Rating: 
Summary: good
Review: Interesting book, with an EXTREMELY unique perspective. That the author was the killer's friend before she knew he was at all connected to the murders, is the books main strenght...but also a weakness, in that it's hard to sympathize with her feelings that Ted should not be executed. The guy was a monster. But that is interesting, too, that her feelings of affection for him should remain. A very interesting, very readable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Scary!
Review: Bundy was an intelligent, good-looking, yet COLD-HEARTED, VICIOUS M U R D E R E R. I think that Bundy was a very evil and sick man - I don't believe at all that the fact that he was a "bastard" made him go out and kill young, beautiful women. Not that the author implied that, but I got the feeling that some people would use that as a "motive". And to the girls who wrote love letters to him while he was in jail, "You're stupid." Whoever believes in Bundy's innocence after reading this book (or knowing the facts and having seen the evidence) has got to be living in a different world. Too sad, though, that the disappearance of that little girl who lived on his street when he was a young boy has never been solved. Frankly, Bundy deserved to be executed - it's just too bad that so much money was spent on his defense and appeals before he was actually put to death.
Rating:
Summary: A truly great book
Review: This was a truly great book. Especially for me because I'm the type of the person who has to really get motivated by a book to continue to read it. The whole idea of tracking a serial killer and the killer ending up being your best friend is just an unbelievable plot. Also the setting never stayed the same, Ted Bundy was always on the run bringing us to different states and climates making the book very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Ann Rule and her most interesting true crimes.
Rating: 
Summary: The Stranger Beside Me
Review: Ann Rule did a good job of re-telling the true story of Theodore Robert Bundy. However, she often focused too much on herself and her personal accomplishments rather than on the story of Ted Bundy. Some of the sections where she talked about herself interrupted the flow of the novel. The fact that she actually knew Ted Bundy gave the book a more personal touch. Her in- depth knowledge about Ted Bundy gives the reader the feeling of knowing who he really was. Ann Rule wrote the story of Ted Bundy unbiasly. She leaned neither to his innocence or to him being guilty. This gave the story a more true quality. The overall story of Ted Bundy, told in The Stranger Beside Me, was intriguing and interesting to read. I am looking forward to reading another one of her novels. Ann Rule is really the "Queen of True Crimes!".
Rating:
Summary: The Stranger Beside Me
Review: Ann Rule did a great job in reporting the true story of Theodore Robert Bundy. However, she often deviated from the story to talk about her personal life. The sections in where she wrote about herself interupted the flow of the novel. I beleive she tried to credit herself too much throughout the book. in some parts of the novel there was too much of a description. Some things could have been written better with fewer words. The overall story of Ted Bundy was awesome. The story itself was intriging and interesting to read. A.Paul
Rating:
Summary: I read all night!!!
Review: I had read other books by Ann Rule (she's great), and other books about Bundy (I'm a true crime reader). I saw this book mentioned on the back of the book cover, for one of her other books. When I saw that she had actually known Ted, at the time he was loose in Washington, I had to read it. I couldn't put it down, because it is not only very well written, but how often can you get this perpective on a monster?? There are facts, and insights here you'll get nowhere else. I think I finished this book in about eight hours, straight through!
Rating:
Summary: Not women-hating, just killer-hating
Review: As another feminist, I found Reviewer Gwen's comments to be knee-jerk and utterly off-base (also, seeing woman-haters everywhere is pretty much why people roll their eyes when they hear the word "feminist"). Because if anyone does just the slightest bit of research--pulls old newspaper photos and clippings, views video of courtroom testimony, reads other books on the subject, etc.--you'll see that Ted really *did* attract a ridiculous number of women to his side. They flocked to him in droves. As Rule points out, this is a fascination "some women" have with serial killers. Rule's observation of a common phenomenon (check just about any psych text or, better yet, talk to a shrink to verify its frequency) hardly classifies her as a cruel, cowardly woman-hater. "We" don't need to keep that in mind, "we" should just read this book for a fascinating and intimate glimpse into what drives a sociopath.
Rating: 
Summary: Is it really "true"????
Review: As a feminist, I found this book alarming. Here are some quotes:"One front row was somehow reserved for the Ted Groupies...The front row- just behind Ted and the defense team-was jammed with pretty young women...Their eyes never left Ted, and they blushed and giggled with delight when he turned to flash a blinding smile at them, as he often did. Handsome, arrogant and articulate, he drew scores of rapt groupies to the jammed court each day." "Outside the courtroom, some of them [Bundy groupies] would admit to reporters that Ted frightened them, yet they couldn't stay away. It is a common syndrome, this fascination that an alleged mass killer has for some women, as if he was the ultimate macho figure." OK? No. Perhaps they were fascinated with his "fame", but to claim Women were drawn to him suggests they were complicit in the murders. This is a cowardly, cruel, Women-hating white middle class white male piece of garbage, and we need to remember that. So what if Carole Boone, whom Bundy met during the trial and married her (she bore a son) thought it was OK to marry him? This is a book to avoid.
Rating:
Summary: Ann & Ted: truth is stranger than fiction
Review: As with the other reviewers, I have nothing but accolades for Stranger Beside Me. Unlike other 'true crime' books written by attorneys (prosecuting or defense) who like to show off how smart they are, Ann Rule gives a balanced, sympathetic account of the very strange life of Ted Bundy. But more, much more than this is the relationship between the author and the subject. They were actually good friends before Ted's murder spree. Stranger Beside Me is as much of an account of how Ann Rule copes with this situation - that is, coming to terms with the fact that a friend and work colleague is actually a killer. Fascinating, almost beyond belief. Clearly Ann Rule profited from her relationship with Ted Bundy. She went on to become a very successful writer. However rather than exploiting the situation Ann's good fortune really is just a bizarre twist of fate. No doubt she wonders if she would be where she is today if Ted Bundy never existed, or if their personal link never existed. I think Stranger Beside Me proves that Ann Rule would have been a successful writer regardless. Bottom line: a "best of breed" piece of true crime fiction.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best True Crime Novels
Review: I was terrified when I read this book, but I couldn't put it down. I lived in Seattle at the time, and was totally creeped out when I drove by some of Bundy's old haunts. When I finished this book I called my Mom and told her to tell my sisters to never trust a man unless he had ten references. This book scared me so much that I swore that I would only read positive life affirming books from then on. Of course I never did stop reading true crime or thrillers, but none of them have seemed as horrible as The Stranger Beside Me. It's a great book, read it if you dare.
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