Listen free for 30 days
-
The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 5
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $37.58
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Buy it with
-
Practice to Deceive
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Anne Twomey
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One wintery night on tiny, quiet Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington, Russ Douglas spent Christmas with his estranged wife, Brenna. He left Brenna Douglas's home in Langley on the morning of December 26, 2003 to run some errands. He didn't return - dead of gunshot to the head. The suspects included an aging beauty queen, her guitar-teacher lover, and Russell's widow, Brenna. With her trademark aplomb, Ann Rule unravels the fascinating story of a murder, a small town, and a number of potential killers.
-
-
Ann Rule Rules!!!!
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-20
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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. 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 listener won't predict the outcome of these truly baffling cases until the conclusions revealed in Ann Rule's marvelously insightful narrative.
-
-
brilliant
- By Product Princess on 2021-01-17
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Dead by Sunset
- Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer?
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loni Ann, Cynthia, Lauren, Cheryl, and Sara seemed to have it all - beauty, wealth, children, and a husband who they believed to be this perfect man - Brad Cunningham. He was handsome, charismatic, and mysterious. They adored him and tried to give him all he wanted. But he wanted everything: sex, money, and it seemed, their very lives. How long would it take before he finally got what he deserved?
-
-
A must listen
- By Carol Dumoulin on 2020-06-01
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Empty Promises
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 7)
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
And Never Let Her Go
- Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 27, 1996, 30-year-old Anne Marie Fahey, who was the scheduling secretary for the governor of Delaware, had dinner with a man she had been having a secret affair with for over two years. "Tommy" Capano, 47, was perhaps the most politically powerful man in Wilmington. Son of a wealthy contractor, former state prosecutor, partner in a prestigious law firm, advisor to governors and mayors, Tom had a soft-spoken, considerate manner, endearing him to many. But sometime after 9:15 that night when Anne Marie and Tom left a Philadelphia restaurant, something terrible happened to her.
-
-
And Never Let Her Go, Great Read
- By L. Ford on 2023-02-22
Written by: Ann Rule
-
The I-5 Killer
- Written by: Ann Rule, Andy Stack
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young man, Randall Woodfield had it all; he was a star athlete with good looks and an award-winning student. Working in the swinging West Coast bar scene, he had more than his share of women. But he wanted more than just sex. An appetite for unspeakable violent acts led him to cruise the I-5 highway through California to Washington, leaving a trail of victims along the way. As the list of the dead grew, the police mobilized to stop a twisted killer who had 44 known deaths to his name.
-
-
Great - Albeit Inconsistent- True Crime
- By Langer MD on 2021-07-04
Written by: Ann Rule, and others
-
Practice to Deceive
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Anne Twomey
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One wintery night on tiny, quiet Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington, Russ Douglas spent Christmas with his estranged wife, Brenna. He left Brenna Douglas's home in Langley on the morning of December 26, 2003 to run some errands. He didn't return - dead of gunshot to the head. The suspects included an aging beauty queen, her guitar-teacher lover, and Russell's widow, Brenna. With her trademark aplomb, Ann Rule unravels the fascinating story of a murder, a small town, and a number of potential killers.
-
-
Ann Rule Rules!!!!
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-20
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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. 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 listener won't predict the outcome of these truly baffling cases until the conclusions revealed in Ann Rule's marvelously insightful narrative.
-
-
brilliant
- By Product Princess on 2021-01-17
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Dead by Sunset
- Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer?
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loni Ann, Cynthia, Lauren, Cheryl, and Sara seemed to have it all - beauty, wealth, children, and a husband who they believed to be this perfect man - Brad Cunningham. He was handsome, charismatic, and mysterious. They adored him and tried to give him all he wanted. But he wanted everything: sex, money, and it seemed, their very lives. How long would it take before he finally got what he deserved?
