Preview
  • Empty Promises

  • And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 7)
  • By: Ann Rule
  • Narrated by: Laural Merlington
  • Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (419 ratings)

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Empty Promises

By: Ann Rule
Narrated by: Laural Merlington
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Publisher's summary

In this unnerving collection drawn from her personal crime files, "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews) Ann Rule brilliantly dissects the convoluted love affairs that all too often end in violence.

Expertly analyzing a shocking, headline-making case, Rule unmasks the deadly motives inside a seemingly idyllic marriage: a beautiful young wife, a rising star in America's top-ranked computer corporation, and a prosperous husband, the scion of a family building business. With an adorable son and a gorgeous home, the couple seemed to have it all. But a furtive evil permeated their days and nights, dragging them into a murky world of drugs, sordid sex, and con operations. In this realm, one of them would prove to be a virtual innocent, the other a manipulator with no conscience. Sudden, violent death brought their charade of a fairy-tale romance to a tragic end - with a brutal crime that might never have come to light were it not for the stubborn detectives and prosecutors whose fight for justice spanned an entire decade.

Empty Promises recounts several other cases where the search for love brought only lies and betrayal - a cautionary primer, perhaps, for those who trust too much too soon. Powerful because they strike so close to home, the cases in Empty Promises will leave listeners shaken by the realities of love gone terribly - and fatally - wrong.

©2001 Ann Rule (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
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What listeners say about Empty Promises

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

I really enjoyed this audio, it has a lot of interesting facts about people I had never heard of. The author knows how to pull you in giving you a very entertaining read that leaves you with your mouth open and in shock at times. I don't know how people think they can get away with what they do and they always say everything went black, the gun went off when I fell. I love true crime, this is one of the best true crime authors around.

I thought the narrator did a good job with the character voices, you always know who is talking and what they are feeling. She really knows how to pull of the dry non caring characters. There are no background noise, no repeating of words, no volume change. She delivered a great listen

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not my favorite Ann Rule book…stories not as engrossing as usual.

It’s Ann Rule, so the writing is still good, but it seems she didn’t have as much fodder for her work, this time. The first book had the rich characters I have come to expect, but I found the story a bit predictable, and the villain rather uninteresting. Nauseating villains are par for the course, though. What was interesting was how he managed to triangulate his victims, using their psychology, which was far deeper than his. The stories toward the end of the book were not as full fleshed. I got the sense that Rule lacked personal information from primary sources. The second and third stories are good, but they are so similar that they almost ran into each other. I had to remember which jilted psycho this was, and which victim. The killer in the second story was comically stupid, which was portrayed humorously by Rule. The mispronounced words are incorrect stresses were annoying. Other than that, the narration was ok. I don’t think I’ll read it again, but it did pass the time. I always miss the photos in Rule’s books. I wish we could see them. They make it easier to keep the stories straight. The jailbreak story was a welcome departure from domestic violence. The book may have been easier to follow if the stories were in a different order, rather than several domestic violence stories in the beginning, then other themes.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Good Read

As always Ann Rule is at the top of my favorite authors. Unbelievable the characters are all real!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book

keeps your interests in following the true crime stories. ann rule great writer. good book

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ann Rule does it again

these true crime books amaze me about human nature.... my family having experienced a crime is what compels me to study the human mind

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14 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

entertaining but not her best

I was entertained but this was not one of Rule's best books. I found the stories to not be that interesting but interesting enough. I suppose because they are being told in shorter versions that makes it less interesting. I have found her full one story one book cases to be the best. one thing I will say at least a lot of time was not spent on giving biographies of he prosecutors in this book, I find that part uninteresting in every book she writes.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great stories

It is very sad that these occurrences happened but Ann depicted it well and respectfully.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

was read as a story

the reading off this book was done like it was not a true crime book. i was expecting more of a "reporter" type read. instead it was read as each character had their own voice. it was odd to say the least

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not the best Ann Rule but good

I thought the main story was great. The other stories were ok with a couple of good ones. I like the narrator most of the time but sometimes she sounds like a real ditz when she does some of the female voices. Kind of like a phone sex person. She does male voices better than most though.
I love all the details she goes in and makes it more like a novel. I just wish she was still alive to write more and current cases. She would have done a great job on some really good cases.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Anne Rule never disappoints. Great story telling. Great character development that the victims don't get lost in the crime or criminals.

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