Customer Reviews

Heart Full of Lies: A True Story of Desire and Death

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Thank you Ann for telling this tragic story, and bringing some kind of justice to our families.This was the hardest book I will ever read in my life time. I am Chris Northon's cousin and had known and loved him for 45 years.I lived in Bend,Oregon and taught swimmming to Liysa's oldest sweet boy along with his two other cousins. Chris also asked if I would be interested in cleaning his home when they went back and forth to Hawaii since it was such a filthy mess, I think he was really embarrassed. I personally read the emails that the FBI culled from Liysia's long lost (stolen-another lie) computer, which by the way is public knowledge to anyone from the court house. She writes Drowning is the best, but I need a backup and Daddy gave her a .38 revolver! Isn't that aiding and abetting? She should have been convicted 25 years to Life. The true facts are the facts and we don't get our beloved Chris back in 10 years when she gets out. Chris' little boy doesn't get his dad back.
Our lives will never be the same, but our love for him forever.

It's tough to choose the right amount of stars in a genre that includes "In Cold Blood," "The Executioner's Song" & other classics that really raise the bar. But Ann Rule's "Heart Full of Lies" is one of her best since "The Stranger Beside Me," which is saying a lot, considering "Stranger" is itself a (flawed) classic.

"Heart" starts slow and just builds & builds & builds until we realize Rule just has a great grip on who the main characters are & has developed them very well. We get a very good sense of both Chris Northon & his wife Liysa. There is also a surprising & satisfying lack of ambiguity at the end about what happened.

The portrait of Liysa is ultimately devastating & compelling. I'm still thinking about her a couple of days after finishing the book. When do dysfunctional people cross the line from being merely a strain on their friends to being dangerous? How many people fit the category of dysfuctional time bombs? And why is it that some are able to fix themselves before calamity happens & become decent human beings where others never do?

The portrait of Liysa is all the more compelling because I got the sense that it ran against what Rule expected to find & against her natural sympathies. She seems inclined to empathize with abused women--but an empathetic abused woman is not where Rule's research leads her.

I don't recall the word "sociopath" anywhere in the book. But it does appear in reviews here. I suppose that is what Liysa is--a female sociopath (which seems to be rarer than male). If that's the case, then she's best locked up for the rest of her life.

"Heart" has well-developed characters, a decent sense of place & good reasons for being written. This is not (unlike much true crime) mere rubbernecking. This is a thought-provoking contribution to the genre.

Ann Rule has been doing this for a long time, & she is a true crime standard-bearer.

Another great read from Ann Rule. Is it a coincidence that the reviews from the people that knew Lisa state that this story is on the money and the only two that claim this to be full of lies both have the last name of DEWITT - one her father and the other her brother....... The only stable member of that family was her mother, Sharon, who is "accused" of beating Lisa throughout her life. Any half-intelligent person will come to the same conclusion - Lisa was/is a manipulative wanna be and sits where she belongs - in prison! Wayland, you were an accessory to murder and full of hot air - some things never change!

I picked up this book at a hospital gift shop, and had no idea I would be as taken in with the story as I was. I found myself speaking out as I read, completely frustrated with the extent this woman went to to destroy lives and get everything she thought she deserved. My blood was chilled.

I understand that Liysa is currently suing Ann Rule for painting a untrue picture of her in the novel. Well darling, if only a quarter of what she wrote is true (and I'm most positive it's much more than that), then you deserve to rot in jail for the rest of your natural life.

I really recommend this title for anyone who likes to read true crime books, and especially for those who relish watching the selfish and manipulative get what they deserve.

It never fails. When a new Ann Rule book comes out I drag at work the next day, because I can't put it down. I finally finished it at 3:00 a.m.

In the beginning it's hard to imagine that Liysa would be capable of murdering Chris. However, as Rule scrapes away the facade of her character, the outcome of the case becomes entirely believable. It was amazing how Liysa had been able to manipulate the men in her life to get what she wanted, and yet appear as a model wife and mother to her friends and family.

Previous editorials comment on Rule jumping back and forth in time and place. I found this to be a valuable investigative tool, almost following the way the investigators would be thinking. At face value the situation appeared one way, but when the investigators dug deeper they had to look at it again and again.

I didn't notice the size of the font, and with the popularity of Ann Rule I don't believe the publishers would feel it necessary to add to the production costs of the book by "padding" it.

Another great read by Ann Rule.

