Sunday Synopsis

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is Ann Rule at her finest. She dominates the true crime genre for a reason, and although this was published 38 years ago, the story is timely. While some of the details would be different in our current time period, the essence of who this monster was and the horrifying reality that he could have been the guy next door to any of us just blows my mind.

Jerome (Jerry) Brudos has been described as gentle and quiet yet having immense physical strength. He was also very clever, keeping in mind his crimes were committed prior to the common use of DNA in solving crimes. Ann Rule introduces us to one of his sadistic crimes then works backward to explain what led up to his rage against women. We learn why he and his own mother had a volatile relationship. We learn about his relationship with his wife, kids, and co-workers.Then there are his crimes. It began with a fascination with women's lingerie and high-heeled shoes. He spent some time in psychiatric hospitals, but he was a model prisoner and managed to lull the doctors into a false sense of security so he would be released. Police would find torture devices, photographs, and other proof of his deviant tendencies. After he was arrested, his wife was also arrested though she had helped the police and had no knowledge of Burdos' attacks.

n all, rudos is responsible for the abduction of six women and the murder of at least four. There may be more. I don't want to give away any actual spoilers, so if you like true crime, give this book a read.

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