New Releases by Ann Rule

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author who is “among the very small group of top-notch true crime writers” (Booklist) comes the eleventh installment of Ann Rule’s Crime Files, exploring heart-stopping true tales of those who commit murder with no conscience, no remorse, and no regrets. A ship’s pilot legendary for guiding giant freighters through the narrows of Puget Sound, Rolf Neslund was a proud Norwegian, a ladies’ man, and a beloved resident of Washington’s idyllic Lopez Island. Virtually indestructible even in his golden years, he made shocking headlines when he inexplicably disappeared at eighty. Had he committed suicide, or had he run off with a lifelong love? Or did a trail of gruesome evidence lead to the home Rolf shared with his wife, Ruth? On an island where everyone thought they knew their neighbors, the veneer of their marriage masked a convoluted case that took many years to solve. Along with six other equally riveting, detailed accounts of destruction and murder committed without conscience or regret, Ann Rule takes readers into frightening places they never could have imagined.

W mrożącej krew w żyłach opowieści true crime Ann Rule zgłębia tajemnicę, która wstrząsnęła spokojną społecznością Whidbey Island w stanie Waszyngton. Rozplątując sieć kłamstw i intryg, Rule przedstawia fascynujące spojrzenie na ludzkie pragnienie miłości, pieniędzy i zemsty. Ta skrupulatna relacja skupia się na przypadku Russela Douglasa, którego życie kończy się tragicznie w śnieżną noc Bożego Narodzenia. Pełne fascynujących postaci i wciągającej fabuły Ćwiczenia z kłamstwa zachęcają do badania najmroczniejszych zakamarków ludzkiej psychiki i podają w wątpliwość założenia dotyczące zaufania oraz natury zła.

Een ijzingwekkende true crime-klassieker over Ted Bundy, een van de meest angstaanjagende seriemoordenaars aller tijden In 1971 raakt Ann Rule tijdens haar werk bij een telefonische crisisdienst bevriend met een jonge, charismatische collega: Ted Bundy. Zij is niet de enige die onder de indruk is. Bundy is knap, charmant, studeert rechten en is betrokken bij de Republikeinse Partij. Kortom, een jongeman voor wie de toekomst alleen maar succes kan brengen, zo lijkt het. Drie jaar later verdwijnen in korte tijd acht jonge vrouwen en Ann Rule – die inmiddels misdaadjournalist is geworden – schrijft een boek over de moorden. Ze verdiept zich in de zaak maar heeft nog geen idee dat de ‘Ted’ die de politie zoekt, haar goede vriend is. Terwijl ze materiaal voor haar boek verzamelt en rechercheurs en andere professionals spreekt, komt ze stapje voor stapje tot het besef dat Ted Bundy niet is wie hij lijkt te zijn. In de pers ‘De meest tot de verbeelding sprekende seriemoordenaar in de moderne Amerikaanse geschiedenis. Ann Rule’s buitengewone verhaal is zowel huiveringwekkend als dramatisch, en zo angstaanjagend als een slaapkamerraam dat midden in de nacht wordt ingeslagen.’ The New York Times ‘Een verpletterend verhaal waar zorgvuldig onderzoek aan vooraf is gegaan. Rule schrijft met veel inlevingsvermogen, maar ook met professionele objectiviteit.’ The Seattle Times ‘Zo meeslepend dat ik vergat uit te stappen bij mijn treinstation.’ The New York Times Book Review

To his neighbours, Jerry Brudos was a gentle, quiet man whose mild manner sharply contrasted with his awesome physical strength. To his employers, Jerry was an expert electrician, the kind of skilled worker you just don''t find anymore. To his wife, Darcie, Jerry was a good husband and a loving father to their children, despite his increasing sexual demands on her and his violent insistence that she never venture into his garage workroom and the giant food freezer there. To the Oregon police, Jerry Brudos was the most hideously twisted killer they had ever unmasked.

