Ann Rule

Ann Rule (October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American true crime author renowned for her detailed accounts of criminal cases, drawing on her background in law enforcement and crisis counseling. Born Ann Rae Stackhouse in Lowell, Michigan , she grew up in a family steeped in law enforcement , with her grandfather and uncle serving as sheriffs, another uncle as a medical examiner , and a cousin as a prosecutor , which sparked her lifelong interest in crime and justice.

Rule pursued studies in creative writing , criminology , and psychology before joining the Seattle Police Department at age 21 as one of its youngest policewomen, working in the Women's Bureau until vision problems forced her to leave. She later volunteered at a Seattle suicide hotline in the early 1970s, where she met Ted Bundy , a charismatic coworker who would later be revealed as a notorious serial killer ; this encounter formed the basis of her breakthrough book, The Stranger Beside Me (1980), which became an instant bestseller and sold millions of copies.

Over her career, Rule authored more than 30 books, including 35 New York Times bestsellers still in print, such as Small Sacrifices (1987) about Diane Downs, Green River, Running Red (2004) on Gary Ridgway, and Practice to Deceive (2013), amassing global sales of over 20 million copies. Beginning her writing career in 1969 by contributing to True Detective magazine under the pseudonym Andy Stack, she pioneered the true crime genre with meticulous narratives blending police procedure, criminal psychology, and courtroom drama, while advocating for victims' rights over three decades. She also consulted for the FBI and aided investigations like the Green River Task Force.

Rule received two Anthony Awards for true crime writing in 1994 for A Rose for Her Grave and in 1996 for Dead By Sunset , and her work influenced the genre profoundly, often incorporating her firsthand expertise. She died of congestive heart failure at age 83 in Burien, Washington, leaving a legacy as a key figure in true crime literature.

Ann Rule was born Ann Rae Stackhouse on October 22, 1931, in Lowell, Michigan . She was one of two children born to Chester R. Stackhouse, a football, basketball , and track coach, and Sophie Marie Hansen Stackhouse, a schoolteacher who specialized in working with developmentally disabled children. Her extended family had strong ties to law enforcement , including a grandfather and an uncle who served as sheriffs in Michigan , another uncle who was a medical examiner , and a cousin who worked as a prosecuting attorney.

Due to her father's coaching career, the family moved frequently during Rule's childhood, including stints in Pennsylvania , Oregon , and California . Summers and holidays were often spent in Montcalm County, Michigan , where her grandfather served as sheriff of a small "Mom-and-Pop" jail that combined family living quarters, an office, and cells under one roof. There, from around age seven or eight, Rule interacted closely with inmates—visiting cells, helping her grandmother prepare meals for them, and even sleeping in empty cells on occasion—which sparked her early curiosity about criminal behavior and psychology .

Rule's fascination with crime deepened through ongoing family discussions about cases, as her relatives shared stories of arrests, investigations, and courtroom proceedings during meals and gatherings. She frequently questioned why individuals turned to crime , observing her grandfather's methods of evidence collection and interrogation , which blended empathy with authority and left a lasting impression on her understanding of human motives. These experiences, set against the backdrop of her nomadic early years, laid the groundwork for her lifelong interest in the psychological underpinnings of criminal acts.

Ann Rule graduated from Coatesville High School in Chester County, Pennsylvania , in 1949.