If You Really Loved Me

I was very pleased with this book, another of Ann Rule's excellent writings not only was the book a carbon copy of the movie but specific lines in the book were quoted from the movie word for word this is one of those books you just cant put done it took me only 3.2 days to read it cover to cover

This is an absorbing account of a man who maneuvered the women in his life - a succession of young wives and daughters alike - to become his virtual harem and to do his bidding, even down to committing murder. In order to maintain his control over those circling in his orbit, he remained a protean character. His multiplicity wasn't any positive Whitmanesque largeness of scope. It was no life-affirming "I contain multitudes" sort of embrace. No, David Brown's multiplicity was in fact all duplicity. His many faces were in effect all aliases - even where he technically maintained the same name. His variability was all designed to keep the people around him off balance, to literally unbalance them so that in their constantly precarious state they would pliantly wrap themselves around him as their one ready support.

He became whatever the people in his life superficially needed him to be in order to fill their own voids. Romantic - hypochondriac - victim of innumerable vague ailments - important businessman in constant need of loyal, discreet help - lonely widower - sought-after computer expert - loving father - millionaire - attentive husband - sensitive poet - hard-nosed entrepreneur - lover - sole provider - dedicated family man. These were all roles he would assume, as the drama of his life called for. These were all roles he would shape-shift into, depending on the current longings of the young women he kept psychologically in thrall to him.

This entry in Ann Rule's series of true crime books lets us be flies on the wall, observing David Brown and his tight little solar system of planets, as they all spiral out of control.

What makes this narrative especially interesting is that most of us have probably known people who practice a low level of such running deception. Such people exhaust us, and they exhaust society at large. Now they are A in order to collect government money; now they are B in order to make an insurance claim; now they are C in order to maintain a mistress; now they are D in order to evade the law, now they are X in order to get you to hire them. Such people have no core that can be counted on. Such people leave the rest of us panting on the shore as they batter us with one fickle wave after another. This book shows us an extreme case of such sociopathology.

It doesn't really teach us how to deal with such people. But it makes an immensely satisfying read to know we are not alone in having to deal with such un-graspable elements. And it becomes further satisfying to read how the law circled in on David Brown in society's attempt to finally confine him to one manageable identity - that of prisoner.

This is an older true crime story from the mistress of the genre, Ann Rule. I read it at the time it came out, and found it fascinating and tragic. Recently, my mother was cleaning out her collection of books and setting overflow aside for donation, and I rescued this from the donation pile because I wanted to read it again.

One night in 1985, police were called to the California home of a self-made millionaire named David Brown, who shared the house with his wife Linda, their baby Krystal, Linda's younger sister Patti, and David's daughter from a previous marriage, Cinnamon. In the master bedroom, police found Linda Brown shot to death, and 14-year old Cinnamon curled up shivering and vomiting up mountains of pills in a doghouse out back. The story that emerged was that an allegedly contentious relationship between Cinnamon, David's daughter, and Linda, David's wife, had finally escalated into a tragic confrontation. Cinnamon immediately confessed to shooting Linda Brown, and after a quick trial was sent to a juvenile prison facility.

Another murder in another dysfunctional family - nothing unusual, right? For some reason, however, the whole incident bothered the chief investigator, Jay Newell, and he couldn't get it out of his mind. Something wasn't right about it. Cinnamon was a sweet, confused girl who had no record of any serious rebellion, and the investigator couldn't shake the feeling that she was holding something back. David Brown also left a bad taste in Newell's mouth, and the presence of Linda's younger sister in the home seemed strange. What was really going on in this odd household? Long after the case was dead and buried, Newell kept watching and listening and asking questions.

Almost four years later, Cinnamon broke her long silence and the true story of what happened in the Brown house that night was finally revealed, piece by appalling piece. It's a shocking insight into just how much power a parent has over a child, and how smoothly a cunning adult can manipulate so many others to do his or her bidding. It's Ann Rule at her best, pulling every detail together to present a full picture of a terrible crime and more importantly, all its underlying elements - not an easy task given the complexity of familial emotion and the ultimately deadly addition of a sociopathic mind.

