Oh, the irony. I love it.
Ann Rule sues the Seattle Weekly over perceived errors in a story published about her. While I may ultimately have to side with her on this specific instance, it does not excuse what she did to my family.
In 2009, Ann Rule blindsided us with her inaccurate account of the deaths of my parents—Loren and Jody Edwards of Kirkland, Washington—and when I called her on it, she just made lame excuses. She never attempted to contact me, before the book came out or after I filed a formal complaint; she never offered an apology or made an effort to correct the errors (that I’m aware of). Instead, her publisher’s lawyer, while acknowledging that Ann Rule erred, dismissed the errors as “de minimis.”
In my book, Dare I Call It Murder?: A Memoir of Violent Loss (Wigeon Publishing, 2013), I tell the untold story of the deaths and the FBI murder investigation, and I correct the errors that Ann Rule, the newspapers and others made in their published accounts.
I have posted an excerpt from Chapter 32 of my book that addresses this specific issue.
For those of you who like to read true-crime books, I am not attacking the genre or the writers. I have been on both sides of this issue, as a survivor of violent loss and a journalist. I think there is a place for such works, if the accounts are written thoughtfully, tastefully and accurately, and if they achieve a greater purpose than simply to capitalize on the misfortune and tragedies of others.
Learn more about this case and my book at: www.DareICallItMurder.com.
