Rating: 
Summary: Could Have, Should Have Been Better
Review: The only other Ann Rule book I've read is "Small Sacrifices", which was excellent. The reason I bought this book was because I'd seen an A&E documentary on the Blackthorne case and none of it made any sense. WHY would a powerful, wealthy man with his own family do such a thing? WHY would these people involved her murder DO such a thing? I have to tell you, the book doesn't answer these questions. You learn a lot about Sheila but it's not presented evenly. Ann clearly had a bias towards the positive portrayal of Sheila, maybe because the victim had requested Ann write a book about her. You even learn a lot about Allan, but there's not enough focus on WHY he did what he did. I know the police theories are there, but since Ann goes into such detail about what made Allan Van Houte/Blackthorne who he was, you would think she would have gone into the same detail on what would make him go to the lengths he apparently did.Not that I wasn't convinced he'd done what he was convicted of. But after 600(?) pages, I still don't understand WHY. It still doesn't make any sense. And there's is absolutely no insight whatsoever in what made the actual murderer, Joey Del Toro, murder this woman. In fact, his recitation, as sparse as it was, of the actual crime is criminally short. I think this could have been done better, and should have.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring -- Wait for the City Confidential Version
Review: This is a "true-crime" novel about an abused wife/mother who leaves her wealthy, charming husband after years of marriage. The husband wants revenge and stalks her and eventually brutally murders her. This is where the story begins.
The story itself is interesting enough. And Rule does a good job of keeping your attention for a while. But after the murder, the ensuing court case just goes on and on. It's as though Rule has made a deal to mention everyone in the book that she interviewed, so she has to give the most intricate details of the court case in order to fit everyone in.
Bottom line: The TV show City Confidential could do a great job with this story (if it hasn't already), but as a book it's just plain boring. One of the few books I was not able to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: Completly One sided.
Review: I had trouble following the characters in this audio, yet Rule has a fluid writing style that makes a true story read like fiction. But in this abridged audio version, this talent makes itself apparent only in spurts. I think this is due to the abridgement process.
I feel the same way about abridgment as I feel about watching a movie reformatted to fit the television screen; if I am going to invest the time in viewing the movie, I want ALL of the movie. So even if I were reduced to a 12 inch screen, I would want to see the movie in letterbox, if possible.
So too, if I am going to listen to a book, I want the WHOLE book. Granted, there are things such as charts and graphs that are tedious in audio, these things are best described in brief, but I do not think this is the sort of pruning and clipping that took place in this abridgement; otherwise, I would have found the characters easier to follow because they would have been much more developed.
Rating:
Summary: O.K. Could have been better
Review: I really am a true Anne Rule fan. I've read alot of her books and actually have more waiting for me. I just have to finish THIS book. Its taking me longer than I expected. Why? It's annoying a little bit I think. I feel sympathy for the woman who died and her family but also in the small amount of information given can tell she baited this man a little. Keeping the grudge going years after the divorce. And the description of the step man's disciplinary practices show that also caused problems with the children's real father. I don't think Stevie should even be under his care. It all seems so typical of American dysfunctionality but it annoys me a little that Anne tries to, in a way, validate the different actions of Sheila and her husband. If you are dealing with a crazy person, you don't continue to take him to court to argue over child support. I've learned through my own divorce to not count on any money from the other party. It really isn't worth it when you are dealing with a man who just isn't right. Was all the games worth it for Sheila? I'm sure not. Now her kids only have a memory of her. As I said, I haven't finished the book yet....it's like pulling teeth for me now. However, I am going to finish it, if for only to free up my time to move to Anne's next book. But, I'm disappointed in this story. I don't get what really perpetrated the actual murder but can see from Anne's small references that she isn't providing the reader with the full story. Again, I feel sympathy for the victim but feel the most sympathy for those poor kids who have to face the consequences of the actions of their parents. All three of them. Sheila and her husband. And the crazy ex husband, who I would have broken as many ties with as I could. Forget the child support and the, what was it, 22 percent of his bogus empire? Why would you even want that money?
Leppy
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely gripping
Review: I have just finished reading "Every Breath you Take", and I must say it was a hellish, though compelling read. I found it impossible to put down. Allen Van Houte/Blackthorne is clearly a deeply disturbed man, and the story of how he stalked, tormented and ultimately arranged the execution of his ex-wife is truly sickening. Ms Rule writes in a matter-of-fact fashion about the circumstances leading up to Sheila's murder, and the ensuing murder investigation/trials. Some reviewers have criticised the length of the book and her writing style, but I disagree with those criticisms. It is a long, complex story with a large cast of characters, so the 600 odd page length is understandable. I give this book 4 stars. It is one of the best true crime books I have ever read. It does justice to Sheila's heartbreaking story, and exposes Allen Blackthorne as the true sociopath/disciple of Satan that he is.
Rating:
Summary: Could Have, Should Have Been Better
Review: The only other Ann Rule book I've read is "Small Sacrifices", which was excellent. The reason I bought this book was because I'd seen an A&E documentary on the Blackthorne case and none of it made any sense. WHY would a powerful, wealthy man with his own family do such a thing? WHY would these people involved her murder DO such a thing? I have to tell you, the book doesn't answer these questions. You learn a lot about Sheila but it's not presented evenly. Ann clearly had a bias towards the positive portrayal of Sheila, maybe because the victim had requested Ann write a book about her. You even learn a lot about Allan, but there's not enough focus on WHY he did what he did. I know the police theories are there, but since Ann goes into such detail about what made Allan Van Houte/Blackthorne who he was, you would think she would have gone into the same detail on what would make him go to the lengths he apparently did. Not that I wasn't convinced he'd done what he was convicted of. But after 600(?) pages, I still don't understand WHY. It still doesn't make any sense. And there's is absolutely no insight whatsoever in what made the actual murderer, Joey Del Toro, murder this woman. In fact, his recitation, as sparse as it was, of the actual crime is criminally short. I think this could have been done better, and should have.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't put it down!!!
Review: I just took this book out of the library and I love it. I've read many books by Ann Rule and I like the long books like this as opposed to the books of shorter stories made into one book. This one is a little complicated and involved,and that's why it's so good. I haven't finsished yet but so far it's one of her best.
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