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Crime Files #14
But I Trusted You and Other True Cases
Trust. It's the foundation of any enduring relationship between friends, lovers, spouses, and families. But when trust is placed in those who are not what they seem, the results can be deadly. Ann Rule, who famously chronicled her own shocking experience of unknowingly befriending a sociopath in The Stranger Beside Me, offers a riveting, all-new collection from her true-crime files, with the lethally shattered bonds of trust at the core of each bloodsoaked account.
Whether driven to extreme violence by greed or jealousy, passion or rage, these calculating sociopaths targeted those closest to them - unwitting victims whose last disbelieving words could well have been "but I trusted you...."
Headlining this page-turning anthology is the case of middle-school counselor Chuck Leonard, found shot to death outside his Washington State home on an icy February morning. A complicated mix of family man and wild man, Chuck played hard and loved many... but who crossed the line by murdering him in cold blood? And why? The revelation is as stunning as the shattering crime itself, powerfully illuminating how those we think we know can ingeniously hide their destructive and homicidal designs.
Along with other shattering cases, immaculately detailed and sharply analyzed by America's #1 true-crime writer, this fourteenth Crime Files volume is essential reading for getting inside the mind of the hidden killers among us.
Whether driven to extreme violence by greed or jealousy, passion or rage, these calculating sociopaths targeted those closest to them - unwitting victims whose last disbelieving words could well have been "but I trusted you...."
Headlining this page-turning anthology is the case of middle-school counselor Chuck Leonard, found shot to death outside his Washington State home on an icy February morning. A complicated mix of family man and wild man, Chuck played hard and loved many... but who crossed the line by murdering him in cold blood? And why? The revelation is as stunning as the shattering crime itself, powerfully illuminating how those we think we know can ingeniously hide their destructive and homicidal designs.
Along with other shattering cases, immaculately detailed and sharply analyzed by America's #1 true-crime writer, this fourteenth Crime Files volume is essential reading for getting inside the mind of the hidden killers among us.
428 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2009
611 people are currently reading
2547 people want to read
About the author
Ann Rule
128 books4,446 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 189 reviews
September 21, 2018
There's just something about the way Ann Rule relays information that makes me pause for a moment after reading each case.
November 8, 2022
Ann Rule (RIP) was one of the best and most prolific crime writers. She delves deep into what drives people to commit murder.
The primary story in this book focuses on two people who are cheating on their spouses. The man is not ever planning on leaving his wife and the security of his existing life. The woman has created an elaborate plan in her mind that would end up with the two lovers being able to marry each other.
One case deals with a rapist and killer who lurks in a popular jogging park outside of Seattle and waits in prey for female victims.
Another case focuses on homicides involving those who are "swinging" couples.
This book has seen different murder cases in the WA/OR area.
The primary story in this book focuses on two people who are cheating on their spouses. The man is not ever planning on leaving his wife and the security of his existing life. The woman has created an elaborate plan in her mind that would end up with the two lovers being able to marry each other.
One case deals with a rapist and killer who lurks in a popular jogging park outside of Seattle and waits in prey for female victims.
Another case focuses on homicides involving those who are "swinging" couples.
This book has seen different murder cases in the WA/OR area.
November 6, 2015
This is the 1st Ann Rule book I am reading since her untimely passing. I was saddened to hear about her death being that she is one of my favorite authors. The title of the book does not suit every case chronicled within the pages but they each had some interesting aspects for the reader. I have summarized my thoughts on some of the cases detailed in this volume of crime files.
But I Trusted You- I personally believe Teresa was lying about Chuck molesting their daughter Morgan. As Rule stated throughout the story, if Teresa really believed this was going on why not try and get full custody of Morgan? Although Nick Callas was portrayed as a victim of Teresa's sneaky lures but I find him to not be a victim at all. He was a married man who was having an affair and was paying for Teresa's expenses at his own willingness. It was interesting to read that she had facial surgery and in my opinion she looked worse than she did before. But, of course that is besides the whole point of the story.
Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound- This was one odd and very peculiar true crime case. I loved Rule's description at the beginning of the story on people who have gotten lost at sea and whose bodies have never been found. I have always been very fascinated with all of the secrets our ocean holds. One can only imagine all the deadly tales the sea can speak upon. I am not sure many myself included, believe Gary's version of what happened to his father and stepmother on that ship.
Sharper than a Serpents Tooth was a terrifying tale as a mother. To be afraid of your own son is very painful and a terrible situation to be in. & then to have the poor mother's fears become a reality is just devastating.
The last story really Dark Forest: Deep Danger was very sad to me because of the 2 children that were killed along side their parents. For some reason that case didn't seem like it had closure.
But I Trusted You- I personally believe Teresa was lying about Chuck molesting their daughter Morgan. As Rule stated throughout the story, if Teresa really believed this was going on why not try and get full custody of Morgan? Although Nick Callas was portrayed as a victim of Teresa's sneaky lures but I find him to not be a victim at all. He was a married man who was having an affair and was paying for Teresa's expenses at his own willingness. It was interesting to read that she had facial surgery and in my opinion she looked worse than she did before. But, of course that is besides the whole point of the story.
Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound- This was one odd and very peculiar true crime case. I loved Rule's description at the beginning of the story on people who have gotten lost at sea and whose bodies have never been found. I have always been very fascinated with all of the secrets our ocean holds. One can only imagine all the deadly tales the sea can speak upon. I am not sure many myself included, believe Gary's version of what happened to his father and stepmother on that ship.
