Author Guide · True Crime
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In 1971 Ann Rule, a former Seattle police officer trying to make a living as a crime writer, volunteered on the night shift at a crisis hotline, where she became friends with a charming young psychology student named Ted Bundy. A few years later she was writing about a series of disappearances of young women, without knowing that her friend was responsible. The Stranger Beside Me made her the most famous true-crime writer in America. She published more than thirty books before her death in 2015. This guide covers them all in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 13 books · True crime · 1980–2014 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Ann Rule published thirteen book-length true-crime investigations between 1980 and 2013, from The Stranger Beside Me to Practice to Deceive, and the seventeen volumes of her Crime Files collections, listed further down. Her early books appeared under the name Andy Stack. She died in 2015.
Where to Start with Ann Rule
If you want the famous one
→ The Stranger Beside Me (1980).
If you want a family case
→ Small Sacrifices (1987).
If you want a serial killer case
→ Green River, Running Red (2004).
All 13 Ann Rule Books, in Order
The Stranger Beside Me
Rule's friendship with Ted Bundy, whom she met while working at a Seattle crisis clinic, and her slow realisation that he was the killer she was writing about. It has never been out of print.
Small Sacrifices
The case of Diane Downs, an Oregon mother convicted of shooting her three children in 1983. It became a 1989 television film.
If You Really Loved Me
The 1985 murder of Linda Brown in California and the husband who persuaded his teenage daughter to take the blame.
Everything She Ever Wanted
A Georgia woman's obsession with status and the crimes it led to.
Dead by Sunset
The murder of the Oregon lawyer Cheryl Keeton and the long pursuit of her ex-husband.
Bitter Harvest
A Kansas doctor convicted over a house fire that killed two of her children.
And Never Let Her Go
The disappearance of Anne Marie Fahey in Delaware in 1996 and the powerful lawyer convicted of her murder.
Every Breath You Take
The 1997 murder of Sheila Bellush in Florida, arranged by her ex-husband.
Heart Full of Lies
An Oregon woman who killed her husband on a camping trip and claimed self-defence.
Green River, Running Red
The Green River killings around Seattle and the decades-long investigation that led to Gary Ridgway's confession.
Too Late to Say Goodbye
A Georgia dentist convicted of killing his wife and, years earlier, a girlfriend.
In the Still of the Night
The 1998 death of Ronda Reynolds in Washington State, officially ruled a suicide, and her mother's fight to reopen the case.
Practice to Deceive
A murder on Whidbey Island, Washington, in 2003 and the investigation that followed. Her last book-length case.
How Many Books Did Ann Rule Write?
Thirteen book-length cases under her own name between 1980 and 2013, besides seventeen Crime Files collections, three early books as Andy Stack and a novel.
- Book-length cases — from The Stranger Beside Me to Practice to Deceive. Read the entries →
- Crime Files and early books — listed further down. See the full list →
In What Order to Read Ann Rule
Her books are not a series and each case stands alone. The Crime Files volumes collect shorter cases and can be read in any order.
A reading path
1. The Stranger Beside Me (1980)
2. Small Sacrifices (1987)
3. Green River, Running Red (2004)
4. And Never Let Her Go (1999)
Everything Else Ann Rule Wrote: The Full List
Beyond her book-length cases: the Crime Files collections, early books as Andy Stack, and a novel.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Ann Rule's Crime Files
17
17 books · 1993–2014
- 1993A Rose for Her Gravevol. 1
- 1994You Belong to Mevol. 2
- 1996A Fever in the Heartvol. 3
- 1998In the Name of Lovevol. 4
- 1998The End of the Dreamvol. 5
- 1999A Rage to Killvol. 6
- 2001Empty Promisesvol. 7
- 2001Last Dance, Last Chancevol. 8
- 2004Kiss Me, Kill Mevol. 9
- 2005Worth More Deadvol. 10
- 2006No Regretsvol. 11
- 2007Smoke, Mirrors, and Murdervol. 12
- 2008Mortal Dangervol. 13
- 2009But I Trusted Youvol. 14
- 2011Don't Look Behind Youvol. 15
- 2012Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighborsvol. 16
- 2014Lying in Waitvol. 17
As Andy Stack, and a novel
4
4 books · 1981–1984
- 1981Lust Killeras Andy Stack
- 1981Possessionnovel
- 1983The Want-Ad Killeras Andy Stack
- 1984The I-5 Killeras Andy Stack
Quick facts about Ann Rule
- Born
- October 22, 1931, Lowell, Michigan
- Died
- July 26, 2015, Burien, Washington
- Before writing
- Seattle police officer
- Pen name
- Andy Stack, for her early magazine work and books
- Books
- 13 book-length cases and 17 Crime Files volumes
How Ann Rule Wrote: Victims First
Rule drew on her police training and on court records, interviews with detectives and families, and often attended the trials she wrote about.
She wrote from the victims' side, and many of her later books grew out of cases readers sent her.
Frequently asked questions about Ann Rule's books
How many books did Ann Rule write?
Ann Rule published thirteen book-length true-crime cases under her own name, seventeen Crime Files collections, three early books as Andy Stack and a novel.
What is The Stranger Beside Me about?
The Stranger Beside Me (1980) describes Rule's friendship with Ted Bundy, whom she met at a Seattle crisis clinic, and her realisation that he was a serial killer.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all hers.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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