Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder: And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files)

REAL-LIFE MURDER. REAL-LIFE MYSTERY.

In some murder cases, the truth behind the most tragic of crimes crystallizes with relative ease. Not so with these fascinating accounts drawn from the personal files of Ann Rule, America's #1 bestselling true-crime writer. What happens when the case itself becomes an intractable puzzle, when clues are shrouded in smoke and mirrors, and when criminals skillfully evade law enforcement in a maddening cat-and-mouse chase? Even the most devoted true-crime reader won't predict the outcome of these truly baffling cases until the conclusions revealed in Ann Rule's marvelously insightful narrative: An ideal family is targeted for death by the least likely enemy, who plotted their demise from behind bars.... A sexual predator hides behind multiple fake identities, eluding police for years while his past victims live in fear that he will hunt them down.... A modest preacher's wife confesses to shooting her husband after an argument -- but there's more to her shattering story than meets the eye. These and other true cases are analyzed with stunning clarity in a page-turning collection you won't be able to put down.

---

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Great price and excellent service, 2008-07-05
The book had a fair price, got to me immediately, and was in almost perfect condition.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent , 2008-05-19
Love Ann Rule's books, and I like these small case file stories more and more.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A panoramic true crime book, 2008-04-05
This is the first Ann Rule book that I have read.
She includes 7 cases that stretch from 1960 to the most current, the Winkler murder case.

The most intriguing for me was the oldest case. "The Antique Dealer's Wife" where Raoul Guy Rockwell undoubtedly murdered and dismembered his wife and step-daughter. He got away with it despite the dogged determination of the lead detective.

I found the case of Dorothy Jones a bizarre,unsolved mystery. There are two possible explanations and many reasons for believing either was the cause.

The chapter on the Winkler case leaves some questions unanswered.
There is no doubt that Mary Winkler killed her husband. The circumstances are unclear or at least,unproven.

"Smoke,Mirrors,and Murder" reads like a crime novel with both solved and unsolved murder cases. This is one of the better books in the true crime category that I have read to date and I can understand why readers like Ann Rule as an author. She's an excellent writer!


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

More Ann Rule, 2008-03-01
This is the latest book in Ann Rule's True Crime Series. The Writings are not up to her usual High Standards. In each of the cases covered it seems the villian is all bad and the victim is all good, which is not the usual case in real life. The best story is in the last one covered, which is "The Minister's Wife". The latter is the story of the Minister's wife from Tennesseee who shot him in the back "in self defense". I was not aware that part of the reason for problems in the marriage is that she fell for one of these Nigerian inheritance schemes. I still find it hard to understand (As Ann Rule does)how anyone could believe that a complete stranger would give you thousands of Dollars. But I guess financially desperate people do desperate things. However the depiction of "The Minister's Wife" (for some reason) created sympathy for her (in me.) I was glad that she served a very short sentence, and was released. One of the things that made these cases unappealing is that most of them occurred many years ago, when life was so much different here in the USA. (No internet, PCs or Cell Phones.)


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

another home run, 2008-02-27
Ann's insights on the Winkler case alone make this worth the purchase. But add into the mix the stories of several relationships gone bad, and you have a textbook of warning for women AND men. A great collection of shorter cases - not that the cases themselves are less important - but I do like this format because I can fit the reading into a busy mom's schedule.

Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.