Customer Reviews

Worth More Dead and Other True Cases

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, I am a fan of Ann Rule. I feel she handles her genre expertly. With the past few crime files books, however, I found myself becoming a little disappointed although I still enjoyed her books. I felt that too much time was spent on the detectives (yes, I am sure that her police background makes her partial) and I found that old cases were being written about without any new information added. Along came this book and I purchased it expecting to be entertained but not expecting the book to be up to Ms. Rule's usual standard. Well, this book surprised me. I thoroughly enjoyed the five stories in this volume and I will now look at the next in the crime files a bit differently and without skepticism. I feel like this is a worthy book and not one that the publisher was in a hurry to get "out there" in order to make a buck. Whether you are new to Ann's book or someone who has read everything she has written, you will enjoy this book.

I must admit I was giddy when I saw this at the grocery store. I so love Ann's work, that I'd read just about anything she's written. This Crime File was a great one. The first story is the more detailed of the bunch and centers on a man that got away with quite a bit in his criminal lifetime. I think the last story however, was the most personal for Rule; you can feel her empathy through the pages. "Desperate Housewife" cronicles a woman's struggle to leave an unhappy marriage and her ultimate demise by the hands of her husband.
I learn so much about the Seattle area in her books...I think I could probably visit one day and know my way around.
If you're a true crime buff, you know Rule's work and certainly don't need to be told to buy this book. If you're new to the genre and want to read a master, here she is!

Ann is my favorite true crime writer; in fact, she's pretty much the only one I read regularly. I really enjoy her story-like style which allows the case to unfold in a very real and natural feeling way. I especially have appreciated this series, with a "main" case and then several short story length ones after.

I felt this one didn't have enough pictures. I find that a picture of the victims, killers, etc. helps make the story real (even though I know it is already). I also thought that past crime files had a sort of theme or common thread, and this one felt more random. It's still absolutely worth it. Fascinating reading, unbelievable stories.

Thanks, Ann!

Ann Rule's readers will rejoice that she has presented us with another riveting book, written with her unflagging compassion and in her inimitable style. Here are five cases from her files of the past twenty years. The cast of characters come to vivid life, as once more she speaks for the victims who have been cruelly silenced. Especially good are the portrayals of prosecutors and lawmen who are haunted by these unsolved crimes, even as decades pass, and who are unflagging in their efforts to secure justice for the mourning families.

It's a bit of a jar when Rule points out that in 1988 there was no caller id, DNA testing was an emerging technology in its infancy, and home computers were not ubiquitous. I finished the book with a greater awareness of the many technical tools now available to criminal investigators, making their tasks far easier as they track down people like the twisted murderers in Rule's accounts.

For many years, Ann Rule has been the unparalleled queen of the true-crime genre. Long may she reign!

Ann Rule at her best is undoubtedly one of the outstanding true crime writers of her generation. This book, by comparison, verges on the tedious.

The five stories are all written in her usual workmanlike style but somehow lack the spark of some of her earlier books. The cases she presents deal with the murderous conclusion of relationship breaddowns, and all reflect her deep empathy with victims and their families, but overall they lack those twists of circumstance, fate and analysis that we have come to expect from an Ann Rule book.

The first and longest story, 'Worth More Dead', deals with a man who slips almost inexplicably from youthful Romeo to aging wife killer, always able to keep his distance from his crimes by manipulating others to carry out his dirty work. Rule herself says about him at the beginning 'I don't even know where to start explaining this killer'; and at the end of her story we have much the same problem.

Of the remaining cases, one deals with the ability of two teenage girls to survive a murderous attack and the way police were able to use the information they provided to capture an otherwise fairly ordinary killer. The next story, 'Old Man's Darling' describes a gripping situation in which an attractive woman murders her sugar daddy, a man twice her age, when he tries to leave her, but as with most of the other stories leaves the reader feeling that the story needed fleshing out. 'All For Nothing', the story of an otherwise reputable man who viciously kills the woman he loves and her suspected lover, and the last, 'A Desperate Housewife', also address the themes of jealousy, possessiveness and revenge.

As Rule notes, the trauma that can flow from relationship breakdowns, even where they do not end in murder, is common to many lives and for that reason if for no other this book has a grim appeal.

Ann Rule is the reigning Ruler of True Crime - her forte being in-depth looks at a crime, victims, perps, cops, and prosecutors. Along the way to writing and releasing her Big Books, she gathers chaff which never quite made it into a book of its own - hence these "Ann Rule Crime Files" paperbacks of which this is the 10th. There is one bigger/small novella length crime coverage and then the "stocking stuffers." So, about once a year, Rule's readers get appetizers - not the "Full Meal Deals" that are Ann's forte. Still, a not-up-to-her-best Rule is better than the best of most of the rest in the genre. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

It's a great book. Once you start reading it you won't be able to put it down and at the same time you don't want the book to end because it's so interesting that you want to keep reading and reading. I can't seem to get enough of Ann Rule's books. I still haven't read all of them but I intend to.

This is volume ten in the series of true crime cases. It contains five stories, the first and longest gave the title to this book. Ann Rule has written 23 books that were `NY Times' bestsellers. Rule lives near Seattle and her stories document crimes in that area. Rule has testified before the US Senate Judiciary Sub-committee and advised the US Justice Dept. on a program to track and trap serial killers.

"Worth More Dead" refers to a series of cases that were linked by the involvement of one person. If someone with life insurance is killed they are "worth more dead" to someone. But insurance companies will investigate suspicious deaths. [Read "Double Indemnity" by James M. Cain.] Did Roland arrange the murder of a husband to please the wife? Did he arrange the murder of his wife for the insurance money? Did he plan to murder his daughter? Read how his careful plans miscarried and lead to his conviction. Can the conversation on a remote phone be overheard by a neighbor (p.191)? The development of DNA evidence led to a break in the unsolved murder of Roland's first wife.

"It's Really Weird Looking at My Own Grave" tells of a serial rapist who killed his victims so they couldn't identify him. One quick thinking teenage girl escaped with her life. Detectives searched their files to find a possible match. They did, and the victims identified him.

"Old Man's Darling" is a story about a young woman who sought an older rich married man after unsuccessful marriages. Beauty alone does not make up for an ugly personality. The older man's decision to end the affair angered the younger woman. She shot and killed the older man, and the police shot and killed her. A pocket tape recorder revealed the drama of their last conversation.

"All for Nothing" is the story of Larry Sturholm, a TV reporter on humorous subjects. He wrote a book about "the last great train robbery" in Oregon. His charmed life ended with two murders and an attempted suicide. Larry's secret girlfriend had an insanely jealous former boyfriend. Was the killer legally insane at the time?

"A Desperate Housewife" tells about a couple who were married for years with children. But a mismatch in personalities developed over a dozen years. After the wife decided to ask for a divorce she disappeared after leaving for work, her husband said. None of her personal belongings were gone. A police search of the house found signs of foul play. You know the rest of this story.

Ann Rule doing what she does better than most anyone else. If you enjoy true crime you have to like this one. Another keeper.

All I need to said is that Ann Rule wrote this book, She is the # 1 true crime writer. I have every book she has written & can hardly wait for the next one. When Ann writes a story she tell you everything you want to know about the crime, the killer & the victim. Nothing is left out. All Ann Rule regulers knows this about her.

Do buy this book