The End Of The Dream The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up

Ann Rule's true crime account of the Hollywood bank robber is about Scott Spurlock aka Hollywood who went and robbed banks in the Seattle and Portland region. Ann Rule has lived in the Pacific Northwest and has written about crimes in the area. She writes about Scott Spurlock and his friends from their days in Reston, Virginia (a Washington DC suburb); their time in Hawaii; and Scott's new home in Olympia, Washington.

Rule has researched and interviewed all the players involved in this sad tragic story. Rule always writes sympathetically even to the criminals in her books. She does offer sympathy and empathy for all those involved. The Puget Sound Task Force was assigned to find the Hollywood bank robber. Spurlock was a clever bank robber who knew how to get away until the last time. This case takes up most of the book by the way. This story doesn't thrill me as much as her other books perhaps because of the type of crime but I would still read Rule anyway.

Sadly, Scott Spurlock's life could have been so much more with his handsome good looks and intelligence. Perhaps he could have been a Hollywood actor if he had chosen a different path. Like most of Rule's books, she helps readers understand the criminal's motives and reasoning. She takes ordinary people who become criminals and dissects them to the readers. She could have published this true crime account all on its own merit.

Before she wrote true crime books, she researched and wrote true crime stories for true crime magazines. Sadly, those magazines don't exist anymore. She added a couple of stories here from her archives.

The next short story, "Peeping Tom," is about the murder of a promising woman in 1971 Salem, Oregon. A woman who had a fiancé and promising career cut short by a brutal murder. Another short story is about a girl who fell in love with her killer. She also published a short true crime account entitled "The Unlikely Suspect." I didn't find any of these stories as interesting as the main story in this true crime volume.

Scott Scurlock lived a good life in a treehouse in Olympia, Washington, as a handsome young man who had hair like Charles Manson. It was an architectural marvel, like a real cabin in the sky. He loved to stand atop a mountain where he felt close to God. When I went to Oneida, I felt that I could reach up and touch the sky, that it was the closest thing to Heaven on earth. But Scott was a playboy who lived the drug style of life and didn't have time to think about Heaven and Hell.

His name was in the papers constantly but the only clipping he saved was the feature showing the interior of his fabulous treehouse. He ived the good life, for a while. But he made headlines again on November 30, 1996, in The Seattle Times as the Hollywood bank robber. He was handsome enough to be an actor, that's true. He's had it made in the late'80s and early '90s with good friends like Scott, Mark and Steve (the later two were fathers of daughters) whom he rooked into a world of crime.

Scott was the perrential male who didn't want to grow up -- the the fellows in the move, 'Without A Paddle" also involving a spectacular tree house. Unlike most who chose Peter Pan, Scott pretended to be Robin Hood and had the illustration of said bandit tacked up over his bed in the treehouse.

Ann Rule is a master at explaining the intracicies of real crime in a manner which reads like fiction and is easy to understand. I have endorsed many of her real-crime books. This one also included 'An Unlikely Suspect,' 'The Girl Who Fell in Love with her Killer' and 'The Peeping Tom.' None of us are safe anymore for average or unstanding-looking males. And yet, there are women just as evil. She is the best storyteller to inform us of the most accomplished.

'The End of The Dream' is another installment of Ann Rule's Crime Files, and it happens to be the final in the series for me ... I've read them all. Unfortunately this one is decidedly average. The main story is about a young man, evidently an attractive man (as Ann Rule points out on every page or so), who seems to have a magnetic personality. Unfortunately this personable chap clearly has some character deficiencies which ultimately drives him, and his friends who he sucks in, into robbing banks. Of course fate catches up with him and ... well, you can imagine. Oh, I should add the book has a couple of other stories in the end which amount to little more than true crime fodder. Very forgettable stuff.

I suppose Ann Rule was drawn in the psychological element of our daring studpuppy turned bankrobber. It is curious how someone who is so popular can be such a rotten character, with very few individuals understanding his true (nasty) self. Yes, I agree this element of the story was interesting. But it didn't exactly sustain my interest for the entire four hundred pages. And unlike Ann Rule's better books there are no sensational courtroom dramas or abhorent violence to ponder over. Yet Ann Rule, if nothing else, produces very readable material. I gobbled down the pages like junk food.

Bottom line: Ann Rule on a bad day. There are better ways of killing time.

Thank you, Ann Rule, for doing all the research to provide us with the hidden story of Scotty & Co. I am one of those many people who had contact with Scott off and on over the years, who almost fell over when hearing the news at dinnertime on Thanksgiving Day, 1996.
There is no one who knew him who won't be reading the book. I compliment you on your balance of factual and historical depth and your sensitive insight into personal lives and dreams.
For those interested, I once took a batch of pictures of Scotty's treehouse during a visit. This book has prompted me to publish them on my Web site (which has a commercial relationship with the store.com as well). The site generally covers legal issues, but as an aside from the usual I discuss briefly my experience with the treehouse, share the pictures, and quote a piece of Ann's book describing the FBI's discovery of the treehouse.

