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Ann Rule, Not a Cozy Author, Great at Telling about True Crimes

Sometimes I just don’t feel like reading Cozy Mysteries. This doesn’t happen often – I love Cozies, and usually when I read, I’m entertained by the adventures of one amateur sleuth or another. Still, no matter how much you might love something, sometimes you just might want a change for the sake of variety.

When I do want something non-Cozy, I often turn to true crime novels, and when possible, Ann Rule. Of course, by now I think I’ve read almost all Ann Rule‘s works except for her most recent – which I do intend to get to >>> any day now!

Listening to Ann Rule’s background, it’s easy to see why she’s such an expert when she recounts these tales of tragedy >>> she’s worked so many jobs that her personal world experience must make it easy to “connect” to just about anyone. She’s got extensive ties to law enforcement circles – not only does she have multiple relatives who have worked in jobs such as sheriff, prosecutor, and medical examiner, she served as a Seattle police officer.

Rule has also worked on crisis help lines, one time manning the lines with serial killer Ted Bundy. Yes, I know, it is truly gross to think Ted Bundy worked at a crisis help line! (Rule wrote The Stranger Beside Me about Ted Bundy.) She has an understanding of the tragedies that can unfold in unfortunate circumstances. Much later in her career, she was even part of the task force that set up the FBI’s VI-CAP system, a computer tracking program that helps identify and document crimes for comparison between local law enforcement agencies!

With all that experience, it’s no surprise that Ann Rule is a master at helping average people like me understand not only how a crime was committed, but also why it occurred and the often-devastating aftermath caused by the events. Ann Rule often goes back through the histories of the victims and the killer alike, looking back over generations to show how the environment developed which lead a person to commit such terrifying acts of brutality, as well as help give a somewhat-human face to people who could just as easily be discounted as aberrations and monsters. Often it seems surprising just how “normal” these people can act on a day-by-day basis once you know all the details of how they grew up and the people who raised them! In most of these cases, I’m left wondering if it’s nature or nurture that caused the killers to become that way. And, of course, you can’t separate those two factors!

I’ve told you what I sometimes read when I take a break (tiny break) from my beloved Cozies. What do you read when you’re ready for a change from Cozy Mysteries? Do you have a favorite author within the field? Please leave a comment below! Thank you!

P.S. Rather than making a list at the bottom of this entry of authors in other genres who you all like, I’m just going to add the highlighted links to your comments. It will save me time to do it that way, so I hope you ALL read all of the comments! (Actually I hope you always read the comments, since they are really, really good AND a great way to see what other Cozy Mystery readers think!)

If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

Comments

  1. Hmm…good question, Danna. Even when I put my cozies aside, I find I usually stay somewhere in the mystery/suspense genre. I’ll find something that still has a mystery of some type, but one that has a bit more romance and definitely humor. The more humor the better! I just finished the fifth book in the series written by Julie Moffett. Very enjoyable. Sometimes I just need a ‘Happy Ever After’ and when that happens I usually turn to Jenny Crusie‘s books. Lots of humor–she has a funny voice. I just finished the first book in a series by Naomi Hirahara (Murder on Bamboo Lane). Not quite a cozy–takes place in LA and the protagonist is a newly appointed police officer–but very well done. I also enjoy Clive Cussler‘s NUMA series and Oregon Files series. As I write this, I am looking through my author/book notebook. I’m realizing that I’m definitely a creature of habit. I don’t stray far from my mysteries. LOL
    Hope you are having a great day!

    Reply

    • Linda: I agree with you about Ann Rule. Want another non-fiction crime author to add to your non-cozy readings? M. William Phelps, Diane Fanning and Amanda Lamb. All very good. Not as good as Rule but very entertaining and well-researched. If you have cable, you can see them commenting on real crime on Investigation Discovery or Forensic Files. One station I like is ID for Homicide Hunter. But I also like Oxygen on Sundays -in my area it is on channel 34 and called “Snapped”. All non-fiction crime.

