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Crime Files #11
No Regrets and Other True Cases
A ship's pilot legendary for guiding mammoth freighters through the narrows of Puget Sound, Rolf Neslund was a proud Norwegian, a ladies' man, and a beloved resident of Washington State's idyllic Lopez Island. Virtually indestructible even into his golden years, he made electrifying headlines more than once: after a ship he was helming crashed into the soaring West Seattle Bridge, causing millions in damages; and following his inexplicable disappearance at age 80. Was he a suicide, a man broken by one costly misstep? Had he run off with a lifelong love? Or did a trail of gruesome evidence lead to the home Rolf shared with his wife, Ruth? On an island where everyone thought they knew their neighbors, the veneer of the Neslunds' marriage masked a convoluted case that took many years to solve. And, indeed, some still believe that the old sea captain will come home one day. "The Sea Captain" is a classic tale as blood chilling as murder itself. Along with six other equally riveting, detailed accounts of destruction and murder committed without conscience or regret, Ann Rule takes readers into frightening places they never could have imagined in No Regrets.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 31, 2006
242 people are currently reading
2072 people want to read
About the author
Ann Rule
129 books4,473 followersAnn Rule was a popular American true crime writer. Raised in a law enforcement and criminal justice system environment, she grew up wanting to work in law enforcement herself. She was a former Seattle Policewoman and was well educated in psychology and criminology.
She came to prominence with her first book, The Stranger Beside Me, about the Ted Bundy murders. At the time she started researching the book, the murders were still unsolved. In the course of time, it became clear that the killer was Bundy, her friend and her colleague as a trained volunteer on the suicide hotline at the Seattle, Washington Crisis Clinic, giving her a unique distinction among true crime writers.
Rule won two Anthony Awards from Bouchercon, the mystery fans' organization. She was nominated three times for the Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. She is highly regarded for creating the true crime genre as it exists today.
Ann Rule also wrote under the name Andy Stack . Her daughter is Goodreads author Leslie Rule.
She came to prominence with her first book, The Stranger Beside Me, about the Ted Bundy murders. At the time she started researching the book, the murders were still unsolved. In the course of time, it became clear that the killer was Bundy, her friend and her colleague as a trained volunteer on the suicide hotline at the Seattle, Washington Crisis Clinic, giving her a unique distinction among true crime writers.
Rule won two Anthony Awards from Bouchercon, the mystery fans' organization. She was nominated three times for the Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. She is highly regarded for creating the true crime genre as it exists today.
Ann Rule also wrote under the name Andy Stack . Her daughter is Goodreads author Leslie Rule.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
October 13, 2023
If there’s one thing I can guarantee it’s that I’ll never get tired of reading Ann Rule. No matter how many books and collections I read by her her writing just never gets old. This isn’t my all time fave I’ve read by her but it still ranks a solid four stars which is pretty damn good in my opinion! This collection features something we don’t often see in true crime novels, a victim that got away and lived to tell the tale of their nightmare which was quite interesting.
July 25, 2016
A great addition to the true crime files collection. Ms. Rule will be greatly missed.
January 9, 2017
*"The Sea Captain": Lopez Island WA 1980: murder of an 80 year old Puget Sound pilot by his wife of 20 years because he discovered that she'd been moving all of his pension and other income out of their joint checking account into one solely in her name--and because she didn't want to share any of his money with his two sons by a different woman
*"It (Ain't) Hard Out There for the Pimps": Seattle WA: the brutal rape and near-fatal beating of an 18 year old woman (who may have been working informally as a prostitute, but it doesn't seem like her rapist even bothered to pretend he was going to pay her for sex) by a man who worked as a bouncer for a place called the Exotica Studio, which seems to have been somewhere between a peep show and a brothel; Rule's point--evinced by her title--is that it's not hard for the pimps. It's hard for the women who are trapped working for them.