Sharper than a Serpents Tooth was a terrifying tale as a mother. To be afraid of your own son is very painful and a terrible situation to be in. & then to have the poor mother's fears become a reality is just devastating.
The last story really Dark Forest: Deep Danger was very sad to me because of the 2 children that were killed along side their parents. For some reason that case didn't seem like it had closure.
July 27, 2010
The blood is beginning to run thin in the Ann Rule's Crime Files series, in which annually she trots out one new case at novella length along with four or five short pieces from the 1960s and 1970s when she wrote prolifically for true-crime magazines.
The centerpiece story is about Chuck Leonard and Teresa Gaethe-Leonard, a Snohomish County, Wash. couple whose marriage hit the rocks in the mid-'90s and ended in the shooting murder of Chuck, a much-loved school counselor. Teresa was fingered for his death, but managed to flee the country for several months before being recaptured in Puerto Rico and returned to face trial.
The story itself is interesting, but the storytelling itself is pretty lackluster. That's attributable to one reason — lack of access. Rule usually is able to tell these stories from the perspective of someone close to the killer or the victim — a friend, a relative or a colleague — but in the case of "But I Trusted You," she came up empty. The background of both Leonards is sketchily rendered, as are the events in the couple's marriage that led to its acrimonious dissolution.
It seems clear that such swiss-cheese storytelling took place here because the people Rule interviewed simply weren't that close to either Chuck or Teresa, who both come off as somewhat murky and secretive people who apparently didn't care to unburden themselves to others. So, besides a handful of interviews with people peripheral to their lives, Rule has little to rely on for the vital connective tissue that any true-crime narrative needs save the police reports and court documents related to the case.
It's too bad, because this is a story that had all the elements of a first-rate true-crime thriller. Chuck Leonard was no saint, though Rule makes clear he was the more likable of the two; and Teresa Gaethe-Leonard comes off as a hustler and scammer who bored easily and was constantly looking for fresh romance. Both, at the time of their split, had lovers in their lives. Teresa's boyfriend, a rich man in Hawaii, worked with her to devise a complicated scheme to extricate her from her husband and leave with an unfettered and permanent claim to their young child. How involved was he? And then there's Teresa's long flight from justice — did she flee alone, or did she have help? Did more than one person bankroll her life on the run?
Unfortunately, "But I Trusted You" doesn't provide satisfying answers to these questions, or to the dozens of others that will likely pop up as you read this threadbare tale. She didn't talk to Teresa Gaethe-Leonard, currently in prison. Nor did she talk to the lovers of both Leonards. And the siblings of both have surprisingly little of value to say.
The shorter stories, as always, are a mixed bag of the incomplete and the incomprehensible.
It appears that Rule, for all her decades of prolific productions, may no longer be able to manage the workload of a quickie story collection and a bigger standalone book (the one she was working on all of last year, while "But I Trusted You" was being slapped together, is expected to come out later this year).
Rule has her critics, and sometimes earns her criticism. (I, for one, am weary of her increasing penchant for soapy Oprah-esque moralizing and philosophizing about the eternal plight of People Who Love The Wrong People.) On balance, however, she's had a fine career and several of her books belong in the first rank of classic true crime.
Now that she's in her mid-70s, I hope she'll consider giving herself a break and slowing down. I think her fans would appreciate fewer and better stories that resemble those of her 1980s career peak than a higher volume of weaker tales.
The centerpiece story is about Chuck Leonard and Teresa Gaethe-Leonard, a Snohomish County, Wash. couple whose marriage hit the rocks in the mid-'90s and ended in the shooting murder of Chuck, a much-loved school counselor. Teresa was fingered for his death, but managed to flee the country for several months before being recaptured in Puerto Rico and returned to face trial.
The story itself is interesting, but the storytelling itself is pretty lackluster. That's attributable to one reason — lack of access. Rule usually is able to tell these stories from the perspective of someone close to the killer or the victim — a friend, a relative or a colleague — but in the case of "But I Trusted You," she came up empty. The background of both Leonards is sketchily rendered, as are the events in the couple's marriage that led to its acrimonious dissolution.
It seems clear that such swiss-cheese storytelling took place here because the people Rule interviewed simply weren't that close to either Chuck or Teresa, who both come off as somewhat murky and secretive people who apparently didn't care to unburden themselves to others. So, besides a handful of interviews with people peripheral to their lives, Rule has little to rely on for the vital connective tissue that any true-crime narrative needs save the police reports and court documents related to the case.
It's too bad, because this is a story that had all the elements of a first-rate true-crime thriller. Chuck Leonard was no saint, though Rule makes clear he was the more likable of the two; and Teresa Gaethe-Leonard comes off as a hustler and scammer who bored easily and was constantly looking for fresh romance. Both, at the time of their split, had lovers in their lives. Teresa's boyfriend, a rich man in Hawaii, worked with her to devise a complicated scheme to extricate her from her husband and leave with an unfettered and permanent claim to their young child. How involved was he? And then there's Teresa's long flight from justice — did she flee alone, or did she have help? Did more than one person bankroll her life on the run?
Unfortunately, "But I Trusted You" doesn't provide satisfying answers to these questions, or to the dozens of others that will likely pop up as you read this threadbare tale. She didn't talk to Teresa Gaethe-Leonard, currently in prison. Nor did she talk to the lovers of both Leonards. And the siblings of both have surprisingly little of value to say.
