Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime storiesâdrawn from her real-life personal filesâin this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series.
In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, âAmericaâs best true-crime writerâ (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including:
- New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme
- The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wifeâand his wife from his mistressâuntil he coldly disposed of one of them
- The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didnât...with fatal consequences
- For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattleâs womenâwhen would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate?
- A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robberyânow the convict is being served dinner in a civilianâs home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve
- A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove wereâuntil it was far too late...
With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling âas dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at nightâ (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volume.