Dead by Sunset

by Ann Rule

Paperback, 1996

Status

Available

Publication

Pocket Books (1996), Edition: Illustrated, 544 pages

Description

The author of eight New York Times bestsellers, Ann Rule first won nationwide acclaim with The Stranger Beside Me, about serial killer Ted Bundy. Her Crime Files volumes, based on fascinating case histories, have assured her reputation as our premier chronicler of crime. Now the former Seattle policewoman brings us the horrific account of a charismatic man adored by beautiful and brilliant women who always gave him what he wanted...sex, money, their very lives.... When attorney Cheryl Keeton's brutally bludgeoned body was found in her van in the fast lane of an Oregon freeway, her husband, Brad Cunningham, was the likely suspect. But there was no solid evidence linking him to the crime. He married again, for the fifth time, and his stunning new wife, a physician named Sara, adopted his three sons. They all settled down to family life on a luxurious estate. But gradually, their marriage became a nightmare.... In this gripping account of Cheryl's murder, Ann Rule takes us from Brad's troubled boyhood to one of the most bizarre trials in legal history, uncovering multiple marriages, financial manipulations, infidelities, and monstrous acts of harassment and revenge along the way. Dead By Sunset is Ann Rule at her riveting best.… (more)

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Rating

½ (139 ratings; 3.7)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Dead By Sunset is another great true crime story by Ann Rule. It begins on a Oregon highway where a van with blood-spattered windows and an empty infant seat is stalled crosswise in the left-hand lane. The dead woman inside leads to ex-husband Brad Cunningham, a man who is rich handsome intelligent
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and charismatic. Rule then goes back to Brad's childhood, including his turbulent relationship with his parents before returning to the events that took place after Cheryl's death. Brad was married five times before the age of 40, but had serious control issues with everyone he met.

I actually listened to this as an audiobook, though I did read the original book and watched a Made for TV movie back in the 90's. It takes the Oregon police years to solve the crime but this book is written in a way that makes each part of the investigation interesting. That's a difficult thing to do when the reader knows who the murderer is from the beginning. No one wrote true crime books like Ann Rule and I am sad that there won't be any more new ones from one of the best in the business.
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LibraryThing member Nancy-Jean
Extremely heart-breaking true-crime read--as terrible as the story was--still riveting.
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
Charming Brad Cunningham likely killed his 4th wife Cheryl in 1986. They had three sons, and were in the midst of a divorce and custody battle. Brad was an abuser. He was eventually convicted via circumstantial evidence.

I listened to an abridged audio. I usually don’t like abridged (and I still
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wonder why they bother! Why not just narrate the entire book!?), but they did this one well. I usually notice when information is skipped or missed, but I didn’t notice this time while listening – it wasn’t obvious. I only suspected because it was much shorter than I expected.

That being said about the audio, it kept my attention pretty much the whole time. It was all circumstantial evidence that convicted Brad, but a whole LOT of it! Because it was written in 1995, just after Brad was originally convicted, I had to look up online if he’d been released since. I’m also curious how his sons are doing. At the time the book was written, it sounded like they were well-cared for, but I still wonder what kind of influence he had on them (hopefully, not much, in the end).
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Dead By Sunset is another great true crime story by Ann Rule. It begins on a Oregon highway where a van with blood-spattered windows and an empty infant seat is stalled crosswise in the left-hand lane. The dead woman inside leads to ex-husband Brad Cunningham, a man who is rich handsome intelligent
Show More
and charismatic. Rule then goes back to Brad's childhood, including his turbulent relationship with his parents before returning to the events that took place after Cheryl's death. Brad was married five times before the age of 40, but had serious control issues with everyone he met.

I actually listened to this as an audiobook, though I did read the original book and watched a Made for TV movie back in the 90's. It takes the Oregon police years to solve the crime but this book is written in a way that makes each part of the investigation interesting. That's a difficult thing to do when the reader knows who the murderer is from the beginning. No one wrote true crime books like Ann Rule and I am sad that there won't be any more new ones from one of the best in the business.
Show Less

Awards

Anthony Award (Nominee — True Crime — 1996)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1995

Physical description

544 p.; 6.75 inches

ISBN

0671001132 / 9780671001131
Page: 1.0366 seconds