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Summary: HEART FULL OF LIES
Review: Once again Ann Rule has outdone herself, I thought I had read every book she's ever written however this one was AMAZING, I was so disappointed when I finished this book I read it in two days excellent characters, superb scene setting sometime I felt I was actually there.
Rating: 
Summary: My least favorite/Totally disliked this book
Review: I read this book, ot took forever. All of Ann Rule's books captivated me, all but this one. I had to drag myself through it and it was the only book that I felt was not worthy of my time. I kept thinking it would pick up, it never did, I am disapointed to say the least....Added note: I do not know what the "voting buttons" are and where to select them, I was only reviewing the book which I thought was boring to read, i normally read her books in days, this was something when put down, I kept hesitating to pick it back up...
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Summary: Another winner from my favorite author
Review: Ann Rule has done it again - I couldn't put it down. Liysa Norton makes Pat Allanson ("All She Ever Wanted") and Diane Downs ("Small Sacrifice") look like Girl Scouts by comparison. This woman attracted (and married) tall, handsome, talented men of means and still she wasn't satisfied! I'm infuriated she got only ten years for cold-blooded shooting Chris Northon in the head after drugging him and using a stun-gun on him. I hope she never, ever gets her hands on her two sons again before they reach adulthood and they can see her for what she is. Sad that there are people like this in the world.
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Summary: Don't buy this book -- bad bad writing
Review: Oh, my. The story might have been a good one, but the writing is awful. How awful? .Paragraphs don't hang together, chapters don't hang together. It's repetitive. "For all intents and purposes..." used at least three times. Ms. Rule's writing is stilted and has no flow. Moreover, the story wasn't developed in a suspenseful manner, though it could have been. I never read Ann Rule before and I won't again. Can't believe she's a best-selling writer. It was a waste of my money.
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Summary: Mr. DeWitt: Open Your Eyes
Review: I read this book in less than a week, and am amazed at the web of deceit that Liysa created around everyone with whom she had contact ! Mr. DeWitt, I'm sure it is very difficult for you to accept that your daughter is a cold blooded killer, but she DID have options available to her if Chris was abusing her (which there is no doubt HE WAS NOT !!!) SHe could have LEFT HIM. I have a family member who was the victim of a violent crime, and I feel no sympathy for your manipulative, killer daughter. SHe should rot in prison for the rest of her life and be stripped of her parental right to her children. Didn't you or your wife recognize her mental problems growing up? YOu asked at the end of your review whos' heart was full of lies ? Well here's the answer: Your daughters !
Rating: 
Summary: bookfull of lies
Review: This book is overall written very well, however I thought a "true crime" book was supposed to contain mostly factual information. I am a family member (a first cousin) to Liysa Northon and I found 95% of the "facts" to be appalling and incorrect. I believe this author should at least donate a portion of her sales from this book to the victims of domestic violence charity.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was so excited to see a new Anne Rule book in the library - a cause for celebration. I have read ALL her books. I found "Heart full of Lies" not nearly as compelling or interesting as her other books. I agree with many of the reviewers who agree that this is not Anne's best. I was left with questions and anger that Liysa got off so easily for this horrible, premeditated murder. I hope she stays in jail for the entirety of her measly sentence. I have no doubt that she could lure future men and dispose of them in the same way she did Chris. I also fear for her boys...and her ability to manipulate and control them from and beyond jail.
Anyway - to Anne - keep writing - you're still a great author.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Ann Rule
Review: I have read a number of the reviews for this book including the DeWitt family and I find it sad that so many lives have been negatively affected by this woman's insatiable desire to be the center of attention. This book is typical Ann Rule reading and anyone who has read her previous books will know what to expect. There is some repetition, however, I feel it is necessary to understand the characters better. I think the real problem with the storyline in this book is not in Ann's writing, but in the subject matter. I don't think either individual, Liysa or Chris, is exceptionally likable. I am a parent myself and I certainly wouldn't have put my children in the situations these parents did. That being said, the book is still worthwhile reading. Ann's ability to describe the beautiful Hawaiian locations is breath taking. Especially if you live in cold Michigan in January. I also find it amazing that such a promising photography career was abandoned. Liysa's photograph's really are beautiful. Check them out on the web sometime. (Liysa King)
Rating:
Summary: Not her best.
Review: This is not the best Ann Rule book I've ever read (that honor would be split between "The Stranger Beside Me" and "Small Sacrifices"), but it has definite improvements over some of her others that I've read, as well as some problems. She presents us with the story of Liysa Northon and it is a good story, but there are several problems.
1. No first person interviews of Liysa or her immediate family, which add a lot of credibility and information that you can't get otherwise. Who knows why Liysa killer her husband or how she killed him? Ms. Rule is forced into some educated conjecture, which leaves a lot lacking in terms of motive and life story facts. Was Liysa really abused as a child? What was she like with prior boyfriends? We just don't know, because of the lack of interviews.
2. I was disappointed and surprised by how callously she treated Liysa's claims of abuse. She acted as if Liysa's friends and relatives were just reactionary and overly trusting upon hearing Liysa's tales of abuse, when I could definitely see myself reacting the same way. If someone you loved told you that they were being beaten, I doubt that you'd calmly make a list of times and dates of "alleged" injuries or debate with them over whether these things actually occurred. Of course you'd stand by them and believe what they'd told you.
3. Since all of this happened so recently and there are still such strong emotions surrounding this case (as evidenced by amazon postings, if nothing else), it seemed to me that Ms. Rule was loathe to offend anyone by putting Chris Northon (the deceased) in a very good light, or putting Liysa in a very bad light. It's great that she loved her kids so much and that she was a good writer and photographer, but she killed her husband with her son present. And wrote a letter to him justifying herself. And, as another reviewer has mentioned, we see no evidence of her writing, so we can't judge for ourselves if Liysa is talented or merely mediocre and slightly delusional. It is a good story, though and I liked that the court segment (generally about a third of her books, overly long to me) was cut short this time, at least in part because of Liysa's plea bargain. Her descriptions of Hawaii and Oregon are lovely, and she gives a very accurate analysis of the problems with Liysa's story. As usual, prosecutors and police are glorified, a stance that I have always thought impressive, and with these people, you really feel Ms. Rule's connection. These are obviously the people that she finds enigmatic and fascinating and I think she glories in saying only the best about them.
This is a worthwhile book, but read some of her others before you rush to judgment about her.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED THIS BOOK!!
Review: Once again Ann Rule writes a book that I just cannot put down... This book was so interesting that once I read it, I wanted to research the story and read all reviews. I did run into the review that Liysa's father and brother wrote, and my heart goes out to her father and brother. I am sure they ache for her to be released from prison, and I am sure they want to believe she is innocent with all of their heart. I did think the book was excellent reading, and really could not put it down, but it is so very sad that so many people's lives were effected.
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