A True Crime Read for Runners!

Oh what a tangled web we weave. Are you an avid runner? Are you and avid reader? Do you like mysteries? who-done-its? true-crime? If so, then I have just the book for you.

I'm a lover of fiction and my favorite books tend to be legal thrillers and mysteries, but I've never ventured much into true crime. That is, until I discovered Lynda Drews' new book Run at Destruction. Lynda, a runner and Wisconsin native, has written an in depth account of the shocking and unexpected death of a runner—Pam Bulik—in 1980s small-town Wisconsin.
The plot line of Run at Destruction seems more like a movie of the week than a real-life story. It has all the elements of a Hollywood saga—a small-town setting, a young couple (teachers) devoted to each other and to their love of running, an unfaithful husband, a secret love affair, and a tragic unexplained death.

Runners will really appreciate the way Drews weaves in the ties to the running community. Anyone who's a runner can relate to the tight-knit, loyal support of the running community. This book shows how that support was rocked to its core by the horrific event that befell two of this small community's members.

Without spilling too many beans, Run at Destruction is the story of what appeared to be a loving couple—Pam and Bob Bulik—who were avid runners and very active in the local running community. As in many marriages, something goes awry and Bob seeks the affections of another woman. This story takes a detour when the wife (Pam) is later found dead. The problem is how did she die? Was it accidental? Suicide? Negligent homicide? Premeditated murder?

Instead of merely recounting the events of the case, Drews pulls the readers into the story and into the 1980s heyday of running. While reading the book I had the strongest urge to don a terry-cloth headband, a pair of gym shorts with white piping, and a pair of athletic knee socks with the strips at the top! You see, the reason Drews is able to pull you in with such vivid detail is because she was there. Pam Bulik was Lynda Drews' best friend.

Like a road race, Drews writes in such a way that starts with a steady pace and then ramps it up as she nears the finish. She begins with the disappearance of Pam and takes you all the way to the courtroom drama and sentencing of Pam's husband, Bob. Even though Bob is sentenced, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. You'll have to read the book to answer those questions for yourself.