Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder

Praise for Small Sacrifices “Vivid…extraordinary…A page-turner.”–The New York Times Book Review

“A harrowing pathological portrait, a nearly unthinkable triple-murder plot, a hold-your-breath police procedural and a tale of dedication and compassion all superbly combined to produce the most riveting true-crime account since In Cold Blood.”–Kirkus Reviews

“A detailed, probing inquiry….From start to finish, Rule’s account informatively unweaves the sad features of Downs’s life and gives a moving description of the human side of law enforcement.”–Boston Herald

“Excellent….One of the most detailed studies of a sociopath to dignify the true-crime circuit.”–The San Francisco Chronicle

“Superb…[a] riveting detective story…as good a page-turner as any fictional murder mystery.”–Indianapolis Star

Ann Rule is the author of more than two dozen “New York Times” bestsellers, all of them still in print. A former Seattle police officer, she knows the crime scene firsthand. She is a certified instructor for police training seminars and lectures frequently to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and forensic science organizations. For more than two decades, she has been a powerful advocate for victims of violent crime. She has testified before U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittees on serial murder and victims’ rights, and was a civilian adviser to the VI-CAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program).