The shorter stories, as always, are a mixed bag of the incomplete and the incomprehensible.
It appears that Rule, for all her decades of prolific productions, may no longer be able to manage the workload of a quickie story collection and a bigger standalone book (the one she was working on all of last year, while "But I Trusted You" was being slapped together, is expected to come out later this year).
Rule has her critics, and sometimes earns her criticism. (I, for one, am weary of her increasing penchant for soapy Oprah-esque moralizing and philosophizing about the eternal plight of People Who Love The Wrong People.) On balance, however, she's had a fine career and several of her books belong in the first rank of classic true crime.
Now that she's in her mid-70s, I hope she'll consider giving herself a break and slowing down. I think her fans would appreciate fewer and better stories that resemble those of her 1980s career peak than a higher volume of weaker tales.
September 16, 2017
*"But I Trusted You" (Lake Goodwin, WA, 1997), the murder of Chuck Leonard by his estranged wife Teresa Gaethe-Leonard. As with some of her other case files ("In the Name of Love," for instance), Rule was trying too hard to make me like the victim, so that, although I certainly wouldn't take Teresa Gaethe-Leonard's side (nor trust her word about anything, including the wetness of water), I found myself doubting the reliability of my narrator. Evaluating Rule as a person, I actually like the fact that she got so invested in her stories and so passionate about championing the victims (Cheryl Cunningham, Ronda Reynolds, etc.), but it can be a flaw in her writing.
In prison, Gaethe-Leonard became part of the Prison Pet Partnership.
*Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound" (somewhere off Rangiroa, 1978), the mysterious deaths of Loren & Jody Edwards. Was it accident-suicide? Accident-murder? Murder-murder? Two witnesses (one of whom had a skull fracture) whose stories didn't match, but the bodies had been buried at sea and there was just no evidence left to piece the story back together. The chilling suspicion is that someone got away with parricide, but . . .
*"Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth" (Bellevue, WA, 1978), woman murdered by her son, who was an LSD user, paranoid schizophrenic, and may or may not have been in a psychotic break when he killed her. (By M'Naughten he was sane: his efforts to hide his crime showed that he knew perfectly well it was a criminal act. But M'Naughten is actually a lousy yardstick of sanity. We just haven't come up with anything better.) He was still living with her because Washington laws at the time did not allow involuntary committal unless an individual was "patently and demonstrably a danger to himself or others," and this murderer wasn't, quite . . . until it was too late for his mother.
*"Monohan's Last Date" (Blewett Pass, WA, 1975), a kind of quintessentially '70s murder: swinger looking for a good time chooses the wrong people to try a threesome with.
*"Run as Fast as You Can" (Seward Park, Seattle, WA, 1978), murder of Penny DeLeo by 15-year-old Lee Wayne DuBois . . . basically because he could. Rule also suspected he murdered Joyce Gaunt six months earlier--she was found very near where Penny DeLeo's body was found.
*"The Deadly Voyeur" (Enumclaw, WA, 1974), guy randomly decided to abduct 2 teenagers at gunpoint & force them to have sex with each other while he watched. When they refused, he killed the boy and nearly killed the girl as she fled. He was caught on the scene. It was clear he'd planned his crime, but he chose his victims completely at random and had no motive except the desire to do evil.
*"Dark Forest: Deep Danger" (Carberry Creek, OR, 1974), the disappearance of a family of four, Richard and Belinda Cowden and their children David and Melissa, the discovery of their bodies in 1975 in a cave which a searcher swore he had investigated months earlier, and the possible connection with Dwain Lee Little, who at 15 had murdered and raped (in that order) a neighbor girl, Orla Fay Phipps, and had been paroled from prison (considered to be a rehabilitation success story) less than four months before the Cowdens disappeared. In 1980, he abducted, raped, and very nearly murdered a former co-worker, who identified him without hesitation. There has never been enough evidence to prove that he murdered the Cowdens, but it seems all too horrifyingly plausible.
As usual with Rule's collections, the quality here was uneven, and none of it as good as the best of her standalone books. But it is a dreadful procession of people who believed that they could do whatever they wanted to other people, simply because they wanted to.
In prison, Gaethe-Leonard became part of the Prison Pet Partnership.
*Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound" (somewhere off Rangiroa, 1978), the mysterious deaths of Loren & Jody Edwards. Was it accident-suicide? Accident-murder? Murder-murder? Two witnesses (one of whom had a skull fracture) whose stories didn't match, but the bodies had been buried at sea and there was just no evidence left to piece the story back together. The chilling suspicion is that someone got away with parricide, but . . .
*"Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth" (Bellevue, WA, 1978), woman murdered by her son, who was an LSD user, paranoid schizophrenic, and may or may not have been in a psychotic break when he killed her. (By M'Naughten he was sane: his efforts to hide his crime showed that he knew perfectly well it was a criminal act. But M'Naughten is actually a lousy yardstick of sanity. We just haven't come up with anything better.) He was still living with her because Washington laws at the time did not allow involuntary committal unless an individual was "patently and demonstrably a danger to himself or others," and this murderer wasn't, quite . . . until it was too late for his mother.
*"Monohan's Last Date" (Blewett Pass, WA, 1975), a kind of quintessentially '70s murder: swinger looking for a good time chooses the wrong people to try a threesome with.
