–And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano, the Deadly Seducer

May 2021 update: Still a favorite and still so sad. I can't believe that Thomas Capano was allowed to run amok for decades across the water in Delaware.

I have to say that this ended up being my favorite true crime book by Ann Rule. I think the main reason is that this one stayed really focused on not only the the accused, but also the victim and other women in this man's orbit. Usually Rule's books start to read as formulaic with her going into the background of every cop, prosecutor, and judge and you start go get bored. Or at least I do. But I think that Rule stayed very focused on the victim Anne Marie Fahey.

"And Never Let Her Go" goes into the background on the murder of 30 year old Anne Marie Fahey. In 1996, she disappeared after show more having dinner with Thomas Capano. Her relatives had no idea she had been secretly having an affair with Capano for more than two years. After Fahey's family starts to look for her, more secrets about her personal life start to emerge. When the police find out about Capano's obsession with Anne Marie and how he reacted when any woman that he dated tried to leave him, many people started pointing his way.

I ended up feeling a lot of pity for Anne Marie. Rule is able to give us enough background on her based on her notes from her diaries, comments made by family and friends to show that she was an insecure woman who was prime pickings from a man like Capano. When she finally starts to see Capano for who he is, and moves on from him to a more stable relationship, you know based on what Rule shows us that Capano is not going to stand for it.

Capano's background at first shows a man who is a loving family man and friend. But when you start to read about how Capano started to control every woman and even some of the men in his orbit, you realize that he is not going to go off into the night when Anne Marie tries to end things with him.

I honestly thought the writing was much tighter in this one. I also think the flow was vastly improved over some of the other books of Rule's I have read.

I really did enjoy the court room scenes in this one because Capano was so foul that I don't know how the prosecutor didn't end up calling the man out of his name.

I was also surprised by the jury verdict when it came to the penalty stage.

Highly recommend for true crime lovers. show less

I have to say that this ended up being my favorite true crime book by Ann Rule. I think the main reason is that this one stayed really focused on not only the the accused, but also the victim and other women in this man's orbit. Usually Rule's books start to read as formulaic with her going into the background of every cop, prosecutor, and judge and you start go get bored. Or at least I do. But I think that Rule stayed very focused on the victim Anne Marie Fahey.

"And Never Let Her Go" goes into the background on the murder of 30 year old Anne Marie Fahey. In 1996, she disappeared after having dinner with Thomas Capano. Her relatives had no idea she had been secretly having an affair with Capano for more than two years. After Fahey's show more family starts to look for her, more secrets about her personal life start to emerge. When the police find out about Capano's obsession with Anne Marie and how he reacted when any woman that he dated tried to leave him, many people started pointing his way.

I ended up feeling a lot of pity for Anne Marie. Rule is able to give us enough background on her based on her notes from her diaries, comments made by family and friends to show that she was an insecure woman who was prime pickings from a man like Capano. When she finally starts to see Capano for who he is, and moves on from him to a more stable relationship, you know based on what Rule shows us that Capano is not going to stand for it.

Capano's background at first shows a man who is a loving family man and friend. But when you start to read about how Capano started to control every woman and even some of the men in his orbit, you realize that he is not going to go off into the night when Anne Marie tries to end things with him.

I honestly thought the writing was much tighter in this one. I also think the flow was vastly improved over some of the other books of Rule's I have read.

I really did enjoy the court room scenes in this one because Capano was so foul that I don't know how the prosecutor didn't end up calling the man out of his name.

I was also surprised by the jury verdict when it came to the penalty stage.

Highly recommend for true crime lovers. show less

When a rich, politically well connected, manipulative, sociopath met, lured, and seduced 30 year old Anne Marie Fahey, her life and those of others dramatically changed.

Impressionable and vulnerable, Anne Marie knew he was married and the father of four, but she did not know that he also had concurrent numerous serious relationships, including a 20 year old affair with another woman he claimed to love.

Sadly, her life ended when Thomas Capano could no longer control every action, including the fact that she no longer wanted to be with him, and thus he brutally murdered her.

Soliciting his younger, impressionable brother to help dispose the body in the ocean in shark infested, Atlantic City, NJ "maco alley", Capano had no reservations show more about using a cooler to transport the body onto the boat and dump it in the water far away from shore.

When the cooler did not sink, Capano ordered his brother to shoot bullets into the vessel. As the blood flowed, his brother knew, beyond a doubt that the person he idolized had done something wrong, something very, very wrong.

As the web tightened and law enforcement officials beyond a doubt, traced the murder to Capano, he blithely, unhesitantly blamed all others, including his long time lover and his brother.

In the end, the lives of many were ruined. As the jury brought the verdict of guilt, and he was subsequently given the death penalty, Capano was shocked that they, unlike the vulnerable women he cultivated, saw through his charm and recognized the cold, brutal killer he was.

This is a fascinating look at the sick criminal mind of Thomas Capano. Recommended for those who like to read true crime.

Here is a link I found regarding the case:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/capano/5a.html show less

A friend lent me this book a long time ago. It was in a pile of TBR's. I have decided that during my unemployment phase(I hope to see it end someday)that I will read non-fiction in the daytime and fiction at night!
So this was the first book I picked up. I could not put it down and read and finished it in about 3 days.
A significant anniversary is coming up for the poor Fahey families and all their friends. It has been almost 15 years since a psychopath amongst us,Thomas Capano premeditated and killed Anne Marie Fahey some way and dumped her body 65 miles out off Stone Harbor,NJ in what is called Mako alley.
While having a 3 year affair with Anne Marie this creep carried on various other affairs all through the years. Including one with a show more woman for 18 years or so. What this woman and Anne Marie had in common was growing up without mothers. I think this made them very open to just about any man who occasionally showed them affection and attention. Growing up without a reliable parent or a place to live made Anne Marie very,very hesitant to ask for any kind of help. I think this was her downfall as I think most woman who endured what she had with Capano would have had not as much need to constantly prove their independence to themselves and would have alerted SOMEBODY to his stalking ways.
Capano's evil ways did not end with her murder. While in jail in order to get more phone time he bought other inmates phone time by giving them his 4 daughters pictures and email addresses. Know sex offenders and molesters in this group. When his mistress of 18 years would no longer follow his orders from jail he plotted to first have her house robbed and trashed. He later wanted to have her killed.
Ann Rule is the best crime writer we have today and this book although 12 years old did not disappoint. show less

While the facts of the case of Tom Capano are interesting, the writing is dry, stilted and peppered with rhetoric. There is no mystery about who did what, no suspense and no question who the bad guy is here. I would have preferred a more novel-like accounting, with a little mystery as to the outcome.

Love my true crime and this is my fav author of that genre. This book was about a murder in 1996 committed by Thomas Capano, an attorney who belonged to a powerful and wealthy family in Delaware. What a manipulator! 672 pages

Love Ann Rule!! How a man like Tom Capano could manage to deceive THREE women into thinking they were his one true love boggles the mind.

Quit reading if you don't know the final results. His version of Ms. Fahey's death was so hokey I could hardly believe HE thought anyone would believe it!

New editions would have to add his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, incidentally.