The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy
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- Create Date：2021-04-25 13:53:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elizabeth Kendall
- ISBN：1419744852
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Summary
An alternate cover edition can be found here。
This updated， expanded edition of The Phantom Prince， Elizabeth Kendall's 1981 memoir detailing her six-year relationship with serial killer Ted Bundy， includes a new introduction and a new afterword by the author， never-before-seen photos， and a startling new chapter from the author's daughter， Molly， who has not previously shared her story。 Bundy is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history and one of the most publicized to this day。 However， very rarely do we hear from the women he left behind--the ones forgotten as mere footnotes in this tragedy。 The Phantom Prince chronicles Elizabeth Kendall's intimate relationship with Ted Bundy and its eventual unraveling。 As much as has been written about Bundy， it's remarkable to hear the perspective of people who shared their daily lives with him for years。 This gripping account presents a remarkable examination of a charismatic personality that masked unimaginable darkness。
This updated， expanded edition of The Phantom Prince， Elizabeth Kendall's 1981 memoir detailing her six-year relationship with serial killer Ted Bundy， includes a new introduction and a new afterword by the author， never-before-seen photos， and a startling new chapter from the author's daughter， Molly， who has not previously shared her story。 Bundy is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history and one of the most publicized to this day。 However， very rarely do we hear from the women he left behind--the ones forgotten as mere footnotes in this tragedy。 The Phantom Prince chronicles Elizabeth Kendall's intimate relationship with Ted Bundy and its eventual unraveling。 As much as has been written about Bundy， it's remarkable to hear the perspective of people who shared their daily lives with him for years。 This gripping account presents a remarkable examination of a charismatic personality that masked unimaginable darkness。
Reviews
Larissa
，
Heartbreakingly disturbing， just like you’d expect it to be。
Amy Sage
，
This is heartbreaking， scary and （at times） infuriating。 I've talked to people who are still in the middle of an abusive relationship， but this is the first time I've read a book written by someone who hasn't gotten emotionally and mentally free yet。 Her writing is not professional， but it is unflinchingly honest。 Except she DOES flinch， repeatedly， but soldiers on with holding herself out there anyway。I listened to the audiobook， because I had some audible credits。 I usually prefer reading， but This is heartbreaking， scary and （at times） infuriating。 I've talked to people who are still in the middle of an abusive relationship， but this is the first time I've read a book written by someone who hasn't gotten emotionally and mentally free yet。 Her writing is not professional， but it is unflinchingly honest。 Except she DOES flinch， repeatedly， but soldiers on with holding herself out there anyway。I listened to the audiobook， because I had some audible credits。 I usually prefer reading， but I'm very glad I listened to this。 It helped me move through some of the difficult passages。 I'm also glad I came across this after her new foreword and afterword。 So that we can see the woman she grew into after she thoroughly removed his fangs from her thoughts and emotions。 The original ending is brutal。 Her afterword - and re-writing of the ending - set me on the path to healing。 I thought the book was over， but then Molly's Story hit me like a gut punch。 That may have more to do with my own history。 But I will carry Molly's brief memories and observations with me for a longer time than any other memoir I've ever read。 Most of all， I am so grateful to Liz for her willingness to share her ongoing story。 I had gone into this book expecting to meet a woman who felt passive and ambivalent and unsure。 And I did meet that woman。 But she also did the right thing， repeatedly。 She reported him early。 She reported him often。 She reported him to the police， to friends， to her church， to her parents。 Her friends took her seriously， but even her DAD said she shouldn't report Ted unless she was sure。 She was clearly ambivalent， and at first the system just brushed her aside without believing her。 Then they were impatient with her。 It was easier for them to believe she was a jealous girlfriend。 Then they told her he'd been cleared。 Until he wasn't。 Then they wanted to extract everything from her。 Information， her own possessions， HIS possessions， her time， her testimony against him。 Intimate details of her life。 Other than a lone， female police officer， they were abusive about it。 Ted was abusing her from the other side， but at least he made her feel as though she mattered。 I realize that was part of the abuse， but it explains her motivations very， very much。Anyway， there's a lot to unpack after this relatively short book， and very little of it is about Ted Bundy。 Liz has fully and completely regained her own story。 。。。more