*"The Runaway and the Soldier": Bellevue WA: 15 year old runaway Teresa Sterling murdered and raped (yes, in that order) by her 18 year old boyfriend, who abandoned her body in the woods. I felt like Rule left out a piece of this one; she says that Teresa hit a psychotic trigger with some particularly mean teasing, but she doesn't really explain what that trigger was or where it came from. "Old rages," she says, but that doesn't clarify much.
*"The Tragic Ending of a Bank Robber's Fantasy": Seattle WA: Sam Jesse thought he'd planned the perfect bank robbery, but apparently he'd never heard that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. He'd also apparently never heard that you should never point a gun at someone unless you're prepared to shoot them. In carrying out his "perfect" robbery, he first didn't notice the dye-pack in one of the stacks of bills the teller gave him (which was going to put a nasty spoke in his wheel anyway) and second accidentally shot the relief bank manager, who was 77. Sam was arrested before he even got out of the airport in Honolulu; extradited back to Washington, he committed suicide in his cell before he even went to trial.
*"A Very Bad Christmas": Portland OR: this pretty much takes the cake for Murder is Cheaper than Divorce. Richard Hamilton was married with two small children. He decided he was tired of being a married man, but he didn't want to have to pay child support. So he murdered his wife, his two year old son, and their seven year old daughter, and threw the bodies in the Columbia River; in the hopes of preventing identification, he decapitated his wife's body. He got away with his crime for approximately two days.
*"To Save Their Souls": Pasco WA: A young , devout Mormon mother, deserted by her husband and caught in the horrible Catch-22 where her job didn't pay enough that she could afford daycare for her two little boys while she worked--never mind paying enough for rent and groceries--went absolutely insane. She became convinced that she was evil and that the only way to be sure that her children would enter the Celestial Kingdom was for her to kill them. She dropped them off the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge into the Columbia River. Under M'Naughton--because she did know right from wrong at the time she murdered her children--her jury had no choice but to find her sane and therefore guilty. She was remanded to a mental hospital for more tests after her trial, and Rule was unable to find what happened to her after that.
*". . . Or We'll Kill You": Fairfield CA: crisis-intervention counselor kidnapped, raped, and terrorized for nearly twelve hours by a pair of unbalanced sociopaths. She escaped them and survived because she kept her head and, ironically, used her training.
There is no case in this collection titled "No Regrets."
*"It (Ain't) Hard Out There for the Pimps": Seattle WA: the brutal rape and near-fatal beating of an 18 year old woman (who may have been working informally as a prostitute, but it doesn't seem like her rapist even bothered to pretend he was going to pay her for sex) by a man who worked as a bouncer for a place called the Exotica Studio, which seems to have been somewhere between a peep show and a brothel; Rule's point--evinced by her title--is that it's not hard for the pimps. It's hard for the women who are trapped working for them.
*"The Runaway and the Soldier": Bellevue WA: 15 year old runaway Teresa Sterling murdered and raped (yes, in that order) by her 18 year old boyfriend, who abandoned her body in the woods. I felt like Rule left out a piece of this one; she says that Teresa hit a psychotic trigger with some particularly mean teasing, but she doesn't really explain what that trigger was or where it came from. "Old rages," she says, but that doesn't clarify much.
*"The Tragic Ending of a Bank Robber's Fantasy": Seattle WA: Sam Jesse thought he'd planned the perfect bank robbery, but apparently he'd never heard that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. He'd also apparently never heard that you should never point a gun at someone unless you're prepared to shoot them. In carrying out his "perfect" robbery, he first didn't notice the dye-pack in one of the stacks of bills the teller gave him (which was going to put a nasty spoke in his wheel anyway) and second accidentally shot the relief bank manager, who was 77. Sam was arrested before he even got out of the airport in Honolulu; extradited back to Washington, he committed suicide in his cell before he even went to trial.
*"A Very Bad Christmas": Portland OR: this pretty much takes the cake for Murder is Cheaper than Divorce. Richard Hamilton was married with two small children. He decided he was tired of being a married man, but he didn't want to have to pay child support. So he murdered his wife, his two year old son, and their seven year old daughter, and threw the bodies in the Columbia River; in the hopes of preventing identification, he decapitated his wife's body. He got away with his crime for approximately two days.