"Saisissant... Extraordinaire... Se dévore d''une traite." New York Times " On a tué mes enfants ! " hurle Diane Downs en se précipitant aux urgences. Un homme brun aux cheveux longs l''a menacée d''une arme, a tiré sur elle, ses deux filles et son fils. Devant ce crime révoltant, la police se lance immédiatement à la poursuite du mystérieux suspect. Dans une Amérique transportée d''indignation, seul Fred Hugi, un procureur zélé, ose envisager un scénario improbable, de ceux qui soulèvent le cœur et suscitent l''incrédulité générale... La ravissante, l''adorable Diane Downs serait-elle une Médée des temps modernes, capable de reprendre la vie autant que de la donner ? Reste encore à le prouver.

The story of an Oregon woman convicted of shooting her three children, killing one, in 1983.

This New York Times bestseller—from “America’s best true-crime writer” (Kirkus Reviews) and the author of The Stranger Beside Me—is a shocking tale of greed, sex, scandal, and murder on an isolated and eerie island in the Pacific Northwest. The basis for the Lifetime movie event Circle of Deception. With more than 50 million copies of her books in print—from her chilling personal account of knowing Ted Bundy to sixteen collections in her #1 bestselling Crime Files series—Ann Rule is a legendary true crime writer. Here, in Practice to Deceive, Rule unravels a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State—presented with the clarity, authority, and emotional depth that Rule’s readers expect. Nestled in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Accessible only by ferry, it is known for its artistic communities and stunning natural beauty. Life there is low-key, and the island’s year-round residents tend to know one another’s business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas was discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV in a hidden driveway near Whidbey’s most exclusive mansion—a single bullet between his eyes—the whole island was shocked. At first, police suspected suicide, tragically common at the height of the holiday season. But when they found no gun in or near the SUV, Russel’s manner of death became homicide. Brenna Douglas, Russel’s estranged and soon-to-be-ex wife, allowed him to come home for a Christmas visit with their children. The couple owned the popular Just B’s salon. Brenna’s good friend Peggy Sue Thomas worked there, and Brenna complained often to her that Russel was physically and emotionally abusive. Peggy Sue’s own life has been one of extremes. Married three times, hers is a rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale in which she’s played many roles, from aircraft mechanic to “drop-dead gorgeous” beauty queen as a former Ms. Washington. But in 2003, her love affair with married guitarist Jim Huden led the two Whidbey Island natives to pursue their ultimate dreams of wealth and privilege—even at the expense of human life. Unravel the tangled web woven by Russel Douglas’s murder in Practice to Deceive, a heart pounding true-crime tour de force.

Fünf Frauen sahen in Brad den perfekten Mann - für eine wurde er der perfekte Killer Cheryl Keeton führt ein gutes Leben. Sie ist jung, intelligent und hat sich bereits einen Namen als Anwältin gemacht. Das Einzige, was ihr zu ihrem Glück fehlt, ist eine eigene Familie. Als sie Brad Cunningham kennenlernt, sieht sie in ihm den Mann ihrer Träume. Die beiden heiraten und bekommen gemeinsam drei Kinder. Doch die Ehe scheitert - und kurze Zeit später wird Cheryls Leiche in ihrem Wagen gefunden: grausam zu Tode geprügelt. Schnell wird ihr Mann Brad der Hauptverdächtige in dem Mordfall. Und im Verlauf der Ermittlungen kommen Abgründe zutage, die nicht mal eine kluge Frau wie Cheryl vorhersehen konnte ... True Crime bei beTHRILLED: Nichts ist so grausam wie die Realität!

Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime stories—drawn from her real-life personal files—in this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series. In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, “America’s best true-crime writer” (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including: - New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme - The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wife—and his wife from his mistress—until he coldly disposed of one of them - The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didn’t...with fatal consequences - For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattle’s women—when would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate? - A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robbery—now the convict is being served dinner in a civilian’s home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve - A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove were—until it was far too late... With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling “as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at night” (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volume.