Like other true crime collections that she wrote, this book starts with a long short story, followed by several short stories.

The long one sounds like something out of a movie, actually it reminds me of Point Break.

You have this very sharp man who is committing big money, highly professional bank robberies and living a life of adventure.

A reader-friendly, well-written account of a unique brand of bank robber(s) in the Seattle area. This book covers a recent, notorious crime spree, that took place in the Seattle area within the last five years: mid to late 1990's. "Hollywood," and his dedicated friends' lives were just as intriguing as the main focus of the book. From start to finish, a great book, that describes some interesting facets of the green Pacific Northwest. Scott, the brains and guts behind these capers, could have become successful in many different area of life. He did appear to have a selfish side. He certainly led an interesting life, and he was successful at the things he set out to do. He liked to live the high life, and that required a lot of money. Luck cannot last forever. Saying anything else will ruin the outcome for someone wanting to read this book, which is highly recommended.

A wonderfully descriptive story of an unlikely sociopath and the people who got caught up in his destructive life. There is no better true crime writer than Ann Rule. This criminal had everything it takes to build a useful, productive life: An idyllic childhood, good looks, a brilliant mind--all the talent he needed to become a huge success within the legal system. Why he chose a life of crime, nobody knows, but his story is fascinating in its sociopathic pattern and the lives that knowing him ruined along the way. Ann Rule presents her criminals and the people connected with them like no other crime writer, and I have read almost everything she has written. I recommend this one too.

The story of Scott Scurlock has a different flavor than Ann Rule's other subjects. Scott, like the other criminals Ann Rule writes about, committed violent crimes. But you sense that the author was really attracted to Scurlock and his never-neverland way of life. Scott Scurlock led a hedonistic lifestyle, always in beautiful surroundings, dining at wonderful restaurants, honing and tanning his youthful, perfect body... Too bad he had to manufacture meth and rob banks to make it all possible. And too bad he had to involve his friends in what was destined to turn into a huge mess. One aspect of Scurlock's story I wonder about is his father, a minister. Was this a case of like father, like son? Did Scott learn to manipulate others from his father? Another interesting collection of true crime stories by my favorite author, Ann Rule.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I found the story interesting in that I could relate to the era in which these men grew up (70's), the east coast location in which they grew up, as well as their extrememly close knit bond. It was fascinating to read of the gradual decline of Scott "Hollywood" Scurlock's (the books main character) morals and limits. Although he was repeatedly described as charming and movie-star like, I found him to be a shifty, gross creep (for lack of more colorful words); he made my skin crawl. I found it frustrating to watch his partners in crime crumble and succumb to his "charm" and disintegrate from seemingly good people into bank robbing thugs.

From a personal view point, as one of the characters mentioned in the book, I find the lack of research in Ms Rule's book to be frightening and most certainly careless. There are at least two points in the story that are bold face lies. I am shocked that a professional author of this genre would publish without making the effort to complete her research. Many people's lives were destroyed by this tragic episode, one of which was mine and it saddens me to think that there are people reading this that only casually know me and will now begin to see me as the evil woman who "drove" a good man to rob banks. There is more to this story than Ms. Rule has allowed her readers to see and some of her informants have decieved her.

I absolutely love everything Ann Rule writes but this one's a dud...Scott Scurlock is no one special, his crimes at best mediocre and unthrilling. He is a humanistic type of guy that appears to truely care about his victims (most often more than his friends)...but he doesn't warrent a book about him. I believe Ann Rule is riding on here laurels on this one. Way too much written about his past boring life, sure he had some fun, smoked some dope, and lived in a great treehouse, but nothing more. HOWEVER, I will continue to read her future books...hoping she runs into an interesting criminal next time.

I love Ann Rule and her suspenseful TC thrillers, but this book i could not finish. It just kept repeating it's self. Ann Rule you can write better than this! I see that there is a subheading that says" The Golden Boy who never grew-up," this is the true focus of the story....a man his friend a tree house and being un-clothed. That is the highlight of the story. I think Ann Rule lacked info about the situation therefore the book was very bland. I liked her other novels: You Belonged to Me, Heartful of Lies, Every Breath You Take, In the Name of Love, Small Sacrifices. Do not read the Green river Murder TC by her it was very bland like this book!

