Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal

This is a true crime story about Bart Corbin, an educated, attractive dentist, who killed his wife and, 14 years earlier, killed his college girlfriend. He staged both as suicides and got away with the first one for a long time. Although both women were smart, educated, attractive with good, caring families, they just didn’t believe Bart would ever really hurt them despite his bad behavior toward them. Ann Rule is really good at letting the reader really get to know the people involved. A few places went on a bit too long but overall, an interesting story.

Contemporary true crime is not something I normally read, but I needed an audiobook & it was handy. Sadly, I realized I'd bought an abridged version, so maybe stuff was left out that may have more fully fleshed out the story.

Anyway, Too Late to Say Goodbye is the story of the death of Jen Corbin, wife of Dr. Brad Corbin. One December morning in 2004, Jen's son ran out to the neighbors telling them that his dad had shot his mom and that his mom was dead. While he hadn't actually seen the shooting with his own eyes, he had witnessed his father's bad treatment of his mother on different occasions in the past. When the police began their investigation, Corbin wouldn't even talk to them, much less come to the aid of his children, making him show more a pretty likely suspect to the police immediately. Rule goes through not only the investigation into Jen's murder, but also brings up another death done in the same fashion -- it was a woman Corbin had known while in dental school years earlier whose sudden death had been ruled a suicide, like Jen's murder had been first considered. Putting together the pieces of the lives of the major players, Rule's book traces the long and often twisted career of Corbin as well as the lives of the women who may have met death at his hands.

If you like true crime, this is okay. She's done better -- for example, Small Sacrifices was excellent and really managed to give readers a most uncomfortable view of a very twisted woman. Ann Rule readers may like this one; to me it was just okay. show less

Ann Rule never disappoints in her true crime writing. It is terrifying when you realize her monsters are all too real. She has seen the monsters, listening to court cases, interviewing survivors and the loved ones of their victims, and manages to tell the tale. This one does not disappoint. The handsome dentist who loses his wife. Oh, wait. This is the second wife he has lost? What poor luck the man has! Except, it's not poor luck...

I enjoyed the way this book, a crime story, was written. In some books, the crime, and the perpetrator, are described from the start. In this book, the reader comes upon the crime much like the investigating detective might see it. Rule describes the victim, the scene, and the possible criminal, but you're left to find out who actually committed the crime as the book develops, keeping things interesting.

One of the things that struck me most in reading this book was that the victim had been given the right advice by a number of people, but she did not heed something which seemed so commonsense to an objective observer. Perhaps she would have lived.

One of the things that struck me most in reading this book was that the victim had been given the right advice by a number of people, but she did not heed something which seemed so commonsense to an objective observer. Perhaps she would have lived.

Another great Ann Rule Book. A dentist with a huge ego kills a girlfriend while in dental school and gets away with murder. Several years later he marries and kills his wife. He almost gets away with a 2nd murder. Ann Rule does a fantastic job of tell the lives of the two women and of Dr. Bart Corbin. I felt like I know the characters. I loved the last chapter where she details her research and highlights what the families are doing. I would recommend this book to all True Crime Lovers.