Summary of Ann Rule's Every Breath You Take

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 On Friday, November 7, 1997, it was a typical day in Sarasota, Florida. But later that day, clouds moved in over the city, and it began to rain heavily. The entrance to the Gulf Gate subdivision was flanked by sweeping buff-colored brick walls bearing its name.
#2 The young couple that moved into 3120 Markridge Road in September 1997 had the look of dependable tenants, and they seemed to be pleased with the house even though they had six children. They said they had moved from Texas when the husband got a big promotion and they needed someplace to live in a hurry.
#3 The couple that helped them move out of Texas took care of them in Sarasota, a beautiful place. They were able to cut off their lives so abruptly because they had no other choice. They were safe in Sarasota, but they couldn’t be in touch with their families.
#4 November 7 was a normal day for Sheila, but for her, every day is filled with fear. She had lived with fear so long that it seeped like acid into any fleeting serenity she might attain, corroding her thoughts and sending jets of adrenaline through her veins.

Sujets

• General
• Murder
• General officer

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 27 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669393320
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Ann Rule's Every Breath You Take
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

On Friday, November 7, 1997, it was a typical day in Sarasota, Florida. But later that day, clouds moved in over the city, and it began to rain heavily. The entrance to the Gulf Gate subdivision was flanked by sweeping buff-colored brick walls bearing its name.

#2

The young couple that moved into 3120 Markridge Road in September 1997 had the look of dependable tenants, and they seemed to be pleased with the house even though they had six children. They said they had moved from Texas when the husband got a big promotion and they needed someplace to live in a hurry.

#3

The couple that helped them move out of Texas took care of them in Sarasota, a beautiful place. They were able to cut off their lives so abruptly because they had no other choice. They were safe in Sarasota, but they couldn’t be in touch with their families.

#4

November 7 was a normal day for Sheila, but for her, every day is filled with fear. She had lived with fear so long that it seeped like acid into any fleeting serenity she might attain, corroding her thoughts and sending jets of adrenaline through her veins.

#5

On November 7, 1997, Jamie was on the road south of Sarasota planning to visit several doctors’ offices for Pfizer. It was important that he familiarize himself with his new territory and potential clients in west Florida. But he had promised to be home by dark.

#6

Sheila Blackthorne and Jamie Bellush met by pure luck. They both had marriages that did not work out because of their quick minds and beauty, but they shared a curse that dictated they would not find happiness in love.

#7

Gene’s next baby, Kelly Anne, was born in 1963. She had a serious valve defect in her heart and only lived nineteen days. Gene cried for weeks and asked God why he had taken her baby away.

#8

Gene had two boys by her first marriage, and then three girls by Frank, before she had any idea that he was having an affair with an Asian woman on Okinawa. She divorced him. Nothing really changed. He stayed in touch with her almost as much as he had when they were married.

#9

Gene met Don Smith at the Ramada Inn and the Round-Towner/Down-Towner. She had never dated anyone except military men, but Don was different. He was always there for her when she needed him, and she loved him completely.

#10

After her divorce from Frank Walsh, Gene married Don Smith, who had always doted on her. She had a chance to do the crafts she enjoyed, and she was very happy with Don. However, she was still mourning the loss of her first husband.

#11

In 1978, Don lost another son, Donny, when he went camping alone and came home deathly sick from something doctors could only diagnose as similar to Lyme disease. He was suicidal. He was stopped while driving erratically, and the bomb was found in his truck.

#12

The Smith family had a doll shop in Salem, and Gene had been married to three different men over three decades. She had incipient diabetes, and she wanted to travel and spend time with Don.

#13

Sheila married and had two children. She always wanted a home and children, but she was young and in no tearing hurry because she had college in her future.

#14

When Sheila met Allen, she was instantly attracted to him. He was a client of her boss’s, and he seemed to be everything she could hope for in a husband. He was charming and funny, and he loved her very much.

#15

Capitol Hi-Fi and Video Rental was very successful. Allen had a great location in Pringle Park Plaza, the small mall next to the Salem Public Library and the Salem police headquarters. He promised the Smiths that he would offer them a share of the business.

#16

Guy Van Houte’s birth in 1936 was not a happy occasion for anyone. His father, Robert Van Houte, moved his family to Klamath Falls and Coos Bay, Oregon, where he taught in high schools. Guy was born in 1936, and his father soon fathered four more daughters.

#17

Guy’s father, Robert Van Houte, was a teacher who never knew how to show love. He was always dictating what Guy should do and who he should be. He died of leukemia at the age of seventy-five.