I first heard of this story watching the Court TV? Channel. It was hosted by Bill Kurtis of Investigative Reports fame. After hearing the entire story I was prompted to read what I did not learn in the two-hour segment Court TV presented me with. Here was a man so 'caught up' in having a lavish lifestyle that he successfully robbed banks, pocketing an estimated 2.5 million dollars! The story was so well-written that the characters literally come to life. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book, while it did sounded as though Rule may have inserted some of her own thoughts and ideas while describing the robberies, events and characters in this book. Scurlock was the most interesting thing about the whole book. What was he going to do next. When would it end. It seemed as if it never would. After the introductions of the characters the book was rivetting and I could not put it down until I read every last word.

A reader-friendly, well-written account of a unique brand of bank robber(s) in the Seattle area. This book covers a recent, notorious crime spree, that took place in the Seattle area within the last five years: mid to late 1990's. "Hollywood," and his dedicated friends' lives were just as intriguing as the main focus of the book. From start to finish, a great book, that describes some interesting facets of the green Pacific Northwest. Scott, the brains and guts behind these capers, could have become successful in many different area of life. He did appear to have a selfish side. He certainly led an interesting life, and he was successful at the things he set out to do. He liked to live the high life, and that required a lot of money. Luck cannot last forever. Saying anything else will ruin the outcome for someone wanting to read this book, which is highly recommended.

Ol'Willy Boss would never want to see the previews of comming movie shows. So I won't spoil any of the surprises that will be revealed. I will say this though if you have kids you had better read it to them. This story is all about "why crime doesn't pay". If you read Eph.6 vs.12 you will see beyond the veil of deception. If you read The end of the Dream you will know why that verse was written

I'm quite surprised by the number of rave reviews this book has. I've read at least eight of Anne Rule's books and I loved most, but this was incredibly boring. A lot of time is spent describing the earlier carefree lives of several characters and apparently little happened then that was worth reading about. And I was totally put off by the assignment of blame onto one character and even his family. Even if he was the brains behind the crimes his friends joined him of their own free will. They had plenty of other options and were grown men who chose for themselves their eventual fate.

Ann Rule is my FAVORITE true crime writer. I have read everything she writes. Even though I have been slightly dissapointed with her paperback true crime volumes (mainly because she has not delved deep enough into the details of the crime and the people involved in these quickie paperbacks), I couldn't resist and picked this one up, and WOW....she did it again, the good stuff. The thorough deep detail stuff! I truly enjoyed this read and was fully satisfied. Ann Rule, when are you going to give us another full crime story other than your paperback volumes? I am hungry for a full, long story. With all the crime around the states now, I find myself thinking, Oh, maybe Ann Rule will pick up on this one, and do a story......Anyway, don't miss this one, or any of Ann Rule's books....she is the best.

Another strong book by Ann Rule. The main story, "End of the Dream," is fascinating and yet heartbreaking. A smart, talented, deeply loved man seems to assume that life owes him prosperity without effort. He manipulates those who love him to commit atrocious deeds to keep him in the lifestyle he thinks he deserves. The four stories that follow the main one are less gripping, perhaps because they are much shorter and lack the details that makes the longer story so engrossing.

This is another great Ann Rule read. I was amazed at how easily things came to this man (Scott) and how easily he threw it all away. It seemed he had everything but it was never enough. To blow through all the money he had stolen so quickly while living in a tree house was wild. I found myself blaming both his friends who were stupid enough to go along with him and eventually ruin their lives and families and him for dragging his friends into his greedy warped life. The updates about these men on Ann Rule's website also tells that he and his friends "stalked" the agent in charge of his case. That really gave me the creeps.

Ann Rule has created the perfect true crime art form. She takes a local crime-one that most readers have never heard of-and creates a book that must be read in one sitting.(I couldn't put it down) She always brings to the forefront the details of the main characters and how they intertwine. She does her homework and adds facinating details. This is a story of how one man with brilliant potential can go bad and how he enticed others into abetting his lifetime of crime.

This is a wonderfully written book and you feel like you are actually stepping into these men's adventurous worlds. Yet it is a baffling mystery how such brilliant, talented men could go astray.
It also portrays the devoted lives of Mike Magan and Shawn Johnson in the police force and their heroic efforts and loyalty to the defend the public. It is haunting, amazing and full of surprises. It is meticulously researched. It is a tremendous book!

This story was about much more than bank robberies. The mastermind behind everything was such a complex individual and the way he was able to have such control over the people he came in contact with was amazing. He had such a way of being able to read people that he could 'brainwash' others into doing things they knew were wrong. The fact that this was a true story just adds to the 'unbelievable' feeling it envoked.

As usual, Ann picks a subject that is thoroughly engrossing..A man who could have had the world at his fingers yet he chose a life of crime..And friends who could not say no to him..i won't give the story away because you HAVE to read it..i read it in one day because i couldn't put it down...Like i always say the only bad thing about an Ann Rule book is that it comes to an end and then you have to wait for a new one...Great job Ann!!!!