If you love non-fiction crime....Read this one

I blame Ann Rule for making me forget all about Thomas Hardy and the 19th century and turning me to a life of crime.

Ann makes this story shine with intrigue

At first, this story would not have been interesting without Ann Rule's insights into the diabolical mind of Mary Patricia Vann Radcliffe Taylor Allanson who was always the center of attention since her infancy. Her crimes are just shocking and always selfish to best suit her needs. Never mind that she provoked her brother's suicide by outing his former girlfriend or revealing his true paternity, she manipulated her former husband to murder his own parents, she poisoned his grandparents and those she took care of. how did she get such a position when it was already known that she poisoned her husband's grandparents as well and went to jail. She is a true sociopath in the terms of Sante Kimes. You have to feel pity and admiration for Susan, the daughter, who went against the family, and even Debbie who played the dutiful daughter unaware of her mother's true intentions. Ann Rule is again in Georgia working on another true crime story. This story should be made into a movie as well. Of course, Ann has moved on with other stories but this story is with you long after you stop reading it. It's such a shame that there are no color pictures in my book but black and white. The story is long and complicated. Pat's crimes won't be forgotten. Her daughter Susan's only crime was being truthful. How she didn't get stopped before is a wonder?

love true crime books

I was able to keep up with the order in which the events occured without much effort. That means a lot when you only have time to read a chapter before you have to go to work or other things. But one thing that did tend to drive me crazy was the author's cont. comments about the allegedly beauty of Pat Allanson. From the pictures that were in the book except for when she was three I thought maybe the author was being fecisious. Pat may not be ugly but beautiful is a little over the top. The women has buck teeth for goodness sake. And that picture of her in a two piece were not exactly model looks. I also had a hard time feeling any sympathy for her victims except the elderly ones. Her oldest daughter for example was given many clues about what her mother was doing and she chose to ignor it as did so many others. Since that was their choice I find it hard to feel sorry for them. Of course her parents got just what they deserved. Anyway except for that loved the book.