#18

Karen, Elva’s daughter, was a terror to her half sister, Debbie. She had a terrible temper and would sometimes threaten to commit suicide if things went wrong in her life. She began to date the teacher’s son Guy.

#19

When Allen was born in 1955, his mother, Karen, was 16 and alone in her labor. His father, Guy, was 19 and already out of his life for all intents and purposes. The mid-50’s were a carefree time for teenagers, but not for Karen.

#20

Guy had a talent for electronics, and he used it to help him get through college. He never knew about his brother, Allen, who was living with his mother, Karen, and her side of the family. Allen seemed like a fairly average little boy.

#21

Guy’s third wife, Suzanne, was the daughter of a friend of his. They had met in 1961 when he went to fix her television set. Their attraction was mutual, and he was so taken with her that he didn’t tell her about his previous two marriages or the children he had left behind.

#22

Karen’s drinking exacerbated her tendency toward depression. On one occasion, she came home late at night and headed straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Debbie got suspicious when she stayed in there too long.

#23

Allen’s mother, Karen, was a troubled woman who was often violent with her children. She had many problems, and her oldest son was the catalyst that set her off. Her third husband, Bill Cook, was a buffer between Allen and Karen.

#24

Karen’s life was filled with indomitable spirit and Job-like bad luck. She was an accomplished artist, but she also had three sons who went to prison. When Greg was released, he could not deal with the outside world. He snuck into a convenience store and shot out the window.

#25

Allen’s grandparents, Elva and Austin, were raising him. He was a difficult child, and they had to constantly discipline him. He was manipulative and unpredictable, and his lies caused disruption.

#26

When Tom and Debbie took in Allen, they realized he was only 15 years old. He had never been exposed to the world, and he was a loner for a long time. He seemed malleable still, and Tom and Debbie hoped to set him on the right path before he was grown and his emotions were set in stone.

#27

Allen was a very sweet child, but he also wanted control. He could not lose, whether it was chess or checkers or something more important. He had never had any control over his life or his future.

#28

Allen Van Houte was a great kid to have around, but he was also curious about his father, Guy. He wanted to meet his father, and Tom agreed to arrange a meeting. Tom knew there was no point in dissuading him.

#29

Allen was a puzzle for Tom and Debbie. He was fun to have around, but then again, he was often moody, angry, and inscrutable. They were shocked when they realized that he was ready to walk away from them as casually as he had walked away from his grandparents.

#30

The author’s son, Allen, came to live with her after his mother, Karen, died. She was shocked by the changes Allen made in her household. He insisted that his mother had poured lighter fluid on him and then lit a match, but he also told her that Karen punished him by hitting him with two-by-fours.

#31

Allen’s predatory side did get him in trouble. One time, he took a butcher knife to a neighbor kid, although the boy was able to get away. His mother told him to leave the boy alone, but he continued to harass the boy’s family.

#32

Allen had a very difficult childhood, and he often told stories about it. He claimed that his mother had a live-in boyfriend named Bill, and that he had put the fire out with a blanket. However, his mother never seemed to care about him or his brothers.

#33

Allen’s life after high school was a mystery. He reportedly joined a Moonie cult in California in 1973, and was very devout for a while. He had a way of plunging completely into different lifestyles, but he had no staying power.

#34

Allen was obsessed with females from a young age. He had always regaled his younger half brothers with bizarre sex lore, schooling them with scenarios worthy of Krafft-Ebing. They were avid listeners but weren’t converts.

#35

Allen began dating a girl named Ellen in high school, and they were married on April 12, 1973. They went to the army together, and were released a few months later with an honorable discharge.

#36

Allen was a sadist who enjoyed playing cruel jokes on others. He was also a crossdresser, and he took sexual pleasure from tiptoeing just on the edge of death. He demanded that Ellen tie his hands and then hold his head underwater in the bathtub until he passed out. Only then was she allowed to let him up.

#37

By the mid-1970s, with his marriage to Suzanne over, Guy Van Houte moved to the Tacoma, Washington, area. He claimed that he had designed the Saturday Night Fever dance floor, but he later retracted his sweeping claim.

#38

Allen had a talent for selling, and he became the advance man for his father’s company. He signed up almost every club he visited, and they clamored for the lighted dance floors he designed. He was very skilled at closing a deal.

#39

Allen met Mary in Tacoma, Washington, when he was working with Guy on the disco dance floors. They were married in 1979. Mary grew to be absolutely terrified of Allen, and she knew that he had guns. She was mortified when he insisted on handcuffing them together.

#40

In November 1982, Sheila Walsh met Allen, and they began dating. She was initially amuse