Ann Rule, "The Stranger Beside Me" (1989 ed.)

The events surrounding the writing of The Stranger Beside Me would be almost completely unbelievable if they appeared on a television drama. As it is, author Ann Rule probably couldn't have made them up. Rule was a policewoman and writer of detective stories before she ever worked the late shift at a crisis center alongside one of the most notorious American serial killers of all time. She developed a friendship with the charming and attractive man that sat next to her in her office. Had she known about the secret activities of the only other person in the building on those working nights, she may well have refused to come back.

Over a period of years Ann Rule maintained a friendship with Ted Bundy. At the time, no one would guess that Bundy was capable of the horrifying crimes he would later be put to death for. He was a rising star of the Republican Party in Washington state. He had a degree in psychology and was about to pursue a law degree. All indications pointed to a bright future for the brilliant young man. But it was not to be. In the final days before he was executed, Bundy confessed to murdering thirty women, many of which he also raped- both before and after they were dead. The identities of ten of those were never discovered. Many authorities think that there were many more victims. Rule herself came to believe that Bundy had killed over 100. It was fortunate for Rule that she didn't fit Bundy's target profile. She was over a decade older than her friend, and lacked the beautiful vulnerability that Bundy searched for.

From Rule's account, it is not surprising that so many people believed in Bundy's innocence- even after he had been convicted of abduction and murder. He forever changed the science of criminal profiling. Although he was an illegitimate child, he claimed to have had a normal and relatively pleasant upbringing. Bundy had no serious criminal record as an adolescent. He had several normal heterosexual relationships, and was engaged to be married to two different women. He once saved a young child from drowning. Even the governor of Washington trusted him enough to employ him as one of his closest aides. Many who knew him considered him a perfect example of the "rags-to-riches"- Horatio Alger story. Yet there is some suspicion that Bundy took his first victim at age 16. The killer himself traces his first kidnapping attempt to 1969, when he was 23 years old.

As the authorities finally caught up to Ted Bundy, Ann Rule was working on her first full-length book, investigating the mysterious disappearances and murders of young women in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Little did she know how close she was to the story. She soon found herself in a peculiarly awkward position. Did she owe her loyalties to her accused friend, or would she be able to find the objectivity to complete her book? Rule and Bundy maintained a written and phone correspondence for over a decade after he was imprisoned. As more information about Bundy's crimes surfaced... as the evidence against him slowly accumulated into a mountain- Rule began to feel that Bundy was indeed guilty. The inner conflict over her friend's culpability is a subject that threads throughout the entire book.

The Stranger Beside Me is of substantial size. It includes background information about Bundy's early life. Rule describes her interaction with Bundy, but she also spends a lot of time outlining what is known about each victim and the crimes themselves. Much of the book describes the experiences Bundy had in various jails. There are accounts of the two successful escapes Bundy made in the West. After his second flight, Bundy traveled to Florida and resumed his campaign of horror. Rule follows his story right through the Chi Omega rampage, and the very last abduction and murder he would commit. Finally a large portion of the original edition was dedicated to the subsequent trials in Florida, and Bundy's legal maneuvers to prolong his life in the face of the death penalty. The 1989 edition that I read included several add-ons that brought the reader up to speed on Bundy's ultimate fate. The last update recounts his confession and execution.

It's fascinating to see the slow transition in Rule's position regarding Bundy's guilt. His power of persuasion was so advanced that the author couldn't accept the reality of the situation. This is understandable in light of recent research regarding psychopathy. Analysts that were charged with examining Bundy's mental state concluded that he had antisocial personality disorder. He was competent enough to represent himself in court, but lacked normal human empathy and compassion. Having recently dealt with an individual with this disorder (though one not nearly as talented or intelligent as Bundy), I can understand why so many people were taken in by his mask.

For more on Ted Bundy, refer to this earlier post.