Redundant, boring, and a massive drag. There is just so much wrong with this book that if I list all of it, my review might get to about half the length of the book.Ann Rule cannot write. There are far too many repetitions, poorly phrased sentences, typos, and missing words in the book. I can understand that the 'writer' might have created many chapters from her notes, but that is no excuse for poor editing. The length of the book is too much for my liking. (Did Ann Rule get paid by the number o...

“And, like all the others, I have been manipulated to suit Ted’s needs. I don’t feel particularly embarrassed or resentful about that. I was one of many, all of us intelligent, compassionate people who had no real comprehension of what possessed him, what drove him obsessively.” Would you trust this man?Comparisons could be made between Lois Lane and the writer Ann Rule. She was caught in the middle of a bizarre set of circumstances that was quickly becoming a nightmare. Someone she consider...

If you don't read any other book by Ann Rule, this is the one to read. This was my first time reading about Ted Bundy. In fact, this was my first true-crime book I read. Ann Rule is the reason I became an armchair detective. It is that well researched. It is rare a true crime author actually worked with a serial killer. She knew him personally before he was outed for the killer he was. That kind of insight is priceless. She even didn't see the monster lurking within. Her personal relationships w...

Wow!!!!Ann Rule takes us on a thrilling journey of the life and death of serial killer Ted Bundy. Being friends with a serial killer isn't the easiest thing in the world. But Ann didn't find that out until much later...Oh, Ted Bundy... what can I possibly say about this American icon that hasn't already been said in this book? I had several problems with this book but it had absolutely nothing to do with the author. Problems such as the diagnosis that they gave Ted Bundy which I felt was complet...

An uneven read. Sometimes griping and fascinating, other times tedious and dragging. Even tho Ann Rule's relationship with Ted Bundy and her unique perspective on the whole case made the book interesting, I almost wished I read something written by a different person. Someone with better writing skills.I'd still recommend "The Stranger Beside Me" to anyone who wants a very detailed account of Bundy's life, but be prepared... This is a long and tiresome book.

Wow! So much better than I expected! So happy we chose this as our first book for Peter’s Book Club this year as a year of true crime! My full review will be up on my booktube channel at http://YouTube.com/peterlikesbooks

"Oh, I was just in the right place at the right time..."...NOT something that many of the women in Ted Bundy's life would come to say about meeting America's Grade-A machismo pin-up boy. In fact, as far as I can tell, Ann Rule was the only person to actually benefit from knowing him. And boy, did she ever.To state it quite plainly, Rule is not what one would call a "great" writer. Or even really a good "writer." She repeats herself to accentuate her point like she's me writing like I talk when I...

This was an interesting read, and for the most part it was written adequately. Due to the geography of the murders (I am from Aspen), I had a particular interest in some of the events. My problem with the book is the self-important place which the author places herself when her own words make me feel as though she was nothing more than a "Ted groupie" who sent him money in jail and gave him information. At times, she claims Ted calls her only to talk, and then it is clearly evident by what their...

Mention the name Ted Bundy, google his name, and you will find a plethora of information on this man, one of the most famous of serial killers ever to roam this earth. He was a man who was ever so handsome, a man who could twist and and manipulate, a man who killed wantonly without a thought or a regret as to what his crime was doing not only to his victims but also to the families who were left behind. “Yet, in reality, Ted loved things more than he loved people. He could find life in an abando...

This was the first book I ever read by Ann Rule and it was the perfect true crime book. I found a battered copy at a used bookshop.I inhaled this book during a Christmas break and was so intrigued how close Ann came to know Ted Bundy when she was volunteering at the suicide help line.Yes he is a charismatic serial killer who targeted young women and when he got caught he denied nothing This book is a modern classic.

This month I’ve been binge listening to the podcast My Favorite Murder. I’m obsessed. There were a couple of episodes where Karen (one of the hosts) mentioned that she was reading The Stranger Beside Me. I was intrigued. When I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. Ann Rule was a prolific true crime writer, and this is the work that really put her on the map. Back in the ‘70s, in some weird twist of fate, the serial killer she was writing about turned out to be her friend, Ted. The Stranger Besi...

Like half the planet, my wife and I watched the Ted Bundy series on Netflix. For some reason, I decided I wanted more so I picked this up. Even though I scared the shit out of myself as a kid watching 20/20, Unsolved Mystery, and Dateline, true crime books aren't normally my thing. This one was an easy, compelling read.I find it fascinating that Ann Rule knew Ted Bundy and was writing a book about the Washington killings at the same time. Anyway, this book serves up a lot more information than t...

“I was one of many, all of us intelligent, compassionate people who had no real comprehension of what possessed him, what drove him obsessively.”Ann Rule had signed a contract to write a book on a series of brutal and heinous murders of beautiful young women, not knowing she was going to be writing about the man she had worked alongside at a suicide hotline. A man she had found to be kind and understanding, someone she had began to see as a friend. The Stranger Beside Me is a biographical and au...

Ann Rule has written a truly interesting book here; the updates as both the case progressed and her viewpoint adjusted are absolutely invaluable. For me, true crime is a window into how the human brain goes wrong. I'm endlessly fascinated by what the brain is capable of, both at the good and bad ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately, too often true crime is either neglectful of the victims, treating killers or otherwise awful people as the star of the show. That, or it's all lurid details of truly...