Search - Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder

Decent character study of a narcissistic lunatic. A bit too long and it is dry as someone said earlier. Definitely worth reading for fans of the genre.

As always, the book far exceeds the movie. I was enthralled from the moment that I picked it up.

KIND OF DRY

A chilling story of the generations of harm done by incest. It drove a woman to murder her children in an ultimate plea for love and attention.

Unbelievable account of the sins of the mother taken out on her children. Chilling!

What an excelent book. Diane Downs is complete sociopath and pathelogical liar. Once again Ann Rule takes you right there.

Thorough, utterly readable (if not totally unbiased) account of the Elizabeth Diane Downs case in 1980s Oregon. Downs was convicted of killing one child and attempting to murder her other two children.

A riveting tale of a mother who murders her children by an outstanding true crime author. Heartbreaking, infuriating, fascinating.

very interesting book

Diane Downs...what a crazy, psychotic woman. This is a fabulously told tale about a woman who would do...and did do..just about anything to get what she wanted. Just amazing.

Excellent book! Ann Rule does it again. If you like true crime, you'll love this one.

Of all of Ann Rule's books, this is the best. The killer's alibi will floor you!

"Somebody just shot my kids!" Diane Downs brought her car to a halt in front of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital, her three gravely wounded children beside her. Thus begins the shocking tale of a truly unthinkable crime that shattered the tranquility of a tight-knit community. As police searched for the "shaggy-haired stranger" Diane accused of shooting 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 3-year-old Danny in cold blood, a suspicion grew that was even more horrifying than the crime itself: Did Diane shoot her own children?

Taken from the back cover:

“Somebody just shot my kids!” Diane Downs brought her car to a halt in front of a Springfield, Oregon, hospital, her three gravely wounded children beside her. Thus begins the shocking tale of a truly unthinkable crime that shattered the tranquility of a tight-knit community. As police searched for the “shaggy-haired stranger” Diane accused of shooting 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 3-year-old Danny in cold blood, a suspicion grew that was even more horrifying than the crime itself: Did Diane shoot her own children? A dedicated district attorney, haunted by this question, searched for the destructive forces that seemed to possess this beautiful young mother and uncovered a chronology of incest, psychological wounding, desperate affairs, and surrogate motherhood.

Ann Rule’s gripping, powerful, and ultimately terrifying true story of passion and murder will hold you in thrall as it plumbs the unimagined depths of darkness concealed within a human being.

This is a true story, very well written about a mother accused of shooting her children. As the police investigate, she insists that "a shaggy haired stranger" did it. I could not put this book down.