Ann Rule, whose 35 true crime books have sold more than 50 million copies in 16 languages, died a week ago Sunday at the age of 84. Famously her book-writing career began in 1980, with The Stranger Beside Me, a chilling tale of working side-by-side at a crisis-counseling center with a handsome, charming, seemingly sensitive man named Ted Bundy. Of course, Bundy turned out to be one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, responsible for at least 36 murders. The book is a deft mix of reporting about the string of killings and the women who died, as well as Rule's friendship with Bundy and her slow realization that he was a serial murderer. (He was executed in 1989.) The Stranger Beside Me, one of the scariest books ever, became a bestseller, was made into a TV movie, and led to Rule's career as a true crime writer.
After Rule's death, Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster, paid this well-deserved tribute to the author: "By deciding to focus her books on the victim, Ann Rule reinvented the true-crime genre, and earned the trust of millions of readers who wanted a new and empathetic perspective on the tragic stories at the heart of her works. She will be remembered not only for her many books, but also for her ongoing and tireless work on behalf of victims' rights. We are proud to have been her publisher for many years, and we will miss her." --John Mutter, editor-in-chief, Shelf Awareness