Ted Bundy: The Only Living Witness

This has to be the most in-depth and intensively researched books written about the notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Michaud and Aynesworth were granted access to Bundy whilst he was incarcerated, and between them they carried out hundreds of hours of interviews, painstakingly transcribed to build up a picture of Bundy's early life right through to his eventual execution via the electric chair. A fascinating insight into one of the most infamous killers who has inspired many books, films and documentaries. Whilst Bundy did not directly confess to the authors, he spoke in the third person and was willing to 'speculate' as to why and how someone would commit the atrocities he did. The book covers his early life and adolesence, as the first signs of a disordered mind began to reveal themselves. It gave a detailed account of his crimes, his escape from prison and the courtroom and how he was able to evade the authorities for so long. We see the escalation in his frenzied attacks and his ultimate unravelling as he awaited his fate on Death Row. This book was so well-executed (no pun intended), never sensationalist and deeply fascinating. Whilst clearly not the easiest book to read, it was however one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone interested in true crime and psychology.

Intriguing and insightful.

This book is an intriguing insight to one of our most famous killers. What makes this book one of the best written on Bundy is because the Author actually interviewed Ted Bundy. The author has done his research and I love that in a true crime book.
I think fans of true crime will love this book because it is insightful and well written. Although every serial killer had multiple books written on them not many are able to pull together a book with this many facts.
The victims statements, interviewing Ted Bundy before he died. I couldn’t put this book down.
Thank you to Netgalley/ Stephen G. Michaud, Hugh Ayneworth/ Mirror books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Ted Bundy: The Only Living Witness by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth is probably the definitive book about serial killer Ted Bundy, having been instigated by him and mostly the result of hours of interviews with him. The pair don't blindly write all Bundy told them,they surgically probed to find the truth and a possible reason for his atrocities, Michaud doing the "Mr Nice Guy" bit to stroke Bundy's ego and attempt to get the full story then Aynesworth afterwards going for the direct approach and confronting the killer with his behaviour head on.
The book reads almost like a work of fiction with Bundy snatching his victims almost in plain site using various ploys ,the police fumbling that almost had him getting away with it and 2 quite amazing escapes from custody. The descriptions of Bundy's crimes are quite explicit and the sheer depravity of this quite horrendous human being,if he deserves that description,is quite stomach churning. The authors balance bundy's warped mindset with details of his victims lives to show that the young women who to Bundy were expendable were much;loved people, someone's daughters,someone's friends, people with their whole lives ahead of them and not just names on a list of victims.
I've read about Bundy before but never in this detail,some of it is quite mind-blowing,not least the comment from the woman who married him while he was already on trial for a barbaric murder spree because she saw him as a role model for her son.
This is an engrossing and informative read, as an aside it's one of several great True Crime books I've read by Mirror Books.
Big thanks to Stephen G Michaud, Hugh Aynesworth ,Mirror Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I've read and watched many informative pieces on the infamous Ted Bundy. It has always intrigued me that Bundy was held in such high regard from those around him who had no idea of the secrets he was hiding.

Stephen & Hugh do a fantastic job of bringing something new and fresh to the table for this well known and over told story, and it is clear that a lot of thought and passion went into pulling this information together and laying it out for their readers.

I appreciated the interviews with Bundy and statements from those that were involved in the case and found the book to be incredibly well written and informative.

A very solid and enjoyable read for fans of the genre.

Review for Ted Bundy The Only Living Witness by Stephen G Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth.
Available to read and review on Netgalley.

An intriguing book about the life and murders of Ted Bundy. What makes this book the more interesting is that the authors actually interviewed Bundy and there are also statements from survivors, witnesses and the police. It goes into details of the crime and alot of research has gone into it. I found it very well written and intriguing and would recommend to fans of crime and true crime.

Anyone else read this book?

