Ann Rule's Top 5

The reigning monarch of the true crime genre has written a list of her top five books of all time for the Wall Street Journal. It's delightful, I love lists, and what better source to consult for book recommendations!?

They are:

1. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

2. Blood and Money, Thomas Thompson

3. Bitter Blood, Jerry Bledsoe - a "deft, engrossing take on arguably the most dysfunctional family ever to inhabit the South."

4. The Corpse Had A Familiar Face, Edna Buchanan - the memoirs of a reporter on the true crime beat.

5. The Wrong Man, James Neff - The Sam Sheppard case.

Very interesting list. The newest book is the last, which came out in 2001. The rest are decades old - 1965, 1976, 1987, 1988. The first three appear on many such lists and are excellent choices. (No, I'll skip this opportunity to cry "Pish Tosh!" at Mr. Capote.) The last two are not mentioned so much and they're going on my Must Read List.

Art: From the blog BibliOdyssey, Murder Most Foul, a collection of 19th-century true crime cover art.

I see there's not a Ted Bundy in the bunch. Not one of these books concerns a serial sex killer. Curious too because I find myself drifting away from those, maybe because I now know, as a true crime webmistress with access to search statistics, how much these stories are used for (cough) another purpose besides enlightenment. Graphic descriptions of women butchered during a sexual assault have become disconcerting to me on multiple levels, even when softened by reading it from the point of view of the medical examiner.

Anyway, there's another upcoming exclusive with Ann Rule. Steve Huff, true crime blogger extraordinaire, is posting an inerview with the former Andy Stack soon. I'm watching for it on Crimeblog.US.

Comments

[Fiz]

Great, thanks for telling us, Laura. Ann's often said she really dislikes serial murder and gory ones, and she won't write about any more serial killers or blood thirsty books, and I don't blame her! Who wants to be immersed in that for years on end like she had to be with "The Stranger Beside Me" and " Green River Running Red" - the last was difficult enough to read, it must have been hell to write it.

[Anne Brewbaker]

The worst serial killer true crime story that I have read is the Gainesville Ripper by the talented Mary Ryzuk. The gore and bloody mess were well described. But I think that the deliberate murder of babies and little children is by far more haunting, more disturbing than mere killings by the numbers. The psychological reaction is overwhelming. It is more difficult to overcome than the revulsion caused by the graphic details of a gory story. Children are so precious and they don't have any rights. Ann Rule's stories are captivating, riveting not just plain gory. They mostly exhibit the abnormal nature of human behavior. Ann is indeed the ruling queen in this field. I treasure her works.
Anne Brewbaker - Dallas, TX

[Anne Brewbaker]

To Laura James.
Thank you Laura for your message.It was welcome and very appreciated. Ladies like you keep the past--far or recent--alive. This is a wonderful undertaking.
Yes Ann Rule is quite unique. I cannot express the enjoyment and the anger I feel when I read her books. Her style is so classy but the tales of abuse and murder make me lose my "cool" because I cannot stop neither.
Only Ann Rule can do that to a psyche, and this is no small accomplishment.
Laura your true crime blog is genial.!
Anne Brewbaker.

[katrina anntoinette t. manicad]

hi ms.ann...m ur biGGEST fan here n d philippines...i got a lot of ur books from hours of digging from booksales..i really admire u!i hope i get to complete all ur books,i have 22 as of now june 16,2009.and i wish i can meet u in person r u planning to go here in the phil?..i really love to have ur authograph in every single book i have..I'm a mother of 3 ages 14,9 & 2..they know also my collection they love u too.please find time to read this..GOD BLESS U always...i love you..tnx...