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Rating:  Summary: early Ann Rule work is competent but somewhat hollow... Review: 'The I-5 Killer' is a decent but unremarkable effort by Ann Rule, the queen of true crime novels. While it does give accounts of horrible sexual crimes and murders by a completely unrepetent monster, the book lacks many elements of Ann Rule's better works: intricate courtroom drama, in-depth analysis of the criminal's background, and detailed chronology of the police/forensic work done in proving the criminal's guilt. I suppose all this is unsurprising since 'The I-5 Killer' is only about half the length of Ann Rule's best works (eg, 'The Stranger Beside Me').Bottom line: certainly very readable and credible, but Ann Rule can and has done better.
Rating:  Summary: early Ann Rule work is competent but somewhat hollow... Review: 'The I-5 Killer' is a decent but unremarkable effort by Ann Rule, the queen of true crime novels. While it does give accounts of horrible sexual crimes and murders by a completely unrepetent monster, the book lacks many elements of Ann Rule's better works: intricate courtroom drama, in-depth analysis of the criminal's background, and detailed chronology of the police/forensic work done in proving the criminal's guilt. I suppose all this is unsurprising since 'The I-5 Killer' is only about half the length of Ann Rule's best works (eg, 'The Stranger Beside Me'). Bottom line: certainly very readable and credible, but Ann Rule can and has done better.
Rating:  Summary: Dung Review: Although I have read a considerable number of true crime novels, this is the first Ann Rule book I've ever read. I generally avoid books that have covers where the author's name is in bigger print than anything else, but as the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover." Sure enough, Rule has crafted a very suspenseful story about serial rapist and murderer Randall B. Woodfield. I've seen a number of ...reviewers bemoan the absence of a rigid chronological approach in this book, but I feel that this book would not have been nearly as successful in conveying the horror of Woodfield's crimes if they had simply been discussed one after another. By first introducing us to various women who had the misfortune to become involved with Woodfield, we are even more shocked when some of them turn up dead. Also, this book is generally oriented around the investigators who were hunting an unknown serial rapist and murderer; these detectives were not able to piece together a complete catalog and timeline of Woodfield's crimes until late in the investigation. There seems to be no consensus about Rule's body of work -- whether or not she's getting better as time goes on, or whether or not she's "lost it." Regardless of what you think about her writing career as a whole, "The I-5 Killer" is a gripping true crime story. Woodfield's life and crimes are introduced and explored from a variety of perspectives. This certainly isn't the best true crime story I've ever read -- at times it feels like the story wanders a bit, and sometimes there seems to be extraneous detail -- but this is still an above-average book.
Rating:  Summary: First-time Ann Rule Reader! Review: As a first-time true crime reader I'm glad I started out with "I-5 Killer" by Ann Rule. Truly Ann has the inside mind of Randall. He had everything going for him. Family money; good looks; athletic; charming, but something happened to his persona Randall never grew a conscience never felt sympathy , never felt empathy for anyone or anything. Was he born like this? Or was he made like this? Having 2 older sisters isn't enough reason to kill, maim, or hate women or have oral sex as your turn-on through-out life. We are missing something here in his early childhood! Overall ,I enjoyed this book very much...I reccomend it to True Crime readers.
Rating:  Summary: Ann Rule is a Fabulous Writer! Review: Randy Woodfield had it all. He was the boy next door, a star athlete and he had good looks. He also had an appetite for horribly violent acts which led him to cruise the I-5 highway through California to Washington. Randy Woodfield raped and killed women through many states. It's horrible to think that someone could be so awful to do those kinds of things to another person. This was another great book by Ann Rule.
Rating:  Summary: One of her firsts..... Review: This being an early Ann Rule book it lacks in some areas, including the meticulous detail that she is known for. While some did not like the event sequence of the book, I found it easy to follow. I especially liked the beginning of the book where Ms. Rule spends time getting to know Woodfield's "girlfriends". It made the murders all the more chilling. Not one of her best works, but good nonetheless. I'd recommend this to any true crime fan.
Rating:  Summary: Not the best Review: This book was OK, but not one of Rule's best works. I am a true Ann Rule fan, but I had trouble following this book. It was not written chronologically, and the transitions were ineffective. For example, she wrote about the murderer's job hopping, ending with his being fired from a certain bar. She later switched to when he met certain women, and we were back at the time he worked at the job he was fired from. I could not keep track of when things happened or who each person was. There was not much detail given on the players, and it was hard to formulate an attachment to any of them as a result. Worth reading, but not the kind of book you'll want to read again and again (like most of her other books).
Rating:  Summary: Ann Rule is a Fabulous Writer! Review: This book, like many other Ann Rule books that I have read, was incredible. Through her descriptions you almost feel as though you are playing a part in the book. She is GREAT!
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