Green River, Running Red

Suspenseful and chilling

This is one of the better true crime books I have ever encountered. Ann Rule succeeds in chronicling nearly every step of the two decade investigation, yet it is never tedious. At different times during the story suspects are named, questioned and dismissed. The book is more like a suspense/thriller than a typical true crime novel. The frustration and anger of the numerous investigators, and the author, is evident. This very frustration led to a high rate of illness and death among those who worked on the GRK task force. I will not tell you which suspect is the actual killer, but it is so chilling to realize how "normal?" he appeared. It is important to understand he worked for decades to appear normal. The killer was really twisted. Caruso narrates perfectly, putting the listener within the ranks of the task force searching for this monster. I put this audiobook in the few dozen of the over 1300 I own as a "can't stop listening" category.

45 sur 45 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Excellent story and narration

Anne Rule tells the stories of several of the young women who were removed from this world by the Green river monster before they had a chance to better their circumstances. Young people believe they're invincible and prositutes are no different. Gary Ridgeway deprived them of the opportunity to grow up and find other ways to make a living. I would like to say that I hope he can/does read the book, but I'm not sure it would matter at all. How could it matter to someone with no soul?

As a side, I'll look for more books narrated by Barbara Caruso.Great vocal pitch and intonation that doesn't need exaggeration to elicit our sympathy.

13 sur 13 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

A Chilling Nightmare Come True

She's done it again.
Beginning with 'Stranger Beside Me', her story of her once good friend, Ted Bundy, and his hellacious killing spree, then moving onto Washington States most notorious serial killer, Ann Rule out does herself in this horrifying tale of a man gone mad.
The Green River Killer put himself on the map by inspiring use of the term, Serial Killer. Mass Murderer just wouldn't cut it.
Ann takes us behind the scenes with the detectives who worked for years on this case. They devoted their lives to catching one man; A journey that would last much longer than anyone had anticipated.
She dives into the lives of the prostitutes Ridgway chose as his prey. By telling their stories, she presents them as the wonderful women they were. Though their profession was anything but glamorous, she portrayed them as women with dreams, hopes, families, kids, and friends. The vicious cycle these girls were caught up in was pointed out and explained the way it should be, with an open mind and an open heart.
One of her best works, Ann has truly outdone herself in this tale of psychosis, murder, tragedy, and success.
I would recommend this read to anyone, especially in the state of Washington, as a reminder that the monster that can hold you in a grip of fear can be the last person you would ever expect.

8 sur 8 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Well written story, faulty narrator.

The book is very well written and documented. It only feels long because the narrator speaks as if she cannot breathe properly and is breathing through her mouth all the time.

I had to make an effort to ignore the constant sound of the narrator pulling air through her mouth at the beginning of each sentence, as if she had a cold and was congested during the reading of the book.

17 sur 18 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Very, VERY detailed!!!

This is Ann Rule's most detailed and specific book to date...almost too much so! We kind of lost track of which girl was which!!

8 sur 8 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Detailed account--worth the listen!

Caruso tells it as if you were in her living room and she wanted you to know everything that happened. Pretend she's your favorite aunt and you can forgive her the mispronunciations and slight lisp. She really put her all into the telling.

Anne Rule wants you to know these girls intimately before you meet the Green River Killer and she does a thorough job honoring their memories. The frustration of the law enforcement teams becomes our own and what great satisfaction to finally nab the real GRK.

What a sicko.

9 sur 10 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Green River Victims

Ann Rule is always a dependable author of true crime stories, I'm a big fan. She does her research. This book focuses more on the victims of the Green River Killer than the killer himself, a little different from her usual method. It's very interesting, and sad, to read about the young women/girls whose lives were snuffed out before they had had a chance to live. The detectives' jobs are also detailed, with the paths they take, the suspects they interview, trying to distinguish patterns in methods and victims. The narrator to me sounded a little like Ann Rule, and that made the book a pleasure to listen to.

3 sur 3 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Narration was the big drawback

As a fan of other Ann Rule books - and having just finished listening to the Audible version of 'The Stranger Beside Me' (which I loved) - this one left much to be desired. In 'Stranger', Rule lamented that the sheer volume of Bundy's killing removed a specialness to the victims, that due to their vast number no one victim would be remembered as an individual. It was clear she felt some guilt that she wasn't able to celebrate who the victims were as people prior to becoming a Ted Bundy victim, and she tried to make up for it in 'Green River'. However, it's too much. I felt like the book was dragging when I began listening - three hours in and it was still discussing just the victims with barely any touches on the investigation or how they linked the earlier crimes to one individual. It's clear, without the personal touch provided by Rule's personal friendship with Bundy, something is lost in the telling of a crime novel.

Beyond that, I could not get in to Barbara Caruso's reading. As a Seattle-ite, absolutely no attempt was made to ensure PNW names were actually pronounced correctly. Drove me crazy and really pulled me out of the experience.

2 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

listening to GRK

Would you listen to Green River, Running Red again? Why?

Yes, as I feel it is a fascinating story and also I lived in the Seattle area.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, as it does not give you a real clue until well into the story about Gary Ridgeway and it gives focus as to how eluding he was to police.

Did Barbara Caruso do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did a good job.

If you could give Green River, Running Red a new subtitle, what would it be?

can't think of one. Think the title is good as it is.

Any additional comments?

It would have been nice to have some of the places be correctly announced.

5 sur 6 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Long, drawn out, bland

I am a lover of mystery, murder stories, serial killer stories, etc., so when I saw the reviews and read the summary, I was hooked and used one of the credits. Without getting too wordy, the best way to describe what this book was is that it feels like you’re reading someone’s very bland journal about the GRK. The book gives us the facts about each victim and most of the book is just that. Maybe I just thought I was getting into a different style of book? If you’re looking for great storytelling, some suspense and a creative take on this serial killer story, I would unfortunately look elsewhere.

1 sur 1 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.