In the Still of the Night

By: Ann Rule

Narrated by: Barbara Caruso

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

From true crime legend Ann Rules comes this riveting story of a young woman whose life ended too soon - and a determined mother’s 11-year crusade to clear her daughter’s name.

It was nine days before Christmas 1998, and 32-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.

©2011 Anne Rule (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Can I receive a half credit refund? I paid for a whole story and only got half, struggling through the 29 parts of this book only to arrive at the last part to listen to "Maybe this person murdered the victim, bur maybe it was that person." What's with that?

I have read or listened to several of Ann Rule's books. I thought that Green River, Running Red was very well written. Ms. Rule cleverly switched back and forth between a narration of the victim's histories and a detailed biography of the killer. This device kept the reader engaged, telling bits and pieces of the killer's twisted background, while telling the sad stories of the many, many victims.

This book plodded on, turgidly recounting over and over the greed and coldness of the victim's husband and presumed killer. Only toward the end did the focus shift, and I will not go there and spoil it for other potential readers. I read on, eagerly waiting to learn the killer's identity, judgment and punishment. But this was not to be. The book ended with speculation, plus a dark hint that Ms. Rule was in possession of information that she could not yet reveal.

Other authors have had the integrity to abandon a project that could not be resolved. Ms. Rule should not have written this book, and I should get a half credit refund. :)

Never a dissapointment!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you like true crime novels, Ann Rule is the best. She developes the characters to the extent that you can see and sense them. They become your neighbors and friends. You walk with them through their difficulties and root for their success.

What other book might you compare In the Still of the Night to and why?

Truman Copote's "In Cold Blood"

Which character – as performed by Barbara Caruso – was your favorite?

Barbara. The Mother who wanted justice for her daughter and found the people and resources to see it through.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me angry. We watch weekly as crimes are solved through technology on our televison and wonder why in this narrative, the police were so incompetent.

Any additional comments?

Could not stop listening. Ann Rule draws you into the lives of these people and you just want to finish the book to see what happened.

Disappointed

I chose this book because I have always liked Ann Rule's books but I was really disappointed with this one. It seems unfocused with the story having a seemingly linear flow - very flat and I am sorry to say, told in a boring way. I fall asleep, awake and feel Iike I have missed nothing relevant to the story. The story is also filled with a lot of unnecessary details. I am trying continue listening out of respect to the victims.

Good book, poor narrator choice

Maybe it's just me, but the mismatch of voice and oral interpretation with the content was frequently distracting, to the point that several times I wanted to turn it off. (And I would have, if not for the subject and needing to know how the case played out.) Listening was not enjoyable, as I had to consciously focus on what was being said and try to ignore how it was being said. As for the book itself--not Rule's best but not her worst, either, and well worth reading. Ronda Reynolds' story needed to be told and I'm glad Rule told it. She deserves justice and her mom is truly a compelling and inspirational subject.

Not as bad as people are saying...

I thought it was a really interesting look into the details of a crime, the people involved, and the ensuing investigation (or lack thereof). The ending was quite a bit more sloppy than the rest of the story though.

unfinished stories are not satisfying

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no as i was not happy the ending was incomplete.

Has In the Still of the Night turned you off from other books in this genre?

no not at all. i like true crime. this is one of the few books that i did not care for.

Which scene was your favorite?

it is not the kind of book that you have a favorite scene. if there was a trial and someone was found guilty or not guilty i would say that would be my favorite scene.

Could you see In the Still of the Night being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no.

Any additional comments?

there are plenty of sloved crimes out there. i would like to hear about those crimes. i would like a book about sarah johnson or maybe sharee miller.

Heartbreaking...

Ann Rule is still a great author, but there was quite a bit of redundancy in this book. Barbara Caruso is awesome! We would listen to her read anything!

Still of the Night-ok

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Worth my time as it killed time while on a long drive.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Eh.

What three words best describe Barbara Caruso’s voice?

Average, average, average.

Was In the Still of the Night worth the listening time?

To kill time.

Any additional comments?

This was not nearly as good as other Ann Rule books.

2 days !!

I completed this audio book in just two day!! It sucked me in from the start ! I can’t believe I found an Ann Rule book I had not read / heard!
This is a tragic story! Seeking justice!

Dreadfully boring, pass this one by...

I do like Anne Rule books in general, but I really don’t have anything at all positive to say about this one. Nothing ever happens on the book, not even at the end. It’s a real dud absolutely terrible.