Abby
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Oh LizWhile it was interesting to read her point of view， it was hard not to wonder what in the world Liz was thinking staying with Ted。 As a lover of true crime， I enjoyed this book。
Hannah
，
I have a lot of compassion for Liz。 How traumatic and devastating。 Her bravery in her story and her willingness to share should not go unnoticed。It is not her fault that the man she loved was a mass murderer。 It’s not her fault that she didn’t know。 The original book is very choppy， as though she was just writing down every memory， every thought， every word she could remember without thought of how the story flowed together。 It’s a memoir， but flows as “and then， and then， and then。” It’s just a I have a lot of compassion for Liz。 How traumatic and devastating。 Her bravery in her story and her willingness to share should not go unnoticed。It is not her fault that the man she loved was a mass murderer。 It’s not her fault that she didn’t know。 The original book is very choppy， as though she was just writing down every memory， every thought， every word she could remember without thought of how the story flowed together。 It’s a memoir， but flows as “and then， and then， and then。” It’s just a series of events and memories woven together haphazardly。 Her updated words in the back flow much better。 The sentences are more complex， the writing is more nuanced and careful。 I think her original work shows her frame of mind and her turmoil when writing the original manuscript。 Her updates show her healing and how she has been able to move past the situation honestly and with humility。 To express real disgust for Ted， where in the original she still felt love for him and was in a state of cognitive dissonance。 This story is not for everyone， but it is interesting to hear about Ted through the eyes of someone who genuinely loved him and was just as stunned and emotionally rocked as America when the truth came fully to light。 Molly’s additions are startling and devastating。 Examples of inappropriate behaviors and sexual assault show the underbelly of who Ted really was that was unseen to Liz。 。。。more
Liz
，
This is a fairly disturbing book that documents the author's relationship with well known serial killer Ted Bundy。 She does an excellent job of documenting her growing realization about who he actually was。 This is a fairly disturbing book that documents the author's relationship with well known serial killer Ted Bundy。 She does an excellent job of documenting her growing realization about who he actually was。 。。。more
Paul
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Interesting that the author could carry on a years-long intimate relationship with Ted Bundy and not see what a sexual pervert and maniac he was。 One of the most revealing chapters is written by the author's daughter， who plainly describes inappropriate touching all the time by Ted Bundy， but her mother didn't quite see it。 It's amazing how you can't see what you don't want to see。 Interesting that the author could carry on a years-long intimate relationship with Ted Bundy and not see what a sexual pervert and maniac he was。 One of the most revealing chapters is written by the author's daughter， who plainly describes inappropriate touching all the time by Ted Bundy， but her mother didn't quite see it。 It's amazing how you can't see what you don't want to see。 。。。more
Bronwyn
，
This was an interesting read describing Liz and Molly's life with Ted Bundy which started from when they met to him being executed。 I have seen the movie with Zac Efron and after reading the book I thought they covered it quite well。 This guy was a 'piece of shit' human and he deserved what came to him in the end。 Worth a read。 This was an interesting read describing Liz and Molly's life with Ted Bundy which started from when they met to him being executed。 I have seen the movie with Zac Efron and after reading the book I thought they covered it quite well。 This guy was a 'piece of shit' human and he deserved what came to him in the end。 Worth a read。 。。。more
belinda
，
An interesting insight into Ted Bundy from someone who knew him closely。 Although many questions will forever remain unanswered。
Hannah
，
