- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (Jan 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0743202961
- ISBN-13: 978-0743202961
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 726 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #612,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The latest from respected true crime veteran Rule (And Never Let Her Go, etc.) walks readers through the tortured life and ugly murder of Sheila Bellush, a woman relentlessly pursued by her sexually obsessed ex-husband, Allen Van Houte. The crime scene is horrific: Bellush lies dead in the kitchen while her toddler quadruplets are left to walk naked through her blood. Bellush had long warned close friends that she feared her ex-husband's reprisals and went so far as to request "if I'm not here... find Ann Rule and have her write my story." Rule, in classic form, meticulously re-creates the prosaic lives of her characters, charting one woman's pleasantly humdrum existence undermined by a man bent on making a fortune though defaulting on bank loans and pedestrian cons, such as swindling family members. After he lured Bellush into his world of sexual play, she left him, and he hired a man to kill her. The subsequent fallout included a complex and lengthy inquiry by investigators. There are no surprises here for the reader, though some may enjoy Rule's examination of Van Houte's manipulative and predatory nature. Essentially, this account is too long for its limited subject matter. (Oct. 15)Forecast: Sixteen of Rule's 18 books have been bestsellers, and the Free Press is pushing this with a 10-city tour, a 20-city radio satellite tour and floor displays. But it's possible that less-than-favorable word-of-mouth will cut into sales.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Rule, a former police officer, investigates another cold-blooded murder. This one has an unusual origin: the doomed woman, suspecting her eventual demise, tells a relative to contact Rule in case she dies suddenly. Every Breath You Take points to the perpetrator, so it is the narrative skill that hooks us. From a much longer book, this abridgment's brisk pace is well calculated for audio, with Blair Brown's straightforward narration. The tale involves wife and child abuse, kinky sex (no details provided), and fortunes made and squandered on the wrong things. Will the evil man who specializes in colossal deception in the end slip through the legal net? Strong as fiction, these hard facts have been researched. Definitely recommended for popular true-crime collections. Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1997, was an ordinary day in Sarasota, Florida-or so it seemed. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1997, was an ordinary day in Sarasota, Florida-or so it seemed. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could Have, Should Have Been Better,
By
This review is from: Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
You can't put it down!!!,
By Detelina (Long Island City, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic,
By A Customer
This review is from: Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder (Audio Cassette)
I enjoyed every moment of listening to this book. I won't give a synopsis of the story as so many reviewers feel compelled to do, but will say that, besides being a fascinating story, Blair Brown does an excellent job of narration. Its hard to believe this is an abridged version of the book as it contains all necessary details to make this a great, informative read.
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