A review by rachelemm
The Enigma of Ted Bundy: The Questions and Controversies Surrounding America's Most Infamous Serial Killer by Kevin M. Sullivan
3.0
There is no doubt that Kevin Sullivan knows his stuff when it comes to the life and crimes of Ted Bundy. This is the 6th book he has written on Bundy and includes information not readily available in the public sphere.
The first half of the book was the most difficult for me to get through. There were transcripts and scraps of information I struggled to see the relevance of and, for me, it didn't hang together as a cohesive and linear narrative. Later on in the book however, when Sullivan provides a summary of Bundy's more open-ended murders and when we read a transcript of some of the last recorded interviews with Bundy, I found it much easier to follow along and to gain the insights I was hoping to get from this book.
Thankfully I came to the book as someone not completely unfamiliar with the Bundy case. A few years ago, I read Ann Rule's famous book 'The Stranger Beside Me' which gave me an understanding of the type of person Bundy was and the women who so sadly met their demise at his hands. Without that context, as well as the clips I have watched online of Bundy himself speaking, I would have been completely lost reading this latest book from Sullivan.
There is a section at the end of the book I wanted to mention as well. It is a kind of epilogue written by a friend of Sullivan's who lives in Europe and whose insights were intended to provide a window into what those outside the States think of Ted Bundy and the infamy surrounding him. While I thought this section was well written and raised some interesting ideas, I'm not entirely sure it needed to be included or that the book was any better for having it. I am a UK citizen however, so this could have been because I already have some understanding of the topic even if only from a British perspective.
I would highly recommend that anyone interested in reading The Enigma of Ted Bundy first seek out Sullivan's earlier books on the topic to give you the foundation you will need to find your bearings in the scrapbook of information presented here. This book is for the Bundy completionist, specifically fans of Sullivan's earlier books, who want to complete their collection and glean all the information available about one of America's most infamous and prolific serial killers.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The first half of the book was the most difficult for me to get through. There were transcripts and scraps of information I struggled to see the relevance of and, for me, it didn't hang together as a cohesive and linear narrative. Later on in the book however, when Sullivan provides a summary of Bundy's more open-ended murders and when we read a transcript of some of the last recorded interviews with Bundy, I found it much easier to follow along and to gain the insights I was hoping to get from this book.
Thankfully I came to the book as someone not completely unfamiliar with the Bundy case. A few years ago, I read Ann Rule's famous book 'The Stranger Beside Me' which gave me an understanding of the type of person Bundy was and the women who so sadly met their demise at his hands. Without that context, as well as the clips I have watched online of Bundy himself speaking, I would have been completely lost reading this latest book from Sullivan.
There is a section at the end of the book I wanted to mention as well. It is a kind of epilogue written by a friend of Sullivan's who lives in Europe and whose insights were intended to provide a window into what those outside the States think of Ted Bundy and the infamy surrounding him. While I thought this section was well written and raised some interesting ideas, I'm not entirely sure it needed to be included or that the book was any better for having it. I am a UK citizen however, so this could have been because I already have some understanding of the topic even if only from a British perspective.
I would highly recommend that anyone interested in reading The Enigma of Ted Bundy first seek out Sullivan's earlier books on the topic to give you the foundation you will need to find your bearings in the scrapbook of information presented here. This book is for the Bundy completionist, specifically fans of Sullivan's earlier books, who want to complete their collection and glean all the information available about one of America's most infamous and prolific serial killers.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.