For the reviewers above: I wonder who the heck reads Ann Rule for her "skillfull prose?" The story is what compells readers! I have an English degree and the lack of fluent prose does not even faze a reader who is caught up in the skillful depiction of real-life people. Those complaints are pointless. If you want good prose, try other literary genres. True crime is supposed to be relatively journalistic. I disagree with people upholding the Ted Bundy book as an example of wonderful prose by Ann Rule; I found it blowsy and distracting. This book was fascinating and absorbing, and the people involved make a deep impression on any reader. The story comes to life very quickly. A good author makes that happen, even if the style is not fluent. This book is also very relatable, we all have charismatic friends who (even though they may not be murderers) find a way to be the center of attention through dishonesty and manipulation.
Also, I am still reeling from shock at the reader above who claims that Ann Rule ignored all of these problems from Chris Northon and wrote a story based on the skewed versions of the Northon family and Liysa's old relationships. I hope it's a relative posing as an unbiased reader. I agree Ann Rule paints her victims as more saintly, (women as well as men!) but this person actually seems to believe that there was a plausible side to Liysa's allegations of abuse! Ann Rule did an excellent and merciless job showing the inconsistencies in Liysa's story, over and over. Also, she made the point very clear that Chris Northon was willing to seek therapy for his family, and included the therapist's notes about how his anger is nonviolent! She also wrote repeatedly that Chris did not appreciate Liysa's intellect and mental gifts, and ignored her ambitions. This, I agree, can be damaging to any person and is not the earmark of an attentive spouse, but it is FAR from abusive behavior. Used to feeling desired, Liysa of course was hurt when she realized Chris was used to his autonomous lifestyle. However, in her this hurt became a drive to rid herself of him in the way most beneficial to her, instead of working it out. And who were the "credible sources" who were ignored that knew about Chris's problems with alcohol? The reviewer above mentioned this, and where he or she got this knowledge is very unclear. Liysa not only murdered her husband but may have helped destroy the credibility of real abused women with her carefully concoted lies. The faking amnesia with her first husband was a practice session in her skillful deceit.
The most interesting issue this book raises is that of abuse of a male. It sounds like Chris was a victim of spousal abuse; emotionally. The damages to his character are pervasive. Anyone who still tries to find a solid thread of truth to Liysa's story of fear and abuse is doing a GREAT DISSERVICE to abused victims all over the world and is ignoring the real signs of abuse. Hopefully this woman's lies did not do damage to anyone's real story. Hopefully she asks for a new trial and gets NAILED with a life sentence so that her stories do not harm her sons.

Once again Ann has captivated her readers. Her characters are so well defined they become real. Like some neighbor, or friend you once knew.As the story unfolds, she has you pondering, perplexing questions as to why this murder occurred.Its a fascinating tale of the psychopathic mind and how this personality will go to the extremeto accomplish her mission; MURDER!("The Kill") This narrative will keep you engrossed from page one to the last bloody page.Ann Rule has kept me entertained with her brilliant writing for over 20 years. Another fine job. I think this book ranks along side one of her best, "Dead by Sunset".

Ann Rule has done a good job of giving extensive evidence as to why Liysa Northon is a menace to society. Scary woman! I hate to tell her relatives (dad's review is on here, too), but Liysa didn't have the *right* to end Chris's life. She had MANY chances to leave, but she didn't, because she was "afraid" of a guy who is well known as mild mannered and friendly. Liysa's writing is a clear window into her soul and she has some real problems. It'd be great if someone from Liysa's family would admit that rather than try to paint her as an unknowing, innocent victim. Liysa is deathly afraid of her husband, yet wants to go to a secluded area with him for the weekend?? Uh, ok. Liysa claims that Chris put a knife to Bjorn's throat, so she leaves, AND COMES BACK?

Things don't add up here. No matter how many interviews Ann could have conducted with Liysa's relatives, it wouldn't change the stark facts at hand. Liysa is a manipulator, and she's got her own family in her clutches. The extent to which Liysa accuses those around her of being criminals or drug dealers is scary. In her world, she's the only normal/sane/law-abiding one.

I have read a few of Ann's books, and while this book might not make my list of favorites, she has certainly presented an interesting glimpse into a Liysa's disturbed mind. The only annoyance I had with this book is Rule's tendency to repeat information in different parts of the book.

Once again Ann Rule builds the character block by block, helping the reader see the whole spectrum of the person. People can be both good and bad, likeable and detestable.
Her research of subject matter and interviewing of witnesses is impeccable. I didn't find this book to be written in a bigger font to make up for content. This isn't fiction. The story was told, start to finish, does it really matter how many pages it did or didn't take to tell it? I hope Ann continues to tell the story for those who can no longer speak for themselves. People, who, by all accounts, were in very unfortunate situations and who deserve to still be living. Victims to be remembered as having been alive! Ann honors those unfortunate by spreading their story. Thanks for another fine writing.

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 Sacrifices") look like Girl Scouts by comparison.

This woman attracted (and married) tall, handsome, talented men of means and still she wasn't satisfied! "Give me, get me, buy me!" She wanted multi-million dollar ranches that none of her husbands could afford.

What a control freak. The men she was involved with were WAY too easy going and gave in to her TOO fast. She needed to hear "No, it can't be all YOUR way every time."

And the bit about breast-feeding her sons till they were four or five years old - she needed to get a life and a real job, in that order! Too much time on her hands.

I'm infuriated she got only ten years for cold-bloodedly 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.

Okay, Chris was wrong for pursuing an affair with a married woman, but that didn't give this she-devil the right to trash his reputation and then murder him.

Then, to add more pain to what she did, she slandered Chris' father, Dick, accusing him of being a pedophile. She sure got a rude awakening when her second husband refused to say what she wanted him to say at the custody hearing. About time SOME man said "no" to her demands.

As for her father and brother's "reviews" of this book - open your eyes, guys! Look what she's said about her own mother.

She and Diane Downs should be cell-mates. Downs is another one with grandiose schemes that blew up in her face.

Sad that there are people like them in the world.