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Summary: thinking of cosmetic surgery? read this book!
Review: 'Last Dance, Last Chance" is yet another of Ann Rule's collection of true crime stories, dominated by one major story followed by several smaller ones. Personally I think these collections don't show off the author's skills very well, and they seem a bit formulaic ... yet Ann Rule continues to pump them out at a rate of one per year.In this book the main story is about a very disturbed young doctor and his long suffering wife. The man is not only a rotten physician but also a horrible husband/father. After repeated failures at entering into specialized medicine he hangs a shingle in front of his office and instantly becomes a cosmetic surgeon (..from hell). You can imagine the rest. But you cannot imagine how this insecure, rotten individual takes out his frustration on his family. Fascinating horror ... it can only be real. Bottom line: enjoyable but not memorable Ann Rule material. Yet surely her fans should and will read it.
Rating:
Summary: thinking of cosmetic surgery? read this book!
Review: 'Last Dance, Last Chance" is yet another of Ann Rule's collection of true crime stories, dominated by one major story followed by several smaller ones. Personally I think these collections don't show off the author's skills very well, and they seem a bit formulaic ... yet Ann Rule continues to pump them out at a rate of one per year. In this book the main story is about a very disturbed young doctor and his long suffering wife. The man is not only a rotten physician but also a horrible husband/father. After repeated failures at entering into specialized medicine he hangs a shingle in front of his office and instantly becomes a cosmetic surgeon (..from hell). You can imagine the rest. But you cannot imagine how this insecure, rotten individual takes out his frustration on his family. Fascinating horror ... it can only be real. Bottom line: enjoyable but not memorable Ann Rule material. Yet surely her fans should and will read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Inside the mind of a sociopath...
Review: Ann Rule has penned a real-life monster story with "Last Dance, Last Chance." Here she tells the story of Doctor Anthony Pignataro, the son of a prominent Buffalo, NY surgeon, who lacked any of the gifts his father had. He masked his insecurity and incompetence with a veneer of arrogance and attitude that alienated most of those around him. In fact the only person besides his mother to stand by him through years of failed attempts to finish a medical residency program was his wife Debbie. Not only was Tony Pignataro crude, rude and offensive to most people, but he showed little true affection for his family unless he needed something from them. In fact, he was a philandering husband, caught in at least two affairs by his long-suffering wife. Pignataro ventured into cosmetic surgery after inventing a permanent hairpiece that attached to the skull via titanium implants. He made a fortune doing this procedure along with the occasional breast implantation and tummy tuck in his understaffed office. His poor work habits ultimately had deadly consequences when a young woman died during a routine breast augmentation procedure. As a result, Pignataro lost his medical license and his practice, developed a heroin habit and continued an affair with a stripper named Tami, whom he decided to make a new life with as soon as he could dispose of his wife. He attempted to do so during a brief reconciliation period. His plans went awry when Debbie survived the massive poisoning, and with the tests proving she was poisoned, investigators soon focused on Tony as their lead suspect. This is a chilling tale of a conscienceless killer who had everything going for him and trashed it all through his own greed and lust for adoration. This is another testament as to why Ann Rule is the best at her craft.
Rating:
Summary: another chart-topper
Review: Ann Rule reigns as the nation's best true-crime author, and the publication of "Last Dance, Last Chance" is a must-read for her legions of readers. Rule is at the top of her form as she writes compassionately, with her remarkable insights and apt phrases. She captures the character of Dr. Anthony Pignataro, whose grossly swollen ego caused him to disregard other people entirely and led to grave injury, and even death, for his surgical patients. Eventually even his wife became a victim, as he attempted to poison her with ant-killing arsenic. Rule's compelling narrative will rivet you to your chair with her description of the suffering of his wife, both physical and emotional, as she slowly realizes who is responsible for her
months of extremely painful, crippling illness. Unlike the victims whose stories Rule has brought us before, Debbie Pignataro lives, and all readers will be uplifted by her strength and courage. Also included in the book are more stories from Rule's files of murders in western Washington, one dating back more than fifty years. Each one is told with Rule's trademark advocacy for the victims, who were silenced by their killers. Through the pen of this gifted writer they speak to us. Highly recommended.
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Summary: She's Baaaaack!
