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A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,647 ratings

"A Rose for Her Grave" - the principal story of this collection - vividly recreates the cautionary tale of Randy Roth, a misogynistic sociopath from the Pacific Northwest whose rage was directed primarily at women and children. Addicted to his own greed, Roth exercised a powerful aura of control over his victims, using his ability to charm and boyish good looks to lower their defenses. By the time they saw the reality of the madness in his eyes, it was usually too late. This, along with five other chilling cases, bears the stamp of classic Ann Rule - informed, comprehensive, and eerily evocative of man's inhumanity to man.

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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 39 minutes
Author Ann Rule
Narrator Laural Merlington
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 29, 2013
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00B7QRYBO
Best Sellers Rank #26,997 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#48 in Serial Killers True Crime
#168 in Serial Killers True Accounts

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,647 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's descriptive writing style that captivates their attention. Readers praise the story as interesting and insightful, with an accurate portrayal of the events. The writing style is detailed and readable without being dry. Many consider it a fascinating true crime story that explores the killer's motivation and intent. While some readers appreciate the fast pacing, others feel it drags on a bit.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

120 customers mention "Readability"120 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it compelling, accurate, and enjoyable. The writing style is well-done and keeps readers engrossed. Readers appreciate the author's skill and consider it one of her best works.

"Really great read! I could not believe the gall of Randy ...." Read more

"Great read.. sequenced & details maintained attention! Perfect to engage reader.. suspenseful.. Ann Rule honored his victims, their families, and..." Read more

"...The author writes the story of it all and the trial very well. I love this author." Read more

"Like all Ann rule books, this book is well written and will keep you engrossed, one of her best." Read more

80 customers mention "Story quality"76 positive4 negative

Customers find the book insightful, well-researched, and interesting. They appreciate that it helps them understand the twisted minds of those who commit crimes.

"...Liked this one, because it came with a fully developed main story with a few shorter stories added on. Great for the price: $0.99." Read more

"...Perfect to engage reader.. suspenseful.. Ann Rule honored his victims, their families, and ensured the villain was identified early!" Read more

"...Rule provides current cases with in depth background research...." Read more

"...<br/>Interesting, very well-researched and mostly well-written..." Read more

60 customers mention "Writing style"60 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style descriptive and engaging. They appreciate the detailed yet readable facts that allow them to understand the story well. The author carefully presents all the characters without boring readers with too many details. Overall, they find the book captivating and like how it tells a unique story.

"Love true crime and Ann Rule is my favorite. Lots of procedural details without losing the humanity...." Read more

"Great read.. sequenced & details maintained attention!..." Read more

"...She paid great respect to the victims. As always, her writing is amazing." Read more

"...<br/>Interesting, very well-researched and mostly well-written..." Read more

53 customers mention "True crime genre"53 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the true crime genre. They find the book engaging from start to finish. The author gets into the psyche of the killer and presents her characters as real people. They appreciate the character development and the exciting courtroom drama.

"Love true crime and Ann Rule is my favorite. Lots of procedural details without losing the humanity...." Read more

"...And this guy aroused his kids too. The author writes the story of it all and the trial very well. I love this author." Read more

"This true crime book kept my interest through out. It read like a good fictional story and I had to frequently remind myself that it was true...." Read more

"Another in the series of well-written true crime procedurals written by author Ann Rule. I enjoyed this book immensely. Thanks!" Read more

15 customers mention "Insight"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights into the victims and their families. They find the psychological insights fascinating, showing the emotions and motivations driving people to act. The author shows great respect for the victims, providing a detailed look into true crime with background information on the victim and perpetrator. Readers appreciate the excellent detective work and well-crafted writing that immerses them in the moment and their feelings.

"...She paid great respect to the victims. As always, her writing is amazing." Read more

"...Her approach includes the psychological aspects that make her books the kind you cannot put down...." Read more

"This book has everything, love, deceit, greed, hope and despair . A true psychopath Bluebeard with one goal but many schemes...." Read more

"...Shows the emotions and motivations driving people to act and do things that have fatal consequences." Read more

7 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced with one main story and a few quick stories, while others say it drags on a bit.

"Fast paced with appropriate level of detail. Left me wondering if there are any people worse than Randy out there" Read more

"...However, this book starts off slowly with little to build the narrative...." Read more

"this and other books were delivered in a very timely manner. The package was very much intact and all books were in very good condition. Thank you" Read more

"...it's an interesting story of an true psychopathic killer, but it dragged on a bit." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
    Really great read! I could not believe the gall of Randy . it always is so frightening to hear how this person survived so long getting away with the horrific things he did . The cruelty to the children and even his own son I wish some of these women had the guts to stand up to him even for the cruelty he showed to the kids in the house . what a horrible monster .
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2017
    Love true crime and Ann Rule is my favorite. Lots of procedural details without losing the humanity. Liked this one, because it came with a fully developed main story with a few shorter stories added on. Great for the price: $0.99.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
    Great read.. sequenced & details maintained attention! Perfect to engage reader.. suspenseful.. Ann Rule honored his victims, their families, and ensured the villain was identified early!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024
    This book blew my mind. To think someone could get away with so much for so long is incredible. Of course, I think we could never dream anyone could be this bad. And this guy aroused his kids too. The author writes the story of it all and the trial very well. I love this author.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015
    I had just finished with "The Innocent Man," googled around and discovered Ann Rule. As a victim of a violent crime not prosecuted by the DA due to political affiliations, I became interested in victim's rights, prosecutorial discretion and selective enforcement. Recently a friend in a similar line of work, photojournalism, was the victim of a similar violent assault. The crime was so heinous that this time the DA can not ignore it.

