Heart Full of Lies
A True Story of Desire and Death
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4.1 • 193 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling true-crime author Ann Rule comes “a convincing portrait of a meticulous criminal mind” (The Washington Post) in this chilling tale about a beautiful and charming widow with a dark side.
An idyllic Hawaiian wedding held the promise of a wonderful future for handsome, athletic Chris Northon, an airline pilot, a confirmed bachelor-turned-devoted family man; and Liysa, an acclaimed surf photographer, loving mother, and aspiring Hollywood screenwriter. But few, including Chris, had seen Liysa's other side—her controlling behavior and dark moods, her insatiable hunger for money and property. And no one anticipated the fatal outcome of a family camping trip in an Oregon forest.
Liysa soon revealed herself as a victim of domestic abuse that culminated at the campsite, where she shot Chris in self-defense. But crime scene evidence led detectives to wonder if Liysa was a killer, not a victim. Her controversial trial stunned all who thought they knew her.
A lifetime of sociopathic manipulations and lies had been expertly hidden behind her façade of perfection—as was her rage to destroy any obstacle to her ultimate happiness, even if it was the man she vowed to love forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former Seattle police officer and crime author Rule (Small Sacrifices; Dead by Sunset, etc.) knows a good drama when she finds one: it involves love, betrayal, greed and violence. In the story of Liysa Northon, a woman who murdered her third husband, Chris Northon, in order to collect his insurance money, Rule has found a real-life soap opera. In the fall of 2000, Liysa convinced Chris to go on a camping trip with her and their small son in the remote forests of Oregon. But the idyllic vacation didn't last long; Liysa would later admit to ending her husband's life by shooting him in the head in an act of"self-defense." From where she sits today (in an Oregon state prison), she still professes to have shot Chris only in innocence and fear--emotions she said were caused by her years as a victim of domestic violence. But according to her husband's parents and other sources, Liysa is a manipulative sociopath who spent years crafting a public facade of abuse persuasive enough to justify the cold-blooded murder of her husband. Rule has done an impressive amount of research to reconstruct the history of Liysa's crime and the stories of the main people involved, interviewing dozens of police officers, investigators and private citizens across the country. And if the author's prose is somewhat flat, the fascinating and perplexing drama should be more than enough to keep most readers turning pages.
Customer Reviews
Heart Full of Lies
As usual the author drew me into the story with her thorough descriptions of all the characters, twists, turns, and surprises throughout the story
Excellent read
Ann Rule is unequalled in this genre. This story may be one of her best. Incredible true story, better than fiction! You can’t make this stuff up.
Good
Overall, this book , if nothing else was interesting. To hear a woman so manipulative and deceitful when there are others who are truly suffering at the hands of another is frustrating… to the point where it can be triggering, or annoying at times.
The book is repetitive- I had to skip through some pages because I had read the same thing, about the same character at least three times prior. The book probably could’ve been at least 50 pages shorter without all the added repeat info.
But, overall it was a tragic story and worth the read.