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Let me preface this rating by saying my opinion of this book is not a reflection of my feelings towards the murder of Sheila Blackthorne Bellush. Her murder was tragic, unnecessary, and senseless. The low rating is primarily due to the writing style. I understand that Ann Rule is a highly respected True Crime author and I typically enjoy her work too. With that said, Every Breath You Take was filled with too much redundant and pointless information. For example, Ms. Rule details the background o...
While Ann Rule’s writing of The Stranger Beside Me was heavily influenced by the fact that she was friends and colleagues with Ted Bundy, her connection to the subject of Every Breath You Take is quite personal, too. Rule never met Sheila Blackthorne Bellush, but Shelia’s sister tells Ann Rule that Sheila had asked that she write the book about her if anything was to happen to her at the hands of her ex-husband, Allen Blackthorne. One of the reasons The Stranger Beside Me is such a great true cr...
2.5 StarsThis might be my last true crime book for the foreseeable future. What happened to Sheila Bellush was horrible, and honestly it was hard to read about. Ann is a *fantastic* writer, and this rating has nothing to do with her ability--it says more about my personal comfort/tastes. Stories like that make me question how ANYONE would doubt a woman who says that she is afraid of her ex. I'm glad that they were made to answer for their crimes, but this was just as disheartening when you look
"If anything ever happens to me, promise me that you'll see that there is an investigation... And find Ann Rule and ask her to write my story" That is what Sheila Bellush told her sister after her hellish divorce from Allen Blackthorne. And sadly Ann Rule did. Sheila Bellush was a beautiful 35 year old wife and mother of 6 including 18 month old quadruplets. She and her family had fled Texas to escape her ex husband Allen Blackthorne. She had spent the last decade of her life living in constant
“If anything ever happens to me…find Ann Rule and ask her to write my story.”Sheila Blackthorne Bellush about Ann Rule: Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and MurderThis book was so sad and tragic but you just cannot stop reading it.Let me start by saying when reading true crime. I usually do not get above a 3 in my rating. That is because I am reading about real life victims so it's hard. Ann Rule has always been among my favorites in terms of True Crime. She really had
Basically a good read if you like to follow true crime. However it's a novel that could and maybe should have been written with half as many pages. Rule gives far too many quotes and snippets from all sides of the families, legal teams and accused to make it a pleasure to read. It drags as we are burdened by a sea of facts,dates and her insights.
I feel kind of bad but this book didn’t work for me. It was the writing and story structure...It just didn’t do anything for me. Reading became a chore.
I must say that for a nonfiction book, this read like a novel. I was intrigued and disgusted by the case, and I wanted justice done! A very good book. I will definitely read more of Ann Rule in the future.
I would have liked to give this 4 stars, but I thought it was a little bit long winded
Finally finished this book. Didn’t love it. Pretty heavy on the cop-worship. I️ think I’m finally cured of my Ann Rule mania.
This woman can surely write a detailed true crime book!
This was a hard book to read. I was actually living and working in Florida when she was murdered. We followed the story and I was incensed when Mexico refused to extradite the killer unless the US agreed we would not senates him to the death penalty. If anyone deserved to die, it was the ex-husband and the murderer. The fact they still breathe is completely offensive to me after of what they did.
The book was repetitive and dealt too much with the muder plot than the murder itself. Ann notes extensively the family history of the nurdered woman and the killer devoting several chapters - translating to many hours of book reading time - to the kind of parents the murderer had. I understand that her attempt was to show the ultimate motives for the murder, but it just took me way off track. She could have mentioned as she wrote about the murderer that his mother was abusive, father hated him,...
This was a very long detailed tale of murder for hire. I had seen an episode of some criminal show that detailed this case so I already knew the outcome. Allen is an evil, evil man who should have died when he was attacked in prison. The thought that someday an appeal could go through and he could be released is frightening. I do wonder where the quads are today and if they faired well.
I have never read Ann Rule before and I think I may have read an article about her recently. I'm also not a big true crime reader. However, I thought this book was absolutely fascinating. Rule is an amazing writer and portrayed Allen Blackthorne in a chilling manner. I could hardly put this book down. Sheila Blackthorne Bellush tells her sister "If anything ever happens to me, find Ann Rule and ask her to tell my story." And what a story it is. Allen Blackthorne was a violent sociopath who could...
The true crime writer Ann Rule did it splendidly again here. This here, besides, Anthony Trollope, she has risen to the top of my list as one of my most read authors. In the past, I used to avoid anything to do with true crime and preferred the age old law reports which are bereft of the impact and distraught which some crimes cause to the victims. Through her books, Ann Rule has contributed greatly to the American Criminal Justice System. Here, we meet with Allen Van Houte aka Blackthorne. A ma...