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Rating: 
Summary: Loved this book!
Review: As a long-time reader of Ann Rule, I am pleased to say that this is her best book yet. While reading this unbelievable story, you will feel like you personally know the characters. Of all of Rule's protagonists, Allen Blackthorne is the most intriguing. He had everything anyone could want, and really nothing to gain by killing his ex-wife, but just couldn't allow her to slip away from his grasp. Well researched and written!
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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I originally just got this book for a crime and law paper I had to write. But it turned out to be so involving and so capturing, you really begin to feel like you know this family and you begin to feel what they went through. It is an amazingly detailed depiction of a serious sociopath and his demonic and manipulative ways at getting anything he wants and eliminating anything "unnecessary" to his lifestyle.
I highly recommend this to the reader who really wants to be -involved- with a story.
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: Rule delivers with another fascinating account of a creep
Review: Read EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: A TRUE STORY OF
OBSESSION, REVENGE AND MURDER by Ann Rule . . . what
made this book different is that it was actually written at the
victim's request . . . Sheila Blackthorne Bellush told her sister
after she divorced multimillionaire Allen Blackthorne, "If
anything ever happens to me, promise me that you will see
that there is an investigation. . . . And find Ann Rule and
ask her to write my story."Allen Blackthorne was quite some character. As Rule notes:
Somewhat surprisingly, Allen's test results did not indicate
that he was an antisocial personality (a sociopath). He was far
more complicated than that. His responses to standard tests
showed that he could control or channel his feelings of
aggression when he felt it necessary, and that he probably
was often depressed. He did not, however, have more than a
token ability to empathize with other people's feelings
on any deep level, and he showed narcissistic traits. The
word revolved around Allen. It always had. He was definitely NOT the kind of guy you'd like to have
as your neighbor . . . or run into on the golf course, though
he was known to lose big almost every time he played . . . I
personally have come to like true-crime stories much more
than mysteries in that they are so much more real . . . Rule
has never disappointed me with a past effort and this one
ranks right up there with one of her best . . . if you can get
past the creepiness of the main character, you'll find
this both fascinating and chilling . . . in addition, the
tenacity of the investigating detectives will certainly impress you. One other part of the book caught my attention: Blackthorne
once had a high school Distributive Education student
working for him on a part-time basis . . . I also taught DE
on a high school basis--let's just say a few years ago--and so
got a kick out of the subject being mentioned . . . it was the first time that I had ever seen it in a book . . . and probably the last since DE is now more commonly referred to as Marketing Education.
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: 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: Allen Blackthorne Was a Horror Story!
Review: This story tells about the life of Sheila Belush, the lady who was murdered when she moved to Sarasota FL., away from her devil of a husband. And that's the kind of man Allen Houte-Blackthorne
was; a great monster to fear. A liar, conman, and most of all sadist of the worst type, he hired someone to kill Sheila, his ex-wife. Ann Rule tells the story of how this happened. It took a long time before lawmen were able to track down all of the details to what REALLY happened to Sheila that November day in 1997. She had re-married by then, and had quadruplets with her new husband as well as her two other daughters. But in spite of her new and happier life in Sarasota, Sheila felt she always had her ex-husband to fear; and she was always watching her back.
She knew she wouldn't live to raise her family, and sadly this crime happened when the quads were only 2 years old. A very intense biography, and as you read, you'll hope that Allen gets what he deserves.
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