Rating: 
Summary: Ann Rule's Best
Review: I first saw this book many years ago in a supermarket while I was looking for something to read. It was when it had first come out in paperback. The only reason I bought it was because I was determined to believe that a mother could not kill her children. I thought there was NO WAY. I bought the book, read it, and gave Diane chance after chance, every benefit of the doubt. When her story kept changing was a clue. But when Christie gave her testimony every shred of doubt was removed. Before that, I knew that Diane was lying, I just could not understand why. Now that I have read more true crime books and studied abnormal psychology, I know why. Diane was a sociopath with absolutely no conscience. Her father enjoyed molesting her and shooting her pets, and her mother stood by her father no matter what he did. Diane became obsessed with her very wishy-washy married boyfriend "Lew" who vacillated between his emotionally masochistic wife and Diane. He told Diane he would marry her, then told her he loved his wife more than her...he was astonished that Diane blew a gasket at this news. He then took a two week vacation with his wife to Texas, but came back to Arizona and asked Diane to move in with him in his apartment. A lot of mixed messages there....since he didn't want to be a "daddy" to her kids, Diane shot them (blaming a non-existant stranger) in hopes that "Lew" would come after her...but he finally woke up and smelled the coffee. There are still some things that the book just didn't go into, that I wonder about. Such as...why didn't her other two brothers say anything at all? Only her sister Kathy and and brother Paul were mentioned in the book, but Diane had two other brothers who never came forward to speak. Also, why was Amy Elizabeth Downs adopted out? Didn't Diane's mother or any of her family want to try to keep her? I'm now on my second copy of this book and could probably quote complete passages. The book is well-written, well-researched and organized. I feel as though I know Diane Downs as well as she would ever let anyone know her. While reading the book for the first time, I had nightmares that Diane was pointing a gun at me and about to shoot. I can imagine how terrified her children were to see the last person that they should ever expect to harm them at the end of that gun. Cheryl Lynn Downs was the Small Sacrifice in order that her brother and sister would be taken from their mother and able to live a normal family life (as much as was possible) afterward. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down. IT was very sad what the three children went through from the day they were born. Ann Rule does a wonderful job telling this story. It's unbelivable how bad the system is, she escaped from jail and they could not find her for days. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: "Hungry Like a Wolf" aka tragedy
Review: I have read Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule several times and every time I finish the book I, as many people I'm sure, was left wondering what would push a mother so far that she shoots her children?!?! The doctors and nurses, investigators, prosecutors and definatly Christy Downs are the heros in this case. Without their persistance, determination and courage, Diane would never have been brought to justice. She has been in prison a long time and I hope thats where she stays because she doesn't deserve her freedom. Ann Rule did some excellent research for this book and it shows! I bought the book because it sounded interesting and it has become my favorite. I have seen the mini series as well! Highly recomend this book/movie to anyone who likes true crime. A definate page turning thriller and despite its 400 plus pages,you will read right through it like there are only 100!! Enjoy and thank you Ann Rule for writing such an awesome book!
Rating:
Summary: Page turning thriller, best work by Ann Rule I have seen yet
Review: Small Sacrifices is an excellent book!! Ann Rule does an incredible job telling the tale of Diane Downs and her sick and twisted lifestyle,morals and the consequences of her actions. Rule writes so well I felt like I was part of the investigation and the plot myself. I was awestruck by Rule's account of Downs' actions leading up to and immediately after the shooting. I highly recomend this book to anyone who is a Criminal Justice major and who would like to read about a case that is so tragic, it is intruiging. Excellent read time and time again.
Rating:
Summary: One of Ann Rule's best.
Review: Well written and very informative about the criminal case of Diane Downs. This is truly a sad story of a lost woman who could not see the value in herself and much less in her own children. Ann Rule portrays a very detailed account of what it was like to be Diane Downs from being molested as a young girl to being a lost adult woman. Diane Downs was rejected by her then lover, a married coworker. This (in my view) was nothing personal, he just knew he needed to go back to his wife and dealing with children wasn't something he was prepared to do. Diane's inablity to handle "rejection" created an obssession with him and she believed that if she got rid of the kids then he'd come back to her. Diane Downs is a confused young woman with no direction in life who has not developed any depth to her personality. Even after she is arrested she continues her bizarre self destructive behavior and starts up a pen-pal relationship with the sick psycho-killer known as the I-5 killer (another one of Ann Rule's books).
This book is great to start with if you are not familiar with Ann Rule.
Rating: 
Summary: Review for English Assingment
Review: The book Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule is the chilling true story of Elizabeth Diane Downs. While driving home from a friend's house late one night, with all three of her children in the car, Diane alleged that a "bushy haired stranger" tried to take her car from her. When she refused, he reached his arm into the car and fired at Cheryl, 7, Danny, 2, and Christie, 8. Diane herself was shot in the left arm, but she was right handed and still able to drive to the hospital. Cheryl was dead by the time Diane reached the hospital, though unbeknownst to Diane. A barrage of nurses and doctors ran out of the emergency room to tend to the family.
Nothing could be done for Cheryl, but Christie and Danny were in stable, yet critical condition. The only two possible witnesses for the case were Diane and Christie, as Danny was sleeping when it happened. While in remission, Christie suffered a stroke on the left side that cast doubt on whether or not she'd ever be able to talk again. A police investigation started as soon as they could.
Right away, the search for the "bushy haired stranger" and the murder weapon started. Police could find neither. As the investigation continued, police disbelieved more and more Diane's story of the BHS (bushy haired stranger) as police called it. Police got permission from Diane to search her home, and they recovered a diary that was unsent letters to a man named Lew. If Diane, and not the BHS, was responsible for the murder of Cheryl and attempted murder of both Christie and Danny, police theorized that Lew may have been the motive.
But with their only witness (Christie) unable to verify or dismiss the BHS story and without the murder weapon, police investigators did not have much of a case against Diane. What's worse, the police believe Diane may try to take Danny and Christie out of the hospital, and then the case would be lost if the Downs' could not be located again. Police must act fast if they want to have a case against Diane.
The major theme in this book is the search for the truth. Child abuse, spousal abuse, searching for pure love and sexuality are fairly constant themes in this book.
Because of the graphic detail of both child abuse and sex, I would recommend this book for high school-ers and up. If TV shows such as Law and order, The Practice and ER interest you, this book is a must-have. It's a bit lengthy, my copy of the book has 494 pages, but the pages fly by. I hope this review is helpful and that you consider reading this book.
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