I appreciated hearing this story from somebody who was so involved。 I had read the stranger beside me many times when I was younger but had never picked this one up until now。 It was hard to read at times as someone who has been in a manipulative relationship and has been that person to say “well they’ve never been violent with me so I don’t know how they could go so far as to kill or try to kill somebody”。 The included pictures were chilling- knowing that when they were taken he had already tak I appreciated hearing this story from somebody who was so involved。 I had read the stranger beside me many times when I was younger but had never picked this one up until now。 It was hard to read at times as someone who has been in a manipulative relationship and has been that person to say “well they’ve never been violent with me so I don’t know how they could go so far as to kill or try to kill somebody”。 The included pictures were chilling- knowing that when they were taken he had already taken so many lives。 I really enjoyed the addition in this newer copy where Elizabeth explains her mindset at the time of writing the book and updates us to say she is disgusted and shocked at how willing she was to still look past his crimes considering she was still holding on to this idea that she knew who this man really was underneath it all。 。。。more
Hannah
，
I listened to the new audible updated version - very engaging and well- told。
ERBinator Productions
，
Fucking wild and tragic
Christine Livinghouse
，
Denial is not just a river in Egypt- it serves to keep us in situations that we know we should not be in！ This sums up all of Elizabeth Kendall’s reasons to stay under the thrall of Ted Bundy。 For more than 5 years， she takes us on a journey of dating Ted， having family moments with him and her daughter， Molly， and learning of the dark side of her boyfriend。 She is brutally honest about her own neediness （wow， so needy） as well as alcoholism which shaped her relationship。
Haley Dean
，
I have such a heavy heart。 My heart aches for his victims。 My heart aches for Liz。 My heart aches for Molly。 So incredibly well written。 I hate to say that I can feel her same emotions， because who can say that they know how she feels？ But she makes it as close as possible。 She writes with such a rawness that you can see and understand her emotions。 It truly makes you not only know， but feel， the point of view of someone in an abusive and dependent relationship。 You can tell in her writing how m I have such a heavy heart。 My heart aches for his victims。 My heart aches for Liz。 My heart aches for Molly。 So incredibly well written。 I hate to say that I can feel her same emotions， because who can say that they know how she feels？ But she makes it as close as possible。 She writes with such a rawness that you can see and understand her emotions。 It truly makes you not only know， but feel， the point of view of someone in an abusive and dependent relationship。 You can tell in her writing how much she has grown as a person since her relationship with Ted。 She says in her afterword that she wishes she could remove certain sentences from the original publication。 The ways in which she suggests she would rewrite （or even remove） them helps show how mature she’s become and grown as a person even since the original publication and that she’s focusing on the right things。 。。。more
Alondra
，
It was great to know about the exact details of how everything happened。 But something that bothered me was how in love the author sounds。 Even after knowing the trash that Bundy was。 To this day， in her interviews she seems to be in love with him。 Disgusting。
Erica
，
This memoir was very well done。 I appreciated the new information and the section written by Molly， as well。 I thought I knew it all about Ted Bundy but this book added to that。
Sarah Godfrey
，
Interesting read from Elizabeth's perspective。 I appreciated the updated edition because it showed another perspective from Molly Kendall's side。 Having Elizabeth go back and update her thoughts from the first edition of the book showed her growth。 Must read for true crime fans！ Interesting read from Elizabeth's perspective。 I appreciated the updated edition because it showed another perspective from Molly Kendall's side。 Having Elizabeth go back and update her thoughts from the first edition of the book showed her growth。 Must read for true crime fans！ 。。。more
rads
，
𝟮* - 𝗯𝗮𝗱
Meadow Lea
，
Very interesting read on the girlfriend and then the chapter that her daughter wrote。 I know they suffer from a lot of things and had to heal and had a long road to go through on that。 I hope they have finally found their peace。
Dan Cotter
，
This is a book by the former fiancée of Ted Bundy。
Liz
，
This book really was hard to read at times。 Having read a good bit of true crime and watched more than my fair share of it， I couldn't help but wonder whatTed's intentions were through most of this and feel for the Kendall's。 They were as much his victims as anyone else。 Surprisingly， this really gave me more insight into Ted too。 This book really was hard to read at times。 Having read a good bit of true crime and watched more than my fair share of it， I couldn't help but wonder whatTed's intentions were through most of this and feel for the Kendall's。 They were as much his victims as anyone else。 Surprisingly， this really gave me more insight into Ted too。 。。。more
