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Forsaking All Others: The Real Betty Broderick Story
Integrating courtroom drama and psychological analysis, this portrait of Betty Broderick describes her trial for killing her ex-husband and his new wife, the motivations for the murders, and the sociological implications of the crime. 35,000 first printing. $35,000 ad/promo. Tour.
237 pages, Hardcover
First published March 16, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 6, 2018
What a mess... they were both crazy. Her husband used his power in a mean way. They were both just nuts. And his new wife...I just don't respect women that date married men....have some self respect and dignity.
July 19, 2020
It’s not “The Real Betty Broderick Story”. It’s Betty Broderick’s delusional account of her life where she is always the victim. The real story would better portray both sides of the story and not take Betty’s ramblings as gospel.
There was one piece towards the end where she praised Lee (because Lee was supporting her) and belittled Kim (because Kim was standing up to her). That one paragraph further proved it was always all about Betty. She could care less about her (then) husband and kids. She was a “perfect” mother because it was how she wanted to appear to the people she was trying to impress. It made her look good. If she lived alone with her family in the woods and no one could see her being a good mother, she wouldn’t have bothered.
Ultimately, if you read carefully and sift through her narcissistic self promotion and constant victimhood, it portrays Betty as a total crack pot who completely relied on her husband; She had no mental fortitude or perseverance to move on with her life when he was sick of her nonsense.
There was one piece towards the end where she praised Lee (because Lee was supporting her) and belittled Kim (because Kim was standing up to her). That one paragraph further proved it was always all about Betty. She could care less about her (then) husband and kids. She was a “perfect” mother because it was how she wanted to appear to the people she was trying to impress. It made her look good. If she lived alone with her family in the woods and no one could see her being a good mother, she wouldn’t have bothered.
Ultimately, if you read carefully and sift through her narcissistic self promotion and constant victimhood, it portrays Betty as a total crack pot who completely relied on her husband; She had no mental fortitude or perseverance to move on with her life when he was sick of her nonsense.
January 18, 2026
This reads like a story of two narcissists who found each other, married, and slowly self destruct. Adultery, ego, and cruelty collide until one finally snaps—with tragic, irreversible consequences. Betty's husband had the power and control and Betty just snapped. What’s frustrating is that Betty seemed smart and capable—someone who could’ve been successful in her own right if she’d focused on herself instead of letting anger take over. It’s a sad reminder of how destructive resentment can become when it’s left to fester.
Betty's unlikable traits:
Extreme entitlement – belief that she deserved certain outcomes (money, status, loyalty) regardless of circumstances
Inability to accept rejection or loss of control – particularly after the divorce
Fixation on perceived injustice – replaying grievances without moving forward
Lack of accountability – consistently blaming others for consequences
Vindictive behavior when her self-image or control was threatened
Important nuances to note:
Betty was also emotionally abandoned, humiliated, and provoked over a long period
Her ex-husband’s behavior (infidelity, power imbalance, public flaunting) clearly contributed to her psychological unraveling
This emotional escalation does not excuse her crimes.
Betty's unlikable traits:
Extreme entitlement – belief that she deserved certain outcomes (money, status, loyalty) regardless of circumstances
Inability to accept rejection or loss of control – particularly after the divorce
Fixation on perceived injustice – replaying grievances without moving forward
Lack of accountability – consistently blaming others for consequences
Vindictive behavior when her self-image or control was threatened
Important nuances to note:
Betty was also emotionally abandoned, humiliated, and provoked over a long period
Her ex-husband’s behavior (infidelity, power imbalance, public flaunting) clearly contributed to her psychological unraveling
This emotional escalation does not excuse her crimes.
October 27, 2008
A true-crime novel about Betty Broderick who shot and killed her ex-husband and his wife. Kind of depressing subject matter.
May 25, 2026
This is extremely well written and straight to the inner working of Betty and Dan's fatal journey together. At the beginning of the year, I read every Betty book available on Kindle Unlimited while I had a free trial, this book wasn't available. I got very passionate about Betty and the unfairness of the court harassment and systemic abuse that was never brought to light or even pondered on by the court system of which she was at mercy well before she was imprisoned for murder.
Betty passed away this month, along with my father in law, all within days of each other as well as my son turning 18. It's been a crazy month but when my cousin brought this book over I knew I needed to hear Betty's story again.
Betty did the best with what she knew. She was raised to be monogamous, married for life and to cater to your husband and please him. She spent so many years doing just that, having babies and miscarriages and losing a son after birth, all because he wanted her to keep having babies and didn't allow birth control.
Betty left a life of luxury to live in a dorm with Dan and to raise a baby in that small room. She went a decade without anything luxurious and was not upset about it. She encouraged Dan and was his biggest cheerleader. If anything bothered her, she left it inside, buried deep, underneath her love for her family and husband.
When Dan finally finished college and got his own office, to Betty's insistence, he began an affair with a very young secretary, and hired her for his office. He gaslit Betty for years, saying she was crazy and nothing was going on. He was silently getting all his legal strategies in line to take all her money and property for when he did choose to divorce her.
