Empty Promises

Fans of Ann Rule likely already know her extensive background as one of today's most well known true crime writers. A former Seattle policewoman, her college minors include psychology, criminology and penology to go along with the BA she attained in creative writing. Courses in crime scene investigation, police administration, crime scene photography and arrest, search and seizure have also contributed to her vast knowledge, as have numerous seminars she attended and later taught herself. She is a certified instructor on subjects like: Serial Murder, Sadistic Sociopaths, Women Who Kill, and High Profile Offenders and was a member of the Justice Dept. Task Force that set up VI-CAP ( Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) , a computer tracking system the FBI uses to identify and catch serial killers.

The lady knows her crime..and for this reason she is inarguably the foremost true crime writer around, but it is perhaps her in depth humanization of the victims, the extra effort used to also emphasize their lives that gives the reader the ability to somewhat relate, that credits Rule with being responsible for the the genre as it exists today.
Well known for full length crime books like The Stranger Beside Me and Small Sacrifices, Rule also writes crime collections from her case files (some 1,400 cases). Empty Promises: Case Files is the 7th edition of Rule's True Crime Files series. As with previous volumes, a good deal of the book is dedicated to one case, with shorter case files profiled at the end, but with a common theme throughout. This book has 10 cases altogether, each with it's own story of love, betrayal and eventually murder as a result of misplaced trust.

Empty Promises, the title case, details the case of Jami Hagel, a young wife and mother who disappeared from Redmond, Washington in 1990. This true story is a perfect example of the importance Rule places every aspect of a crime including the life of the victim and the affects on those who love them, the detailed investigation and subsequent prosecution of the crime, and finally the lives of the killers themselves. The story unravels gradually enough that the reader is more able to grasp how an intelligent, once confident woman could fall victim to a controlling spouse and was unable to leave him before it was too late.

Bitter Lake explores the murderous rampage of a possessive man who couldn't take no for an answer, a man whose heart was so cold that even children would not stand in his way.

Young Love profiles a case where a young couple grows apart, and the jealous rage of the one left behind.

Love and Insurance is the true story of a man who is murdered after his gay lover takes out an insurance policy on him.

The Gentler Sex includes two cases where callous women wanted their husbands dead- one to be with her lesbian lover and the other for money. The first describes a series of bumbling murder attempts until one finally worked, and the other prevented before it was too late.

The Conjugal Visit is a very involved story of career criminal who was able to manipulate the trust of the penal system, in spite of his previous horrendous crimes, and escape to continue his murderous ways.

Killers on the Road profiles a series of strangers whose only connection was that they had the misfortune of trusting two young men who inexplicably set out on a killing spree that covered 3 states.

A Dangerous Mind is the heartbreaking case of a family who trusted one of their own too much. Even after years of displaying dangerous behavior, and suspected of the murder of several children, the young man who was welcomed into his sister's home turned on his own niece.

To Kill and Kill Again is another profile of a "random killer" whose victims were neither connected to them in any way, nor seemingly connected to one another either by knowledge or type. Random killers aren't particular, making anyone who crosses their path a potential victim.

The Stockholm Syndrome is a fascinating example of the phenomenon by the same name, in this case where a woman's memory of the events of her husband's death is dramatically affected by the mind control of her captor.

Each of these true stories are particularly frightening because these crimes could possibly happen to you or someone you know. Rule brings the reality of the victims to the forefront, and forces the reader to understand that these crimes aren't always something that "happens to other people". In many of the cases, the victims are not 'high risk', but simply trusted too much. Though Rule does delve into the killer's past and family histories, the crimes remain inexplicable, as the genesis of their behavior is never truly found. However, much can be learned by exploring crimes past and the message from this series is the obvious: Be careful who you trust.