Nicole
，
This was a really fascinating book about what it was like to live with Ted Bundy。I've read and watched a few documentaries on Ted Bundy but this book was very unique because it's from the perspective of Ted's long term girlfriend I found this book really interesting。 It was fascinating to hear her brave account， her experiences and her thoughts which haven't been twisted by the press or journalists。 I definitely learnt a lot from this book and I'm glad I read it as it challenged some of dominant This was a really fascinating book about what it was like to live with Ted Bundy。I've read and watched a few documentaries on Ted Bundy but this book was very unique because it's from the perspective of Ted's long term girlfriend I found this book really interesting。 It was fascinating to hear her brave account， her experiences and her thoughts which haven't been twisted by the press or journalists。 I definitely learnt a lot from this book and I'm glad I read it as it challenged some of dominant opinions and beliefs about Ted Bundy out there。 I also liked reading Molly's experience in the updated version of what it was like to have Ted as a guardian during her childhood。 It was harrowing to read but very interesting。If you love true crime in particular the Ted Bundy case， I highly recommend this book TW: real life accounts of murder， violence， rape， torture， sexual assault and child abuse 。。。more
Gretchen
，
The only way I was able to find this book was a very old， very ignored library copy。 Watching the film based loosely on the information in this book was a waste of time。 The book is an oddity but worth the read。
Esther Pui
，
read the updated and expanded edition， what he did to molly， yucks
Alissa Vaughan
，
I really loved this book。 As a true crime guru it was interesting to read a different perspective to the inside reality of these horrendous crimes。
Hannah Liddell
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I can’t help but compare this to the Ann Rule book I just read on Bundy。 It’s like night and day。 The amount of apathy rule seemed to have is not true of Kendall。 She and her daughter understood the gravity of the situation even when they both loved Bundy。 I loved hearing about the things going on in Kendall’s head， and how there were more early warning signs than most thought。 A lot of people （especially in Rule’s book） downplay how worried Kendall was about Bundy。 Even though she was shut down I can’t help but compare this to the Ann Rule book I just read on Bundy。 It’s like night and day。 The amount of apathy rule seemed to have is not true of Kendall。 She and her daughter understood the gravity of the situation even when they both loved Bundy。 I loved hearing about the things going on in Kendall’s head， and how there were more early warning signs than most thought。 A lot of people （especially in Rule’s book） downplay how worried Kendall was about Bundy。 Even though she was shut down many times she still reported him multiple times。 I admire her bravery， especially with how deeply in love with him she was。 Rule literally said Kendall was unattractive and implied many times that she was foolish and ditzy and just obsessed with Bundy。 She was smart enough to see warning signs。 Where Rule continued to give Bundy the benefit of the doubt and help and compliments， Kendall was wary。 Rule also criticized those who were happy to see Bundy killed， Kendall said she understood and hoped it brought closure to people even though she didn’t believe in the death penalty。 Kendall had strength to go back and read her book and tell people where she went wrong and said she cringed at a lot of it but she has compassion for her old self。 I loved her extra epilogue put in。 Aside from comparing Rule’s book and this one， this book， especially the updated one has a lot of interesting information。 I rarely see writing about Bundy talk about how he basically admitted he was guilty to Liz。 A lot of things I read made it seem like she was jealous of his new girlfriend/wife and faded away。 The real story is she heard him explain how he was a monster and watched him go back on his promises to try to give closure to the families。 She also was trying to get out of his grips before that， she didn’t remain as fiercely loyal as some paint her。 She was addicted to Ted but she at least realized she was wrong for being so。 I hate that I’ve read so many things that act like Liz was a stupid， ditsy， fan girl type who was too stupid to suspect Ted。 This gives much insight on her thoughts and how smart she was。 I also never knew how Ted acted with Liz’s daughter， in everything I’ve read I haven’t even heard it guessed at。 Reading Molly’s perspective was very interesting。 Overall this book was very interesting and I recommend it for true crime lovers。 I do wish it were longer though。 Even with my busy schedule I finished it pretty quickly。 。。。more