*"Run as Fast as You Can" (Seward Park, Seattle, WA, 1978), murder of Penny DeLeo by 15-year-old Lee Wayne DuBois . . . basically because he could. Rule also suspected he murdered Joyce Gaunt six months earlier--she was found very near where Penny DeLeo's body was found.
*"The Deadly Voyeur" (Enumclaw, WA, 1974), guy randomly decided to abduct 2 teenagers at gunpoint & force them to have sex with each other while he watched. When they refused, he killed the boy and nearly killed the girl as she fled. He was caught on the scene. It was clear he'd planned his crime, but he chose his victims completely at random and had no motive except the desire to do evil.
*"Dark Forest: Deep Danger" (Carberry Creek, OR, 1974), the disappearance of a family of four, Richard and Belinda Cowden and their children David and Melissa, the discovery of their bodies in 1975 in a cave which a searcher swore he had investigated months earlier, and the possible connection with Dwain Lee Little, who at 15 had murdered and raped (in that order) a neighbor girl, Orla Fay Phipps, and had been paroled from prison (considered to be a rehabilitation success story) less than four months before the Cowdens disappeared. In 1980, he abducted, raped, and very nearly murdered a former co-worker, who identified him without hesitation. There has never been enough evidence to prove that he murdered the Cowdens, but it seems all too horrifyingly plausible.
As usual with Rule's collections, the quality here was uneven, and none of it as good as the best of her standalone books. But it is a dreadful procession of people who believed that they could do whatever they wanted to other people, simply because they wanted to.
November 8, 2012
I enjoyed the "stories" of Ann Rule's #14, but I have to say - it's badly written even by Rule's standards. It's not just how Rule's inability to understand when to use a comma or semicolon creates nonsensical phrases and goofy lists, or that she's an enthusiastic misuer of the word "literally" (traits that are present in all of her books, though perhaps more so in this volume than in others). This book feels like a mediocre-to-poorly written college undergraduate attempt at writing nonfiction: Rule constantly sets off single sentences are their own paragraphs in order to give them more weight, except that she routinely chooses sentences that wouldn't have weight or impact if she surrounded them with stars and exclamation points; she drops in names/characters without elucidating who on Earth the person is; she repeatedly refers to humongously gigantic subjects, either directly or obliquely, and then drops them just as quickly, like telling the reader that possibly the killer's problem lay in her horrifically abusive upbringing and then not bothering to detail what exactly that means, and THEN in other places rehashes and repeats the same explanation of a single item multiple times over multiple short paragraphs on one page, going so far as to even repeat sentences almost word for word, one right after the other. This is a seriously poorly written book. Really bad. Really, really, really bad. That said, I read the entire thing because apparently my gluttony for true crime can overrule my lack of desire to waste hours of my life on really, really bad writing. Oh Ann, I can't believe you majored in creative writing...
October 16, 2010
But I Trusted You is the fourteenth volume in author Ann Rule's "Crime Files" series, where she takes a novel length case, makes it the main focus of the book and throws in several "smaller" type cases as well. As much as I have enjoyed Ms. Rule's previous efforts, But I Trusted You left me wanting and a bit disappointed.
Let's start with the feature length case, which concerns the murder of teacher Chuck Leonard by his estranged wife Teresa. I personally did not find anything noteworthy with this case, whether it be that the actual case was a "by the book" spousal homicide or too much was left on the editing room floor. I wish there had been more background on both Chuck and Teresa and would have been happier if this had been one of the "shorter" cases included, allowing room for another true crime case to be included in this volume. I also thought the title did not coordinate with the case, as Chuck and Teresa were already separated and initiating divorce at the time of Chuck's death and neither Chuck nor Teresa trusted the other.
The second case profiled "Death in Paradise" was a very interesting case but without a firm resolution. I felt as though the story was just skimmed on the surface and the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. Perhaps this would have been a better "featured" case, but with more information on all parties concerned. The title of this book, however, did fit the alleged facts of this case.
The title also fits "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth", the third case profiled. This case was very sad to read as the laws of the 1970s prevented the victim from obtaining the protection she was seeking. Any parent reading this story will have a feeling of dread putting yourself in the victim's shoes.
"Monohan's Last Date" deals with the most vicious and cold blooded killer in the book. I felt this case had more detail than any other highlighted in the book.
"Run as Fast as You Can" seemed out of place in But I Trusted You. The killer and victim had no prior relationship and no trust issues. Perhaps the victim felt safe due to location and time but, again, it seemed an odd choice given the theme of the book.
Both "The Deadly Voyeur" and "Dark Forest: Deep Danger" dealt with individuals who ultimately put their trust in the wrong people, with fatal results. I did not like the somewhat ambiguous ending of "Dark Forest: Deep Danger" though.
Ann Rule's earlier Crime Files were fantastic, well written slices of true crime. Finishing this book, I couldn't help but wonder if she was scraping the bottom of the barrel with these. Don't get me wrong - - Ann Rule has long been my favorite true crime writer and she remains so. Her book on the Diane Downs murder investigation and case, Small Sacrifices, is one of the best written and accounted true crime masterpieces out there, as well as her tale of the Ted Bundy case, The Stranger Beside Me. For that reason, I always have very high standards for her books and this one just didn't quite peak for me.
