Title: A tired cliche
Product review: What was it about the stories of Sheila Bellush and Allen Van Houte that made Ann Rule feel compelled to write a book about them? A Dateline special I can understand. Neither of these individuals are very interesting let alone sympathetic. Sheila's second husband, Jamie, was not likable at all. Everyone was a two-dimensional cardboard cutout. Allen was the controlling, overbearing, conniving, abusive ex-husband. Sheila was the dedicated, loving wife, and hapless victim to be. I got the sense from the book that there was more to Sheila's character than that, but Rule never chooses to protray her with any depth.The narrative was not fun to read. I thought that Rule jumped around unnecessarily from time period to time period, and this is especially true when she jumped around when telling the story of the weeks leading to Bellush's death.True crime stories always draw me in, simply for the human drama. Unfortunately, I felt no drama in this story.
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