    I went to a courtroom to support my friend and had a deep fascination with the process, and the larger concept of "what is justice in our society?" Ann Rule is no Victor Hugo and this is no "Les Miserablés." But in a way: it's better. Rule provides current cases with in depth background research. You can understand what goes on behind the scenes, the difficult job faced by all involved: the victims families, the DAs, the detectives, and alike.

    She does this in a way which holds your interest as much as any fictional crime novel: but this stuff is true! Along the way she educates on the process and it's failures and successes. Her inside baseball approach gives you a behind the scenes look from a pro. I'd be remiss not mention that in the main story she does a good job of bringing you around again to have a shadow of a doubt. Is it a *reasonable* doubt? You're the jury, you decide. Makes you think. And that's what I wanted to get.

    Ann Rule goes into my bin of favorite authors. I finished this in a few days and indeed, found it difficult to put down. Thank you Ann.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2021
    I’m glad Ms. Rule told the story without glorifying the killer. She paid great respect to the victims. As always, her writing is amazing.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2014
    3.5 stars. <br/><br/>Interesting, very well-researched and mostly well-written (except for a few glaring errors such as "tow" instead of "toe"), but very much out of date. (Disclosure: I purchased a used copy that was printed in 1993. There may be newer, updated versions available, so do look for one if you'd like to read this book.)<br/><br/>Also, there are no photos of some of the murder victims. Perhaps Rule wasn't able get to them, or permission to use them; but it is a huge and frustrating omission. I agree with Ann Rule that it is the victims who are the most important in any case and that they deserve to be remembered. So why include boring photos of some guys sitting at desks (detectives who worked on the cases) but no photo of the victim? I'm not morbidly lusting after gory crime scene photos of dead bodies, I just would like to see a nice photo of how each victim looked in life. The detectives certainly earned the right to be credited for their dedication, hard work, skill, and intuition; but their physical appearances have nothing to do with the stories and such photos add nothing to the book.<br/><br/>It was especially fascinating to read about important information that the juries were not allowed to hear. They had to have realized that they weren't getting the full story. It must have been terribly frustrating to them as well as for the detectives who worked so hard to gather that information and put the cases together. It makes you question some aspects of the American justice system. Don't even get me started on the shockingly violent killer who was released from prison after serving just a few years of his term - and then went on to commit further identically-gruesome murders on new victims. Or the one who was sent out on an unsupervised work-release program just a few miles away from the home where his surviving victim was attacked and still resided, and whose testimony was instrumental in his conviction; with . . . I was going to say "predictable results," but in this case the result was unpredictably - even unthinkably - catastrophic. I'm glad Ms. Rule is writing books like this one. The American public needs to know about the cracks in our criminal justice system that allowed these things to happen.<br/><br/>Reading this book certainly made me much more thoughtful about taking precautions to protect my personal safety!<br/><br/>513 pages
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2025
    Randy Roth is a monster. I got sucked into this story immediately and didn’t stop thinking about Randy and his poor wives until I’d finished reading.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Nicolas L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ma decouverte de Ann Rule
    Reviewed in Canada on July 13, 2023
    Pas facile de trouver les perles dans 20 000 crime writers mais je suis content d'avoir sorti ce joyau de terre.
  • Sam Mosedale
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2021
    I honestly love every single book that Ann Rule has ever had published and A Rise for Her Grave was no exception. Got right into the storyline from the get-go! You really get a feel for the people involved in these crimes. I just couldn't wait to see what sentence was handed down to the murderer - Randy Roth. A 50 year stretch and could be out after serving between 30-35 years for the murder of 2 of his wives and all the Insurance Policy Scams that he managed to pull off, just doesn't seem enough to me. He left children without their Mother and families without their much loved relatives. Roth was liked a chamelion and was able to change his character so often it was just unbelievable! Hopefully this man will die in prison, he's not worthy enough to live in this world! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and recommend any books by Ann Rule - she is an absolute legend to True Crime Fans!!!!
  • Kirstie Jayne Barlow
    4.0 out of 5 stars My First Ann Rule book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2022
    I have only just discovered Ann rule and as a fan of true crime this was top notch. There was so much information in the book but all the while it was still interesting to read and didn't get boring. Also I'd never heard of Randy Roth before so it's refreshing to read of a case I didn't know the outcome of.
  • biddynet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on September 7, 2014
    I think Ann Rules' stories are so well written and thoroughly gripping. Thank you. biddynet
  • glen Thomson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
    Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2022
    I enjoy reading true crime stories