The End Of The Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
The end of the dream is a title which in this case applies to the criminal, not the victims.Rule fills in the blanks that we read in newspapers or web sites about these stories. In doing so, she humanizes the criminals to the point that I think some readers may misplace their sympathies and feel sorry for these bad people. I don't believe she herself is on the side of the monster, but she wants to show how the cops bring them down, and also show how the victims suffered without going into extraneous and salacious detail. She includes as victims the relatives of victims and the cops themselves, sometimes. As far as the criminals are researched, it appears Rule wants to find out what happened to them in their life to bring about their criminal activity, as well as to educate the public in their methods in conducting their crimes. It is clear that while many criminals are clearly deranged or depraved, drug-or-alcohol addicted, others appear as normal as our bosses and best friends, and easily fit in comfortably in any social situation. Their general normality seems to seduce friends and family into helping the criminal either through misplaced sympathy or lack of perspective. The seduction happens over time, so that eventually these deluded friends may actually cover up murders and rapes because of their inability to separate their liking or loving of the criminal from their knowledge of what the bad person is doing. Perhaps the adages of 'love the sinner, hate the sin' may add to the clouding of intelligent reasoning. Rule clearly is not a person of clouded judgement. She shows over and over that a criminal that cries for his own situation or trouble is yet not a person capable of feeling sorry for anyone else. Unfortunately, many people can't help but respond to the criminal's sorrow as if it were remorse, instead of the grief for being caught that the tears are actually about. Women in particular fall victim to a criminal's pretty face, attention and evil power, thinking some of that either will rub off because of proximity or that they will enjoy ultimate protection by being near, not understanding he or she can turn that evil on them.Scott 'Hollywood' Scurlock was a pretty face who seduced everyone around him. No one outside his inner circle had any idea he was capable of armed robbery of banks all around Seattle, Washington. Wearing a variety of disguises, taking charge of his partner's and the bank teller's activities throughout the robbery, he stole so much money at so many banks he broke records. He seemed to know so much that the police began to think he must be a cop. The friends he worked with were convinced he was basically a good man. (view spoiler)[ However, Rule mentions several conversations and incidents that show he was going to kill his helpers if he had to, and that he was already cheating them of money, keeping the lion's share of stolen bank cash for himself. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about The End Of The Dream: The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up (1998)?
I enjoy Ann Rule's writing, and I'm impressed with the way she puts together a narrative. It must be an incredible amount of work, but it's very readable. She writes like a good journalist, but for some reason her sentences are put together in such a way that I want to keep reading just for the style. I can't pin it -- it's a lot of declarative sentences, but interesting and somewhat compulsive reading.This book is about a charming, brilliant, extremely good-looking man who ultimately becomes a bank robber, robbing many banks very successfully. He's a Peter Pan figure who has many friends; his charm makes him very magnetic, and even those who realize he's trouble have a hard time staying away.All the details of his life, as well as the lives of his friends and the law enforcement officers from various branches who desperately want to catch him, are just detailed enough to present a complex picture of a guy who, although possibly sociopathic, is not one-sided or neatly categorizable. It could be that his desire to find excitement and not to be tied down simply got out of control. But it's a fascinating story. And much of it takes place during an era when I was coming of age, and also occurs mostly on the West Coast.My favorite of her books is Heart Full of Lies, about Liysa Northon, another complex but undoubtedly sociopathic murderer, who was born eight months before me, and the story was fascinating. I guess I'm a little embarrassed about my enjoyment of Ann Rule's books -- I can't think of any way in which they are edifying -- but there it is. Perhaps it's Rule's good writing, perhaps it's her interesting descriptions and evaluations of human behavior.
—Sandra
Ann Rule is my favorite true crime author, also one of my favorite all time authors. I am often let down by other true crime authors I attempted to read (IE M. William Phelps) The first story is the longest. It is a tiny bit different than her usual homicide stories but it kept my attention and I found it very interesting! The last stories were also good reads! I suggest everyone that enjoys true crime or Ann Rule, read this novel. OH, can't forget that there are pictures to let you SEE into the story. I realize, now that I'm writing this, that I have yet to look at the pictures. I always try to save them for last!
—Patricia
