Customer Reviews

In the Still of the Night: The Strange Death of Ronda Reynolds and Her Mother's Unceasing Quest for the Truth

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The thrust of the book is the death in 1998 of a thirty two year old woman who was killed in her home by virtue of a gun shot wound to the head. This occurred on the eve of her leaving her husband and returning home to visit with her mother and grandmother. When a friend came by to pick her up to take her to the airport, instead of finding her ready to go, he found her home swarming with law enforcement personnel, as she was dead. The death had been called in by her estranged husband.

The incompetence of the Lewis County Sheriff's department in Washington State boggles the mind. Clearly, those who had gone to the scene had never taken "crime scene 101". They were positively clueless on how to handle such an investigation. By the time the lead homicide investigator arrived at the scene, it had been thoroughly compromised by incompetence.

Moreover, the investigation was further compromised by the Lewis County Coroner's Office, as the Coroner did not even bother to appear at the scene. In fact, he had never bothered to appear at any such scene, preferring to send his deputy, a woman whose only qualification for the position had been that of beautician's assistant. The Lewis County Coroner then classified the death as a suicide, despite staggering evidence to the contrary, and the Lewis County Sheriff's Department fell in lockstep with that assessment. The keystone cops looked like geniuses next to these bumbling fools.

But for the efforts of the mother of the deceased and a stalwart group of friends and outraged professionals, the dirty secret of Lewis County incompetence might never have seen the light of day. Eleven years after the death of this woman, and only after a hard fought legal battle for a judicial review, was it determined that the death of this woman had not been a suicide.

The author does a yeoman's job of marshalling the evidence that dictated that this death was not a suicide. The evidence points very clearly that a murder took place, but just who is the murderer is the subject of much speculation. The only thing that is clear is that someone got away with murder and that the Lewis County Sheriff's Office could not care less at this stage about investigating and discovering just who the killer is that walks amongst us.

This book differs in one significant way from other books written by the author in that the killer is never apprehended or charged. In that respect, it is a purely speculative work and, therefore, far less satisfying for those who enjoy the true crime genre. It is also somewhat repetitious and could have used some serious editing to avoid boredom from setting in on the part of the reader, as it dragged on unnecessarily for far too long. Nonetheless, the book lays out the facts of the case in a fairly concise and orderly fashion, and leads the reader to one inescapable conclusion. Someone most definitely got away with murder.

I have always had great respect for how Rule presents her real-life crime detective stories. One, they are well-researched and, two, they offer a very human, down-to-earth dimension that reflects the author's attempts to get to know the victims and their families in a personal and informative way. "In the Still of the Night" is no exception. The story portrays the life of Ronda Reynolds in her struggles to become a Washington State trooper in the late 1980s and her eventual untimely murder in 1998. To create as clear a timeline as possible as to Ronda's achievements and eventual destiny, Rule delves into her background as only a good former detective would. Out of her search distills memories that are decent, troubling and, in some cases, despicable. Ronda and her family, led by her very inspiring mother, Barb Thompson, definitely come across as people intent on making a positive difference in this world. In Ronda's case, it was her burning desire to be a police officer, even though numerous people attempted to discourage her in this pursuit. If Ronda had anything wrong with her, it had to be her vulnerability in working with males. She grew up needing, but not getting, a strong male figure in her life. While she reached her career goal, her private life fell apart because she did not bring to her two marriages a corresponding strength and determination to make them work. How could she when she carried with her such a blighted past when it came to surviving in a male-dominated world? This story takes off after her second marriage to high school principal, Ron Reynolds, started to fall apart. Months later, her husband, one night, phoned 911 to inform the authorities that Ronda had just committed suicide as a result of an ongoing bout of depression. The mysterious circumstances behind her death just didn't seem credible to Barb Tompson. The whole police investigation was flawed from the start. For the next several years, this courageous woman would lead a very public campaign to get at the truth of the matter as to why her daughter died suddenly when she had so much to live for. With the help of Rule, a very dedicated private investigator, and a very sympathetic public, Ronda's death has now been ruled an active homicide case. The evidence that is laid out in this book speaks to the dedication and thoroughness of people not willing to accept the official version of events. Yes, Rule has her suspects but, as of yet, the case has not resulted in anyone being arraigned for murder because a lot of the hard evidence has been destroyed through mishandling. I recommend this book for how it clinically goes about recreating the facts of the crime scene and tying them in with the background circumstances of home, family, and community.