-
-
A must listen
- By Carol Dumoulin on 2020-06-01
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Empty Promises
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 7)
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
And Never Let Her Go
- Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 27, 1996, 30-year-old Anne Marie Fahey, who was the scheduling secretary for the governor of Delaware, had dinner with a man she had been having a secret affair with for over two years. "Tommy" Capano, 47, was perhaps the most politically powerful man in Wilmington. Son of a wealthy contractor, former state prosecutor, partner in a prestigious law firm, advisor to governors and mayors, Tom had a soft-spoken, considerate manner, endearing him to many. But sometime after 9:15 that night when Anne Marie and Tom left a Philadelphia restaurant, something terrible happened to her.
-
-
And Never Let Her Go, Great Read
- By L. Ford on 2023-02-22
Written by: Ann Rule
-
The I-5 Killer
- Written by: Ann Rule, Andy Stack
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young man, Randall Woodfield had it all; he was a star athlete with good looks and an award-winning student. Working in the swinging West Coast bar scene, he had more than his share of women. But he wanted more than just sex. An appetite for unspeakable violent acts led him to cruise the I-5 highway through California to Washington, leaving a trail of victims along the way. As the list of the dead grew, the police mobilized to stop a twisted killer who had 44 known deaths to his name.
-
-
Great - Albeit Inconsistent- True Crime
- By Langer MD on 2021-07-04
Written by: Ann Rule, and others
-
In the Name of Love
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 4)
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jerry Harris was a self-made California millionaire who, at age forty-four, had it all: booming businesses, yachts, a mansion, a beautiful wife, and a voice to rival Elvis. No one who knew this well-liked, generous man could make sense of his sudden disappearance one autumn night. On a final phone call to his brother from his Mercedes, Jerry breathed a muffled oath - then the line went dead. For Jerry's wife, Susan, it was just the beginning of an unwavering, eight-year search for the truth behind her husband's vanishing.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Worth More Dead and Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 10
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why would a man kill his lover's husband and then his wife, the woman who fought successfully to have him paroled from prison? Why would he risk arrest by kidnapping the child of another woman who adored him? Because they were... Worth More Dead....
Written by: Ann Rule
-
The Want Ad Killer
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his first grisly crime, Harvey Louis Carignan beat a death sentence and continued to manipulate, rape, and bludgeon women to death - using want ads to lure his young female victims. And time after time, justice was thwarted by a killer whose twisted legal genius was matched only by his sick savagery. Here, complete with the testimony of women who suffered his unspeakable sexual abuses and barely escaped with their lives and of the police who at last put him behind bars, is one of the most shattering and thought-provoking true-crime stories of our time.
-
-
Want Ad Killer complete satisfaction
- By Jennifer Paull on 2021-06-17
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Too Late to Say Goodbye
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jenn Corbin 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. Bart was distraught and Jenn seemed disenchanted. Then, just a few weeks before Christmas 2004, Jenn was found dead with a bullet in her head, an apparent suicide....
-
-
Another good one. I like the narrator.
- By Friendly Mum on 2022-09-29
Written by: Ann Rule
-
A Fever in the Heart: And Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 3
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Fever in the Heart dissects an explosive triangle that led to obsession and murder in a small town in the northwest of America. Ann Rule reveals the story of an alluring wife and the two men desperate for her love; a story with a bizarre and deadly twist that no one could have suspected. In this and several other riveting true-crime cases from her personal files, Ann Rule masterfully probes the delusions of the criminal mind, the fateful circumstances and the unrelenting investigative forces at work in the aftermath of murder.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
No Regrets: And Other True Cases
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 11)
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A ship's pilot legendary for guiding mammoth freighters through the narrows of Puget Sound, Rolf Neslund was a proud Norwegian, a ladies' man, and a beloved resident of Washington State's idyllic Lopez Island. Virtually indestructible even into his golden years, he made electrifying headlines more than once: after a ship he was helming crashed into the soaring West Seattle Bridge, causing millions in damages; and following his inexplicable disappearance at age 80. Was he a suicide, a man broken by one costly misstep? 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?
