I just finished reading the book and the author Ann Rule is a very outstanding writer. She tells the story in great details and gets right down to the bottom. This woman uncovers the truth of one woman in this story. The woman's name is Liysa Northton.
Liysa Northton is a woman of charm and seems to have it all. She is a writer and a screen writer who created her own stories and characters as well. She's been doing this for many years and one of her stories in regards to a murder actually took place many years later. This would be revealed in the investigation.
Liysa was also a professional photographer that took photos of surfers for a sport magazine.
Liysa is a mother of two sons, one of them from her first marriage and the second one, from her third marriage (Liysa's third husband Chris Northton) who would die at the hands of a woman who some didn't think for a second that she was capable of murder.
Chris Northton was a pilot for Hawaiian air and was a man who led a very outgoing lifestyle. He loved to travel, go skiing, hiking, and swimming. He also enjoyed spending time with his family and his friends. Liysa was the same way; except that she had a very strong dislike for Chris' family. Chris on the other hand, never met Liysa's family; yet, later on, both Liysa's father and brother who was a physician would back Liysa's stories up without ever meeting Chris in person.
What really angers me is that Liysa's family should have had the decency in contacting Chris and to perhaps, meet him in person, even if Liysa would most likely not allow this and to get to know who this man really is. But like sheeps, her family goes along with all the stories, Liysa tells them about Chris. Stories that are nothing, but lies on top of lies.
Chris Northton loved his son Bjorn, the son that he and Liysa both had together. And there was other son of Liysa's, Papako who was from Liysa's second husband Nick Mattson. Chris loved the kid even though, it was not his but he loved Papako as if he was his own son.
Chris was a good father to Bjorn and a good step-father to Papako. He often took the boys places and Liysa sometimes accompany them, but it was Chris who often took the boys places alone.
Liysa often went away alone either with her oldest son or the youngest or even both. They traveled to either Bend Oregon where she and Chris owned a home there to stay for a time or travel back to Hawaii where they too, would stay for a time. They also traveled to different states. Liysa was always on the go.
The marriage of Liysa and Chris Northton was far from what was called a real marriage because Liysa often fought with Chris and it's because she wanted to have everything and she was never satisfied. If she couldn't have something, she'd find another way of getting it. It was a pattern that was well known between her former husbands and boyfriends.
One thing that was an obvious sign of Liysa's. She could not live life without a man. She used them like they were items. Not only that, but she would go around informing other people about Chris' treatment of her and how he would go around "abusing" her and that both of Chris' parents were bad. She didn't just limit her tales about Chris and his family, but she would also go around telling others how her own mother used to "abuse" her when she was a child, claiming that "she had suffered 26 broken bones."
Liysa Northton may have appeared to be a woman with some high qualities, but she was actually a woman with a very unstable personality. A majority of the people she met while living in Maui thought of her as a very sweet and kind woman, while others knew otherwise. The ones who knew her otherwise was Chris' friends from the airline.
I'm currently borrowing this book from the library, but I enjoy reading this very intense true-crime story. This is the first time I've learned about this book and when I looked at it, I carefully read some of the pages and decided that this was a story that was of interest.
I think Ann Rule has really done a very superb job in writing this story. She has listed every event that has occurred in Liysa's life in order, but the only thing is missing is that no one really knew what her childhood life was like, aside from what she has claimed "abuse" from her own mother as a child. But otherwise, Ann has written this story where reveals the truth about Liysa Northton and who she really is.
I find that this book is a real page turner that has kept me focused throughout this story.
I rate this story a 5-star because of it's overall quality.
This book is still currently available at some book stores, but it's best to log online or to call to find out.
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