      A new crime movie called “Gone Girl” due in October with Ben Affleck starring as the husband of the missing victim. Looks good.
      On occasion -Lifetime Movie channel is good with non-fiction and movies based on real crime (Channel 60 on Comcast cable).

      Those are my other “Go to” suggestions for an alternative to the
      Cozy mystery. I’m with you on staying with the mystery/suspense
      genre when not reading cozies. Anne Perry and Victoria Thompson are good period writers of Victorian and Edwardian mysteries as well as Robin Paige. For fun cozies of that era-Emily Brightwell does light romance in her Victorian mysteries and humor. I’ve been reading her for years and her Mrs. Jeffries series is delightful.

      Just some ideas for you that keep you in the mystery/suspense
      mode.

      Rob J

      Reply

  2. Since my husband retired I’m getting more reading time. Strange but true! I enjoy biographies of eccentric women. Right now I’m reading Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters by Philip Eade. Other ones I enjoyed were The Bolter by Frances Osborne and The Temptress by Paul Spicer (of the Happy Valley set – scandal/mysterious death), just to name two. Of course, I’m also reading Penny‘s The Long Way Home so I don’t stray too far from mysteries either.
    I always read this blog and the readers comments because I learn so much and everyone is so polite! Thank you! This is a positive place on the internet!

    Reply

  4. I LOVE Ann Rule, too, and have read many of her books. A couple of non-cozy authors that I’ve been reading: Jefferson Bass who is actually 2 men co-writing. Dr Bill Bass is the originator of The Body Farm at the U of Tennessee and has turned that info into some fabulous novels. Can be very graphic so not for the squeamish. A friend told me about another author: Tana French, who writes each book about a different member of a Dublin detective squad. Also a little more on the “darker” side, but that’s why I love them!

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  5. This is going to sound really lame, but I am reliving my childhood and re-reading the Baby-Sitters Club books, by Ann M. Martin. They are being released for Kindle and they are relatively inexpensive. I enjoy them because these girls have such happy lives and things are just so simple. It’s a pleasant escape from the real world, even though the characters are now young enough to be my daughters!

    Reply

    • Laura, this does not sound lame to me at all! “A pleasant escape from the real world” is sometimes necessary in our lives. At times I find myself watching game shows from before I was born! There’s something comforting about watching Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf on What’s My Line or Garry Moore, Bill Cullen, Henry Morgan, Jayne Meadows on I’ve Got a Secret. They all hearken back to a kinder yester-year.

      Reply

    • I had no idea that Baby-Sitters Club books can be purchased in Kindle editions. I am definitely going to buy one- I haven’t read one in probably 20 years, but it sounds like a nice escape! I read one of the Little House on the Prairie books recently, and it was nice to re-read a book that I so enjoyed as a child.

      Reply

  6. Hi Danna When I grow tired of cozies, I go in a completely opposite direction. I read historical fiction or biographies.The only problem is that mysteries are so short but other books are so long.it is difficult to switch gears.
    I am going to ask for help. Recently I read a mystery story that I enjoyed very much but I have forgotten the title and author. Maybe someone can help me. It is about a middle aged woman who moves from Texas to England. She is a certified landscape gardiner who hopes to find work and stay there. She becomes involved with a group who are stealing ancient British artifacts.

    ****Here is an update/additional comment from Regina:*****

    Danna I want to update my previous blog. I spent time today which I should have before I made my query. I reviewed all the books in my Nook and in my archived items I found the title and author of the book I was looking for. It is “The Garden Path” by Marty Wingate. Great story and I do so admire those middle aged women who change their whole lifestyle.

    Reply

  8. Danna, I read everything and anything but in the field of non-cosy mystery, crime, etc. I like William Broderick, Robert Goddard, Henning Mankell and others. When I think back over memorable reads, apart from the great classics, William Golding sticks out – his “Rites of Passage” is mesmerising. Also mesmerising are Hilary Mantel‘s 2 novels of the Tudor court, “Wolf Hall” and “Bring up the Bodies.” W.G. Sebald‘s “Austerlitz” also has stayed with me: I found it profoundly mystic and moving. I could go on and on but I won’t!

