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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Community Reviews
There's been a lot that's been said about this book, given that it is a classic true crime novel. Of course, I enjoyed the in depth information in this book and everything we learn about Ted Bundy. From a true crime, historical point of view, this book was really great. The author clearly did her research and talked to all the people involved and really did a thorough job in getting to know the subject of her book. And the way the book was set up hooks the reader in and really makes you want to keep turning the page, especially as you get closer and closer to the end.
I think my frustration just came from the fact that the author remained sympathetic to Ted long after the evidence was pretty clear that he killed people. And even after his trial, she sent him money and stamps and all that — I thought that was very weird. If they had been like best friends or something, then maybe I would understand her loyalty a bit more, but it feels like she over-exaggerated how well she even knew him. They worked together for a while, but other than that, their meetings and conversations seemed fairly sporadic over the years. They seemed more like acquaintances than anything else. Maybe she sent him money because she was writing about him, but that didn't seem like it was the case, at least based on what she said. So that was definitely the most frustrating part of the book, where I just wanted to ask her what she was thinking when she did that.
I do like her writing though. It's very accessible, and I have a few other books by her that are on my list for me to get to at some point!
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