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

A Fascinating Case, But Narration Misses the Mark

The case presented in Then No One Can Have Her is fascinating, and the story is mostly well-written, though there are occasional phrasing issues that gave me pause. One striking example was describing a savage beating as "beaten mercifully," which I assume was meant to be "beaten mercilessly."

While the writing itself was engaging, the narrator's mispronunciations significantly detracted from the listening experience. The most glaring was her pronunciation of La Jolla—an iconic place name even I’m familiar with as an Australian. Although she understood that "J" in Spanish is pronounced "H," she mispronounced the double "L" entirely, breaking immersion. Other missteps included repeatedly mispronouncing "indigent" as "In-DIN-gent," with an extra "n" and misplaced emphasis, and stumbling over "exsanguination." While not a common everyday word, "exsanguination" is standard in true crime and should have been familiar to a narrator of this genre.

These errors may seem minor, but when I’m listening to a book while milking my goats, I want to be fully immersed in the story, not distracted by the narrator’s struggles with basic vocabulary.

That said, the story itself is intricately woven and deeply engaging. Caitlin Rother masterfully navigates the complexities of the case, keeping readers guessing about what really happened until the end. Despite its flaws, this is a compelling read, and I applaud the author for her storytelling.

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.

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.