    Reply

    • Anne, I haven’t thought of William Golding in years. I remember loving his Lord of the Flies novel years ago. Also, when I was looking through Hilary Mantel’s page I snooped around and found another author I used to enjoy. I remember reading (and enjoying) I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles. Thank you for taking me back to some pretty great memories of books read long ago!

      Reply

  9. Hi Danna
    I know this isn’t the correct place to put this but I am not sure where to post this.
    Barbara Annino Stacy Justice kindle ebooks are on special at Amazon today only for $1.99 each.

    Reply

    • Sandy, all three of the non Cozy Mystery authors who you mention are on the site. That means that I have heard from other Cozy Mystery readers who have told me they think the authors are so good that they should be included on the site. I agree with them!

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    • Sue F, I’m guessing Victoria Holt is a Gothic romance author with mystery thrown in… I just looked it up to see who is considered a Gothic Romance author, and am surprised to see so many familiar names, including the Brontë sisters!

      Reply

  12. I try to read a literary classic like Jane Eyre or The Woman in White (two of my all-time favorites that I read over and over again!). Lately I’ve been re-reading James Thurber. He stays on my top five list of favorite authors, no matter how many others I discover on my reading journeys. Love to read autobiographies, especially of classic film and TV stars. I recently read Mr. Ed and Me and More by Alan Young. He is such a nice guy and the behind-the-scenes stories about Mr. Ed were very interesting. But like most of us, I always return to cozy mysteries. They keep me grounded!

    Reply

      • Before reading the book (it’s on kindle, folks!) I only knew him as Mr. Ed’s buddy, Wilbur. He was a big radio, film and TV star long before Mr. Ed, and even won an Emmy for his variety show. I don’t know why those old shows fascinate me so much, I wasn’t even born yet, but it seems like the old stars were very intelligent, down-to-earth people compared with what goes on today.

        Reply

  13. Among other things, I read quite a bit of urban fantasy – books set in a modern, urban setting with fantasy creatures (fae, werewolves, vampires) living among us. I like my favorites for many of the same reasons that I like cozy mystery series – they have a well-developed cast of characters that I enjoy spending time with – they’ve just added a “what if” element and created a consistent world view based on that. My favorite urban fantasies also tend to be ones with a mystery element – so I’m not straying as far as it might otherwise seem. These favorites include the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, about Harry Dresden, a PI in Chicago who is also a wizard, and the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, about a coyote shapechanger who was raised by werewolves. In the Dresden books, the supernatural exist in our world, but keep it secret from most of humanity, while the Mercy Thompson books are set in a world where some of the supernatural creatures have revealed their existence to humanity and deal with some of the fallout from that.

    I know that many cozy mystery readers do not like books with a touch of the paranormal or supernatural (although a number do), but if you are thinking about trying a fantasy set in our world, I highly recommend the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, starting with Soulless. This book is set in an alternate Victorian England where vampires and werewolves are part of the established order and my mother, who doesn’t really like books with vampires and werewolves, loved this series.

    Reply

  14. Danna, This does not relate to your question but you mentioned watching old TV game shows. I was once on What’s My Line but never got to see it. How or where do you find them? I would love to see if I could find the one I was on.

    Reply

      • Thanks Danna, I was the first seasonal female ranger naturalist in Yellowstone National Park, in 1964. This came about because of the equal rights Act of that year granting equal rights among other things for females and blacks. Before then it was a male domain. I was flown to New York for the show and back and since there was no TV reception in the park at that time I never got to see the show. :-(. But it was fun and quite an experience.

        Reply

  15. Danna, Just a clarification….this was “To Tell the Truth”. All the other (3) people could make up any answers to the questions but I would have to answer their questions truthfully. Two panelists did not guess correctly and 2 did only because they said the uniform fit me. At that time the NPS would only allow me to wear the uniform as it would not allow the misrepresentation of an NPS employee.

    Reply

    • Pat, if I see it, I’ll make a note to get the title on YouTube. The uniform-fitting sounds like something Ralph Bellamy or Polly Bergen would have said. (I have enjoyed them in movies, and love seeing them on those old game shows.)

      Reply

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