We are now on to the top five best books of the year. Taking the fifth spot is The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule.

What is it about? In the early 1970s Ann Rule is a divorced mother of four children who is struggling to establish herself as a crime writer, or just as any writer for that matter. Despite her struggles, Ann volunteers for the night shift at a 24/7 suicide hotline and on her first night meets her one single co-worker. His name is Ted Bundy (queue instant shivers down your spine) and his killing spree would define not just an era but Ann’s career.

Why did I like (I can’t just bring myself to use the word “love” in connection with a serial killer book) it? Coined as not just the definitive biography of one of America’s most notorious serial killers but also a defining work in the true crime genre, Ms. Rule’s book was hard to resist despite the brutal nature of the subject. Ms. Rule’s story is without a doubt unique, simply because she became good friends with Bundy before he began his killing spree and even remained his friend when the first accusations started to come out that Bundy might be behind the murders of several young women on the West coast (don’t worry, she eventually sees the light). He was her friend, confidante, and biggest supporter, making the revelation of him being a sadistic killer who targeted young women all the more difficult for Ms. Rule to accept. Nonetheless, Ms. Rule slowly begins to realize the chilling truth and learn that the friend she thought she once had never even existed. This last part in particular was most interesting to read about as the reader can sympathize with Ms. Rule’s situation. After all, if one of our closest friends were accused of a heinous crime, wouldn’t we immediately dismiss the claim and say that the authorities have the wrong person? It’s a dilemma that many of us would want to put ourselves in and it was very interesting to learn how Ms. Rule handled this and eventually seeing that the facts didn’t lie.

One point I have to applaud Ms. Rule on is that she didn’t just focus on Bundy but actually on the victims as well. They weren’t just names in a book or on a long list of women in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead, we learned their names, their passions, their goals for the future, and the people who loved them. They were real people whose lives were horrifically cut short and are now associated with a garbage of a human being. For that, I could not justify not having this book on my list and am look forward to reading Ms. Rule’s other books.

Read my full review of this terrifying true crime story at https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/09/the-stranger-beside-me-by-ann-rule-review/.