Then No One Can Have Her

By: Caitlin Rother

Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu

She thought she had married her soul mate. But when Carol Kennedy could no longer tolerate her husband's reckless womanizing and out-of-control spending, the artist, therapist, and mother of two had to let him go. Just weeks after their divorce, Carol was found in her Arizona ranch home - bludgeoned to death with a golf club. Her ex, Steven DeMocker, was the prime suspect. Yet it took the authorities months to arrest him - and years to convict....

©2015 Caitlin Rother (P)2015 Tantor

Overall, well written and narrated

The case is fascinating, the story mostly well-written (just a few places where I scratched my head wondering why the author phrased things the way she did, the most notable being describing a savage beating as "beaten mercifully" when I suspect she meant "beaten mercilessly". However the narrator encountered words that were clearly unfamiliar to her and their mispronunciation really detracted from the reading. The most notable is her pronunciation of the place name La Jolla. As an Australian, even I am familiar with this place name, yet an American narrator apparently was not? And she somehow knew that in Spanish J is pronounced H, yet didn't know that double L is not pronounced as in "hello". Very disconcerting. Additionally she was clearly unfamiliar with the word "indigent" and repeatedly pronounced it with an extra "n" and the emphasis on the wrong syllable - i.e. "In - DIN - gent", rather than the correct "In-digent". The next word she stumbled over was exsanguination. Granted this is not a word commonly used in day to day language - but is commonplace in a true crime feature so the narrator really should be familiar with the word and its pronunciation. I realize this sounds nit-picky. But when I'm listening to a book over my headphones while milking my goats, I want to be immersed in the story, not distracted by the narrator's inability to read the book!

Having said all that, the story is very well told. Its many complexities are intricately woven, and the author does leave us wondering for a long time as to what really happened, which is the best way to hold attention. Well done!

Great narrator!

Would you consider the audio edition of Then No One Can Have Her to be better than the print version?

Absolutely, Callie Beaulieu is a fantastic narrator.

Which character – as performed by Callie Beaulieu – was your favorite?

Somehow this narrator just knows how to bring each character to life in a unique way. It's quite amazing, her talent for personifying without overacting these various parts.

Any additional comments?

This narrator is just pitch perfect for true crime, mystery, thrillers. I would buy anything she narrates in those genres. Fantastic job, thank you.

Incredible

Incredible, What a story this was! I almost skipped to the end so I could find out what happened but I knew that would ruin the book if I did that. It was suspenseful to find out " who done it." I haven't read any books by this author previously however I definitely will read more of her books.

this was a great read.

wish it was easier to solve the murder. wondering if based off a true story.

Great book

I felt this was well written and put together. the only thing I find fault with is the monotone narrator. it was hard to listen to at first... Steve DeMocker is a pig. it is disgusting the tactics he took to get the money from the estate...

Another excellent book from Caitlin!

Would you listen to Then No One Can Have Her again? Why?

Yes. This book is written very well and it kept me stuck to my phone for days until I finished it. I was using every minute I had to listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Then No One Can Have Her?

When Steven decided it was a good idea to use his under age daughter to send a fake email to the lawyers ... just when you think he has gone as low as he can go .... then he pulls this stunt!

What about Callie Beaulieu’s performance did you like?

It was easy to understand her and she made it a pleasure to listen to the book. Very nice voice and pronunciation.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A greedy father ruins his family to satisfy his love for money and sex.

Any additional comments?

Congratulations to Caitlin on a job very well done. One of the best true crime books I've read and it was a perfect choice of narrator too.

Except for the narration, a good book.

Well written. Interesting. The narration was harsh, rapid and some of the pronunciations were jarring and repeated throughout. I won't listen to another book with this narrator.

Fantastic book I could not put it down

This is the third book of true crime that I have read by Caitlin Rother and they're all fantastic. I did read one of hers that was not true crime it was a fiction book and I did not care for it at all. Some of her true crime books have actually come back and read for the second time and picked up items I had missed before.

Well Written and Narrated

Very well written with all sides compassionately taken care of. I can’t imagine what Steve’s and Carol’s daughters are going through even today.

okay

Too much detail on folks not directly involved in story. I dont need to know what people wore to candlelight vigil for peripheral person....