HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

A Rage to Kill, and Other True Cases (1999)

by Ann Rule

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
441456,047 (3.64)5
Acclaimed for her "devastatingly accurate insight" (The New York Times Book Review) into the criminal mind, Ann Rule has chronicled the most fascinating cases of our time in her bestselling Crime Files series. For this sixth stunning collection, Rule has culled from her private files the most-asked-about homicide cases--riveting accounts of seemingly normal men and women who are compelled by a murderous rage to suddenly lash out at innocent victims.Torn from the headlines, here is the case that shocked a nation: the Seattle city bus ride that turned to mayhem and murder at the hands of a gunman. Ann Rule unmasks the forces that drove quiet, clean-cut Silas Cool to shoot the driver, causing the bus to plunge off the Aurora Bridge into an apartment building. The catastrophe left three dead--including Cool--and dozens injured. While the scene unfolds as in a terrifying movie, Rule finds very real answers to the haunting question "how could this happen?"--and expertly constructs the unseen chain of events that resulted in an explosive and shattering tragedy.Included here are nine other sensational cases that illuminate Rule's unique and authoritative view of the human psyche gone temporarily berserk. No one can match Rule's meticulous research, or reveal the motives to murder in such explicit and chilling detail. You may think you know who is safe and who is dangerous; in A Rage to Kill, Ann Rule frighteningly shows that none of us are truly protected from the flashes of irrational violence that can erupt from the killers among us.… (more)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 5 mentions

Showing 4 of 4
So this collection didn't do a lot for me. Probably because "A Bus to Nowhere" left a lot of answers that would never be answered fully and it was not a great story to start off with. Most of the stories had no common theme among them besides murders. Usually Rule tries to stick to a theme in her stories and I guess she went with rage. But I didn't read rage in some of these stories.

A Bus to Nowhere (3 stars)- Rule looks at the bus crash that took place in Washington state in 1998. The man behind it who ended up shooting the driver and causing dozens of injuries and damage appeared to be mentally ill. Rule at times seems to deride him though and makes it seem as if his parents should have done more. I didn't get rage here at hill, it read to me that the man was mentally ill and lost his grip with reality based on the stories that went about him later on (with him harassing bus drivers).

The Killer Who Planted His Own Clues (3 stars)-Once again I didn't get rage here at all. A young man stalked and murdered a school teacher (Sharon Mason). The police figured out who killed her pretty quickly and he was locked up. You definitely feel sorry for Mason and her elderly parents.

Born to Kill? (5 stars)-This is probably the first story that I thought had any semblance to the theme of rage. The murderer in this story, Michael Andrew Olds seemed destined to hurt other people. A child of rape, he was an angry baby who grew up to be a sullen teen who murdered a woman when he was robbing a story. When Olds is released after serving his sentence (he was 18 when he went away, 31 when he was released) he started robbing and murdering again after a short period of being married. Olds goes cross country kidnapping and murdering before being apprehended in Pennsylvania.

As Close as a Brother (3 stars)-Sad story of two young girls who were murdered. Bernie Pierce appeared to be a friend, but when he drank it appeared he turned into someone else.

Profile of a Spree Killer (5 stars)-Rule goes into the life and crimes of Christopher Wilder who went on a spree killing in the late 1970s. What a sad story about a man who abducted and murdered young women over a period of weeks. Some of the families never did find out what happened to their daughters and their bodies were never found. I have never heard of this guy before reading this story though so found myself curious about him to later go on and Google him.

The Lost Lady (1 star)-Looking into the disappearance of Marcia Moore. I don't know why Rule includes so-called psychic's premonitions in her books. She includes two in here about what happened to Marcia Moore, but they were not correct so I was just baffled about why they were included. Rule doesn't seem to be blaming the husband at times, but at other times she does.

To an Athlete Dying Young (3 stars)- Story of Jane Costantino who was murdered by a man who had fantasies about forcing a woman to be his sexual slave.

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town (4 stars)-A woman who does her best to move on from her husband after she finally has enough is murdered in front of her young daughter. Most of the stories Rule tells are about battered women who even though they do everything right, are still murdered by those who swore to love, honor, and cherish them.

That Was No Lady (3 stars)-Sad story about a young man who is killed by a woman (yeah I said woman). I didn't like Rule's tone in this one. She made it seem as if the woman known as Jackie Emerson (born a male) was just acting as if she was a woman and didn't identify as such. This became important when it was going to be determined to what jail Jackie would be sent to (men or women's prison).