Hiver 2003, sur l''île de Whidbey, Russ Douglas est en visite pour les fêtes chez son ex-femme Brenna. Malgré la procédure de divorce en cours, elle l''a invité à célébrer Noël en famille. Au matin du 26 décembre, Russ sort faire quelques courses, après avoir promis à ses enfants qu''il serait de retour rapidement. Mais les heures passent et il ne revient pas. Il sera découvert le lendemain après-midi, dans sa voiture garée près d''une cabane inoccupée, tué d''une balle en plein front. La thèse du suicide est rapidement écartée, aucune arme n''ayant été retrouvée sur les lieux. Pour la police, une longue enquête débute, pleine de rebondissements, de fausses pistes et d''anciennes tragédies, qui captivera toute l''île pendant presque dix ans. Avec une liste de suspects longue comme le bras comprenant entre autres une ex-reine de beauté et son amant professeur de guitare, un hippy toxicomane et la veuve du défunt, cette affaire ressemble à un roman d''Agatha Christie. Pourtant, c''est une histoire vraie.

C''est à Zebulon, au sud d''Atlanta, en Géorgie, que Pat et Tom se sont installés en 1973. C''est aussi là qu''ils se sont mariés. Au dos de la photo de mariage, où la frêle Pat pose au côté d''un Tom imposant, la jeune femme parle de son amour pour son maréchal-ferrant de mari : Nous sommes unis pour la vie et nous ne faisons plus qu''un... Telle Scarlett, elle rêve de plantations, de jardins de roses et de réceptions chics dans les résidences huppées d''Atlanta. Deux mois plus tard, tous ses espoirs sont réduits à néant : son bel époux si romantique est accusé d''avoir sauvagement assassiné ses propres parents. Avec Une petite fille trop gâtée, Ann Rule réussit un véritable tour de force : un tourbillon d''amour insatisfait, de passions et de désirs incontrôlables, une série de crimes brillamment orchestrés, et, au centre de cette spirale mortelle, une jeune femme habituée à ce qu''on lui passe tous ses caprices.

#1 New York Times bestselling author and queen of true crime Ann Rule’s sixteenth volume in her True Crime Files series, Deadly Neighbors delves into the unsolved case of a billionaire’s son mysteriously falling off a balcony to his death and more. In July 2011, billionaire Jonah Shacknai’s Coronado, California, mansion was the setting for two horrifying deaths only days apart—his young son’s plunge from a balcony and his girlfriend’s ghastly hanging. What really happened? Baffling questions remain unanswered, as these cases were closed far too soon for hundreds of people; Rule looks at them now through the eyes of a relentless crime reporter. The second probe began in Utah when Susan Powell vanished in a 2009 blizzard. Her controlling husband, Josh, proved capable of a blind rage that was heartbreakingly fatal to his innocent small sons almost three years later in a tragedy that shocked America as the details unfolded. If anyone had detected the depth of depravity within Josh Powell, perhaps the family that loved and trusted him would have been saved. In these and seven other riveting cases, Ann Rule exposes the twisted truth behind the façades of Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors. These doomed relationships are the focus of queen of true crime Ann Rule’s sixteenth all-new Crime Files collection. In these shattering inside views of both headlined and little-known homicides, Rule speaks for vulnerable victims who relied on the wrong people. She begins with two startling novella-length investigations.

''Don''t Look Behind You'' focuses on stories of people in danger, sometimes from strangers and sometimes from the people they know and love.