But I Trusted You is a decent enough book and will certainly do if you are looking for a true crime compellation but I expect more from my Queen of True Crime.
Let's start with the feature length case, which concerns the murder of teacher Chuck Leonard by his estranged wife Teresa. I personally did not find anything noteworthy with this case, whether it be that the actual case was a "by the book" spousal homicide or too much was left on the editing room floor. I wish there had been more background on both Chuck and Teresa and would have been happier if this had been one of the "shorter" cases included, allowing room for another true crime case to be included in this volume. I also thought the title did not coordinate with the case, as Chuck and Teresa were already separated and initiating divorce at the time of Chuck's death and neither Chuck nor Teresa trusted the other.
The second case profiled "Death in Paradise" was a very interesting case but without a firm resolution. I felt as though the story was just skimmed on the surface and the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. Perhaps this would have been a better "featured" case, but with more information on all parties concerned. The title of this book, however, did fit the alleged facts of this case.
The title also fits "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth", the third case profiled. This case was very sad to read as the laws of the 1970s prevented the victim from obtaining the protection she was seeking. Any parent reading this story will have a feeling of dread putting yourself in the victim's shoes.
"Monohan's Last Date" deals with the most vicious and cold blooded killer in the book. I felt this case had more detail than any other highlighted in the book.
"Run as Fast as You Can" seemed out of place in But I Trusted You. The killer and victim had no prior relationship and no trust issues. Perhaps the victim felt safe due to location and time but, again, it seemed an odd choice given the theme of the book.
Both "The Deadly Voyeur" and "Dark Forest: Deep Danger" dealt with individuals who ultimately put their trust in the wrong people, with fatal results. I did not like the somewhat ambiguous ending of "Dark Forest: Deep Danger" though.
Ann Rule's earlier Crime Files were fantastic, well written slices of true crime. Finishing this book, I couldn't help but wonder if she was scraping the bottom of the barrel with these. Don't get me wrong - - Ann Rule has long been my favorite true crime writer and she remains so. Her book on the Diane Downs murder investigation and case, Small Sacrifices, is one of the best written and accounted true crime masterpieces out there, as well as her tale of the Ted Bundy case, The Stranger Beside Me. For that reason, I always have very high standards for her books and this one just didn't quite peak for me.
But I Trusted You is a decent enough book and will certainly do if you are looking for a true crime compellation but I expect more from my Queen of True Crime.
June 29, 2017
I'm a sick person. I admit it. I have a perverse secret. Sometimes I like reading about psychos and dirtbags. This book fits the bill.
This first story Ann calls: But I Trusted You. I call it: A Player Gets Played! A man in his 40's, who has never had a real relationship because he has been too busy having sex with any and every woman who crosses his path, gets married to greedy psycho who squeezes all the money and gifts she can get out of a man before moving on. Even at the wedding, the groom mentions to his best friend:" I've just made a terrible mistake".
Pretty quickly wifey starts looking for husband/ sucker #3, and realizes too that hubbie #2 is actually worth more dead than alive. She kills him, and gets caught right away. No worries! She's thin, blonde and an expert at manipulating men! Get this: she gets her boyfriend ( a married man) to pay her half a million dollar bail in cash ( with his wife's money! Leaving them broke!) she gets her lawyer to find and pay for a nice apartment! Not only that but the lawyer is giving her money to live on! So she takes $10,000 of the spending money the lawyer gave her, gets plastic surgery, and off she goes. See ya, suckers!
Thats just the first half of the first story. Most of them he other stories that ok place in the 1970's. They were entertaining, if reading about other people's tragedies can be called entertaining, but it's not Ms Rules best work. It is lacking the in depth coverage of Ann's earlier works but it's still an enjoyable read.
This first story Ann calls: But I Trusted You. I call it: A Player Gets Played! A man in his 40's, who has never had a real relationship because he has been too busy having sex with any and every woman who crosses his path, gets married to greedy psycho who squeezes all the money and gifts she can get out of a man before moving on. Even at the wedding, the groom mentions to his best friend:" I've just made a terrible mistake".
Pretty quickly wifey starts looking for husband/ sucker #3, and realizes too that hubbie #2 is actually worth more dead than alive. She kills him, and gets caught right away. No worries! She's thin, blonde and an expert at manipulating men! Get this: she gets her boyfriend ( a married man) to pay her half a million dollar bail in cash ( with his wife's money! Leaving them broke!) she gets her lawyer to find and pay for a nice apartment! Not only that but the lawyer is giving her money to live on! So she takes $10,000 of the spending money the lawyer gave her, gets plastic surgery, and off she goes. See ya, suckers!
Thats just the first half of the first story. Most of them he other stories that ok place in the 1970's. They were entertaining, if reading about other people's tragedies can be called entertaining, but it's not Ms Rules best work. It is lacking the in depth coverage of Ann's earlier works but it's still an enjoyable read.
November 3, 2013
For some crazy reason, I like reading real life crime stories... but at the same time I find them horrific. It's hard to believe how totally depraved and evil these criminals are. I also like 48 Hours Mystery.
I will say that I didn't particularly appreciate the unsolved crime stories (I think there were two) that were part of this book. I want the mystery solved and the criminal to pay!
I will say that I didn't particularly appreciate the unsolved crime stories (I think there were two) that were part of this book. I want the mystery solved and the criminal to pay!
