Ann Rule: True crime writer

Rule wis ane of twa childer born tae Chester R. Stackhouse an Sophie Hansen. Her mither wis a teacher, specializing in developmentally disabled childer, an her faither wis a sports coach. Members of Rule's faimily haed careers in law enforcement. Her grandfaither an uncle war sheriffs in Michigan, anither uncle wis a medical examiner, an a cousin wis a prosecutor. Rule spent her summers wi her grandparents daein volunteer wirk in the local jyle.

Rule graduated frae Coatesville High School an then attended the University of Washington. She majored in creative writing, wi minors in criminology, penology an psychology. She extendit her eddication for twa mair years at Highline Community College bi takkin criminology courses.

Early in her career, Rule wrote for several publications geared for weemen. Beginnin in 1969, she wrote for the magazine True Detective unner the nom de plume "Andy Stack" when she first stairtit writin for the magazine.

Her first beuk wis The Stranger Beside Me, which she wrote unner her awn name. Her next three beuks (The Lust Killer, Jerry Brudos; The Want-Ad Killer, Harvey Carignan; an The I-5 Killer aboot Randall Woodfield) wur written as Andy Stack.

In 2003, Rule's publisher released Heart Full of Lies, a beuk narratin the events o the Liysa Northon murther trial. A defamation lawsuit filed bi Northon against Rule an her publishers wis ultimately dismissed in Januar 2011 bi the 9t Circuit Court of Appeals. Northon wis released frae preeson in October 2012 twal years efter killin her husband.

In 2008, the Library of America selectit Rule’s story "Young Love" frae the beuk Empty Promises for inclusion in its twa-century retrospective o American true creeme writin, True Crime: An American Anthology.

In Aprile 2012, "48 Hours Mystery" covered Rule's successfu effort tae help a mither pruive her dochter's 1998 daith wis murther. The resultin beuk wis In the Still of the Night.

Rule is a mither o five. Her dochter, Leslie Rule, is a author an aw.