Grace
，
Wow。。。just wow。For as long as I can remember， I've always been fascinated with crime。 I'm surrounded by men who lay down their lives daily to stop this crime。 A few months ago I began to immerse myself in crazy crime stories and more specifically， serial killers。 Ted Bundy is no exception。 He is one of my FAVORITE serial killers （when I say favorite I mean by how he killed and how his mind worked） of course， the murders he committed are terrible and I feel deeply for the victims families he affe Wow。。。just wow。For as long as I can remember， I've always been fascinated with crime。 I'm surrounded by men who lay down their lives daily to stop this crime。 A few months ago I began to immerse myself in crazy crime stories and more specifically， serial killers。 Ted Bundy is no exception。 He is one of my FAVORITE serial killers （when I say favorite I mean by how he killed and how his mind worked） of course， the murders he committed are terrible and I feel deeply for the victims families he affected。 When I researched his story and got down and dirty with the things that really make his brain TICK， I stumbled upon this book， and I'm so glad I did。 This book is the true story of who Ted Bundy REALLY is， written by none other then Elizabeth Kendall， one of Bundy's former girlfriends and whom he had a lasting relationship with。 Reading this book put his crimes in a new perspective for me and I really felt for her。 Every paragraph and every chapter GRIPPED me in ways I cannot explain and I'm so SO glad I'm going to college to pursue a degree in order to stop monsters like Ted Bundy。 I'm very moved by both Elizabeth's story and her daughter Molly's story， whom was also a victim of Bundy's sexual crimes。 To hear how they both rose from the hurt and pain that Bundy caused is amazing and I couldn't be more proud of these strong women！ If you're looking for a gripping story of hurt and heartbreak along with a bit of scarcity， THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU！！！！！ MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 （six stars） 。。。more
Angie Flom
，
I had always heard how Ted Bundy had lured young women。 I never thought he had carried on relationships - how could he？ Who would not see his evil side？ This book is told from the perspective of a very long term girlfriend of Ted’s and her daughter。 It shows the realism of not seeing the bad in someone you love， how you can trick yourself into believing everything is okay。 Like a victim of abuse， she doubted herself and her concerns。 Interesting read， kept me engaged and I truly felt again for a I had always heard how Ted Bundy had lured young women。 I never thought he had carried on relationships - how could he？ Who would not see his evil side？ This book is told from the perspective of a very long term girlfriend of Ted’s and her daughter。 It shows the realism of not seeing the bad in someone you love， how you can trick yourself into believing everything is okay。 Like a victim of abuse， she doubted herself and her concerns。 Interesting read， kept me engaged and I truly felt again for all those lost or impacted by Ted Bundy’s acts including Liz who chose to stay。 。。。more
Jay Newman
，
I struggled with how to rate this book because you can't separate the author from the subject， which is most definitely NOT Ted Bundy。 And that's fine。 I wanted to know about this woman and her life。 But fair warning， she's gonna make most of you very angry。 But the Afterword by Molly is definitely the best part of the book。 She is a well adjusted person with her head on straight and I'm glad for her。 But despite my feelings the author， I think the book is well written and definitely a good read I struggled with how to rate this book because you can't separate the author from the subject， which is most definitely NOT Ted Bundy。 And that's fine。 I wanted to know about this woman and her life。 But fair warning， she's gonna make most of you very angry。 But the Afterword by Molly is definitely the best part of the book。 She is a well adjusted person with her head on straight and I'm glad for her。 But despite my feelings the author， I think the book is well written and definitely a good read。 。。。more
Chandler Pauling
，
I like the updated 2020 version。 It was amazing to see how spot on Liz’s gut instinct was despite police and Ted gaslighting her。 It was heartbreaking to listen to Liz attempt to process how to reconcile reality and the version of reality Ted created through years of severe manipulation。 The 2020 version is superior because you then get to hear about Liz’s closure。 She refutes the conclusion she wrote before he was executed and shows that time does heal。
Missy
，