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Las Vegas murder focus of true crime book

  Bill Rundle became well-known in Las Vegas after his 11-year-old son, Richie, whose essay won Rundle the title of Las Vegas’ Father of the Year, was killed by a drunken driver while waiting for his school bus.
  Richie had pushed another child out of the way, saving his life, and a maintenance worker was killed trying to get the kids out of the way.
  The circumstances made it a very high-profile drunken driving case and it was covered extensively by the Las Vegas media.
  Years later, Rundle and his wife went missing, with only a mysterious note left in the garage, and it turned out Rundle’s mother was missing as well.
  Las Vegas authorities didn’t have much to go on at first, until a large amount of blood was found in the house and Rundle’s credit card activity and bank video surveillance made it seem that he was on the run.
  A manhunt ensued for Rundle, who later confessed to killing his wife with his dead son’s baseball bat.
  In “Father of the Year — Bill Rundle: All-American Jekyll and Hyde,” former Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Glenn Puit recounts the case, which he covered for the paper, from beginning to end.
  The book covers Rundle’s childhood, his small-time criminal activity and gambling problems, his manipulation of women and abandonment of his children, his dedication to his son Richie and Richie’s death, the financial problems of Rundle and his wife, his wife’s death, Rundle’s time on the run and, ultimately, his trial in 2003.
  For many Las Vegans, these events and the people involved are familiar, which is one reason “Father of the Year” probably will appeal to locals. But Puit does justice to the story, presenting the facts in a compassionate way while letting his sources speak for themselves. Puit employs a journalistic writing style throughout the book. He offers plenty of background on the people involved in the case, but the quotes from Rundle, witnesses, law enforcement officials and lawyers put the case in perspective and offer a behind-the-scenes look at a high-profile murder trial.
  Fans of true crime won’t be disappointed, and neither will readers interested in one of Las Vegas’ more notorious murders.
  Puit will be in Las Vegas today, May 15, for a book signing from 3 to 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 8915 W. Charleston Blvd.
  Puit’s previous books explored the similarly bizarre tales of Brookey Lee West (“Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas’ Most Notorious Female Killer”) and bodybuilders Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan (“Fire in the Desert”). His next book, scheduled to hit stores Nov. 3, will focus on the death of former state controller Kathy Augustine.

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