other shocking true cases, this worldwide headline-making case will have you turning pages in disbelief that a trusted medical professional could sink to the depths of greed, manipulation, and self-aggrandizement where even slow, deliberate murder is not seen for what it truly is: pure evil.

THE NEW EDITION OF THE TRUE CRIME CLASSIC The Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy Ann Rule was a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass-murderer. Little did she know that the young man who was her close friend was the savage slayer she was hunting . . . TED BUNDY was everyone's picture of a natural 'winner' - handsome, charming, brilliant in law school, successful with women, on the verge of a dazzling career. Fast-forward to 24 January 1989, Ted Bundy is executed. He had confessed to taking the lives of at least thirty-five young women, coast to coast. This is his story: the story of his magnetic power, his unholy compulsion, his demonic double life and his string of helpless victims. It was written by a woman who thought she knew Ted Bundy, until she began to put all the evidence together and the whole terrifying picture emerged . . . As recommended by the hosts of the podcast My Favourite Murder. Fascinating further reading for viewers of the Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

This first installment in the New York Times bestselling Crime Files series is a chilling collection of shocking crimes and the ensuing struggles to bring the perpetrators to justice-from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stranger Beside Me. Soon to be a Lifetime original movie. The "country's premier true crime author" (Library Journal) brings her clear-eyed, compassionate writing and investigative skills to this unputdownable anthology. Distinguished by the former Seattle police officer's razor-sharp eye for detail and her penetrating analysis of the criminal mind, the featured case in this collection is the twisted story of Randy Roth-a man who married, and murdered, for profit. Following are compelling tales of bloody vengeance, estranged relationships that turn deadly, and fateful encounters. With her trademark "unwavering voice" (Publishers Weekly), Ann Rule exposes the darkness that lurks among us.

The New York Times bestselling True Crime Files series continues with this haunting collection of the dangers lurking among those we trust the most-from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stranger Beside Me. Doomed relationships and deadly betrayals are at the heart of this unputdownable collection of true cases from the personal files of Ann Rule, "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews). First is one of the most tragic unsolved crimes of the last twenty years: the disappearance of Susan Powell and the murder of her two young sons. With in-depth research and clear-eyed compassion, Rule leaves no stone unturned as she searches for the truth in this shocking story. Rule also chronicles the strange tale of a Coronado, California mansion that was the site of two horrifying deaths only days apart: a billionaire's son's plunge from a balcony and his girlfriend's hanging. Although the cases are quickly closed, baffling questions remain. In these and seven other riveting cases, Ann Rule exposes the twisted truth behind the facades of Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors.

The thirteenth entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from the "prolific and talented" (Publishers Weekly) Ann Rule focuses on crime victims who had no idea they were in life-threatening danger, often from the very people they trusted the most. In this collection's featured case, a family man dedicated to naturopathic healing embarks on a passionate affair with a flight attendant, but his jealous rages frighten her. When she finally leaves after a brutal attack, she has no idea that her tormentor would reappear in her life-with deadly consequences. Other cases include: a woman who masterminds her husband's murder just to gain his inheritance; the sadistic criminal whose prison release damages a presidential campaign and ends in a bitter double tragedy; the shocking DNA link between a horrifying crime and a cold case; and finally, the man who crisscrosses the world in deadly pursuit of a beautiful woman. Once again, the country's best true crime writer brings her "absolutely riveting...psychologically perspective" (Booklist) insight to a chilling look how sometimes those we love the most can be the most dangerous.

In this chilling volume of New York Times bestselling author Ann Rule's Crime Files, discover unforgettable cases of a spouse, lover, family member or helpful stranger who is totally trusted-until it's too late. Whether driven to extreme violence by greed or jealousy, passion or rage, the calculating sociopaths in this true crime collection targeted those closest to them-unwitting victims whose last disbelieving words could well have been "but I trusted you...." Headlining this page-turning anthology is the case of middle-school counselor Chuck Leonard, found shot to death outside his Washington State home on an icy February morning. A complicated mix of family man and wild man, Chuck played hard and loved many...but who crossed the line by murdering him in cold blood? And why? The revelation is as stunning as the shattering crime itself, powerfully illuminating how those we think we know can ingeniously hide their destructive and homicidal designs. Along with other shocking cases, immaculately detailed and sharply analyzed by America's #1 true crime writer, this fourteenth Crime Files volume is essential reading for getting inside the mind of the hidden killers among us.

The bestselling author and true crime master Ann Rule presents her fifteenth volume of the acclaimed Crime Files series focusing on disturbing stories of people in danger,. Walking home on a dark night, you hear footsteps coming up behind you. As they get closer, your heart pounds harder. Is it a dangerous stranger or someone you know and trust? The answer is as simple as turning around, but don't look behind you...run. With her signature in-depth research and compelling writing, Ann Rule chronicles fateful encounters with the secret predators hiding in plain sight. First in line is a stunning case that spanned thirty years and took one determined detective to four states-ending, finally, in Alaska-where he unraveled not one but two murders. A second case appears to begin and end with the hunt for the Green River Killer, focusing on a Washington State man who was once cleared as a suspect in that deadly chain of homicides. In another true story, a petite woman went to a tavern, looking only for conversation and fun. Instead, she met violent death in the form of a seven-foot tall man who had seemed shy and harmless. You'll feel a chill as you uncover these and numerous other cases of unfortunate victims who made one tragic mistake: trusting the wrong person-even someone they thought they knew.

In this provocative and eye-opening classic of investigative journalism, the #1 New York Times bestselling author and "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews), Ann Rule, explores the nearly twenty-year long search for America's most prolific and horrifying serial killer. In 1982, the body of Wendy Coffield is discovered floating near the sandy shore of Washington's Green River. Authorities have no idea that this tragic and violent death is only the beginning of a string of murders that will rock and terrify the Seattle area for two decades. With her signature riveting prose and in-depth research, Ann Rule takes us behind the scenes of the search for the Green River Killer, a terrifying specter who ritualistically killed young women and eluded authorities for years. From seeking the help of incarcerated serial killer Ted Bundy to Ann Rule's horrifying realization that the killer she was writing about had attended her book signings, Green River, Running Red is the suspenseful and unforgettable "definitive narrative of the brutal and senseless crimes that haunted the Seattle area for decades" (Publishers Weekly).

From her chilling personal account of knowing Ted Bundy to sixteen collections in her #1 bestselling Crime Files series-Ann Rule is a legendary true crime writer. Here, in Practice to Deceive, Rule unravels a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State-presented with the clarity, authority, and emotional depth that Rule's readers expect. Nestled in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Life there is low-key, and the island's year-round residents tend to know one another's business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas was discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV the whole island was shocked. At first, police suspected suicide, tragically common at the height of the holiday season. But when they found no gun in or near the SUV, Russel's manner of death became homicide.

In 1971, while working the late-shift at a Seattle crisis clinic, true-crime writer Ann Rule struck up a friendship with a sensitive, charismatic young coworker: Ted Bundy. Three years later, eight young women disappeared in seven months, and Rule began tracking a brutal mass murderer. But she had no idea that the "Ted" the police were seeking was the same Ted who had become her close friend and confidant. As she put the evidence together, a terrifying picture emerged of the man she thought she knew-his magnetic power, his bleak compulsion, his double life, and, most of all, his string of helpless victims. Bundy eventually confessed to killing at least thirty-six women across the country. Forty years after its initial publication, The Stranger Beside Me remains a gripping, intimate, and unforgettable true-crime classic, "as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at midnight" (New York Times).

Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime stories-drawn from her real-life personal files-in this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series. In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including: * New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme * The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wife-and his wife from his mistress-until he coldly disposed of one of them * The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didn't . . . with fatal consequences * For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattle's women-when would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate? * A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robbery-now the convict is being served dinner in a civilian's home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve * A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove were-until it was far too late. . . . With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling "as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at night" (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volume.

Ann Rule's shocking and powerful account of the destructive forces that drove Diane Downs, a beautiful young mother, to shoot her three young children in cold blood.

AMERICA'S #1 TRUE-CRIME WRITER FULFILLS A MURDER VICTIM'S DESPERATE PLEA -- WITH THIS SHATTERING NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"If anything ever happens to me...
find Ann Rule and ask her to write my story."

In perhaps the first true-crime book written at the victim's request, Ann Rule untangles a web of lies and brutality that culminated in the murder of Sheila Blackthorne Bellush -- a woman Rule never met, but whose shocking story she now chronicles with compassion, exacting detail, and unvarnished candor. Although happily ensconced in a loving second marriage, and a new family of quadruplets, Sheila never truly escaped the vicious enslavement of her ex-husband, multi-millionaire Allen Blackthorne, a handsome charmer -- and a violent, controlling sociopath who subjected Sheila to unthinkable abuse in their marriage, and terrorized her for a decade after their divorce. When Sheila was slain in her home, in the presence of her four toddlers, authorities raced to link the crime to Blackthorne, the man who vowed to monitor Sheila's every move in his obsessive quest for power and revenge.

Ted Bundy was handsome, charming, a brilliant law student, and on the verge of a dazzling career. On January 24, 1989, he was executed for the murders of three young women, having confessed to taking the lives of at least thirty-five more. This is the story of one of the most fascinating killers in American history of his magnetic power, his bleak compulsion, his double life, his string of helpless victims. It is also the story of Ann Rule, a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass murderer. Little did she realize that the "Ted" the police were seeking was the same Ted who worked with her at a Seattle crisis clinic, a man who had become her close friend and confidant. As she began to put the evidence together, a terrifying picture emerged of the man she thought she knew. Twenty years after it was first published, The Stranger Beside Me remains a gripping, explosive true-crime classic."