This has been one of the most in-depth true crime novels I have ever read. Michaud and Aynesworth spent hours upon hours working with Bundy, recording all their conversations, painstakingly listening to his lies, crazed rambles and theories. What resulted was this novel, giving us a fantastic insight to Bundy's mind, or as close as an insight as anyone would manage. 

Exploring areas of his childhood, following the path of his crimes and multiple escapes from law enforcement, the story then stays with Bundy throughout his time in jail, on trial, right up to the day of his execution. It shows the many layers to his personality, the many masks he wore. So many publications report on Bundys wit, charm and good looks as being the main focus of his lengthy evasion of the law, but this novel does not. Instead it focuses on the psychology behind the man, trying to unravel what makes him tick. From previous reading, I was already very familiar with the story of Bundy and his crime spree, but even so I discovered a lot of new information in this book, and saw some previously known aspects looked at in a new light.

Bundy committed some truly atrocious crimes and was a very messed up, twisted man.  The authors of this novel have gone to great lengths to try and unravel as much of that as they can, managing to show that Bundy wasn't always the suave showman he was made out to be. The further through his trial and imprisonment he got, the more he spiralled out of control. He stammered when he spoke, struggled to get his words out, struggled to keep his composure. 

This made for a very interesting read, and again it brought some new information to light for me. There is so much to explore with someone like Ted Bundy, and I think the authors of this have done the best job of any publications I've read so far.

This is an interesting true crime book, that fans of the genre will enjoy (if enjoy is the right word here...) reading.

I now know more about Ted Bundy than I ever thought I needed to know! This book doesn't skimp on the details of his murders (although it wasn't the most gory of true crime books that I've read, which is a bit of a relief) and the details of his trials. The book begins with the victims, their names, their stories. This is important; in my opinion they are more important to remember than Bundy himself. Then we get into Bundy's story as he commits his crimes, and then the long, drawn out process of his trials and appeals.

I went into reading this with very little knowledge. I know Bundy's name, and that he was a serial killer, but that was pretty much it. The writers of this book interviewed him, so some of it is actually in his own words. It's interesting, to see how his mind worked, how he perceived the world. Ultimately though, my take away from this is that there's nothing 'special' or even particularly 'twisted' about serial killers. They're just angry, selfish men (for the most part) who like to control women and want to get their own way.

I prefer reading about crime for the puzzles. How the detectives figure out the case, put the clues together, track down the culprit. I found the first half of the book very interesting in that respect. The second half, which is about Bundy manipulating police and lawyers, and trying to control the outcomes of his trials, was less interesting to me, but it would probably be fascinating to people with an interest in that side of true crime.

Oh I loved this!! Bundy, like many other serial killers before and after him fascinates me! What makes someone commit such atrocities is beyond me, so by reading or watching tv programmes about Bundy who appeared to live a normal life running parallel to his heinous monstrous side, I try to understand!
Well written, it covers most of what we know - but with some new information from interviews and it continues right up until his death.
Excellent!

Ted Bundy is a name that's synonymous with American serial killers; a true psychopath. A name that conjures up images of depravity, heinous slaughter of women, and a 20th-century monster. The epitome of the 'serial killer' term. A name that's spawned as many films as books, Bundy's narcissism, escape techniques, matinee star good looks and debonair charm courted controversy in the courts, and on television, giving him an almost stardom status. This book debunks the myth and delves into the psychopathology of Bundy's psyche, a treat for any fan of true crime.

Stephen G.Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth give a first-hand account of one-to-one interviews with Bundy taken within his cell with a tape-recorded, as he gives a 3rd hand account of his crimes and his time on the run. The more in-depth the interviews become, the more you realise the sheer scale of just how psychotic, narcissistic and psychopathic Bundy was.

The prose is well-written, police procedural understandable, and well-paced as the USA police cross counties in search of Bundy's almost hobo like tendencies. The book ends with Bundy finally reaching the electric chair. The only shocking thing is how he got away with it for so long.

