In the Name of Love

I have read everything Ann Rule has written. The first story was too long. It was told from the widow's viewpoint. I understand that she was also victimized, but it was just too tedious. The shoter stories were more readable.

Ann Rule is by far my favorite true crime author. Her stories are gripping, and she is really good at setting the mood and locale. Her books also make me think of "America's Most Wanted" or "Unsolved Mysteries" in that they perform a public service. "America's Most Wanted" strives to capture fugitives, and "Unsolved Mysteries" tries to find a resolution to the unsolved crime. What I feel Ann Rule does for the public is use her stories to make people more aware of the dangers of the manipulators, users, and abusers in our lives. Rule's description of a pathological narcissist in one of her books put me on a path that I am convinced saved me from emotional and financial disaster, if not worse. My ex was preoccupied with insurance. I have often wondered how many other women Ann Rule has motivated to leave their abusers before it was too late. "In the Name of Love" is a collection of shorter stories by Rule. The main story offers a twist on the usual pattern of the abusive male victimizing his female partner. Jerry, a wealthy if somewhat shady businessman fell in love with Susan, who seemed to be a very passive and retiring woman. Jerry is portrayed as a very informal, easygoing guy. He had a childhood friend, Steve, who he took to be just a harmless loser, so he humored him and let him be a hanger-on. He even used him a little for a loan. In Steve's mind, this made him Jerry's business partner. If Jerry was eliminated, Steve thought he would have it all. Jerry never took Steve seriously, a very big mistake. It cost Jerry his life. Steve then made a personality misjudgement very similar to Jerry's. He thought he would be able to intimidate and decieve Susan, who he mistook for a passive victim. The story is very interesting, and might make you take a second look at the people in your own life. This is not Ann Rule's best book, but it is still a stand out in the true crime genre and worth reading.

Ann Rule is a mastermind when it comes to writing gripping stories about the dark underside of killers, abusers and the like.
Unfortunately, there are criminal minds that could be in our world who are driven by jealousy and have a wish to do evil to you or your loved ones.
There are pathological killers, abusers and the like roaming around- looking for their next victim.
I think any book written by Ann Rule is a book that will leave the reader with unforgettable accounts of the crime and the people involved.
Jeannie Walker (Award-Winning Author) "Fighting the Devil" - A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder

I've read several Ann Rule true crime novels, and most have been either good or excellent. However "In the Name of Love: ..." is a comparative disappointment. All the hallmarks of Ann Rule (fine writing, excellent research, and a remarkable true story) are absent from this book. And perhaps worse, in the main story Ann Rule writes as if she has transformed herself into some trashy romance novelist ... complete with glowing comments of a handsome husband (I guess the photos in the book weren't very kind) by an adoring wife. Very saccharine, to a sickening extent.
In this book we have one main story ("In the Name of Love") followed by a few short stories. The main story is about a middle-aged entrepreneur who gets killed, and his young wife goes through hell afterwards until the killers are brought to justice. Compared to Ann Rule's wonderful works such as "Dead by Sunset" the story is relatively flat, and Ann doesn't do much justice in "getting into the heads" of the killers. It is as if this story was written in haste. Worse, the short stories are little more than collections of Seattle-area police reports from the 1960s/1970s. Yes, the stories are strange and horrific. But they all have a "Reader's Digest" feel about them.
Is the book all bad? Well, no. As with all Ann Rule books "In the Name of Love..." is very readable. Or rather, it is a fast read. It certainly makes for a harmless time-filler at the beach or on an airplane. But really, Ann Rule has done much better.
Bottom line: certainly not terrible, but a thoroughly forgettable reading experience.

Gives wonderful and meticulous detail. How does this author find all this stuff out about her subjects? Very gripping and tragic true crime story about a couple who seemingly had it all, wealth, love and the admiration of their friends. Then...everything changed in a single night with Jerry Harris' disappearnce. His beautiful, young wife Susan has to bear months of wondering and waiting for Jerry to hopefully walk in the door, but that is not to be. At first, it seems that the much younger Susan is very passive and that she is submissive to her husband. However, she becomes a dynamo and formidable woman after her husband's disappearance. She fights Jerry's best friend, Steve Bonilla tooth and nail, as Bonilla is trying to get a piece of Jerry and Susan's financial pie. This all ends with Jerry's murder in 1988 and things are never the same again. Just goes to show that you can't trust your best friend sometimes!! Beware. Great read from Ann Rule.

This is not only the story of an avaricious sociopath, it is also the story of a woman who, for almost eight years, experienced and survived adversity most of us cannot even begin to imagine. This woman lost almost everything that mattered to her, but not for a moment did she lose hope, courage, or the sense of right and wrong. The villains in this saga possessed none of these values, and to those who say that this book is not objective, I will tell them that it is hard to be objective when you are writing about the senseless murder of such an obviously kind and generous man that most of us would have been proud to know.

Excellently written and researched , what a wonderful entertaining author.
I really can't put my kindle down once I've started M's Rule's books .
The fact they are TRUE stories , both disgusts and fascinates .
How can people be so deranged to do these horrific things to another human being.

Ann Rule can certainly put together a page-turner. The problem is, her stories of true life crime lacks all objectivity. In this installment, Jerry Harris is as perfect a human being as one could imagine, and so doggone naive about his "best friend" you have to wonder if he's not just a big-hearted doofus. I love Ann's books and I read every one them, but I really wish that she would paint her characters three dimensionally--the "good guy" isn't perfect, and the "bad guy" must have some good in him/her or the "good guy" wouldn't have been so duped!

The First story is about Jerry Harris a very successful businessman in California. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold, including his love life. He meets a nice young woman named Susan in Oregon and they really have a great relationship.
They eventually marry and seem to have a charmed life with Yachts, classic cars and nightclubs galore.
the only fly in the ointment is his life long odd friend Steve.
Steve has been a sheltered Mamas-Boy that is spoilt and mean spirited. susan sees it and Jerry does not so much.
Steve badgers him to make him a 40% "partner in a upscale restaurant called Baritz.
Steve becomes so jealous of Jerry's successes that he eventually hires someone to kill Jerry, thinking that he can overtake all the clubs and businesses overpowering Susan the "meek wife."
Jerry comes up missing Oct. 20th and Susan immediately knows something is not right..
She eventually has the FBI looking into the disappearance and one of the agents becomes a good confidant. He feels in his gut that creepy Steve has something to do with this so he advises Susan how to keep Steve's hands off the Restraunt business and clubs.
It infuriates Steve and he vows to destroy Susan. Even after he is imprisoned, he hires a hit man to go after Susan and he sister.
(mommies money bought that)
Wow.. She went though hell, but she proved Steve had done the deed and vindicated the good name of the man she loved. She lost everything in doing so, but she did it.
The other stories are equally as riveting.
Ann Rules style of writing I had to get used to , but i really enjoyed reading about these true crime stories.