The Killer Who Talked Too Much (4 stars)-A woman named Marcia Perkins is found dead. What I found sad about this whole story is that the man who did it goes on to murder someone else while the police are still investigating Marcia's case. I am still confused about why he wasn't picked up since all evidence pointed to him. I was sad to see the jury came back and found the man not guilty of Marcia's murder, but of the second woman's (Jeanie Easley). ( )
  ObsidianBlue | Jul 1, 2020 |
Another book I did 'review' on Bookcrossing but did forget to add.



On Sunday, May 09, 2004 I wrote (a letter geez) ;)

7 out of 10
Hi Kristy I am reading this book right now.
I had never read any of Ann Rules true crime volumes, allthough I do have nearly all of them.
I have to say that I think I do prefer her novels allthough normally i like short stories. I am for instance a collector of short horror stories.
But I can't say for sure cause I have only read one story so far. the one about the bus.
I will let you know my thoughts on the book when I have finished it.
I am also reading a novel The deep end of the ocean, which is very good, so I will finish that one first, and then read another story of A Rage to Kill.

(OMG This is proof my English has improved, not alone the errors I did not correct but especially my grammar. Look at those sentences. nearly all begin with I and not only begin but the overuse of I,I,I)



( This is a sign I did not really like the book cause if I would have liked it there would not have been any breaks.)

(there is more.. Warned you)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Update May 20th 2004

Well I am reading 4 books all at once, and this book is one of them. I have nearly finished it. I did like the main story. The Profile of a Spree Killer and The Killer who planted his own clues .4 stories to go.

Update May 26th 2004
Finished the book.
I liked it, but as I wrote before, not as much as other Ann Rule books.thanks for furfilling my wish mate

Update June 10 2004

Offered on casual reader's relay
------------------------------------------------------------

Some of my old reviews are really just letters. Left the errors. ( )
  Marlene-NL | Mar 12, 2016 |
Ann Rule lives in the Seattle area and as such, most of her stories take place here. That's a huge point in her favor because she knows Seattle and you can tell. For the most part the cases are interesting and short ones like those in this collection have the right amount of information. The problem is that they aren't very well written and a lot of liberties are taken with how people "must have" felt or thought or saw. Most people she describes as handsome or beautiful, though I frequently disagree, and she has a tendency toward exaggeration and melodrama. I'd prefer books with more factual information and evidence and less fictionalizing. But those types of books are nearly impossible to find. (Know of any? Let me know!) I apparently am a ghoul because I keep reading them anyway. ( )
1 vote maybedog | Apr 5, 2013 |
Ann Rule lives in the Seattle area and as such, most of her stories take place here. That's a huge point in her favor because she knows Seattle and you can tell. For the most part the cases are interesting and short ones like those in this collection have the right amount of information. The problem is that they aren't very well written and a lot of liberties are taken with how people "must have" felt or thought or saw. Most people she describes as handsome or beautiful, though I frequently disagree, and she has a tendency toward exaggeration and melodrama. I'd prefer books with more factual information and evidence and less fictionalizing. But those types of books are nearly impossible to find. (Know of any? Let me know!) I apparently am a ghoul because I keep reading them anyway. ( )
1 vote maybedog | Apr 5, 2013 |
Showing 4 of 4
no reviews | add a review

Belongs to Series

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

Acclaimed for her "devastatingly accurate insight" (The New York Times Book Review) into the criminal mind, Ann Rule has chronicled the most fascinating cases of our time in her bestselling Crime Files series. For this sixth stunning collection, Rule has culled from her private files the most-asked-about homicide cases--riveting accounts of seemingly normal men and women who are compelled by a murderous rage to suddenly lash out at innocent victims.Torn from the headlines, here is the case that shocked a nation: the Seattle city bus ride that turned to mayhem and murder at the hands of a gunman. Ann Rule unmasks the forces that drove quiet, clean-cut Silas Cool to shoot the driver, causing the bus to plunge off the Aurora Bridge into an apartment building. The catastrophe left three dead--including Cool--and dozens injured. While the scene unfolds as in a terrifying movie, Rule finds very real answers to the haunting question "how could this happen?"--and expertly constructs the unseen chain of events that resulted in an explosive and shattering tragedy.Included here are nine other sensational cases that illuminate Rule's unique and authoritative view of the human psyche gone temporarily berserk. No one can match Rule's meticulous research, or reveal the motives to murder in such explicit and chilling detail. You may think you know who is safe and who is dangerous; in A Rage to Kill, Ann Rule frighteningly shows that none of us are truly protected from the flashes of irrational violence that can erupt from the killers among us.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.64)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 5
2.5
3 26
3.5 5
4 30
4.5
5 13

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 202,660,847 books! | Top bar: Always visible