A Thank You to Ann Rule

If you're a true crime buff and/or literary fan, you likely heard the news that the wonderful writer Ann Rule passed away.  I had been keeping up with her daughter Leslie's posts on her mom's hospitalization and was praying and rooting for Ann to pull through.  I was immensely saddened to hear that we had lost her (for added sadness, on my birthday.)

I cannot give Ann full credit for turning me on to the true crime genre, as Helter Skelter was the first true crime I book I read, but Ann's insightful and thorough The Stranger Beside Me was the second and the one that sealed the deal for me.  From the moment I finished that work, I not only made it my mission to read every book on the subject of Ted Bundy but also to read any and every book Ann wrote.  Mission accomplished.   

Every October or November I would anxiously await a new Ann Rule book, with that excitement and anticipation only an author as adept and strong as Ann could give you.  She made me fully realize that the victims in her story were more than just names on the page or the collection of pictures in the center of the book.  She wrote about them with the grace and respect they deserved.  In many cases, she kept in contact with the victims' families long after she attended trials and wrote books on their cases.  I recall reading an interview with her once where she had stated (and I'm paraphrasing here, so please bear with me) that she would never forget that she was dealing with actual people and the grief their deaths had on their surviving families and friends.  I think that sums up so much of Ann's character - - people and their emotions came first.

I never had the honor of meeting Ann in person although I was Facebook friends with her and she was kind enough to respond to a message I sent her through her website, where she did interact with her legion of fans.  I was impressed with how quickly she responded and how friendly she was.   I always particularly enjoyed hearing of her lovely Washington State home and her precious furbabies.

While I am sad over the loss of Ann, I am grateful that we have a large library of her books to enjoy and learn from.  She touched a lot of people during her lifetime - - as a police officer, a social worker, a struggling crime writer (writing under a male pseudonym during a time when female crime writers were not the norm) and then a bestselling author but perhaps most of all as a mother and friend. 

My thoughts are with Ann's family during this difficult time.  I hope they will know how much she was loved by her fans and fellow writers.  Thank you, Ann, for sharing your stories with us and giving us a glowing and elegant example of compassion, refinement and talent.  You will be missed.