June 22, 2011
Hard to really give a book on true crime stars at all. It is sometimes good to read about real crimes to remind ourselves that it truly is a scary place out there and you can never be too careful. The evil in mankind never ceases to amaze.
November 21, 2014
I'm not a great fan of Ann Rule at the best of times, but this book was appalling.
Rambling, disjointed and scattered with repetitive and insignificant detail.
One star because the stories were true, but other than that not worth reading.
January 20, 2010
I have heard a few compaints about this book, but I found nothing to complain about. I enjoyed the book as I have most of Ann's books.
December 18, 2009
I love Ms. Rule's true crime books!
January 27, 2016
This has a nearly-novel length story, *But I Trusted You*, and then several short stories.
January 2, 2018
So I went on a True Crime and romance read binge starting on Friday. I honestly didn't feel like posting updates (I embraced my laziness) so here goes some huge review posts.
I have been reading Ann Rule for the past couple of years, and decided to start reading her other books I haven't gotten around to yet. I honestly enjoyed the stories in this one even though there are a lot of questions left for some of the stories and I hate things to not have a tidy little ending. I thought Rule's writing was tight in this one. For once she didn't get overly invested in the detectives in these stories. I have never liked it when she goes into the past/history of the police and the prosecutors. It tends to ruin the flow of the story. All of these stories except for one take place in Washington state. "Death in Paradise" story takes place in an ocean.
But I Trusted You (5 stars)-What a sad story. A couple that should not have married (in hindsight) where the husband and wife eventually separate, it seems the wife was going to do whatever she could to get what she wanted out of life (a new husband and her ex dead). The wife in this story is Teresa Gaethe and the dead ex is Chuck Leonard. I do wonder though at people that were taken in by this woman (she had an affair with a married man who was bankrolling her lifestyle and apparently wanted nothing to do with her daughter). This story actually goes from Seattle, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico as Teresa tries to escape justice. I did like the fact that Rule provided an update about Teresa and Chuck's daughter Morgan who was raised by her paternal aunt. I always want to know what happens to the kids and other relatives after they lose a loved one through murder.
Death in Paradise (3 stars)-This one was very confusing. Ann Rule promised to lay out what happened and hypothesize about what she think occurs. But for me I found it all confusing. I don't know what happened to the Edwardses (the two parents who perished at sea) but to me it would be a stretch to think that three people would cover up someone murdering them. I felt like this was a low budget "And The Sea Will Tell."
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth (5 stars)-What a sad story. A mother, Lorraine Milroy is trying her best to deal with her son Dusty who has become addicted to drugs. It also appears that he may have a mental illness as well. When Lorraine finally tells him he is going to have to move, Lorraine ends up missing shortly afterwards. Rule tends to discuss a lot of murders where the victim's body goes missing. This story of course doesn't have a happy ending.
Monohan's Last Date (5 stars)-Wow. So this one deals with the swinger culture and how dangerous it really is. it is a pretty convoluted tale, but I found it very fascinating reading about how people were putting out ads in the 70s discussing orgies/threesomes/etc. one man used these ads to steal and eventually murder men.
Run as Fast As You Can (5 stars)-What a sad story. I felt sad for the victim and for the murderer's family. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for what happened to the woman in this story who went for a run and didn't come home. I sear Ann Rule's books make me paranoid to even go outside and be around other people.
The Deadly Voyeur (4 stars)-What a sad story. A teen boy and girl walking along the road get abducted with one of them left for dead while the other escapes. I honestly don't know what if anything I was supposed to get from this story. The man in the story, who Rule calls The Enumclaw killer wasn't a serial killer. Her equating him at the first with the Green River killer seems a stretch to me. I do think the underlying story is sad, that a young teen is killed and how it devastated the community.
Dark Forest: Deep Danger (3 stars)-my least favorite story. I think that once again Rule tries to fit pieces together that don't really fit. The Cowden family goes missing and is found dead in a cave. Then we jump to Dwain Lee who killed and raped a teen named Orla Fay. Rule goes into Lee's life and jump forward to when he abucts a young woman. Everything feels jumbled together and there is no real resolution to the Cowden case in the end.
I have been reading Ann Rule for the past couple of years, and decided to start reading her other books I haven't gotten around to yet. I honestly enjoyed the stories in this one even though there are a lot of questions left for some of the stories and I hate things to not have a tidy little ending. I thought Rule's writing was tight in this one. For once she didn't get overly invested in the detectives in these stories. I have never liked it when she goes into the past/history of the police and the prosecutors. It tends to ruin the flow of the story. All of these stories except for one take place in Washington state. "Death in Paradise" story takes place in an ocean.
But I Trusted You (5 stars)-What a sad story. A couple that should not have married (in hindsight) where the husband and wife eventually separate, it seems the wife was going to do whatever she could to get what she wanted out of life (a new husband and her ex dead). The wife in this story is Teresa Gaethe and the dead ex is Chuck Leonard. I do wonder though at people that were taken in by this woman (she had an affair with a married man who was bankrolling her lifestyle and apparently wanted nothing to do with her daughter). This story actually goes from Seattle, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico as Teresa tries to escape justice. I did like the fact that Rule provided an update about Teresa and Chuck's daughter Morgan who was raised by her paternal aunt. I always want to know what happens to the kids and other relatives after they lose a loved one through murder.
