Abridged Audiobook
This book was just ok for me. The fact that it took place in Oregon and I live in Oregon, meant I could see many of the places in the story in my minds eye and relate. Other than that, some parts seemed repetitive and I found myself wishing for it t move along.
I am not always a huge Rule fan. Some of her books focus on the lives of the victims and the crime itself to the detriment of the reader learning about the attacker. This is not always her fault, sometimes the attacker remains unknown. However, this book focused entirely on the life of one person and those she interacted with, and it was amazing! Well written, well read, a great journey into the life of an unsettlingly outwardly normal individual.
This was a really a case of truth being stranger than fiction. Unbelievable at face value but made believable when written by Ms. Rule.
I have read several of Ann Rule’s books and while this story is well written, I don’t think it was one of her best. Don’t allow that to detract from the overall subject of the book, it still fascinating listening to how someone can live in a series of deliberately constructed lies all to satisfy their own selfish desires. Even if she is innocent of the crime (which I don’t believe she is), she is still guilty of endless webs of deceit which have adversely affected so many people. I shake my head at how real life is sometimes more bazaar than fiction. Blair Brown narrated the book well.
I liked it. Kept me involved the whole way through. I also like the voice of the reader.
True crime is always interesting and Ann Rule is one of the best. If a writer made the Liysa character up, no one would believe it - she's a real piece of work.
This is a well written and very detailed piece of nonfiction. The story is organized, clear and full of suspense.
This book was a little too much like a soap opera. It seemed to raise a lot of questions that it did not completely answer. I couldn't stop listening because I had to know the ending; but, I was glad when it was over.
This book moves along very well until almost the end. then it seems to jump around a bit to much for me.
Boring, repetitious and an evil, deluded main character who lied even when she didn't have to. Not a compelling story even if it had been better written. It's sad that this is a true story but wasn't really worth memorializing in print. Take a pass.
In fairness to Rule, I have set very high expectations for her, based on previous works of hers that I have read or listened too. I loved Blair Brown's narration here, but for me this is not even in Ann Rule's normal league. This was anticlimatic, the characters are distant, and the pace is too slow. I made it through all five disks, due in large part to Brown's enchanting voice, but the story wasn't great. I would have expected Rule to run with a woman who "fakes amnesia", and instead we got more about a battered woman who wasn't. If I am being to critical here, it is because I consider myself a Rule fan, and this one isn't up to the Rule standard.
Ann Rule tells the story of Liysah Norton quite well. I am disappointed that there isn't really anything in google on her. It is a testament to how a criminal mind can work under delusion. Great listen.
I was disappointed with this book. I happen to be a fan of the narrator, Blair Brown, and for that reason I continued to listen. The book kept repeating the same details over and over and well, maybe this is a sign of my being over stimulated by other true crime stories, because I found it boring. Still, I like Ann Rule and it was better than the radio!
This book was a real disappointment. It is the first book I've heart by Ann Rule, and I honestly don't care to listen to any others by her. In addition to the boring story line, with details being repeated over and over, the person who was reading the story had inflections in the wrong places and was difficult to listen to.
Ann Rule writes a great story. Held my interest throughout the book - even though I knew the ending!
This is a typical Ann Rule book; full of ancestoral details on all the primary players in the story. I did not think the subject matter or the story it generated was nearly as good as her first works. If you are an Ann Rule fan though, you will want to listen to this one.
Hard to follow all of the characters sometimes, but that is real life. Good writting and very complete
VERY GOOD, MAYBE NOT QUITE UP TO ANN RULES BEST BUT I RECOMMEND IT.
Good story and my 1st Ann Rule book. I liked the way the story played out and thought that the character cast was interesting and an important part to knowing the whole story. A major element that was missed however was the lack of details of the mother/daughter relationship between Liysa and her mother. I think that if we knew more about Liysa's early relationship with her mom, we may have gleaned some insight into her adult behavior. Perhaps there was nothing to be told and Liysa just was a "bad seed."
Very interesting story. Amazing to me how Liysa was able to "fool" so many people.
The author made all of it too black or white. The bad was so bad, it was overkill, and it got boring. Too long.
If you like true crime, this is a good one. I had never heard of this case before, so it was good not to have any predetermined ideas about it.
Another enjoyable true crime book from Ann Rule. She has a unique talent of finding a very scary criminal and writing a suspenseful account of their crime.
if this were abridged down to a single CD, it would have been a fine story - but it was drawn out to a point where she was telling the life history of the parents of people who Chris had met - I mean it was seriously ridiculous. even before the end of the first CD I was asking myself why I was still listening. Ann Rule has done much better worse than this - it makes me wonder if she's being paid by the page
Ann Rule's books never let me down. Her true crime stories fascinate me. The characters in this story could be your friends or neighbors, although at other times they seem inordinately privileged. I found the story compelling and astounding. Highly recommended!
I usually limit my time listening to audio books to my time in the car, but I had to bring this one in at night. It was a fabulous "listen." I had to stop at my local bookstore to see the photos in the book so that I could picture the characters. All men who think their wives can be difficult should read about Liysa Northon!
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