From true crime legend Ann Rule comes this riveting story of a young woman whose life ended too soon—and a determined mother’s eleven-year crusade to clear her daughter’s name. It was nine days before Christmas 1998, and thirty-two-year-old Ronda Reynolds was getting ready to travel from Seattle to Spokane to visit her mother and brother and grandmother before the holidays. Ronda’s second marriage was dissolving after less than a year, her career as a pioneering female Washington State Trooper had ended, but she was optimistic about starting over again. "I’m actually looking forward to getting on with my life," she told her mother earlier the night before. "I just need a few days with you guys." Barb Thompson, Ronda’s mother, who had met her daughter’s second husband only once before, was just happy that Ronda was coming home. At 6:20 that morning, Ron Reynolds called 911 and told the dispatcher his wife was dead. She had committed suicide, he said, although he hadn’t heard the gunshot and he didn’t know if she had a pulse. EMTs arrived, detectives arrived, the coroner’s deputy arrived, and a postmortem was conducted. Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson, who neither visited the death scene nor attended the autopsy, declared the manner of Ronda’s death as "undetermined." Over the next eleven years, Coroner Wilson would change that manner of death from "undetermined" to "suicide," back to "undetermined"—and then back to "suicide" again. But Barb Thompson never for one moment believed her daughter committed suicide. Neither did Detective Jerry Berry or ballistics expert Marty Hayes or attorney Royce Ferguson or dozens of Ronda’s friends. For eleven grueling years, through the ups and downs of the legal system and its endless delays, these people and others helped Barb Thompson fight to strike that painful word from her daughter’s death certificate. On November 9, 2009, a precedent-setting hearing was held to determine whether Coroner Wilson’s office had been derelict in its duty in investigating the death of Ronda Reynolds. Veteran true-crime writer Ann Rule was present at that hearing, hoping to unbraid the tangled strands of conflicting statements and mishandled evidence and present all sides of this haunting case and to determine, perhaps, what happened to Ronda Reynolds, in the chill still of that tragic December night.

In this chilling volume of New York Times bestselling author Ann Rule’s Crime Files, discover unforgettable cases of a spouse, lover, family member or helpful stranger who is totally trusted—until it’s too late. Whether driven to extreme violence by greed or jealousy, passion or rage, the calculating sociopaths in this true crime collection targeted those closest to them—unwitting victims whose last disbelieving words could well have been “but I trusted you....” Headlining this page-turning anthology is the case of middle-school counselor Chuck Leonard, found shot to death outside his Washington State home on an icy February morning. A complicated mix of family man and wild man, Chuck played hard and loved many...but who crossed the line by murdering him in cold blood? And why? The revelation is as stunning as the shattering crime itself, powerfully illuminating how those we think we know can ingeniously hide their destructive and homicidal designs. Along with other shocking cases, immaculately detailed and sharply analyzed by America’s #1 true crime writer, this fourteenth Crime Files volume is essential reading for getting inside the mind of the hidden killers among us.

The thirteenth entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from the “prolific and talented” (Publishers Weekly) Ann Rule focuses on crime victims who had no idea they were in life-threatening danger, often from the very people they trusted the most. In this collection’s featured case, a family man dedicated to naturopathic healing embarks on a passionate affair with a flight attendant, but his jealous rages frighten her. When she finally leaves after a brutal attack, she has no idea that her tormentor would reappear in her life—with deadly consequences. Other cases include: a woman who masterminds her husband’s murder just to gain his inheritance; the sadistic criminal whose prison release damages a presidential campaign and ends in a bitter double tragedy; the shocking DNA link between a horrifying crime and a cold case; and finally, the man who crisscrosses the world in deadly pursuit of a beautiful woman. Once again, the country’s best true crime writer brings her “absolutely riveting…psychologically perspective” (Booklist) insight to a chilling look how sometimes those we love the most can be the most dangerous.

A compilation of real-life crime stories focuses on cases about family members, spouses, lovers, friends, and others whose trustworthy faðcades hid murderous and violent secrets.

What happens when clues in a case are shrouded in smoke and mirrors, and when criminals skillfully evade law enforcement? An ideal family is targeted for death by an unlikely enemy, who plotted their demise from behind bars. A sexual predator hides behind multiple fake identities, eluding police for years while his past victims live in fear that he will hunt them down. A modest preacher''s wife confesses to shooting her husband after an argument--but there''s more to her story than meets the eye. These and other true cases are analyzed in Ann Rule''s latest collection.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and true crime icon Ann Rule, the cases in this collection grapple with murder, false identity, and much more. In some murder cases, the truth behind the most tragic of crimes crystallizes with relative ease. Not so with these fascinating accounts drawn from the personal files of Ann Rule, America’s #1 bestselling true crime writer. What happens when the case itself becomes an intractable puzzle, when clues are shrouded in smoke and mirrors, and when criminals skillfully evade law enforcement in a maddening cat-and-mouse chase? Even the most devoted true crime reader won’t predict the outcome of these truly confounding cases until the conclusions are revealed in Rule’s marvelously insightful narrative: - A “picture perfect” family is targeted for death by the least likely enemy, who plotted their demise from behind bars. - A sexual predator hides behind multiple fake identities, eluding police for years while his past victims live in fear that he will hunt them down. - A modest preacher’s wife confesses to shooting her husband after an argument—but there’s more to her shattering story than meets the eye. These and other true cases are analyzed with stunning clarity in a page-turning collection you won''t be able to put down.

