June 1, 2024
Ted Bundy's cousin reflects on the impact that being related to one of America's most notorious mass murderers had on her life. Martin knew Bundy (1946-1989) as the loving cousin who treated her like a "kid sister." Their lives became intertwined in the 1950s after Bundy's mother moved to Tacoma to be near Martin's family. From an early age, "Teddy," writes the author, "had visions of a grand life," which she speculates may have emerged out of his closeness to her family and her gifted musician-father, who was "wined and dined by the affluent and elite of the music world." As Bundy grew older, he exhibited not only cleverness and an apparently affectionate nature, but also the ability to make people, including Martin, "feel special." The author remembers Bundy as an anti-violence "champion for females" and a rising star in local Seattle politics. What she did not know was that his outward demeanor masked not only the predator he had become, but also a deep and twisted longing to be in the spotlight by whatever means possible. By 1974, women had begun to disappear from the campus of the University of Washington; soon, many were afraid that an unknown killer walked among them. Martin, who herself became the victim of a separate assault, never once suspected her cousin, even after he was questioned by Seattle police and then left for Utah, where he would commit more murders. Part of what makes this true-crime account so compelling is the inclusion of personal correspondence that took place between the author and her cousin while he was in prison. As they reveal Bundy's chilling nonchalance and Martin's own heartbreak, the letters also offer insight into the trauma that pushed the author into a 50-year silence about her ties to a violent sociopath. Eye-opening and quietly disturbing.
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Starred review from June 10, 2024
Martin delivers a wrenching account of her relationship with her cousin, Ted Bundy, both before and after she learned he was a serial killer. In 1975, Martin was in the middle of her shift at a seafood processing plant in Seattle when her brother called to tell her that Bundy had been arrested in Utah. From there, the narrative flashes back to Martin’s childhood in 1950s Seattle, where she grew up with Bundy’s family (Bundy’s mother moved in with her sister, Martin’s mother, shortly after Bundy was born). Martin and Bundy were fast friends and hung out together well into their teenage years, prompting Martin to wonder how “he could be the cool Ted with me and my girlfriends, and then turn around and abduct and violently murder girls who looked just like us.” The author’s search for answers led her to have some tough conversations with her family, who privately hoped Bundy had been wrongly arrested. She also communicated with Bundy, whose chillingly chipper post-arrest letters to Martin are included. Martin imbues this well-covered story with fresh emotional urgency, pointing out that “Ted could be anyone. Even those we’d never suspect.” For fans of true crime, this is a must-read. Photos.