Death in Paradise (3 stars)-This one was very confusing. Ann Rule promised to lay out what happened and hypothesize about what she think occurs. But for me I found it all confusing. I don't know what happened to the Edwardses (the two parents who perished at sea) but to me it would be a stretch to think that three people would cover up someone murdering them. I felt like this was a low budget "And The Sea Will Tell."
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth (5 stars)-What a sad story. A mother, Lorraine Milroy is trying her best to deal with her son Dusty who has become addicted to drugs. It also appears that he may have a mental illness as well. When Lorraine finally tells him he is going to have to move, Lorraine ends up missing shortly afterwards. Rule tends to discuss a lot of murders where the victim's body goes missing. This story of course doesn't have a happy ending.
Monohan's Last Date (5 stars)-Wow. So this one deals with the swinger culture and how dangerous it really is. it is a pretty convoluted tale, but I found it very fascinating reading about how people were putting out ads in the 70s discussing orgies/threesomes/etc. one man used these ads to steal and eventually murder men.
Run as Fast As You Can (5 stars)-What a sad story. I felt sad for the victim and for the murderer's family. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for what happened to the woman in this story who went for a run and didn't come home. I sear Ann Rule's books make me paranoid to even go outside and be around other people.
The Deadly Voyeur (4 stars)-What a sad story. A teen boy and girl walking along the road get abducted with one of them left for dead while the other escapes. I honestly don't know what if anything I was supposed to get from this story. The man in the story, who Rule calls The Enumclaw killer wasn't a serial killer. Her equating him at the first with the Green River killer seems a stretch to me. I do think the underlying story is sad, that a young teen is killed and how it devastated the community.
Dark Forest: Deep Danger (3 stars)-my least favorite story. I think that once again Rule tries to fit pieces together that don't really fit. The Cowden family goes missing and is found dead in a cave. Then we jump to Dwain Lee who killed and raped a teen named Orla Fay. Rule goes into Lee's life and jump forward to when he abucts a young woman. Everything feels jumbled together and there is no real resolution to the Cowden case in the end.
March 31, 2022
Ann Rule is interesting to read. I didn't know that she was once a Police Officer herself. These cases are heartbreaking but I guess I like to see the criminal caught. Unfortunately there are so many cold cases from the past but technology being what is now hopefully there will be more solved cases today. I enjoy True Crime.
December 23, 2017
Seven entries of varying quality, including:
But I Trusted You
The longest chapter though not necessarily the best. A strange and sad story of a husband killed by his crazy wife
Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound
Creepy and atmospheric goings-on at sea; almost like a Charles Williams novel. Ultimately unresolved.
Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth
Pretty tedious since things are obvious from the start. The most interesting portion is the introductory discussion of cases where no body is found; but why is that discussion taking place here?
Monohan’s Last Date
An unsavory 1970s 'swingers' murder case and probably the best of the lot. At the end of the chapter Rule asks herself if the killer is still alive. She does this often and I always think the same thing: 'Why not do a little more research and give us the answer?'
Run as Fast as You Can
A series of violent crimes committed by a 15-year old. Very interesting but has some unresolved elements.
The Deadly Voyeur
The strange tale of a nightmarish assault on a teenage couple. Quite harrowing.
Dark Forest: Deep Danger
The mysterious disappearance of a young family and its (probable) solution provides the pathway to another series of crimes.
But I Trusted You
The longest chapter though not necessarily the best. A strange and sad story of a husband killed by his crazy wife
Death in Paradise: The Haunting Voyage of the Spellbound
Creepy and atmospheric goings-on at sea; almost like a Charles Williams novel. Ultimately unresolved.
Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth
Pretty tedious since things are obvious from the start. The most interesting portion is the introductory discussion of cases where no body is found; but why is that discussion taking place here?
Monohan’s Last Date
An unsavory 1970s 'swingers' murder case and probably the best of the lot. At the end of the chapter Rule asks herself if the killer is still alive. She does this often and I always think the same thing: 'Why not do a little more research and give us the answer?'
Run as Fast as You Can
A series of violent crimes committed by a 15-year old. Very interesting but has some unresolved elements.
The Deadly Voyeur
The strange tale of a nightmarish assault on a teenage couple. Quite harrowing.
Dark Forest: Deep Danger
The mysterious disappearance of a young family and its (probable) solution provides the pathway to another series of crimes.
December 19, 2021
First case is always the longest - this one had a few MYSTERY stories .. the boat, I can't with that one it was like.. what just happened .. I love ann rule though
October 11, 2023
I read this entire book on my way to Japan from CA. Ann Rule makes any long-haul flight go by so quickly.
February 22, 2021
I am such a fan of Ann Rule’s true crime books! She does such a thorough job of presenting information about complex cases. The main story of this compilation is about Chuck Leonard, who is murdered by his wife- someone who thought he could trust. Turns out she was full of lies from the beginning. As always- solid job of presenting these cases!