I chose this book because I had heard about Ted Bundy, a prolific serial killer in America, but knew little about him. I hoped this would include some first-hand accounts of what and why he did the crimes.

The authors were given access to talk to him, so much of the text is indeed in his own words. However, he was a clearly damaged individual with no concept of guilt or taking responsibility for his actions.

The book follows a rough chronology, and paints an accurate picture based on testimony from witnesses - the few lucky girls who escaped being captured, usually because they became suspicious and followed their instinct to run - as well as his family and Bundy himself. The result is heartbreaking and spine chilling. One feels many became victims because they were too polite to walk away from this charming man.

Bundy was finally captured and tried for a fraction of the 30 murders he eventually admitted to. I was extremely angry to learn the authors conspired to allow him to marry the deluded woman who believed he was innocent and wanted him as a role model for her son! How the family who's daughter had been murdered felt to see the trial hijacked to allow this travesty of a marriage to take place by subterfuge in the court, I cannot imagine. And then the prison authorities allowed the prisoners access to their visitors so she ends up pregnant! Unbelievable!

The book is generally well written, although occasionally there is some poor sentence structure (almost as if transcribed notes have been poorly copied) which jolts the reader. The authors make much of their role in drawing Bundy out, but at the end one feels Bundy played everyone, he only told what he wanted to and manipulated everyone around him all his life.

A very interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A truly insightful book into the mind and actions of Ted Bundy. It is written by two authors who actually interviewed Ted whilst he was on death row and some of the book is from what was said in those interviews.

It is a really interesting book about the life of Ted Bundy; in and out of prison. The way the authors had to work with Bundy to get him to talk and turned it into a game is sickening, but they explain that in a way Bundy is still very childlike in his actions.

There is a lot of information about the murders in the book but there are also some enlightening passages that have been researched and is very well written. I have learnt a lot more about Ted Bundy reading this book. It is a must read for any true crime fans but also a good place to start for Ted Bundy novices.

Thank you to Netgalley/ Stephen G. Michaud, Hugh Ayneworth/ Mirror books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Ted Bundy is arguably one of the most infamous serial killers in America. There have been numerous books written about him and his killings as well as documentaries and films. “Ted Bundy: The Only Living Witness” was written with close cooperation with Bundy and includes details of several interviews between the Authors and Bundy following his convictions.

Regular readers of my blog will know I have a love of true crime and, for me, it’s always important to keep the victims at the heart of the story and not to glorify the crimes that the book is about. Michaud and Aynesworth have steered clear of out and out glorifying Bundy but I do feel that there are hints within the book that they maybe became a little too close to Bundy.

A lot of time is giving to Bundy’s hypothetical stories about what the mysterious killer might have been thinking and doing at various points, which was clearly part of Bundy’s compartmenting process in order to protect himself from the reality of what he had done. I understand they must have kind of been in a difficult position as they were hired by Bundy to tell his story and in order to keep the access they obviously needed to keep him on side but at one point Michaud describes how he helped Bundy with the arrangements for his impromptu wedding to Carole Boone during the sentencing stage of his trial for the murder of Kimberly Leach. This “wedding” made a mockery of the court process and I don’t think they should have been proud of being involved in it. The authors also tried to posit possible psychiatric diagnoses to explain Bundy’s behaviour and normally the underlying causes are of interest to me but in this case all of these can only ever really be guesswork as he was adamant he was sane and wouldn’t cooperate fully with psychiatric evaluations.

There is also a lot of leeway given for Bundy to talk his way out of responsibility. Although Bundy always maintained that he was completely sane he does refer to an entity within him that made him carry out these crimes.

Taking all that aside, the content and writing style did keep me gripped, even though I knew most of the information already, it was just the tone that sometimes made me feel a little uncomfortable. There were also a couple of oblique references to Ann Rule, Author of “The Stranger Beside Me”, which struck me as a little odd. There was no great need to refer to her so they could easily have not bothered if they didn’t want to mention her for whatever reason.