*"To Save Their Souls": Pasco WA: A young , devout Mormon mother, deserted by her husband and caught in the horrible Catch-22 where her job didn't pay enough that she could afford daycare for her two little boys while she worked--never mind paying enough for rent and groceries--went absolutely insane. She became convinced that she was evil and that the only way to be sure that her children would enter the Celestial Kingdom was for her to kill them. She dropped them off the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge into the Columbia River. Under M'Naughton--because she did know right from wrong at the time she murdered her children--her jury had no choice but to find her sane and therefore guilty. She was remanded to a mental hospital for more tests after her trial, and Rule was unable to find what happened to her after that.
*". . . Or We'll Kill You": Fairfield CA: crisis-intervention counselor kidnapped, raped, and terrorized for nearly twelve hours by a pair of unbalanced sociopaths. She escaped them and survived because she kept her head and, ironically, used her training.
There is no case in this collection titled "No Regrets."
January 20, 2016
After reading Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule last year I started to buy her books eager to read more. Many people have said that her longer books are better the crime files are missing something, while others that the crime files series are the best and the full books drag. So I decided to see for myself and choose to read one of the crime files books. The cover drew me in. For some reason I pictured a murder at sea. Instead I spent most of a five day weekend buried in this book and the seven stories in it, unable to put it down. Even if after reading one or two of the stories at night I did have trouble falling asleep, I think it was worth it. The first story was a longer length story about the Neslunds. Rolf a celebrated ship's pilot in his eighties and his wife Ruth , who seems like a kindly sweet much admired woman in their neighbourhood. Suddenly Rolf disappears into thin air never to be seen again and suspicion falls on his widow. The story unfolds as detectives search and find grisly evidence that points to what really happened to Rolf. Was he depressed after being involved in costly accident at work, did he simply walk away from his life and his marriage and start over some place else with a clean slate. A truly fascinating case one that kept me up reading eager to see what would happen next. The shorter stories were all varied in their topics, ranging from kidnapping to rape to cold blooded murder, justifiable homicide (self defense), when insanity should be used in a trial. Some stories were just too tragic. The Christine Jonsen case, the Hamilton family were difficult to read as they were so sad. In the case of the Hamilitons I just can't imagine anyone being sick enough to do such a thing. Other stories had me on the edge of my seat, bank robber Sam Jesse and his fantasy life, the frightening kidnap and rape of Kari Lindholm. As for the two other cases in the book, Teresa Sterling's story was sad too, but I felt bad for her parents who tried so hard to save her. I am sure we all made bad decisions when were in our teens too, but unfortunately for Teresa it ended in tragedy. And finally the second story in the book which began with a rant about how pimps don't have it hard contrary to what an award winning song says. This is a story of justice on many levels for the women enslaved by pimps, it is also a story of courage and survival. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book. I can't say which I enjoyed better the longer books or the crime files, I think they are both excellent in their own way told by a writer who knows her subject and I look forward to continuing to read more of Ann Rule.
January 2, 2018
Definitely did not care for most of the stories in this volume.
The Sea Captain (3 stars)-I really didn't like this one at all. It is one of the longer stories that Rule tends to start off all of her books with. This one didn't have an engaging story at all. Woman murders husband. Rule throws in tidbits about how the local celebrities (John Saul lived nearby) felt about the case as well as the locals. I never got the feeling anyone was lying about what occurred. It just seemed shocking the woman in question (Nettie Ruth Myers) got away with things as long as she did.
It (Ain't) Hard Out There for the Pimps (1 star)-Rule has a bug up her butt because in 2006, the best song went to "It's Hard Out There for the Pimps" she takes a personal affront because pimps are terrible people. I am not arguing with her there. But I think she jumped way too much to the outrage meter over a song. I feel like she's one of those people that would have said that rap music makes black people violent. I hated the two stories she told since she seemed hell bent on proving her point.
