Crime author sues paper over negative review after reviewer revealed to be engaged to the killer book was based on

Heart of Lies based on Liysa Northon - jailed for manslaughter in 2001

Rick Swart's critical article failed to mention he and Northon were a couple

Ann Rule claims 'inflammatory' article contained 'false statements'

Seeking damages for defamation and invasion of privacy



A true crime author is suing a paper over a damning review of her book about a woman who killed her husband - after it emerged the man who wrote it was engaged to the killer.

Ann Rule launched legal proceedings against the Seattle Weekly after it ran an article accusing her of 'sloppy storytelling' in her book Heart Full of Lies, which is based on the story of Liysa Northon, who was jailed for the manslaughter of her husband.

Ms Rule maintained the newspaper printed the review 'unedited', and failed to disclose that its author, Rick Swart, had entered into a relationship with Northon.



Defamed: The negative review of Ann Rule's book based on Liysa Northon, who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her husband, was penned by a man who is now married to the killer

A complaint filed by the crime author claims 'self-described' journalist Mr Swart pitched the article to the Seattle Weekly about alleged fabrications in the 2003 bestseller Heart Full of Lies, according to a report on Courthouse News Service.

'A TRUE STORY OF DESIRE AND DEATH': THE REAL-LIFE TALE THAT INSPIRED ANN RULE'S BESTSELLER

In Heart Full of Lies the reader is introduced to handsome airline pilot Chris Northon, his wife, acclaimed surf photographer Liysa, and sons Aukai and Dane. But beneath the 'facade of perfection', Liysa was materialistic and prone to dark moods and controlling behaviour. When Chris was shot dead during a family camping trip in an Oregon forest, his wife maintained she was the victim of domestic abuse and had killed her husband in self-defence. But the page-turner describes how evidence led detectives to question Liysa's story, and the subsequent trial saw her plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter.



The piece, said to contain 'numerous false statements concerning the contents of the book', along with 'inflammatory comments', ran on the front page of the paper.

It prompted Ms Rule to launch legal proceedings against the newspaper, Mr Swart and Caleb Hannan, then editor of the Weekly.

Swart's piece defending Northon failed to mention that he had fallen in love with the 50-year-old former surfing photographer while he was writing it.



Swart and Northon are now married, according to the complaint filed in King County.



'The article contained innumerable inaccuracies and untruths concerning the testimony and evidence in the trial of Liysa Northon and also included various unfounded personal attacks on Rule.'

The crime author has claimed an editor conducting 'due diligence' would have discovered that Mr Swart was engaged to Northon and questioned his ability to write an objective review.

'Any meaningful inquiry by Seattle Weekly or Hannon should have discovered this significant source of bias,' the complaint states.

Ms Rule, who claims she has been 'significantly damaged personally and professionally' by the article, is seeking damages for defamation, invasion of privacy and false light, the report said.

The president of Sound Publishing, the owner of Seattle Weekly, said the article was published prior to its ownership of the title.



True crime: Liysa Northon, seen left, upon whose story Ann Rule's book, right, was based, served 12 years for the first-degree manslaughter of her husband Chris Northon



Northon was released from jail last year after pleading guilty in 2001 to the first-degree manslaughter of her husband Chris Northon, 44, who was shot in October 2000.

Northon maintained she was the victim of domestic abuse and shot her husband in self-defence, but she stood trial and ultimately pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter.



Her story became the subject of bestselling author Ms Rule's Heart of Lies in 2003.