The Façade, Not the Perversions

June 15, 2023 9:36 AM

Ann Rule had spent most of her career warning other women about the “monstrous self behind the pleasant face.” But even she could not escape this final betrayal. As naïve—about the police, about psychology, about the larger forces that shape crime and criminal justice—as Rule’s books can seem now, after decades of social change, she got that one thing right: We’re the most vulnerable where we most trust. from How the Queen of True Crime Transformed Murder Stories Forever
posted by chavenet (4 comments total)

Thank you for sharing this—coincidentally I was just thinking about Ann Rule and her sad end, so this is eerily well-timed for me. I have a lot of Thoughts™️ on Rule in particular and true crime in general, so I will read this piece with interest.
posted by Suedeltica at 10:49 AM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

I never knew that about her sons--how extremely sad.
posted by TinyChicken at 11:46 AM on June 15, 2023 [5 favorites]

Definite recommend if you're into this sort of thing - My Favorite Murder's live show from Seattle has a great/hilarious segment from Karen on Ted Bundy, which starts off with an Ann Rule intro. One of their better episodes, in my opinion. I think it's somewhere around Episode 69ish.
posted by Gumshoe Grimshaw at 2:35 AM on June 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

That's a really good article - gives Rule due credit but doesn't shy away from criticism either. Thanks for sharing it.
posted by harriet vane at 3:21 AM on June 17, 2023 [1 favorite]