Betty slowly went crazy with jealousy and insecurity but had held it together mainly for her children and the hope that Dan was having a mid life crisis. She didn't know the law, he was the lawyer, so when he did leave her and file for divorce, she was at his mercy. He was the president of the bar association and everyone in that courthouse knew him and loved him over Betty and her legal rights. What Betty wanted did not matter, he drug the case on for years and depleted all her half of the money, keeping her children away from her and pulling tricks at the last minute when she was supposed to see their kids. I think anyone would go crazy, even without adding that the young mistress is becoming the new wife and antagonizing Betty and breaking into her house.
Betty did snap, and I think anyone that put up with what she did, may have done something similar. She spent the rest of her life behind bars with no way to get parole, not with Dan's picture in the same court room.
I hope she's free and happy now, waiting patiently for her babies to join her.
Betty passed away this month, along with my father in law, all within days of each other as well as my son turning 18. It's been a crazy month but when my cousin brought this book over I knew I needed to hear Betty's story again.
Betty did the best with what she knew. She was raised to be monogamous, married for life and to cater to your husband and please him. She spent so many years doing just that, having babies and miscarriages and losing a son after birth, all because he wanted her to keep having babies and didn't allow birth control.
Betty left a life of luxury to live in a dorm with Dan and to raise a baby in that small room. She went a decade without anything luxurious and was not upset about it. She encouraged Dan and was his biggest cheerleader. If anything bothered her, she left it inside, buried deep, underneath her love for her family and husband.
When Dan finally finished college and got his own office, to Betty's insistence, he began an affair with a very young secretary, and hired her for his office. He gaslit Betty for years, saying she was crazy and nothing was going on. He was silently getting all his legal strategies in line to take all her money and property for when he did choose to divorce her.
Betty slowly went crazy with jealousy and insecurity but had held it together mainly for her children and the hope that Dan was having a mid life crisis. She didn't know the law, he was the lawyer, so when he did leave her and file for divorce, she was at his mercy. He was the president of the bar association and everyone in that courthouse knew him and loved him over Betty and her legal rights. What Betty wanted did not matter, he drug the case on for years and depleted all her half of the money, keeping her children away from her and pulling tricks at the last minute when she was supposed to see their kids. I think anyone would go crazy, even without adding that the young mistress is becoming the new wife and antagonizing Betty and breaking into her house.
Betty did snap, and I think anyone that put up with what she did, may have done something similar. She spent the rest of her life behind bars with no way to get parole, not with Dan's picture in the same court room.
I hope she's free and happy now, waiting patiently for her babies to join her.
June 23, 2021
Reading this book and learning more about Betty Broderick shed a lot of light on her mental health. Unless you have been through the abuse and torment Dan and Linda put Betty through, you’ll never understand what drove her to what she did. I’m not saying they deserved to be killed, but they didn’t help the situation. The gaslighting and the horrible abuse she was put through can drive a person “crazy.” Dan was just so cruel, not only to Betty, but their children as well. Taking her kids away from her was unnecessary. After reading this book, I don’t agree with her sentence. I feel not only did Betty get punished but the kids did as well.
May 31, 2020
Story of Betty Broderick who killed her ex husband and his new wife as they lay in bed. There is a tv series starting based on her life and the crime which peaked my interest in reading this for the second time. Well done, seems factual and not overly dramatic. Some time spent on the trial but not a minute by minute rendition which can become boring unless the reader really enjoys the all the details of each day in court.
March 28, 2020
Whoa. Men are like... fucking pieces of shit and Dan Broderick 100% deserved to be shot in the head. Sure, Betty did a few things that she should not have but shit. She put up with a lot. Dude was an alcoholic fucking his secretary. I think this case is where that cliche came from.
January 1, 2021
It was a good book what a monster! She killed her ex as well as his wife and even threatened to kill her kids. But i wish that the book was more about the murder and her today! But otherwise it was good.
June 8, 2021
Read it in one day. Amazing book
June 22, 2021
A sad truth, where women forget their own worth. Both in this tragic story
July 4, 2021
A reminder that we can never really know what other people are going through.
July 19, 2021
I'm obsessed with this case much like Betty was obsessed with Dan.
June 1, 2022
Inaccurate trash - watch the trial. So much inaccurate information in this book.
April 24, 2023
Very interesting and so heartbreaking! I love everything about this book!
January 18, 2024
10/10 I read the book twice, wow!! The movie and show has nothing on the book.
April 14, 2026
A first-person account of the infamous Broderick case, focusing on Betty’s perception of abuse and betrayal. Definitely not an objective account.
But still a “fascinating” story. I read Forsaking All Others around the same time that I read Until the Twelfth of Never by Bella Stumbo. I would recommend reading both in order to gain a fully balanced view of the case.
Both great books!
But still a “fascinating” story. I read Forsaking All Others around the same time that I read Until the Twelfth of Never by Bella Stumbo. I would recommend reading both in order to gain a fully balanced view of the case.
Both great books!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews