The Stranger Beside Me

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).

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640 pages

Average rating: 7.4

42 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

BRT_KK
Mar 02, 2024
7/10 stars
This book gave me the chills... I've always been fascinated with the story of Ted Bundy but to read Ann Rule's perspective was terrifying.
TifFanny
Sep 22, 2023
10/10 stars
Chilling

I read this book years ago and re-read it this past few weeks. Ann Rule is detailed and thorough...Very honest and gives respect to all parties involved.
happeninheidi
Jul 05, 2023
2/10 stars
Okay y’all. I listened to the this book, and I guess now you don’t have to. Firstly, tragically, I did listen to an abridged version. Having said that, this book absolutely left a lot to be desired. It offered little on Ann’s personal relationship with Bundy, and didn’t imo really discuss much of how she grappled with learning a longtime friend even could be guilty of these heinous acts, much less WAS GUILTY. I felt so much of this book is focused on humanizing Ted and actively doubting his guilt that the authors declaration of Bundy’s guilt felt forced and fake. All in all hugely underwhelmed.
HeatWilki
Jul 22, 2022
8/10 stars
I've read this more than once. I love true crime, and Ann Rule's writing style. Plus she had a personal relationship with Ted Bundy.

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