It’s certainly not my favourite book about Bundy; I didn’t feel I really learnt a great deal about the case or the victims and the tone wasn’t right for me. If you don’t know anything about the Bundy case and are looking for a starting point it would certainly give you that but there are other books out there that would do it better.

This was an intriguing and interesting read. It is hard to read in places as Bundy’s crimes are talked about. There is a lot of information packed into this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

“Ted Bundy’s wearying saga of waste, failure, and death had one villain and no heroes.”

Many consider Ted Bundy as a “quintessential” serial killer in all his pathological, skin crawling, predatory infamy. I think this book gives as thorough a picture as any could of the man behind the shameful crimes, and it does so by linking evidence, information from people who knew Bundy, and material given by Bundy himself in taped interviews with the journalists, Hugh Aynesworth and Stephen G. Michaud. Interestingly, the authors used a version of good cop, bad cop through the conversations they had while Bundy was on death row in Florida in the 80s.

This is not the first time Michaud and Aynesworth have written books on Ted Bundy and I was unsure whether there was anything new in this version. I read one review that felt this was a rehash of their old book, though I can’t confirm that. If it is, the authors and publisher should be clear about that. Having said that, I haven’t read the other books but I can say I found this one detailed, worthwhile and well-written (hardly a given with true crime books). I learned a lot of things about Bundy’s life, death, and about the lives he destroyed through this book.

The book makes for harsh and frightening reading at many points. If I were Michaud or Aynesworth I’d probably need to make money from the books to pay for therapy because I think it’s one thing to sit safely at home reading, but another thing entirely to hear it straight from the killer. I know it’s the job of a journalist but I felt sorry for what the authors went through. I think it was Aynesworth who described feeling sickened by Bundy’s diatribes but having to cover it up in order not to deter him from continuing. He later vomited and drank in his room until he fell asleep. It would unnerve and chill the soul.

Bundy’s ideas was given obliquely with him telling the interviewers what he thought a third person might do, or might have done. He flatly refused to incriminate himself until the last week before his execution when he finally made some flat statements of guilt. You have to remind yourself he’s a manipulative liar. Still, there seems to me to be a lot to learn from the exchange of information between Bundy, Michaud and Aynesworth.

There were moments that didn’t sit well with me regarding the writers. First, the title refers to Carol DaRonch who escaped Bundy’s car in Utah in 1975 but having that in the title suggests that the book is focused more on DaRonch and it's not the case. Next, the authors paid for the gold wedding rings that Bundy and Carol Boone used to get hitched while he was in prison. I get that if you’re working with a serial killer, there will be grey areas, but they knew he was guilty, so…grr. Another time I cringed when the authors wrote “In the deluge of tips and hysterical outpourings from frightened women…” Really? Hysterical is such a loaded word. Finally, moving on from the writing and on to the legal system itself: Bundy was able to examine his own victims in court because he was representing himself. It just seems OUTRAGEOUS. No wonder they call the law an ass.

I don’t believe Bundy was the ultimate intelligent killer based on the detail given in this book. Under the surface, I think he was a sad man addicted to violence against women leading him to take brazen chances which, when they paid off for him, helped secure his mythology. It was a fascinating book though, and I’m glad to have a more realistic picture of Ted Bundy.

Thanks to publisher, Mirror Books, the authors, and NetGalley for my copy of the book in return for honest review.

For more of my thoughts on Ted Bundy, see the full review posted on The Long Hot Spell blog.

I've read so many books about Ted Bundy but I think this is the best by far, it's a truly in-depth analysis at his crimes it's very well researched greatly written it gives the reader everything they want and need to know about Ted Bundys world. The thing about Crime and ted Bundy you never get tired of reading about him and his shocking crimes, I read this book in two sittings I couldn't wait for the next page there is and Will always be something me about Ted and his crimes.. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about true crime this book gave me the creeps..