The Runaway and the Solider (2 stars)-Sad story though Rule at times seems to be blaming the young woman and even her family for what became of her.
The Tragic Ending of a Bank Robber's Fantasy (3 stars)-once again Rule seems to blame not only the young man who murdered someone, but the victim who she felt should have had enough sense to not struggle to get a gun away from him. This whole story felt confusing, mostly because Rule refers to the murderer (Sam Jesse) by both his first and last name throughout the story.
A Very Bad Christmas (3 stars)-What a terrible story. It's a story about a family annihilator who wanted to move on and be "young again and date."
To Save Their Souls (3 stars)-I felt pity for the woman in this story who definitely needed mental help. Rule gets into the M'Naughton rule and how in cases like this one, it can cause people who really should receive mental help to be sent to jail. A young mother is left alone with her two sons who she can't feed or keep warm living in a trailer all by themselves. She eventually becomes transfixed on the fact that she and her husband have done evil and her sons need to be protected.
...Or We''ll Kill You (3 stars)-A woman is abducted by two men and using the skills she developed as counselor, manages to survive.
The Sea Captain (3 stars)-I really didn't like this one at all. It is one of the longer stories that Rule tends to start off all of her books with. This one didn't have an engaging story at all. Woman murders husband. Rule throws in tidbits about how the local celebrities (John Saul lived nearby) felt about the case as well as the locals. I never got the feeling anyone was lying about what occurred. It just seemed shocking the woman in question (Nettie Ruth Myers) got away with things as long as she did.
It (Ain't) Hard Out There for the Pimps (1 star)-Rule has a bug up her butt because in 2006, the best song went to "It's Hard Out There for the Pimps" she takes a personal affront because pimps are terrible people. I am not arguing with her there. But I think she jumped way too much to the outrage meter over a song. I feel like she's one of those people that would have said that rap music makes black people violent. I hated the two stories she told since she seemed hell bent on proving her point.
The Runaway and the Solider (2 stars)-Sad story though Rule at times seems to be blaming the young woman and even her family for what became of her.
The Tragic Ending of a Bank Robber's Fantasy (3 stars)-once again Rule seems to blame not only the young man who murdered someone, but the victim who she felt should have had enough sense to not struggle to get a gun away from him. This whole story felt confusing, mostly because Rule refers to the murderer (Sam Jesse) by both his first and last name throughout the story.
A Very Bad Christmas (3 stars)-What a terrible story. It's a story about a family annihilator who wanted to move on and be "young again and date."
To Save Their Souls (3 stars)-I felt pity for the woman in this story who definitely needed mental help. Rule gets into the M'Naughton rule and how in cases like this one, it can cause people who really should receive mental help to be sent to jail. A young mother is left alone with her two sons who she can't feed or keep warm living in a trailer all by themselves. She eventually becomes transfixed on the fact that she and her husband have done evil and her sons need to be protected.
...Or We''ll Kill You (3 stars)-A woman is abducted by two men and using the skills she developed as counselor, manages to survive.
October 30, 2018
i like my true crime stories .
August 10, 2010
Seven chilling tales of true crime by long time author Ann Rule. While her writing style is pretty dry, these stories kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. The first story brought back some memories of Seattle, and an infamous bridge meets ship incident. Recommended, and one of the better entries in the series.
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_N...
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_N...
August 8, 2018
This is the usual fare from Ann Rule; good guilty pleasure for me! This one has a longer story in it about a Norwegian Sea Captain Rolf Neslund who goes missing and is never found. Then there are five or six smaller short stories, one of which was about a social worker being kidnapped; that rather put my teeth on edge.
December 7, 2015
This is a series of truly sad stories. Rule ends her book with a story that should be inspiring, but it's still just so very sad.
I would recommend this book to individuals who have enjoyed other books by Ann Rule, M. William Phelps, or Aphrodite Jones.
I would recommend this book to individuals who have enjoyed other books by Ann Rule, M. William Phelps, or Aphrodite Jones.
