Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--America's Deadliest Serial Murderer

Ann Rule

Oct 2004 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In the most extraordinary book Ann Rule has ever undertaken, America's master of true crime has spent more than two decades researching the story of the Green River Killer, who murdered more than forty-nine young women. The quest to discover the most prolific serial killer in American history has been an intimate part of Ann Rule's life, with some of the corpses found only a mile or so from where she lived and raised her own daughters. She did not know the killer, but he apparently knew her and attended many of her book signings.
For twenty-one years, the killer carried out his self-described "career" as a killing machine, ridding the world of women he considered evil. His eerie ability to lure his victims to their deaths and hide their bodies made him far more dangerous than any infamous multiple murderer in the annals of crime.
A few men -- including a law student, a truck painter, and a taxi driver -- eventually emerged as the prime suspects among an unprecedented forty thousand scrutinized by the Green River Task Force. Still, there was no physical evidence linking any of them to the murders until 2001, when investigators used a new DNA process on a saliva sample they had preserved since 1987, with stunning results.
Ann Rule has followed the case since July 1982, when the first body -- that of teenager Wendy Lee Coffield -- was found in the Green River, snagged on pilings under a bridge. Rule has compiled voluminous files, working through an incredible 95,000 pages of official police records, transcripts, photographs, and maps, winnowing out the chaff and identifying what is truly important. Over the years, she gained unparalleled access to all the key players -- from King County Sheriff Dave Reichert to those close to the killer and his victims.
When finally apprehended and convicted, the killer made a detailed confession -- of his twisted sexual obsessions -- that will shock even the most jaded reader. Green River, Running Red is a harrowing account of a modern monster, a killer who walked among us undetected. It is also the story of his quarry -- of who these young girls were, and who they might have become. A chilling look at the darkest side of human nature, this is the most important and most personal book of Ann Rule's long career.

Ratings and reviews

I accidentally came across Ann Rule's books while perusing my bookstore years ago. Her style brings you right into the scenarios, making you feel as if you are experiencing the emotional pain & impacts of the victims, their families & the investigators. Her research is infallible. You get to know the personalities & qualities of everyone. When I bought my first 7 books, I was surprised to discover all my copies were handsigned! I had them for many years. Sadly upon my last move, my library collection were all but ruined. I am happy to read & listen to the books again here!

Seriously I love Ann Rules books and I think she is truly gifted but am getting tired of the references to Ted Bundy more than 20 times in this book alone also in some of her other books and I dont see the need for it

This book combined the voices of the victims with the investigation and also with killer. Seamlessly written to keep the reader engaged and focused on the big picture.

About the author

Ann Rule wrote thirty-five New York Times bestsellers, all of them still in print. Her first bestseller was The Stranger Beside Me, about her personal relationship with infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. A former Seattle police officer, she used her firsthand expertise in all her books. For more than three decades, she was a powerful advocate for victims of violent crime. She lived near Seattle and died in 2015.