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Summary: Another good read from Ann Rule
Review: Ann Rule provides enough background information to make the people she has written about come to life. Ms. Rule has the ability to make a book of non-fiction read like a work of fiction. As usual, the well-chosen photographs add to the book without being excessively graphic. Van Houte/Blackthorn is an abominable waste of a "human". It is astounding how many lives this creep ruined--including those of his own children. It is mind-numbing that such narcissists can thrive in our world.
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Summary: You WILL NOT Be Able to Put this Book Down!
Review: I have never read a book so riveting nor one that grabbed my attention from the first few pages. Upon giving it to me after he read it, my Dad said, "When you get done with this book, you're going to hate the name Allen." He was right. Allen Blackthorne is the epitome of the manipulator. He was smooth, charming, handsome, and a cold-blooded killer with no remorse. I read into the night past my bedtime because I could not stop put this book down! If you've never read Ann Rule before, you must start with this book. She is an excellent true crime writer and as you're reading, you feel you are there with poor Sheila Bellush as she endured years of abuse even after she divorced Allen. If you are a true crime reader, and you haven't read this one, you're missing out! Get it today, start reading and by tomorrow I guarantee you will have read 3/4 of this book!
Rating:
Summary: Riveting!!
Review: This was the first Ann Rule book that I have read and I am now hooked. In perhaps the first true-crime book written at the victim's request, Ann Rule untangles a web of lies and brutality that culminated in the murder of Sheila Blackthorne. Although happy in a loving second marriage, and a new family of quadruplets, Sheila never truly escaped the vicious enslavement of her ex-husband, multi-millionaire Allen Blackthorne, a controlling sociopath who subjected Sheila to unthinkable abuse in their marriage, and terrorized her for a decade after their divorce. When Sheila was slain in her home, in the presence of her four toddlers, authorities raced to link the crime to Blackthorne, the man who vowed to monitor Sheila's every move in his obsessive quest for power and revenge.
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Summary: Allan Blackthorne a great argument FOR abortion
Review: In HIS case, retroactively. He is a total jerk....even his name is phoney! Back in October 2002, I had to travel from Philadelphia to Calgary, Canada, and I spent the entire trip (on two planes) reading this book. If I'd had Blackthorne within my grasp, I would have strangled him! Talk about a textbook sociopath. He's ruined SO many lives with his "I'm going to get what I want" attitude. His current wife, Maureen, most certainly has rocks in HER head for staying with him! I was elated to hear he had been stabbed in prison....pity it wasn't a fatal attack.
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Summary: Will take your breath away!
Review: My mother recommeded this book. I reluctently started it. It didn't seem like it would hold my interest especially for 600+ pages. I was wrong. I was hooked from the first chapter!! This is an amazing story!! It has been hard for me to put it down.
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Summary: A page turner
Review: I was spellbound with every page, mainly due to an intriguing plot--an abusive husband who carries his obsessive hatred of his wife years (a decade) beyond their divorce. I enjoy Ann Rule's books, primarily because she does a great job of exploring the minds of psychotics, and exploring possible roots of their anti-social behavior. Also, Rule shows genuine concern for the victims, families, and law enforcement officers. This is what sets her apart from other writers of her genre--her humanity. This book is not without its faults, however. Rule states facts repeatedly, as if she assumes the reader didn't catch it the first time. The facts of this case are quite memorable, however, and I found the repition distracting. Also, Rule did not hold Sheila accountable in staying married to a monster, even after she witnessed him murder two people with his car, and after he cheated her own parents out of their nest egg (both events occurring early in the marriage). That's unfortunate; any potential lessons for abused women to learn could be lost by not illustrating that Sheila had a choice to be assertive or passive, and she chose passivity. Rule could have shown this fact and my sympathy for her family would not have been diminished in the least.
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Summary: Entertaining, but...
Review: What is with the author's obsession with the word "adamant" ??? You'd think she would have a thesaurus handy. I agree with a review above, very choppy. Was not the easiest book to read. But it was okay.
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Summary: Brilliant Insight on Obsession
Review: My copy has been passed along to all my friends. None of us could put it down! After reading this book, one learns the importance of choosing battles carefully. This is a must read for true crime fans and one of Ann Rule's best.
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Summary: Sanitized
Review: I I hesitate to say that "Every Breath" doesn't live up Rule classics (If You Really Loved Me, Small Sacrifices) - books should be judged on their own merit - but the fact remains it isn't one of her best. However, a lesser Ann Rule is still pretty good, and "Every Breath" has one amazing character, Allan Blackthorne. He is despicable, fascinating, and absorbing. Rule relates his tumultuous childhood with compassion, yet without even a hint of making excuses. I have to agree with other readers that Rule is not critical enough of Sheila. Rule is a good enough writer to allow us to feel compassion for a creep like Allan, she ought to have trusted her readers enough to depict Sheila more honestly and still feel horrified at what happened to her. Sheila stays with Allan after he murders a motorcyclist (in her presence) and bankrupts her parents, and this is never viewed critically. Sheila is simply the passive, perfect victim for whom Rule makes excuses. After Sheila eventually leaves Allan (hurrah!) she marries another controlling, violent man. Jamie is clearly a thousand times better than Allan, but when confronted with Sheila's two rebellious teenage daughters he reacts with physical violence. A more compassionate man might have seen that these girls had experienced a lot of chaos and pain in their short lives, and needed patience, not a drill sergeant. I can't begin to imagine the pain this man experienced, yet I remain critical of Jamie. Perhaps Rule was required to depict Sheila and Jamie in such a positive light to get cooperation for the book, it feels very sanitized. Sheila's memory might have been better served by more honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent....Couldn't put it down!
Review: I have been a long-time reader of Ann Rule and have always enjoyed her books. As in all her books, she has researched each person thoroughly so you can feel as if you know each person involved in the story. My favorite thing about her books is getting to know what makes up the criminal mind. The background history of each killer. I read this book turning each page as fast as I could. A definite A-plus!
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