Father of the Year (Berkley True Crime) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Father's Day shocker of the year-this dad was so perfect, it was frightening.

Bill Rundle may have won Las Vegas's "Father of the Year" award, but when his wife's corpse was found, the other side of the all-American dad was revealed: a manipulative con man, professional thief, and savage killer whose crimes reached back through the decades.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 1 edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425228665
• ISBN-13: 978-0425228661
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,486 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Crime writing at its best, May 8, 2009

By	Joe Mielke (Kingsley, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unless Glenn Puit writes another true crime book this year his Father of The Year certainly makes Puit crime writer of the year. If not the decade.

His account of the life and crimes of Los Vegas swindler and killer Bill Rundle bristles with detail, substance and perspective that can only be written by a journalist with the experience Puit applies to the story. It's an enthralling tale of mystery and heartbreak.

Puit seems to have interviewed everyone who has any importance in this story: Cops, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, friends and enemies. And, of course, Rundle himself. The only people who aren't interviewed are dead or missing and for them the author relies on records and witnesses to fill in the gaps.

There is a sense of character created for everyone described. You get the idea that these are all real people working hard to do their jobs. The detail is sufficient for readers to form an opinion about someone, but it's not tedious. There is a flow that keeps you reading long into the night.

In most respects Rundle is a mediocre guy living an uninteresting life. He's not on a crime spree and he doesn't make a living through crime. But in the end he steps over the edge in a big way.

Puit chronicles all this in writing that really does transcend the page.

Anyone who likes true crime will love this book. But if you're not sure go to a book store and start reading Chapter 7, Bringer of Death. Three things will happen. First, you will finish the chapter right there in the book store and second, you will experience that empathetic pain that only a parent can feel and, third you will buy the book. Puit is that compelling, that good of a writer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a Nice Guy, May 27, 2009

By	Ruby Wilcox (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I guess what struck me about this guy Bill Rundle was that even the court bailiff at the end said he was "so normal" and "such a nice guy." How could a man so bland, so casual take a baseball bat to the head of his "nice wife?" By all accounts, his wife Shirley was the sweetest woman alive--but then she was dead by his hand. He even dumped her body like trash on a remote highway, then went off to buy season tickets to games he could wager bets on. He definitely seemed to have a very split personality. How could he be a devoted dad to his diabetic son (who was later violently killed in an accident) yet virtually ignore his first two wives and children? Was he spoiled by indulgent parents? Coddled? Never held accountable for his actions? How could he be so charming that he made friends wherever he lived yet be so utterly cold? This man Rundle is the puzzle of all time, but he did commit a brutal murder of someone he supposedly loved, so he's in prison where he should be. I can't really call this book gratifying, but it's a fascinating study of a very complex person.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the author, May 5, 2009

By	Glenn Puit - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hi everyone,
Glenn Puit here. I really hope you enjoy Father of the Year. It's a great book, and if you ever have any thoughts, questions or follow up inquiries on this or any of my other books, you can email me directly at [e-mail]. I also maintain a myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/kingoftruecrime. Finally, look for my Nov. 3 release, In Her Prime.
Take care, and if you like this book, please tell your friends and spread the word!
Glenn