Customer Reviews

Rage to Kill

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That Ann Rule is held in such regard by the literary world (and this probably includes non true crime authors) should surprise no one, especially her legions of fans who await every latest book of hers with baited breath.

In her 6th volume of crime stories, Ms Rule certainly proves her writing talent is 2nd to none. That she chose to write 10 short stories may have surprised some of her followers, but she is able to tell a story and draw conclusions in 20 or so pages, and how many authors have that ability?

In all but 2 instances, the stories and killers she profiles in this book most likely didn't even receive a radar blip in the media. America is a country where so many murders are committed, and sadly, only the goriest and most bizarre rate a mention in the media. But Ms Rule, a woman who doesn't seek out the sensational, a woman of great empathy and compassion, gives these stories a chance to be heard and discussed. She enables all the forgotten victims an opportunity to have voices.

I was just up all night with this book, and as the sun comes up, I'm finishing. It left me speechlesss. The stories in here, albiet short, are moving and will leave you stunned that such people exist in this world, and the inhumanity that they can inflict on others. One story in particular, "Spree Killer" had me crying and left me mad that it had actually happened. Had these stories appeared in a fiction book, or on television or movies, it wouldnt hurt the heart so much. And the "Spree Killer" story should be required reading for every junior high school female, to know or try to avoid strangers.

It's lovely to see a new Ann Rule book, her writing style seems to get better and better with each new book. As always, she can describe not only crime scenes, but the mundane like a pro. She is definately the best true crime author since Capote, bar none. What got me with this book, is its just vignettes. Even though you get a feel for the characters, the victims remain teriary characters at best. Which is a shame. But then, the book would be far longer, and wouldn't keep with the idea of short pieces she wanted to write. But for me, it was like a buffett- a taste here, a taste there, but when you leave you are still hungry for more.

I hope Ann Rule is working on the next book soon.

'A Rage To Kill' is the sixth installment of Ann Rule's "Crime Files", and I fear the series is running out of steam. While the others in the series focus on one main story followed on by shorter stories, this book only contains short-ish (30-50 pages) stories. And so we don't have the pleasure of Ann Rule's great research and insight, as found in her single story books (eg, 'Dead By Sunset'). It is as if the author didn't want to sweat the details and simply wanted to tart up police reports, and then stuff them into a book.

Having said all this, Ann Rule does write in a very fluid style. Her books are always a fast read. And while the stories here are most definitely morbid and horrific, they are fascinating (much like viewing a road accident).

Bottom line: empty calories for the brain. But like junk food, hopelessly addictive.

In A RAGE TO KILL, former policewoman Ann Rule empties her files of short cases she just can't forget. Some of the stories are from her early years of writing, before serial killers like Ted Bundy made headlines -- before they made the horrific not only believable but also common place.

Other stories are more recent. Some of the killers were brilliant; others captured because of their stupidity. One death isn't solved. Yet each of the stories has one element in common -- a rage to kill.

Each of the stories is haunting in a different way. Whether it's a tale of a killer kidnapping beautiful young women from shopping malls, or of the young woman who saw death coming at the hands of the father of her children and was powerless to prevent her own murder, each story is written with chilling detail. All of the stories illustrates the ability of irrational violence to strike without warning, taking a life in moments.

When I read other reviews of this collection, I encountered many reviewers expressing disappointment based on other work they had read by this same author.

Perhaps because I haven't read many true crime novels, and my judgement system is a little different, or perhaps because I do enjoy Ann's writing style and inquisitive nature -- clearly demonstrated even with these shorter tales -- I thoroughly enjoyed A RAGE TO KILL. I heartily recommend it to all fans of true crime.

Genre: True Crime In A Rage To Kill, former policewoman Ann Rule empties her files of short cases she just can't forget. Some of the stories are from her early years of writing, before serial killers like Ted Bundy made headlines -- before they made the horrific not only believable but also common place. Other stories are more recent. Some of the killers were brilliant; others captured because of their stupidity. One death isn't solved. Yet each of the stories has one element in common -- a rage to kill. Each of the stories is haunting in a different way. Whether it's a tale of a killer kidnapping beautiful young women from shopping malls, or of the young woman who saw death coming at the hands of the father of her children and was powerless to prevent her own murder, each story is written with chilling detail. All of the stories illustrates the ability of irrational violence to strike without warning, taking a life in moments. When I read other reviews of this collection, I encountered many reviewers expressing disappointment based on other work they had read by this same author. Perhaps because I haven't read many true crime novels, and my judgement system is a little different, or perhaps because I do enjoy Ann's writing style and inquisitive nature -- clearly demonstrated even with these shorter tales -- I thoroughly enjoyed A Rage To Kill. I heartily recommend it to all fans of true crime.

Cindy Penn, Reviewer

I've read quite a few of Ann Rule's crime files editions, plus other stories and this one was really disappointing. Having read the back cover, it sounded really compelling. It said that Ann "uncovers the motives" of Silas Cool. I didn't think she did that at all. As a matter of fact, I turned to the last page and was highly surprised. It seemed as if she couldn't be bothered to finish the story. I felt as if none of my questions had been answered regarding this case. It certainly wasn't deserving of the title case. It should have been one of the bonus stories, in my opinion.

Having said that, the other cases in the book were classic Ann Rule. They were well written and interesting. I gave this book 4 stars because of the bonus cases. If you are going to read it, don't expect much from the first case. The rest are very good.

This was my first Ann Rule book, having just gotten hooked on true crime a la Vincent Bugliosi (And the Sea Will Tell), Carlton Stowers (To the Last Breath), and Dennis McDougal (In the Best of Families). Rage to Kill is an easy read, well written, and each "short" story can be finished before falling asleep so it's like starting a new book when you pick it up again. This book would be particularly interesting to Washington state residents since all the cases happened there. Rage to Kill will make female readers afraid for themselves and their daughters so upon finishing this book they should quickly turn to other subject reading (like horse training or gardening) to get Ann's evil incarnates off their minds.

i am probably ann rule's biggest fan, and think she is by far the best true crime novelist around. however i was a little disappointed with this book, for 2 reasons. i live in seattle and the silas cool incident which happened less than a year ago is still fresh in my mind (he shot a bus driver, causing the bus to go off the aurora bridge). the entire city was perplexed as to why he did it, and i don't feel that ann really answers many questions about his motives. maybe it's because this book was on the bookstore shelves too soon after the incident. also, she profiles christopher wilder who abducted girls from shopping malls. he has been profiled before (i can't remember by whom) so this story isn't really fresh. the rest of the book is fascinating as usual, but you do get the impression that maybe she's trying to catch up to stephen king, pumping out one book after another.

I used to buy a Rule book without even opening the cover. This book taught me, you can't judge a book by it's author. I love Ann, but all these cases were very shallow, boring and poorly written. I am terribly disappointed after years of enjoying her work, please Ms Rule, please slow down and give us more quality

Read a lot of Ann Rule's books ... this was her dullest by far. The stories seemed shallow and what depth there seemed to be was only because the author used the same phrases over and over again in several stories. How many ways can you say the same thing? Also, the stories were great if you're from Seattle or that area...they would have a broader appeal if she picked some areas outside of Washington. But overall, the writing was not up to her usual par and despite the interesting subject matter, they fell flat.

Maybe Number 7 will be better?