Who is Ann Rule from The Stranger Beside Me and what is their importance?

Ann Rule is a true crime novelist. Her friendship with Ted Bundy is the basis of this book. In 1971, Ann met Ted Bundy at a Seattle Crisis Clinic. She was a thirty-five-year-old, soon-to-be-divorced, mother of four children. Ann worked for the Seattle police department, where she documented the details of homicide cases. She felt the need to add a dimension to her life other than work and children, and her volunteer work at the clinic brings her in contact with Ted Bundy.

Ann befriended Ted, who she found to be intelligent, charming and sensitive. Her work with the police department demanded that she document the growing number of murders and attempted murders in the Pacific Northwest area in the early 1970's. After a while, Ann realized that the man likely responsible for the crimes was Ted Bundy, something that plagued Ann, but a problem she counldn't ignore. Caught between duty and loyalty to a friend, Ann revealed what she knew to the authorities. Ultimately, Ted was apprehended and Ann informed Ted of the book she was writing, earning Ted's support. Throughout their seventeen-year association, Ann was conflicted by the memory of the friend she knew and her responsibility to the law and to Ted's victims. She knew that she had to ferret out the truth and report it responsibility. To her credit, Ann remained in contact almost to the end of Ted's life, offering the support of a friend with the sadness that comes from tragedy both external and within.