THEY KILL WITHOUT CONSCIENCE.
ANN RULE PORTRAYS THEIR SHATTERING CRIMES WITHOUT PITY.
In eight stunning Case Files volumes, from "A Rose for Her Grave" to the #1 blockbuster "Last Dance, Last Chance, " Ann Rule reigns as "America's best true-crime writer" ("Kirkus Reviews"). Now, she updates the most astonishing cases from that acclaimed series -- and presents shocking, all-new true-crime accounts -- in one riveting anthology. In every explosive chapter of "Without Pity, " Ann Rule deepens her unrelenting exploration of the evil that lies behind the perfect facades of heartless killers...and the deadly compulsions of greed and power that shatter their outward trappings of material success.
They are the admired, trusted neighbor; the affable family man; the sexy, charismatic lover; the high-achieving professional. Perhaps most frightening of all is that they are heroes in their own minds. But when someone gets in the way of their deluded dreams, they are capable of deadly acts of violence with no remorse. Analyzing the true nature of the sociopathic mind in chilling detail, Ann Rule traces the murderous crimes of seemingly ordinary men -- killers who drew their unsuspecting victims into their twisted worlds with devastating consequences.

She was an innocent Mormon girl. He was Americas most notorious serial killer. When their paths crossed on a quiet autumn afternoon, he planned to kill her. But this victim had an incredible will to survive. In this book you read Rhondas first-hand account of how she survived Ted Bundys attack.

From the bestselling true crime author comes the mesmerising true story of Debora Green, a beautiful, wealthy, successful doctor and mother of three whose murderous rage and jealousy brings death and destruction to her family. With direct access to all the principles including Green, the prosecutor, detectives and arson investigators Ann Rule gives us a horrifying portrait of a woman who had it all and lost it. BITTER HARVEST is the chronicle of a tragedy in the heartland of America, the true story of the disintegration of a marriage and its horrifying consequences. As in her earlier books, Ann Rule takes the reader deep into the psyche of a killer whose behaviour, so twisted and so evil, defies belief. Her book is also the story of the tireless and skilful investigators, forensic scientists and prosecutors who finally brought that killer to justice. Gripping, powerful, and ultimately terrifying, BITTER HARVEST is a vivid re-creation of an unthinkable crime - and a depiction of the unimaginable depths of darkness within the human spirit.

From Americas #1 true crime writer and "New York Times" bestselling author comes her most engrossing book ever: a 14-year saga of treachery, jealousy, and murder, about two women who learned the truth too late about Dr. Bart Corbin of Atlanta.

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ann Rule, the undisputed master of true crime, brings her formidable talents to her only novel, a riveting tale of psychological suspense. When Danny and Joanne Lindstrom's camping trip in the Cascade mountains goes terribly awry, beautiful young Joanne is left alone and stranded in the savage wilderness. Her last hope is to rely on another camper, a tall stranger who seems to know the forest and the dangers there all too well. Without him, she will surely die; with him, her future is as unpredictable as the lowering clouds that envelop the mountain. He asks only that she trust him...totally.

The author of ten New York Times best sellers, including three gripping Crime Files volumes, Ann Rule has proved time and again the she is our premier chronicler of true crime. Now with brilliant insight and an unrelenting eye for critical detail, she delves into her darkest files to explore the circumstances that propel the most unlikely suspects to cross society's boundaries—and commit desperate acts of murder.

In the Name of Love probes the case of Jerry Harris, a self-made California millionaire who, at age forty-four, had it all: booming businesses, yachts, a a mansion, a beautiful wife, and a voice to rival Elvis. No one who knew this well-liked, generous man could make sense of his sudden disappearance one October night in 1987. On a final phone calll to his brother from his Mercedes, Jerry breathed a muffled oath—then the line went dead. For Jerry's wife, Susan, it was just the beginning of a relentless eight-year search for the truth behind her husband's vanishing. Through exclusive access to an FBI agent inside the investigation, Ann Rule unmasks a man driven by malevolence and hidden jealousy to destroy Jerry Harris' magnificent business empire. She expertly profiles a criminal mind that stopped at nothing in a scheme of greed and violence. With the riveting power of a Greek tragedy, Rule reveals the dark underside of an all-American success story, and a wife's ultimate triumph of justice in the name of love. Including other unforgettable accounts of true crime, this is Ann Rule at her chilling best.

Ann Rule delves into the mysterious death of Ronda Reynolds, a former state trooper whose death, ruled a suicide ten years ago, is now considered a murder. On December 15, 1998, thirty-three-year-old Ronda Reynolds was living with her husband of eleven months in the small town of Toledo, Washington-but she planned to leave him that night and fly to Spokane, Washington where her mother, brother, and grandmother eagerly awaited her visit for the Christmas holidays. But as Barb Thompson, Ronda's mother, waited in an airport amid Christmas decorations in 1998, Ronda never arrived. Ronda had sounded happy on the phone only hours before, excited that she would be seeing her family. But sheer dread replaced confusion as the news of Ronda's death arrived. Her husband told a 911 operator that Ronda had committed suicide. Now, a decade later, the only thing we can be sure of is that Ronda Reynolds died violently that night, and the lies and contradictions of her husband began to unravel. Written with the complete cooperation of Barb Thompson, Ronda's mother, this is a homicide puzzle that Ann Rule fans will find haunting and utterly captivating.

When young women begin mysteriously disappearing in Oregon, Police Lieutenant James Stovall leads a relentless search for a killer. With little evidence available, and the public screaming for answers, he must find a remorseless, brutal killer whose identity will shock them all....