About the Green River killer. Living in the PNW at the time of these killings I followed this story in the news. Rule traces the killer's history. She is one of my favorite true crime writers. ( )

They were found in the summer of 1982 in the Green River bed. Opal Mills, Marcia Chapman and Cynthia Hinds were far too young to die. When Kent Police Department (Washington) investigated the murder scene, they had no idea that they would be the first of many slain young women. It was the beginning of a nearly 20 year ordeal that would end with your average Joe admitting to the 48 grisly murders that occurred near Tacoma and Seattle, Washington.

Anne Rule never fails to produce stellar material in the true crime genre. Writing about her own backyard, Rule interjects herself into the story, which creates a more personal narrative. With her trademark style, Rule writes a novel of cliffhanging chapters that keeps readers at the edge of their seats. Without a doubt, the most intimate offering from Rule since "The Stranger Beside Me."- 5 STARS - Reviewed by Leigh O'Donovan, Authors on the Rise Book Reviewer ( )

Ann Rule’s Green River, Running Red is a quasi-insider’s take on the most prolific serial killer in US history, the so-called Green River Killer.

A long-standing true-crime writer who got her start working next to Ted Bundy, Rule was perfectly placed to observe and write up the GRK case. He operated right in her home town, i.e. the south suburbs of Seattle, and she had ongoing access to police and media contacts as the investigation exploded in the early and mid-80s, then dragged on for almost 20 more years to its rather pathetic climax.

The result is a good crime read, but not a great one. In spite of the GRK’s outrageous kill total, he turned out to be an extraordinarily dull character, unlike the racy image of serial killers based on Bundy and the Hannibal Lecter stories.

Rule does her best to bring some drama to the story, but it’s hard at times to keep the narrative momentum, meaning the book drags at points.

One point in Rule’s favor is her compassion for the victims of her subject. Yes, reading about serial killers certainly is good for a vicarious thrill, but Rule doesn’t let you forget the enormity of what they do, the gross, brutal pain they inflict on their victims and their families. Rule skirts the hagiographic at times here, as she portrays nearly every victim of the GRK (they were predominantly prostitutes) as pretty, vivacious, loving girls just gone a bit misguided. But I can’t blame her for that. Their crimes were nothing in comparison to the evil of their killer, and Rule is to be commended for reminding us readers of that single essential fact over and over again. ( )

Interesting and off-putting at the same time. ( )

My first Ann Rule story. And I have to admit that now I'm hooked. She ranks as one of my favorite authors. I love this story; it's very thick and long, but it's a good telling of one of the worst serial killers. ( )

For some reason, we seem to have more than our share of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest: Ted Bundy, the Green River Killer, the Pig Farm killer (at least he was on the Canadian side of the border). Even Kenneth Bianchi, one of the Hillside Stranglers, left L.A. long enough to strangle two women in Washington state.

Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, managed to murder at least 48 young women between 1982 and 2001, while living an apparently ordinary life and reporting daily to his job painting trucks at the local Kenworth plant. I was eager to read this book, because I lived in the Seattle area when the rampage started, and even had some dealings with that particular Kenworth facility. Ann Rule is a well-known and talented writer in the true crime genre, and she followed the Green River case from the beginning. Unfortunately this is not her best book. The story is compelling when the author focuses on the actual crimes and the investigation. It would have been much better with some judicious editing.

Rule provides a profile of each victim, an admirable attempt to humanize these women so many had written off. But really, given the bad choices and the similarities of their short and dreary lives, it is hard to believe that every last one was beautiful, intelligent, and popular.

The author takes up entirely too much time on her various speaking engagements and her cozy relationships with the police. Perhaps because of those relationships, the police are unfailingly described in the most glowing terms. Having encountered a few of King County’s finest, including one who stalked me at home after he investigated an accident, I have my doubts about their universal brilliance and shining moral integrity.

Perhaps I am too much of a cynic, but so many opportunities were lost. I remember the endless parade of suspects who were trotted out, merely because they were found on the SeaTac strip at the wrong time. Yet when one victim’s family actually tracked Ridgway’s distinctive vehicle to his home, and reported it to the police, they did nothing more than knock on the door, interview him briefly, and accept his denials! Although they had samples of Ridgway’s body fluids, the police didn’t bother testing them for DNA until years after the technology had become acceptable as evidence.

Bottom line – interesting story, I am glad I read it, but even happier that I found it on the remainder table and didn’t pay full price for it. ( )