January 20, 2016
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The shorter stories are easy to read and you don't have to wait so long for a conclusion, but there were a few things that bothered me and caused me to give this book four not five stars. But first the good parts. I found the book easy reading, each story drew me in and I was eager to find out what happened to the people involved. The case of the Spellbound was the main reason I decided to read this book, as it takes place at sea. Though unsolved it is a haunting story and no matter how I looked at it, things didn't make much sense. One said this happened the other said something different and no one is truly sure what exactly happened on the open sea. While frustrating that the story wasn't solved, it gave the Spellbound a ghost ship quality and leaves readers to make up their own minds. The case of Lorraine Millroy was heartbreaking and truly fit the title of the book, and then three stories that take place in dark places, the woods, and a secluded path in a park, with creepy sociopaths lurking close by ready to take their victims by surprise. There are stories of courage as some victims fight back and manage to survive their ordeals and outrage over a story of a criminal who manages to get out of prison only to commit yet another more violent crimes, and sadness over the still unsolved case of the Cowden family who vanished while camping though Rule does present a valid theory of what their fate might've been and who was responsible for it. But as I said while it was not a bad read there were some things that bothered me. The first and longest story that shares it's title with the book, while a interesting case didn't leave me feeling good and I considering skipping it. From page one Rule seemed determined to paint Teresa Leonard as a horrible person, a liar, a sociopath. While she could very well be, there was no reason to portray her this way yet. No crime had been committed the story hadn't even begun really. The reason I enjoy Ann Rule's stories is that she lets the case unfold and allows readers to draw their conclusions based on evidence, and interviews. But in this story it was like being hit over the head with Teresa bad/evil, Chuck eccentric but a really good guy. There was very little done to redeem Teresa, I mean she had to have some good qualities about her as she did have a group of close friends who supported her. As for Chuck he was no angel either though she tried to make him out to be that way. Besides that I found the story of Frank Monohan to be a bit dragged out, though it was well detailed I was a bit bored by it at times, though truth be told I was up late reading it and I could've just been really tired. But on average I would still say it's a book worth reading for any fans of Ann Rule or true crime.
March 7, 2011
I used to like Ann Rule very much. I liked the way her books were not "just" true crime books. She used to do an excellent job at describing real people, the good and the bad, and her writing used to be good. Unfortunately, little by little she seems to be getting somewhat prudish and judgmental. It might be age, it might be having seen too much ugliness, it might be that she used to have a better editor. I have not checked whether she used a new editor for this book, but the overall quality has dropped sharply both in content and style. And then there are the asides about the "dangers of the Internet" and the "shocking example" of the "Craigslist Killer". I wonder if she would be so quick to write about the "dangers of Sunday school" if she tackled, for instance, the murder of Sandra Cantu. She also writes that Frank Monohan's fate "might serve as a deterrent to those would-be swingers". This new sanctimonious Ann Rule is not really working for me and I will probably not finish the book.
February 1, 2010
Ann Rule never disappoints me, her cases always horrify and fascinate me. I think the best thing about her cases is they are ones not in the national spotlight, most happened many years ago and without her books we usually wouldn't be aware of them unless we were personally touched in some way by them. A few of the stories near the end were only touched on lightly. The very last one Dark Forest: Deep Danger should of been a whole book unto itself, very frightening and cries out to be explored on how a monster such as Dwain Lee Little could hoodwink the authorities and be allowed out of prison over and over to once again commit horrific crimes. My heart ached so badly after reading the story of what happened to the Cowden family.
This was a fast and easy read, I couldn't put it down. Now I am in "Rule" Withdrawal until she writes another one, which can't be too soon for me!
This was a fast and easy read, I couldn't put it down. Now I am in "Rule" Withdrawal until she writes another one, which can't be too soon for me!
December 11, 2011
I love true crime stories, and I have found that Ann Rule's writing is certainly my style. She gives all the facts as well as some theories where necessary, but doesn't reach too far. I hate that whenever you hear a crime story on the news, you only hear one part of it. Crimes take time to solve and by the time they get all the information it is usually old news and not put back out for the public to see. I hate getting interested in something and never finding out how it ended, so these stories solve all these frustrations.
December 27, 2012
I gave this book 5 stars! The reason is beside Ann Rule knows what she writes about . The stories are all about true crime and though the subject isn't pleasant it is good to know that you cannot be too careful in life . I really dislike the fact that some of the cases Ann Rule writes about are still unsolved. I haven't read a book that Ann Rule has written that I haven't liked (once again I don't like the fact that there are evil people in the world and that some families will never never have peace about what and why) because she knows her subject and writes well.
October 3, 2016
I am a true crime junkie.
I love watching TV shows about true crime, and reading true crime books is right up there.
In this book, Ann Rule covers several true crime cases, most of which happened in Oregon in the 1960s-1970s. She does a great job of covering the crimes and the outcomes without using too much jargon or getting bogged down in the details.
It make for such an interesting read, and I will definitely be reading more of her books!
I love watching TV shows about true crime, and reading true crime books is right up there.
In this book, Ann Rule covers several true crime cases, most of which happened in Oregon in the 1960s-1970s. She does a great job of covering the crimes and the outcomes without using too much jargon or getting bogged down in the details.
It make for such an interesting read, and I will definitely be reading more of her books!
May 16, 2015
This was a good book full of tragedy and murder. This is my first book I've read by Ann Rule, and it didn't disappoint. I was drawn in by the stories and their horror. The victims of these crimes didn't even know they were in the presence of a killer until it was too late. A great read for fans of true crime.
August 28, 2014
This book was good. I could not put the book down. Everytime I got a chance to pick up the book. I did not want to put it down. The stories were true and she has a way of drawing you in wanting to know more. I am ready for another Ann Rule true crime book.
January 28, 2014
Another great one by Ann Rule . Love your work Anne.
August 28, 2014
What can you possible say about true crime. This book is filled with stories of murder and suspected murder. An interesting read.
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