From bestselling author Ann Rule comes the engrossing true story of two beautiful, loving women, and their murder by the man in their life—handsome, charming, rich, a man marked for unlimited success—but one who would never allow any woman to leave him, no matter what the provocation. Jenn Corbin, a lovely, slim, brown-eyed blonde, appeared to have it all: two dear little boys, a posh home in one of the upscale suburbs of Atlanta, expensive cars, a plush houseboat, and a husband—Dr. Bart Corbin, a successful dentist—who was tall, handsome, and brilliant. But gradually their seemingly idyllic life together began to crumble. There was talk of seeing a marriage counselor. Bart was distraught; Jenn seemed disenchanted. She needed to reach out to someone she could confide in—beyond her mother and her sisters. Then, just a few weeks before Christmas 2004, Jenn was found dead with a bullet in her head, a revolver beside her. From the position of the body her death appeared to be a suicide. But Gwinnett County detective Marcus Head was not totally convinced, nor was Jenn''s family, who could not believe she would take her own life. And how was this death related to another apparent suicide fourteen years earlier—that of Dorothy "Dolly" Hearn, a spectacularly beautiful dental student? A star athlete and homecoming queen in high school, Dolly later dated Bart Corbin in dental school. Was there a connection, or was the answer to be found in a secret—even dangerous—relationship Jenn Corbin was having outside her marriage? For Too Late to Say Goodbye, Ann Rule has interviewed virtually everyone in any way related to the story—the victims'' families, police investigators, prosecutors, and sources from Georgia to Australia—to uncover the truth behind the headlines of these two sensational deaths. What emerges is an incredible tale of jealous rage; of stunning circumstantial and physical evidence that runs from the steamy to the macabre to almost-unheard-of forensic techniques; and of a tragic irony—a fateful discovery that motivated the killing. The definitive unraveling of one of the strangest murder investigations of our time, Too Late to Say Goodbye is perhaps the finest achievement of a truly great writer''s career.

En novembre 2001, Gary Ridgway, le tueur en série le plus meurtrier des États-Unis, est enfin arrêté. L''assassin de la " Green River ", le fleuve vaseux dans lequel il plongeait ses victimes après les avoir violées et étranglées, échappait à la police depuis vingt ans. Voilà justement vingt ans qu''Ann Rule suit pas à pas les avancées de l''enquête, qu''elle réunit des indices sur Ridgway et son mode opératoire, qu''elle collecte des informations sur les quarante-huit victimes. Qu''avaient en commun ces jeunes filles au physique si différent ? Leur fragilité psychologique ? Leur existence marquée par des drames ? La réponse se trouve-t-elle au fond de cette rivière rouge sang ?

True cases from Ann Rule''s crime files volume 10.

In this riveting, unnerving collection drawn from her personal case files, the bestselling true crime author exposes the shattering violence and lethal obsession behind the most passionate love affairs, revealing the shocking details of crimes committed by both sexes. Original.

