By The Side of The Road

The True Story of the Abduction and Murder of Ann Harrison

Non-Fiction - True Crime
244 Pages
Reviewed on 10/24/2022
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

By The Side of The Road: The True Story of the Abduction and Murder of Ann Harrison by Marla Bernard takes readers back to March 22, 1989. Two friends steal a car and go on a crime spree in the eastern part of Kansas City. Both are career criminals and they are about to commit the ultimate crime. Ann Harrison was just 15 when she disappeared. She was waiting for the school bus at the end of her driveway just before 7 am; 10 minutes later, she’d gone, leaving her bags behind. No one saw what happened and it took nearly 30 years for her family to discover the truth about her kidnapping, rape, and murder. This is their story.

By The Side of The Road by Marla Bernard is a fantastic true crime story. It’s a sad tale, incredibly harrowing to read, but it sheds so much light on a horrific crime. It’s packed with details about Ann Harrison and her life and family, not to mention the police as they hunt down the perpetrators. It goes into great detail on how the police finally caught Roderick Nunley and Michael Taylor, and how they tried to blame each other for the crime. This is one of the best-written true crime accounts I have had the pleasure of reading. Marla Bernard has a real way with words and manages to make you feel everything she writes with every emotion - of which there are many. I’m glad her family got the justice they deserved for something that no parent should ever have to go through. Great story, and thoroughly recommended for all fans of true crime.