I have the old hardcover, but it's still in print as a mass market paperback, available on the store or any other bookseller site. I recommend it if you're interested in true crime and all the psychological factors that play into a crime like this.

Cinnamon D. Brown was a good kid and she deserved a break. Born to teenage parents, Cinnamon early on became a "daddy's girl." Her parents divorced when she was small and so her time spent with her father, David Brown was limited.

David Brown was a ruthless, cruel, cold and calculating sociopath. He was married a total of six times (twice to the same woman) and appeared to be unable to sustain adult relationships. His wives were put to pasture before they hit 25 and it is his wife Linda who suffers most of all.

David used psychological pressure on Cinnamon to kill Linda. Cinnamon, then 14, does so. She is arrested and serves time in a California Youth Authority center. Meanwhile, David is living the good life by marrying Linda's younger sister and making a good living in the computer industry.

Fortunately, David's crimes are brought to light. Witnesses come forward and it is the "biker witness" who wins everybody's heart. Suffering from AIDS and wanting to do the right thing, this witness comes through like the Cavalry. He is a good lesson that friends come in all forms.

I was glad that Cinnamon was finally released from the CYA. She was a good kid who really needed a break. At last count, I read that she had recently married and had a child. I also read that she completed her degree. Cinnamon is truly a success story and I prayed for her release and for her happy life for years.

Ann Rule writes another gripping true crime book exposing corruption in a vile family. A father who gives his 14-year-old daughter handfuls of drugs before manipulating her into killing her stepmother "If she really loved him." Worse yet, the man marries the dead wife's sister, only two years older than his daughter. Is that enough for him? No, then he plots for THIS wife's death. Or does he? Is it all a crazy, messed up teen-ager who then tries to commit suicide? A father couldn't be so horrible that he'd try to kill his own daughter with drugs to cover up the murder of his wife? Readers will have to dig into this book to know.
Very detailed, written like a novel, a great read! Also a Lifetime movie, but the book's way better!
I read an updated version with an afterword from 2002 from Ms. Rule. Nice to know what these people are doing now! And praise goes to the investigator and DA who wouldn't let a "simple" murder go without digging further!

Although it is hard to believe, I feel that David Brown is just a sadistic a sociopath as Ted Bundy was, although, unlike Bundy, he did not commit murder with his own two hands. He violated the trust of a daughter in her father and with the sly wiliness of a cunning fox, manipulated her into committing the one deed that can never be undone - the act of murder. With lies and false promises, he turned his teenage sister-in-law into his lover,until she was so blinded by adoration for him that she reached the point where she conspired to kill her own sister and then concealed the true reason for the murder's commission afterward. The author takes us into the mind of a man whose selfishness, inhumanity and plots of murder did not stop with the slaying of his young wife, but merely started with it. With this book, Ms Rule does a fantastic job delving into the ocean of immorality. It's a deep ocean, so I would advise readers to bring some SCUBA gear.

By: Marisol Cervantes (Real Name)

The story of a man who suffered in his childhood but made anyone he met pay for it, especially young girls, especially his own first daughter at fourteen; anyone who ran into him had to suffer for it. A masterful recount, psichologically deep, and recreation of how complete lack of conscience ravages and defiles everything in his way, treading ruthlessly on innocent lives. Unbelievable as it may seem, this convoluted tale of evil defies any master thriller writer, and Miss Rule creates the ambiance that goes with it, the anguish those girls had to live, many times from their very infancy. I must say, to write this review I cheated a little, saw the end of the afterword (to this morning I've read three fourths of it), of course I'm not telling. Suffice it to say that at this moment I have a lot of translation work to do, and I've been sneaking to this book for a week to see what continues to happen... I'll only say if I were an authority in Orange County, the criminal would certainly be gassed, or hang, or whatever it is they do in California. But I'm not telling if: she?, he? it? hung.

A masterful reconstruction of an evil mind, full of evil, devoid of conscience.