-
-
Another Good One
- By Raina Mermaid on 2020-03-04
Written by: Ann Rule
-
You Belong to Me
- And Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 2
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former Seattle policewoman, Ann Rule has extensive experience of violent crime and brings this knowledge to bear in this collection of fascinating case studies. You Belong to Me focuses on one of Florida's most shocking criminals - Tim Harris, the poster-perfect 'All-American' State Trooper who hid bizarre and fatal fantasies behind his badge of authority. Bearing the stamp of classic Ann Rule that makes her books so extraordinary, this and other cases from her personal files prove once again her undisputed status as the “Queen of True Crime".
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Don't Look Behind You: And Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 15
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ann Rule, who shared her own nerve-jangling account of unknowingly befriending sadistic sociopath Ted Bundy in The Stranger Beside Me, chronicles other fateful encounters with the hidden predators among us in this riveting collection, fifteenth in the best-selling series drawn from her personal files. First in line is a stunning case that spanned thirty years and took a determined detective to four states - ending, finally, in Alaska - where he unraveled not one but two murders.
-
-
Gruesome
- By Product Princess on 2021-01-23
Written by: Ann Rule
-
A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"A Rose for Her Grave" - the principal story of this collection - vividly recreates the cautionary tale of Randy Roth, a misogynistic sociopath from the Pacific Northwest whose rage was directed primarily at women and children. Addicted to his own greed, Roth exercised a powerful aura of control over his victims, using his ability to charm and boyish good looks to lower their defenses. By the time they saw the reality of the madness in his eyes, it was usually too late.
-
-
Love Anne Rule!
- By Anita on 2021-08-27
Written by: Ann Rule
-
In the Still of the Night
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From true crime legend Ann Rules comes this riveting story of a young woman whose life ended too soon - and a determined mother’s crusade to clear her daughter’s name. Barb Thompson never for one moment believed her daughter committed suicide.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Last Dance, Last Chance, and Other True Cases
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 8)
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ann Rule presents her 8th collection of crime stories drawn from her private files - and featuring the riveting case of a fraudulent doctor whose lifelong deceptions had deadly consequences. 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 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.
Written by: Ann Rule
-
Possession
- A Novel
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Brian Stivale
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Danny and Joanne Lindstrom's camping trip in the Cascade mountains goes terribly awry, beautiful young Joanne is left alone and stranded in the savage wilderness. Her last hope is to rely on another camper, a tall stranger who seems to know the forest and the dangers there all too well. Without him, she will surely die; with him, her future is as unpredictable as the lowering clouds that envelop the mountain. He asks only that she trust him.
Written by: Ann Rule
Publisher's Summary
An explosive account of lethal greed and twisted desire from the files of America's number-one true-crime writer, Ann Rule.
They were best friends, four talented and charismatic young men who lived charmed lives among the evergreens of Washington state: Kevin, the artist; Steve, the sculptor; Scott, the nature lover and unabashed ladies' man; and Mark, the musician and poet. With their stunning good looks, whip-sharp minds, athletic bodies - and no lack of women who adored them - none of them seemed slated for disaster.
But few knew the reality behind the leafy screen that surrounded Seven Cedars, Scott's woodland dream home - a tree house equipped with every luxury. From this idyllic enclave, some of these trusted friends would become the quarry for a vigilant Seattle police detective and an FBI special agent, who unmasked clues to disturbing secrets that spawned murder, suicide, million-dollar bank robberies, drug-dealing, and heartbreaking betrayal. When the end came in a violent standoff, the ringleader of the foursome - the fugitive dubbed "Hollywood" for his ingenious disguises and flawless getaways; the persuasive talker who turned his friends into accomplices - faced a final chapter no one could have predicted. In a blast of automatic gunfire, the highest and lowest motives of the human heart were, at last, revealed.
Along with four other true-crime tales, The End of the Dream is a masterful and compelling tour of the criminal mind from Ann Rule.