May 17, 2014
As per always Ann, I couldn't put this book down.
August 1, 2013
Wow, this book is everything that I ever dreamed of. I am still reading "The Sea Captain." Hopefully, I will be finished with the book by the end of the week.
November 9, 2018
Another great read by Ann rule. The true crime community has truely lost a great author /story teller.
June 14, 2022
Ann Rule could be trusted to recount (usually) unfamiliar cases with neither the goriness nor the ambiguity characteristic of many true crime books. I don’t find her collections challenging and I read them for relaxation. No Regrets was a slight deviation from the norm for me because like every sentient creature living in Seattle at that time, I was already familiar with the West Seattle Bridge component of the opening story, and although I had left the city by the time the murder investigation transpired, friends kept me apprised of the rough outlines. Perhaps that’s why I found the first story “The Sea Captain,” surprisingly dull. But the remaining accounts were just what you’d expect from Rule, and especially interesting was her open disdain for the way the state of Washington interpreted the M’Naughton Rule at that time. Ann Rule was not a fool, and when she said that the murderer in “To Save Their Souls” was actually innocent by reason of insanity she saw more clearly than did the jury.
Recommended to true crime fans and to residents - current & former - of Western Washington in general.
Recommended to true crime fans and to residents - current & former - of Western Washington in general.
April 11, 2025
A collection of true crime stories set in the Pacific Northwest.
The main story was about the murder of Rolf Neslund, a ship's captain who was murdered by his elderly wife, Ruth. His body was never found which made for some interesting court drama.
Other stories included a bank robbery in which an elderly man was shot, a teenage runaway who was murdered by her boyfriend, and two sad stories in which children were murdered: one by their father, who wanted to live the free and single life again and another by a mother who was drowned her two little boys after her husband left her.
There was also a story about a social worker who was kidnapped and raped but was smart enough to survive. However, it was sad in the end because her marriage couldn't survive the rape.
I do like Ann Rule, but I think the stories about the children made this book a bit depressing for me. It wasn't my favorite of her works.
The main story was about the murder of Rolf Neslund, a ship's captain who was murdered by his elderly wife, Ruth. His body was never found which made for some interesting court drama.
Other stories included a bank robbery in which an elderly man was shot, a teenage runaway who was murdered by her boyfriend, and two sad stories in which children were murdered: one by their father, who wanted to live the free and single life again and another by a mother who was drowned her two little boys after her husband left her.
There was also a story about a social worker who was kidnapped and raped but was smart enough to survive. However, it was sad in the end because her marriage couldn't survive the rape.
I do like Ann Rule, but I think the stories about the children made this book a bit depressing for me. It wasn't my favorite of her works.
February 25, 2018
I miss Ann Rule. Most true crime books are so disgusting albeit fascinating that I feel awful after reading them with some exceptions. Ms Rule always exudes so much empathy and sympathy for victims that she always seemed like a person I would like to have known. A very caring person yet that doesn't keep her storytelling and reporting of hard facts any less admirable. She really always holds my attention. I may even go back and read some of her books again. This one was good. My attention was held by her unfolding of events in each of these cases. Sometimes I think I like her Crime Files series best. IF you like true crime, read it. If you like Ann Rule, read it. Another solid release in the Crime Files series.
June 9, 2022
3.5 stars
A Norwegian immigrant built a life for himself from scratch. After two attempted crossings, he was finally let into the U.S. via Ellis Island. Ralph went on to become a well known sea captain, and had more than a few women in his life (sometimes multiples at once). Yet as Ralph entered his 8th decade, he seemed to be settled down and appeared to be enjoying the good life. However, when he simply vanished and was never heard from again, more than a few eyebrows were raised in his small island community.
I wasn’t sure if I would like the main story, but it ended up being a fascinating read. It was also nice to have a break from the typical Crime Files stories that feature escalating and abusive husbands. From the short stories, the kidnapping of the therapist from work will definitely stick with me. Good job, as usual, Ann Rule.
