Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal by Ann Rule (1931 – 2015) is a gripping story of two lovely women murdered in the prime of their life. The story takes place in two different Georgia counties.
The story begins just a few weeks before Christmas 2004, when a young boy seeks help from a neighbor, saying his mother had been shot. The neighbor accompanies the little boy home and finds Jenn Corbin lying in bed, dead with a gunshot wound to the head, a revolver by her body. At first glance it appeared to be a suicide, but her friends and family knew better; Jenn would never do that, not to her little boys, not to her parents or sisters. Investigators found the gun’s angle contrary to what would usually be found with a suicide.
Jenn Corgin, 33, a lovely, slim, brown-eyed blonde, was a popular, capable woman, busy with two young sons and a part-time teaching job. She had close family ties, and a myriad of friends. Jenn kept their posh home in an upscale suburb of Atlanta immaculate. Those who knew her thought she had everything. But things were not going well in her marriage. Her husband, Bart was emotionally abusive to her and their little boys. Jenn felt her life crumbling away. She sought someone she could confide in, someone her parents, sisters and friends didn’t know. She turned to an on-line confidant.
Bart Corgin, Jenn’s husband, a successful dentist, seemed to have it all: a lovely wife, two sweet little boys, a beautiful home, expensive cars, a plush houseboat. Bart, tall and handsome, could be charming, but there was an underlying darkness about him, a sinister side that people close to him recognized. Bart could be insanely jealous, and openly said he would never allow a woman to leave him, regardless of the provocation. Lately Bart had seemed distraught and anxious about his marriage. He alternated between jealous rage and deep depression.
As the investigation to Jenn’s death began, authorities were alerted to a similar case that occurred fourteen years earlier, in June 1990, also in Georgia. A beautiful dental student, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn, died of a gunshot wound, an apparent suicide. The story switches to the events surrounding Dolly’s death, her background and her aspirations to become a dentist. Her family couldn’t believe that Dolly would take her own life. As it happened, Bart Corgin and Dolly had dated, and in fact, many people thought they would marry. Dolly was positive, vibrant, and popular. She wasn’t interested in getting married, which angered Bart. She found him controlling and was emotionally pulling away from the relationship. The investigation into Dolly’s death was considered an unsolved case.
Too Late to Say Goodbye was Ann Rule’s twenty-seventh true crime book. Her research was thorough with an impressive Cast of Characters. She wrote with authenticity and accuracy, yet with a flair that reads like a novel. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with this fine author on several occasions. I highly recommend her true-crime stories.