I bought this book way back in August of 2011 on a sale from a famous bookstore chain. I think there are more of these books I bought on sale or from a second-hand store that I have not gotten to read. This one was on another shelf that was covered by the used notebooks and books of my nephews. I am not sure if anyone has ever read all the books in his/her shelf. I am sure, there is either a few of those books that have been just sitting on there and have escaped attention. Hopefully, like every other bookworm, I will be able to read all of them.
This is my first foray into Ann Rule. Yes, I am into mysteries and crime novels but I have not read Ann Rule before. I guess, this is why I bought this one. This is a collection of true crimes. This volume is comprised of five stories. The common theme of course is that the victims were worth more dead than alive to whoever killed them. The stories in this collection are:
Worth More Dead is a story of a husband who killed two women, planned to kill his second wife and kidnapped his step-son for money.
It's Really Weird Looking at My Own Grave is about a serial rapist and killer who believed that if his victims were dead, no one can identify him and charge him of the crime.
Old Man's Darling is about a woman who grew-up without the love of a father and sought that love from rich and older men. When the last man he dated did not want to divorce his wife and decided to leave her, she'd rather kill him than not have him at all.
All for Nothing is about a guy who killed two people because of jealousy and a blow to his pride.
A Desperate Housewife is about a dedicated wife, a model employee and co-worker who was killed by her cheating husband because she wanted to get out of a lifeless marriage.
These are all stories of gruesome murders. Some are planned with great cunning and some were done out of desperation. One thing is for sure, only sick minds, devoid of any conscience can carry out these deeds. These were all written with great detail necessary to understanding each case, the persons involved and the reason(s) for the horrible act. Thankfully, all the victims of all these cases got justice because all the culprits were found guilty and sentenced. Though for some, justice was not immediate but at least it was served and the criminal would not be able to walk free again.
Of the five, I think the worst and the most disturbing was the last case--A Desperate Housewife. It was through the concerns and efforts of friends, office mates and neighbors who reported the wife was missing and may have been killed by the husband that mobilized the police. If not for the victim's friends, it would have not been known that she was missing since the husband did not report it. He was covering his tracks and the crime while the community were busy trying to locate the missing wife.
Truly, Ann Rule is a master. She narrated and chronicled each story with precision and made sure that the most important element for each story was in there. I only wished these were not real stories because they are too horrible to contemplate to be true. But then, we can never know what drives a person to desperation and end another life.
I give this book 4/5 hunting knives. I want to read more of Ann Rule. I want to read her fiction stories. I think I could not stomach more real crime stories. I think I'd stick to fictional ones. At least, I wouldn't have to think about the real person who was the victim of the real crime and the viciousness of the soulless being who perfected the deed. May all the victims of these stories rest in peace.
The mass of women and women experience broken relationships, jealousy, wounded pride, and despair over lost love. It is never easy for any of us. Only a tiny percentage of humans react with unbelievable violence.
- Ann Rule, Worth More Dead and Other True Cases -
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