Rule is a good reporter and this book shows her strengths. She is able to deliver the details of the crime commited but not make the whole thing seem to dry. The reader winds up feeling sympathy for the victims in this case, Cheryl, her sons, and all the other lives that Brad ruined.

Rule also is careful to make sure the reader does not hate Brad. She does this by painting a full picture of the man. Yes he was dishonest and a slim, but Rule shows the reader how he got this way. Brad's father taught him to hate women and his mother didn't help anything telling her son that he was the reason she got cancer.

The story is well told and engaging. I wish it were fiction, sadly it is not. Certainly worth the time taken to read it.

This book was one of the first true-crime novels I ever read. I picked it up at an airport (another reviewer mentioned the same thing - must be the thing to do) because it took place in Oregon. I was fascinated (and horrified) by the fact that these crimes took place in locales I drove by every day. It was like a car accident - I couldn't look away, hideous as it was, knowing that this man lived and killed in my beloved city.

Ann Rule has a way with criminal stories - making them accessible to the average reader but including all the details fit to lure in those more familiar with the genre. She includes plenty of backstory and it's obvious she has spent countless hours interviewing and observing key players. I've added more of her books to my wish list.

[An aside: Does Ms. Rule do a lot more writing of true-crime in the Pacific Northwest than in other areas or is it just location-bias on my part? If so, why? Does she like the area or does the PNW have a lot more murders and serial killings? Just a simple observation...]

Ann Rule's coverage of this story is out-standing!! My best friend is Cheryl's step sister and she suggested that I read this book. I couldn't believe that this monster grew up and went to school across the street from my grandmothers house. My own father remembers knowing this guy and it's truely shocking when you realize that this is someone who is somehow connected to you in a round about way. The book is so enticing! It makes you sad,angry,curious,terrified and so much more. I appreciate the people who would not let this man get away with what he did. Kudo's to our legal system and the men and women who fought for justice. Ann Rule is a wonderful Author who's books capture the truth and feeling in the stories that she writes about. Any book by her is worth reading over and over and over again.