Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder

You ll never forget

Even though its been over 20 years since this tragic occurance, I still wonder what happened to the two surviving children. How a mother could ever look her children in the eye and point a gun and pull a trigger, is beyond reason. Ann Rule is a fantastic writer.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Book!!

This book is so well written. So very interesting. Facts are very sad but true. Ann Rule really hits the spot.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

great story by ann rule well written can't put down (but not this copy)

i ordered as indicated hardcover in "good" condition this seller sent me a very very worn out paperback of this book for 9.99 for that price i could have purchased a brand new paperback if that is what i was shopping for. this has never happened with any other seller thru b&n i threw it in the trash i could not believe it - it was not worth the cost to return it especially since i was already overcharged for a not order copy of this book. never buy from Deans books again!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

I read this book years ago and it started me reading all of Ann Rule's books. I could not put this book down. This book also taught me about the personality disorders and had me doing more research. My mother and daughter read the book and loved it. I highly recommend this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another great Ann Rule book!

This is a book I read many years ago but wanted to read it again. I couldn't put it down. Ann Rule has a way of writing that keeps you so engrossed in the book you can't wait to get to each new chapter. While reading it dawned on me that a lot of things about Diane Downs are similar to the Casey Anthony case. She was just all about her. She shot her 3 children. One died, the other two were left with problems for life. She Had a crazy story like Casey too. It was the shaggy haired stranger.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Accurate and mesmerizing account of a terrible tragedy

I worked for the court during the Diane Downs trial, and was very skeptical when I learned that Ann Rule was attending the trial to write a book about it. For me, the experience of working on the trial was life-changing, shaking my cozy view of the world. I have to admit, however, that in my experience of the trial and how events unfolded, the book is amazingly accurate. It even shed some light on why Downs was driven to murdering her own children. It is utterly compelling. A mesmerizing read. Probably Rule's best book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Small sacrifices By Ann Rule

This was a excellent Book !! I am a Law Enforcement Officer, and my Crime Scene Investigation Instructor James Pex was the Lead Criminalist on this case. He did a incrediable job of reconstructing this crime scene in Court. His work ultimatly lead to the sucessful conviction of Diane Downs. If you look close at all the sketch's Diane Downs had drawn by the sketch artist, You will see the sketches look almost just like her. The Oregon State Crime Lab and Jim Pex did so much work on this case, and noone could put it into words better than Ann Rule. Her Books are the Most accurate recounts of Police investigations you could ever read. Her books just are hard to put down once you start reading them. Special Thanks to Jim Pex for putting Diane Downs where she belongs.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another Ann Rule Blockbuster

As always, Ann has captured the true character of her subject. I could not put this book down, like most of her true crime books. However, this book filled my heart with sadness to think that a mother could do such a horrible thing to the children she should have protected with her own life!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ONE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET

I bought this took in 1988 when it first came out and read it. Six months later, you couldn't buy this book anywhere; people were buying them up so quick. I had to pass my copy around to six people to read because they couldn't buy it anywhere. That says a lot for this story, which took the nation by storm. Diane Downes became a household name at that time, was on TV shows via satellite from prison, and a movie was made of this story. It is hard to say this was a good book because of the suffering of Diane's two surviving children and the death of her middle daughter, but if you like true crime and Ann Rule books, this is a must read. You'll never forget it. It's a hell of a story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome.........

Great book. Hard to put down. Felt so sorry for those children.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Chilling cold sick woman

I have been a fan of Ann Rule for years. This book reveals how a heartless, unfeeling, probably borderline personallity, can do what she did to her children and lie, lie, lie about it

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You can't put it down!

It is sad that we are interested and fascinated by such a horrible story, but Anne Rule is the best at her craft. Her writing is superb and this book will start your habit of reading everything by her that you can get your hands on!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book that started it all.

In my second year of college we were required to purchase and read this book for a social sciences class I was enrolled in. I had never before been truly interested in 'True Crime' but from the moment that I began reading this book I couldn't put it down. That was over 7 years ago. Since that time I have read many books in this genre and have yet to be as emotionally involved as I was in this book. It's a heartbreaking story that will make you cry for the children and wonder how a woman, a mother could be so callous. By the end of the book there wasn't a fiber in my being that didn't wish the same fate upon Diane.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One Great Book!!

From the start of this book i was hooked.. i couldnt put it down. Its so disturbing how a mother could shoot her 3 kids.. in cold blood. I loved the book so much i didnt want it to end! I cried for the kids,,,Hated the mother... Admired the detectives and was truely touched by the novel. I dont usually enjoy reading unless its a really good book, and all i can say is that if your looking for a good long book read Small Sacrifices.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Heartwrenching - Unbelievable

This book was exceptionally well written. It delved into the mind of Diane Downs in a way that made her very easy to understand. I've often wondered how the two children who survived the tragedy inflicted on them by their mother are doing. I was so glad to hear that they had been taken in by a family who cared about them and weren't afraid of dealing with their disabilities. This book brings home the truth that some women will actually abandon or even go so far as to kill their children in order to be with a man they profess to love. I high recommend this book and any other books by Ann Rule to anyone who enjoys true crime books.

Awesome book! Highly Recommended!

One of the first books by Ann Rule I ever read. She really does her homework to tell the whole story about this mother-she was vicious, while trying to portray a victim, when her children were the real victims. It is a "have to read" book.

An Extraordinary yet Horrifying Tale of Murder

Ann Rule is by far the BEST true crime writer that I have come by. "Small Sacrifices" tells the horrifying story of a mother who will do anything, even shoot her 3 children in cold blood for the love of 1 man. This novel details the journey of Diane Downs life, and what possesed her to viciously kill and wound her 3 children on a dark night in the middle of nowehere.

This is a MUST READ for all fans of the true crime genre, and Ann Rule. It is a page turner from beginning to end. Pick up this book!

Unforgettable

This story has remained etched in my mind since reading it several years ago. Ann Rule is a leader when it come to true crime. You really cannot go wrong with one of her books.

Ann Rule Does it Again!

This is only my second book that I have read by Ann Rule and I am hooked! Ann Rule did a great job in following the life of Diane Downs and what drove her to shoot her three kids in cold blood. It was a fast moving book. I couldn't put it down. Ann Rule was very detailed and in depth. I don't think she left a piece of information unturned. I definitely recommend this book and this author. I look forward to reading even more from her.

Small Sacrifices

This is one of the best true crime books ever. If you have seen the movie, you must read this book. It goes into much more detail than the movie ever could and gives more insight behind the bizarre behavior of the mother that wanted to get rid of her children in the name of love. It is a page turner!