A Norwegian immigrant built a life for himself from scratch. After two attempted crossings, he was finally let into the U.S. via Ellis Island. Ralph went on to become a well known sea captain, and had more than a few women in his life (sometimes multiples at once). Yet as Ralph entered his 8th decade, he seemed to be settled down and appeared to be enjoying the good life. However, when he simply vanished and was never heard from again, more than a few eyebrows were raised in his small island community.
I wasn’t sure if I would like the main story, but it ended up being a fascinating read. It was also nice to have a break from the typical Crime Files stories that feature escalating and abusive husbands. From the short stories, the kidnapping of the therapist from work will definitely stick with me. Good job, as usual, Ann Rule.
November 10, 2022
My thirst for true crime isn't what it used to be but I still dabble in it. The main story was interesting but more as a biography of the late Captain. The fact that he was killed by his greedy wife was almost an afterthought in his fascinating life story. How Ruth got away with his murder for so long and garnered the support of her fellow islanders is fascinating as well. The short stories, were too short (in my opinion) and sad. The last story about the social worker who was kidnapped was really harrowing--just a lady doing her job when her life gets interrupted by a couple of losers.
October 3, 2019
I enjoyed this book, as I do all of Ms. Rule's. She focuses on each character, telling their story with great detail. This book is part of her Crime Files series, so it has 7 different stories in it. The first is The Sea Captain which is the books longest tale. I buy all of Ms. Rule's books without hesitation because I know they are top quality in content! (Ann has passed away since this review was written)
December 24, 2018
I've always enjoyed Ann Rule's true crime books and this group of seven cases was no exception. It includes the first murder conviction in Washington state in which no body had been found as well as the tale of a counselor kidnapped and held for hours prior to taking a chance on appealing to a small group of hunters at a rest stop for assistance.
July 10, 2019
The main case in this book wasn't nearly as exciting as the smaller cases! I do love her books that contain several cases, especially since I have a toddler. It held my interest and was a good summer read for me!
I did find a few instances of misspellings and double words! There needed to be a better editing job!
I did find a few instances of misspellings and double words! There needed to be a better editing job!
March 15, 2022
As anyone knows, I love reading anything by Ann Rule, and this case file is no exception. We have multiple different true crime stories in this book, but the one that stood out the most to me was The Sea Captain. There were so many twists and turns that I had no idea how the case would end! This was another great addition to her books!
August 27, 2024
Ann Rule is a classic. I enjoy the clean, clear writing style and appreciate the inclusion of pictures. Like her other books in this series, there are several crimes addressed in this volume. The first takes up most of the book, covered in depth. Makes me want to read more and see if there are any new developments.
August 13, 2018
Another Great Book
Another great book from Ann Rule. She tells the story like no one can I 'm a great fan of this author. I will read more from this author. I would recommend this author to anyone who likes a great read. She did not disappoint.
Another great book from Ann Rule. She tells the story like no one can I 'm a great fan of this author. I will read more from this author. I would recommend this author to anyone who likes a great read. She did not disappoint.
January 9, 2023
I thought the case involving the ship's captain was especially interesting. Overall, this one was one of the more interesting crime files books that I have read. I wish that there would have been more detail about the ship's captain's case, but it was a decent read.
October 12, 2024
Not gonna lie...I love me some true crime stories! I vividly remember the Rolf Naesland 'mystery' and even though I knew how it ended before I started reading it, it held my interest from page one! Can't go wrong with an Ann Rule book.
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March 31, 2025DNF. I could not get into the main case at all, so I skipped over most of it. Perhaps I will go back at another time and try it again. I did get through the shorter cases, and found them much more interesting. But I still don’t want to give a star rating to a book I haven’t finished.
March 9, 2017
I like Ann Rule, and these short pieces are always interesting. Though this would be a better collection if there was a piece in it that was actually called "No Regrets."
October 21, 2017
Money, money, money.... what a scary power you have on human beings.
July 12, 2018
Read 2007
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July 22, 2019very sad ..that this still goes on..some crimes could be avoided
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews