And Never Let Her Go by Ann Rule

There are times when one simply must read a book: not email, not a web site, not a periodical, but a book, that hefty thing we can hold in our hand and read in the Jacuzzi. Such a time came upon me recently. I scoured the library for my favorite genre, true crime. And I just happened to find a book by my favorite true crime writer, Ann Rule. And Never Let Her Go is the true crime story of Thomas Capano, scion of a wealthy Delaware family, lawyer and political insider. It wasn't that long ago that this case was splashed in all the newspapers in this area and I vowed that when someone wrote the book I would look into it immediately. I was delighted that Ann Rule wrote the book.

You want crazy? You want against all common sense? You want self-centered, egotistical, and immature. You want to read the story of Thomas Capano, who is facing a death penalty in the tiny state of Delaware, as well he ought to be, for his brutal and pre-meditated murder of vivacious Anne Marie Fahey was beyond anything a normal human could possibly comprehend. It became clear to me early on that Rule's main sources for the book were Debby MacIntyre, a woman involved with Capano and Fahey's death in a most bizarre manner; the Fahey family, and some prosecutors who worked the case. This is how most true crime writers evolve their stories but there is lacking the other perspective, of course.

While I enjoyed the narrative, I would have liked to have heard a few words from, say, Capano's mother. I understand the family of the felon doesn't usually give the in-depth insght a true-crime writer needs. Indeed to base a book on the perpetrator would be silly and leave the reader uninformed. I admire the detail Ann Rule goes into with all of her works. Were these myriad of details left to me to outline and delineate, I fear I'd be lost in the minutiae. Rule keeps the reader moving along while entertainingly providing details in a non-boring manner. There might well be plenty of books on the infamous Capano case, either current or still to be written. Any true-crime buff who wants the inside track with careful attention to detail should do his or herself a favor: catch the Ann Rule version first. Always.