I really enjoyed this book. Well . . . as much as one can enjoy a story about a killer and manipulator. It was difficult for me to read about a father doing such terrible things to every member of his family, but that was also what kept me turning the pages.

Ann Rule can be repetitive in the way she tells her stories. I suppose she tries to write in some mystery and surprise, but it usually results in 20 pages that could have been covered in 5. However, that didn't bother me in this book . . . I guess the story overcame the verbose writing.

Ann Rule,you are the best true crime writer around!This book has got to be my alltime favourite (english spelling,sorry it's where I was born).I have read this book so many times and I am always really into it.It has been read by a lot of my friends too and they love it.Lots of twists and plots,tons to keep the reader interested!If you only read one book in your life,make sure it's this one.There is also a great movie on this story too,although the book is much better.

I have read every book Ann Rule has published and she is, without doubt, one of the very best crime writers ever. I didn't really realize this until I had read a couple of other true murder stories written by others, and only then, by comparison, could I appreciate her superlative talent in her field.
This book was especially interesting to me because I live not far from where this all happened, and I followed it daily in the media. Knowing only what the media had put forth, it was fascinating to get the inside story and the followup.
One of the great things about Ms. Rule's books compared to others is the inclusion of pictures. She always has pictures of the victim and family, the prosecutors and persons pivotal in solving and trying the case, and of course, pictures of the murderer. In most of the books by other writers, there were no pictures at all. I didn't realise how important and valuable the pictures were to the entire story until I read books about murderers and their victims in which there were no pictures!
I eagerly await every book Ann Rule writes. If true murder stories are your interest, satisfaction guaranteed with this book--and anything Ann Rule writes!

I have been reading Ann Rule books for years, and the first book that I read was If You Really Loved Me, and I was engrossed from page one. The characters in the book are so real, that you feel that you've known them all your life. It is a change to have an author that can take a henious crime and write about it in a way that is readable to anybody. For the true crime buff, Ms. Rule's books must have a permenant place on your shelf.

There is one simple conclusion in this book: pretty=good, ugly=bad. The author constantly describes the murderer in terms of his bad appearance, e.g., short, ugly, balding. It is interesting that almost every other male in the book is described as being handsome. Even the biker hitman who testifies wearing mostly leather is depicted as a 'noble savage'. The murderer's daughters on the other hand, as described as blond and almost angelic in appearance.
The author alternately discribes the villain of the piece as being a bumbling fool or a criminal mastermind, whichever fits with the point she is currently trying to make. She doesn't seem to understand she can't have it both ways.
All the facts of the case have been described by the time the trial takes place, so the last half of the book is mostly repetition. I would have rather she delved into some of the interesting aspects that were briefly mentioned (e.g., cocaine found in the murder victim, the insurance company's computer system being hacked into) rather than simply repeating, sometimes word for word, information from earlier in the book.

I have read this book before and it really grabed my attention,so much so that i try to read it every chance i can. No it's not that im obssesed with this book it's just that this book is so well written that every time i do read it i read it in one sitting. Anne Rule is a great author in my opinion. I to am interested about what ever happened to cinnamon, i sure hope she is doing good.

As triggering as the material was, I still couldn't put the book down. Well researched. Well written. Captures the draw of narcissists and many sociopaths. Why do televangelists draw such crowds and money? It's the same personality twists found within the mastermind of this murder.

Wonderfully written. Anne Rule is the master of true crime. Read any of her books and you will not be disappointed. You will remember every character. I hope Cinnamon is doing well. If you go to Anne's website she has updates on people from her books. Great job!

This is a tremendous book by Ann Rule-- a complete true story. I am from Garden Grove, and my father's parents were the first owners of that home on Ocean Breeze where Linda Brown was shot. My family had owned it from the mid-50s and had moved out in the early 70s-- but many of the same neighbors remained through 1985. Some of which are mentioned in the book.

This is a must-read. There was a "made for television" move about these events, called "Love, Lies & Murder," but it is NOT based upon Ann's book.

If there's ever "just one" of Ann's book I would recommend, it would be this one, "If You Really Loved Me."