Helpful Score: 4
Pat Allenson is truly a black widow in a southern belle costume. Horrifying story about a spoiled little girl who never grew up. Ann Rule outdoes herself on this one.
Helpful Score: 3
True complex story about a real 'drama queen' but is easy to follow. bonus pics in center of book
Helpful Score: 3
This was a very well researched book about a sociopathic woman who thinks she can break all the rules and get away with it.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was an extremly well written book. It's a true story, murder mystery, and incredible story. I took the book with everywhere, reading it whenever I could. It was so good that I never bothered to turn on tv, opting to read for hours on end.
Helpful Score: 1
A really strange true story with 32 pages of photos.
Helpful Score: 1
DEFINITELY one of her best!!
Helpful Score: 1
This one is my favorite Ann Rule book.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoy Ann Rule's books, she writes as if shes looking over the shoulder of the people as their lives play out. This one takes place in Georgia.
Helpful Score: 1
Ann Rule never disappoints. The woman in this true crime is a doozy. As always, well thought-out and easy to follow.
Helpful Score: 1
Another Great Ann Rule book!! If you like true crime, this is a must read!
Great true crime
True story of obsessive love, murder and betrayal written by best woman author of true crime. Readable style of writing creates a narrative of individuals and events that can make this book hard to put down. Story of headstrong Georgia woman who controls all around her using either her behavior or continued demands. Made into a Lifetime television mini-series.
It's sad to say but this story was too slow to get into. I gave it about 10 chapters and then I gave up. There was nothing that compelling to draw me in. It is hard to give up on a book but I gave up on this one.
Obsessive Love, Murder, Betrayal in the South
Another great Ann Rule book. As the old saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. I always enjoy the photos included in Rule's books as they put a face with the characters you are reading about. Highly recommend this, or any of her books.
This is such a fascinating tale of lies, theft, arson, poisoning, and murder that EVERYTHING SHE EVER WANTED appeared on Lifetime as a TV mini-series starring Gina Gershon and Victor Garber. The crimes were so cleverly done that it took authorities two decades to bring the perp to heel. In the meantime, two families were destroyed.
This story opens with the engagement and marriage of tiny Pat Taylor and blacksmith Tom Allanson. They dreamed of creating a Tara-like plantation where they could raise Morgan horses and roses and take their place in the sophisticated social arena of Atlanta. They were both divorced but felt they had now met their soulmate (in the other partner). They even dressed as Rhett and Scarlet for their wedding.
Tom's parents were unhappy he remarried so quickly after his divorce from Carol. Tom's father was an attorney running for a judgeship, and he was angry with Tom. Pat wanted peace between Tom and his parents and encouraged him to contact them. They weren't buying, and Mr. Allanson threatened his son with death.
After Tom's parents were murdered in their home, Tom went to prison for their murders. In the meantime, to support herself and her two daughters (from a previous marriage), Pat started doing home care (passing herself and one of her daughters as nurses). After their long-term care job ended, one daughter called and threatened the other for making them lose their jobs.
When checking on what happened, the daughter called the long-term care job to find out what happened. The family knew the two had stolen priceless objects and suspected they had killed their father. Everything started to unravel at this point. When the older man's remains were tested for poison, the truth came out. This book is a page-turner.
Ann Rule began her career as a Seattle police officer. She used that knowledge in her thirty-five best-sellers (all of which are still in print). She writes with such an understanding of the criminal mind. Her writing is concise and sharp; there are no vague statements or ideas. Ms. Rule knew what she wanted to say and did it with class and panache. Her most famous novel was THE STRANGER BESIDE ME, which told the story of Ted Bundy, who worked beside her and whom she considered a friend.
This story opens with the engagement and marriage of tiny Pat Taylor and blacksmith Tom Allanson. They dreamed of creating a Tara-like plantation where they could raise Morgan horses and roses and take their place in the sophisticated social arena of Atlanta. They were both divorced but felt they had now met their soulmate (in the other partner). They even dressed as Rhett and Scarlet for their wedding.
Tom's parents were unhappy he remarried so quickly after his divorce from Carol. Tom's father was an attorney running for a judgeship, and he was angry with Tom. Pat wanted peace between Tom and his parents and encouraged him to contact them. They weren't buying, and Mr. Allanson threatened his son with death.
After Tom's parents were murdered in their home, Tom went to prison for their murders. In the meantime, to support herself and her two daughters (from a previous marriage), Pat started doing home care (passing herself and one of her daughters as nurses). After their long-term care job ended, one daughter called and threatened the other for making them lose their jobs.
When checking on what happened, the daughter called the long-term care job to find out what happened. The family knew the two had stolen priceless objects and suspected they had killed their father. Everything started to unravel at this point. When the older man's remains were tested for poison, the truth came out. This book is a page-turner.
Ann Rule began her career as a Seattle police officer. She used that knowledge in her thirty-five best-sellers (all of which are still in print). She writes with such an understanding of the criminal mind. Her writing is concise and sharp; there are no vague statements or ideas. Ms. Rule knew what she wanted to say and did it with class and panache. Her most famous novel was THE STRANGER BESIDE ME, which told the story of Ted Bundy, who worked beside her and whom she considered a friend.
Another good book by Ann Rule. A must read for true crime and Ann fans
From the back cover:
In this fascinating account, Ann Rule delivers a tour de force: a whirlwind of misguided love, denial, guilt, and passions out of control; a series of brilliantly manipulated crimes; the bizarre and horrifying tale of two families brought to ruin; and, at the center of it all, the heartless, supremely selfish sociopath whose evil hid behind soft words and gentle manners, but who destroyed- without mercy- those who loved her.
In this fascinating account, Ann Rule delivers a tour de force: a whirlwind of misguided love, denial, guilt, and passions out of control; a series of brilliantly manipulated crimes; the bizarre and horrifying tale of two families brought to ruin; and, at the center of it all, the heartless, supremely selfish sociopath whose evil hid behind soft words and gentle manners, but who destroyed- without mercy- those who loved her.
Stories of obessive love, murder and betrayal.
A true story of Obsessive love, murder and betrayal.
Ann Rule True Crime, obsessive love, murder & betrayal;Pat Taylor & Tom Allanson are like modern-day Scarlet O'Hara & Rhett Butler in the South, then people start noticing all these puzzeling deaths, home burned, suicide, what next?
True life story of Pat Taylor and handsome Tom Allanson and their love and tragedy. Everything Pat ever wanted she got and everything she touched turned to ashes or was destroyed and she was never to blame or was she?
Ann Rule writes the best true stories, this is one of those books that you say I can't believe that.
I've read just about all of Ann Rule's books, and this is the one I enjoyed the least. The story was not that interesting to begin with, and was way too long and drawn-out. Should have been a short story, at best. I don't recommend reading it.
Great True crime book
liked the movie better
Did not finish the book - did not like it at all.