Review: I read a lot of "true crime" books. IMHO, Ann Rule is probably the best living true crime writer -Truman Capote, in just one book, established himself as The Best in the genre he created, but he's deceased, hence Rule being one of the best *living* true crime writers. As in her seven prior "Crime Files" volumes, Rule has written one "Novella" length account (317/463 pages,) and several shorter sagas. In The Big Story, Ms Rule shuffles off to Buffalo, NY to chronicle a "Medico sociopath." The shorter stories return Ms. Rule to her home Northwest territories of Washington and Oregon. These include a 54 year old file in which she makes 1948 come alive again. Those who worried with me that Rule might have jumped her shark (see www[...]com) in last year's *Every Breath You Take,* can breathe easier. Rule is back on the track she owns. As always, readers should adhere to "Owen's Ann Rule rule:" Don't peek at the pictures in the center until the suspect has been identified by law enforcement, unless you are one of those folks who read the last chapter of any mystery first ;-) Reviewed by TundraVision
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Summary: Edie from Pennsylvania
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It made a long journey across Canada in airplane go a lot faster. It definitely saved the day, as I had an eight hour journey! It had romance, suspense, and unfortunately heartbreak all in one story. The people in this story are very intriguing and the other stories as well are an example of how a web of evil deeds can often entangle the weaver with his own cruel lies. Great writing by Ann Rule as always!
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Summary: not typical ann rule fare
Review: not typical ann rule fare (the intended victim still lives), but she remains a good story-teller. i read this book in a fraction of the time it takes me to read most other books. i should probably register a complaint tho...she's written one book recently that the victim (now dead) requested, and now she's writing stories about people who aren't even dead- what next? i'm afraid that her popularity, along with the pressure to turn out 2 books a year, is going to reduce her to the literary equivalent of stephen king and john grisham- both talented artists who probably don't even remember anything they've written in the last 5 years. not to be morbid, ann, but we (i, anyway) love you for bringing out the deadly sociopaths- the ones who are intelligent enough to actually pull it off. you still spin a yarn better than any true-crime writer i know of, and i love reading stories set in my hometown area (seattle)...but there have to better stories out there than the pseudodoctor who TRIED to kill his wife!
Rating: 
Summary: Witness of the real story
Review: Pignataro is one of the most evil, twisted, souls ever to emerge from the pits of hell!
I was blown away by Ann Rule's description of Pignataro's relentless pursuit of a medical education, total disregard for his patients, and deep desire to exact revenge against his enemies.
As the son of a retired medical school Dean, I met my share of Pignataros. What drives theese people to offshore medical schools, endless years of post-graduate training, and usually an unfulfilling career is beyond me!
The book does have one flaw. Ann Rule doesn't express outrage that Pignataro was prosecuted for criminal nigligence.
If every cosmetic surgeon had to hire an anesthesiologist to put patients asleep, cosmetic surgery would be unaffordable.
Clearly, Pignataro should have had a working EKG and shock machine in case of an emergency and Sarah Smith was overmedicated but I don't understand how that creates the conditions for a criminal nigligence case.
Rating:
Summary: A bender with the dance macabre
Review: Reading this was part of yet another true crime bender of mine. The thing about Ann Rule is she's got good stories and a big heart so it gets to us in a way we can digest as informative, educational and entertaining.
LAST CHANCE, LAST DANCE is a good example. The story, if it didn't involve real life victims, is almost absurd. A very bad doctor - bad in character and medical practices - operates as a cosmetic surgeon by peforming breast enlargements, spot reductions and so on, and eventually murders one of his patients. He is possessed of such a chaotic personality that everyone involved with him becomes victimized in one way or another. The most unfortunate is his wife whom he slowly poisons with arsenic. Incredibly, this woman survives despite terrible pain and the loss of the use of her hands and legs for a lengthy period. The doctor is caught, confesses and is sentenced. The wife receives loving and able assistance from police workers, relatives and neighbors. She recuperates and begins another life with her children.
I found this tale informative in its details about medical licenses and practices, entertaining in describing the region, the doctor's office and the lifestyle of these people, and educational in implying that caution must be maintained when facing any medical procedure: those framed medical certificates on the office wall are not decorations and should be checked.
As in all Ann Rule's "true crime files," the other stories are macabre and told in a deliberately succinct manner, as though the writer did not want to expand on the hideous details for fear of propoundng such grim matter as a form of entertainment. She's quite right in her brevity; the suffering of these victims is respected and not exploited. Finally, Ann Rule's momentum is deeply rooted in justice and the people who work hard in pursuit of justice. It may appear sappy but in fact it's great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: One of her best!
Review: This true story is hard to believe it is really true! Wonderfully written by Ann. It gives us all a warning to check our Doctor's out throughly before having procedures performed such as plastic surgery. The horror this man put his wife and others through is unforgivable. A must read.
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