Don't Look Behind You: Ann Rule's Crime Files #15

I'm baffled about why some other reviewers have given this so few stars. The cases are "cold cases," true, but to my mind that makes them more intriguing. These murderers thought they got away with it long ago -- they thought no one would figure it out now -- but they were wrong. It's nice to see that murder cannot be hidden, however long it may take to be discovered. Ann Rule has done a lot of research about these cases, even though the murderers clearly wanted to hide their tracks. And it's a fascinating portrait of some families who regard murder as "just another day's work," as well as of some people who have survived terrible situations. My only complaint is that the Kindle edition doesn't seem to come with photos (not sure about the print edition). Ann Rule's collections of murder cases, the Crime Files, are always going to have shorter cases than the single-murder books, but there's still a lot of detail in here. And for what it's worth, I didn't spot a single typo.

The reviewers panning Rule's new book have obviously not read the junk spewed out by most writers in the true crime genre.
I have only read the first of the stories so far, and already the book is worth the price. As usual, Ms Rule does a great job delving into her subjects' lives (not easy when the case is 20-30 yrs old) and clearly and concisely tells a great tale.

Here is one difference between Ms Rule and some of the current group writing true crime stories: Ms Rule condenses these tales into one book; while much of the other true crime I read has been stretched from a 30 page story into a 300 page book with endless repetitions and boring trial transcripts..I really don't need to read the life story of the prosecutor in Podunk, IA.

And I never have problems with the editing in Rule's books...whereas, in one recent new release by an unnamed author, one character's name was spelled 4 different ways in TWO PAGES!

PS: I wanted to add that Ann Rule has written some of the best true crime books ever written. Comparing this book to say, "Small Sacrifices" or "The Stranger Beside Me" is unfair. Most of her fans, myself included, know that her Crime File volumes are taken from cases decades old, She cannot be expected to research these cases with the intensity of a current case. Her fans will not be disappointed as this book compares favorably with the other Crime File volumes. (And it will..maybe..hold us til' her next full length book comes out.)

It was not her best but come on people it was not that bad. I thought all of the stories were interesting and if you are familiar with her Crime Files books you should not expect current stories. Her worst book is still better than many of the true crime books out today. Yes, I found a few errors and omissions but I blame the editor/publisher for that. The last chapter on rapists was especially interesting to me.

I am an Ann rule fan because of her character development and her storytelling in this book she fails on both counts, since I pre ordered it. Only to discover it is a poorly told collection of 3 old case files. Wait until you can buy it used.

Generally I don't enjoy Ann Rule's crime case files books as much as the ones that have just one case in them, but this one was an exception. I am always fascinated by "cold cases", and this book was a great study in them. As other reviewers have said, the people who perpetrated the crime Ann Rule's books, and this one was no different, I read it through in about 2 days. I was disappointed that I didn't get the photos with the kindle edition, but otherwise I didn't note any egregious errors or typos (and I am an editor at heart!). I can't wait for the next book to come out.

I don't know what the bad reviews are about. I found this book to be as excellent to read as any of Ann's books are. It held my attention and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down until it was read from cover to cover. I enjoy Ann's true crime files and always look forward to the next book. Ann breathes life back into Joe and left me with the impression of having known him personally. Quite an accomplishment for any author. I hope Joe's family has found peace. I loved this book and I think you will too.

From her wikipedia page I see that the author is now 75. The first 3/4 of this book reads like it was written and edited by a tired 75-year-old writer who had once had passable talent in her prime.

The final quarter of the book is indisputably garbage. I was shocked ... many of the pages of that final quarter read as though they have been copy/pasted directly from a "rape awareness" webpage. If you think I'm exaggerating just pay the $$ and find out for yourself. It was like buying a bucket of popcorn only to find out that the bottom quarter is sawdust - completely unfit for the use it was purchased for, it gets tossed in the trash and the consumer walks away disappointed.

I came to this book expecting the enjoyable writing found in Ann Rule's earlier works, which I had so enjoyed. This book is startlingly different, as if it were either (1) an unedited first draft, or (2) written by a very disengaged and altogether different person. It's in sore need of a proofreader and editor, full of typos and just plain bad writing that should have been cleaned up before ever making it into print.

One reviewer described the book as "unreadable," and I have to agree. What a disappointment to read, and pay for, this poor offering from a once-fine author. The sharp contrast between this book and her earlier ones causes me to wonder whether she's OK and healthy, and if she is, whether she just tossed off an outline for someone else to write for her.

I have read every single one of Ann Rule's books for years and have loved every one of them; when I see that she has a new book coming out I pre-order it, as I did this one. To my surprise this book was almost unreadable and at times I was going to stop reading and just dump the book. The stories simply failed to hold my interest and I still fail to understamd why these particular stories were of such interest to her. In any event, I will always read Ann Rule's books but I hope the next one is more interesting than this one. I think Ann deserves for her loyal readers to cut her some slack because she has written so many great books over so many years. Who can forget "The Stranger Beside Me" or "Small Sacrifices"; these are works of art. Let's just call this one a clunker and move on.

I broke my own rule and pre-ordered this book without waiting to read a sample. Big mistake! This book was so not up to Ann Rule's standards. Definitely a snoozer. Save your money.