More from the same
What listeners say about The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Raina Mermaid
- 2020-04-11
one of the weirdest crime cases, totally hooked
this covers three cases, but the first case is the majority of the book. for once, it's not about murder, but a serial bank robber. he is so interesting and his background that led him to do it.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- S. Johnson
- 2014-06-24
BORING for Ann Rule
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
The other reviews were spot on!. this is one boring case that she chose to write about. Good boy with good looks and no brain making idiotic decisions about his life. End of story. No murder or mystery.
Has The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases turned you off from other books in this genre?
no
How could the performance have been better?
pick a more interesting case.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
waiting for more the entire time
Any additional comments?
Don't buy
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Laura
- 2013-06-15
The Ann Rule Imposter
Must be an imposter writing under Ann Rule's name. Surely, she wouldn't bore us with a so-called "book-length" first story and then further insult us with a couple short ones. Come on, Ann, and grab your good name for yourself. No doubt, this book should not be in your Library - unless it's a giveaway.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Veruka
- 2014-03-26
The End Of Ann
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Laural Merlington drives me crazy, she has ruined the listening experience of Ann Rule.
If you’ve listened to books by Ann Rule before, how does this one compare?
All of her new short story cheapies she is throwing together, ahhhhhhhh.
What three words best describe Laural Merlington’s voice?
Make me cringe
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Maybe the bank robber story but that is only because I watched the 20/20 episode on these guys years ago, sad story.
Any additional comments?
I am over Ann Rules hastily done garbage. If Merlington is narrating I am not buying.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nicole
- 2013-06-24
Not all murder
This was a little different for Ann Rule. This story was split into one large section and several small stories. The first story goes into great detail of studying the lives, history and past of a group of young men who eventually become notorious bank robbers. For many of us, the are still the most memorable no matter what side of the country you live on. She delves into how these boys turned me lived seemingly normal lives but failed to connect to the lives around them. She looks for the "why"
There are several short stories that are honestly not as impressive and run together. One is about a peeping Tom who rapes and murders. There is limited history given as to motivation. What is given feels rushed. There are a few other short stories but they all ran together and 12 hours after reading, I cannot remember them distinctly enough to write a summary.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Susie Q
- 2019-07-04
This Can't Be Ann Rule!
I was a huge fan of Ann Rule but this book is terrible.
I haven't even finished the first story. It just drags on and on.
Ann Rule was a wonderful writer though but everyone misses the mark at times.
Laural Merlington has grown on me as a narrator. I had to get used to her but she's good.
This was so boring that I'm not going to finish it and will be returning it.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dori
- 2016-05-08
Boring
Not the usual Ann Rule "stuff"
Won't be wasting money or credits on her stuff again . I don't usually write reviews but the narrator was monotoned so it was a good source to help me fall asleep😔
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Marnie N. Peters
- 2015-10-09
Very Entertaining!
If you could sum up The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases in three words, what would they be?
Eventually your bad behavior does catch up with you, no matter how below the radar one tries to be.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Yes. Ann Rule keep you hooked by keeping the cold hard facts front and center...
What about Laural Merlington’s performance did you like?
Easy to listen to.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The bank robberies and how they progressed getting bolder each time.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- J. Torres-Purifoy
- 2015-05-05
Boring, slow story!!!!
What would have made The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases better?
A different narrator, less background and more story! Super slow...
What do you think your next listen will be?
something NOT by this author
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Her voices are almost comical and make the story seem less serious
What character would you cut from The End of the Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up and Other True Cases?
Thev whole first story.
Any additional comments?
The story was too long with many needless details, made me fall asleep.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nickie
- 2013-12-16
Not my favorite anne rule
The first 18 chapters were all about the charecters growing up. I kept wondering she was ever going to talk about the actual crime! I was getting bored and frustrated. After that it got better, but still not her best in my opion.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rachel
- 2018-06-02
pretty good for the most part.
a little slower than some of her other books and the reader sounded robotic at times, but pretty good overall.
1 person found this helpful