In the most extraordinary book Ann Rule has ever undertaken, America''s master of true crime has spent more than two decades researching the story of the Green River Killer, who murdered more than forty-nine young women. The quest to discover the most prolific serial killer in American history has been an intimate part of Ann Rule''s life, with some of the corpses found only a mile or so from where she lived and raised her own daughters. She did not know the killer, but he apparently knew her and attended many of her book signings. For twenty-one years, the killer carried out his self-described "career" as a killing machine, ridding the world of women he considered evil. His eerie ability to lure his victims to their deaths and hide their bodies made him far more dangerous than any infamous multiple murderer in the annals of crime. A few men -- including a law student, a truck painter, and a taxi driver -- eventually emerged as the prime suspects among an unprecedented forty thousand scrutinized by the Green River Task Force. Still, there was no physical evidence linking any of them to the murders until 2001, when investigators used a new DNA process on a saliva sample they had preserved since 1987, with stunning results. Ann Rule has followed the case since July 1982, when the first body -- that of teenager Wendy Lee Coffield -- was found in the Green River, snagged on pilings under a bridge. Rule has compiled voluminous files, working through an incredible 95,000 pages of official police records, transcripts, photographs, and maps, winnowing out the chaff and identifying what is truly important. Over the years, she gained unparalleled access to all the key players -- from King County Sheriff Dave Reichert to those close to the killer and his victims. When finally apprehended and convicted, the killer made a detailed confession -- of his twisted sexual obsessions -- that will shock even the most jaded reader. Green River, Running Red is a harrowing account of a modern monster, a killer who walked among us undetected. It is also the story of his quarry -- of who these young girls were, and who they might have become. A chilling look at the darkest side of human nature, this is the most important and most personal book of Ann Rule''s long career.

Dr Anthony Pignataro was a cosmetic surgeon and a famed medical researcher whose flashy red Lamborghini and flamboyant lifestyle in western New York state suggested a highly successful career. But appearances, as this shocking insider account of Pignataro''s tailspin from physician to prisoner proves, can be deceiving - and, for the doctor''s wife, very nearly deadly. No one was safe if they got in his way. With scalpel, drugs and arsenic, he betrayed every oath a physician makes - until his own schemes backfired. Now the motivations of the classic sociopath are plumbed with chilling accuracy by Ann Rule, along with other shocking true cases, where even slow, deliberate murder is not seen for what it truly is: pure evil.

In an update to one of the most astonishing crimes of the Case Files volumes, Ann Rule profiles the criminals that kill without conscience and shatters their crimes without pity. In eight stunning Case Files volumes, from A Rose for Her Grave to the #1 blockbuster Last Dance, Last Chance, Ann Rule reigns as "America''s best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews). Now, she updates the most astonishing cases from that acclaimed series—and presents shocking, all-new true-crime accounts—in one riveting anthology. In every explosive chapter of Without Pity, Ann Rule deepens her unrelenting exploration of the evil that lies behind the perfect facades of heartless killers...and the deadly compulsions of greed and power that shatter their outward trappings of material success. They are the admired, trusted neighbor; the affable family man; the sexy, charismatic lover; the high-achieving professional. Perhaps most frightening of all is that they are heroes in their own minds. But when someone gets in the way of their deluded dreams, they are capable of deadly acts of violence with no remorse. Analyzing the true nature of the sociopathic mind in chilling detail, Ann Rule traces the murderous crimes of seemingly ordinary men—killers who drew their unsuspecting victims into their twisted worlds with devastating consequences.

From #1 New York Times bestselling true-crime author Ann Rule comes “a convincing portrait of a meticulous criminal mind” (The Washington Post) in this chilling tale about a beautiful and charming widow with a dark side. An idyllic Hawaiian wedding held the promise of a wonderful future for handsome, athletic Chris Northon, an airline pilot, a confirmed bachelor-turned-devoted family man; and Liysa, an acclaimed surf photographer, loving mother, and aspiring Hollywood screenwriter. But few, including Chris, had seen Liysa''s other side—her controlling behavior and dark moods, her insatiable hunger for money and property. And no one anticipated the fatal outcome of a family camping trip in an Oregon forest. Liysa soon revealed herself as a victim of domestic abuse that culminated at the campsite, where she shot Chris in self-defense. But crime scene evidence led detectives to wonder if Liysa was a killer, not a victim. Her controversial trial stunned all who thought they knew her. A lifetime of sociopathic manipulations and lies had been expertly hidden behind her façade of perfection—as was her rage to destroy any obstacle to her ultimate happiness, even if it was the man she vowed to love forever.