If I Can't Have You
Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance, and the Murder of Her Children
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4.2 • 209 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In If I Can't Have You, bestselling author Gregg Olsen and co-author Rebecca Morris investigate one of the 21st Century's most puzzling disappearances and how it resulted in the murder of two children by their father.
Every once in a great while a genuine murder mystery unfolds before the eyes of the American public. The tragic story of Susan Powell and her murdered boys, Charlie and Braden, is the only case that rivals the Jon Benet Ramsey saga in the annals of true crime. When the pretty, blonde Utah mother went missing in December of 2009 the media was swept up in the story – with lenses and microphones trained on Susan's husband, Josh. He said he had no idea what happened to his young wife, and that he and the boys had been camping in the middle of a snowstorm.
Over the next three years bombshell by bombshell, the story would reveal more shocking secrets. Josh's father, Steve, who was sexually obsessed with Susan, would ultimately be convicted of unspeakable perversion. Josh's brother, Michael, would commit suicide. And in the most stunning event of them all, Josh Powell would murder his two little boys and kill himself with brutality beyond belief.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran true-crime authors Olsen (If Loving You Is Wrong) and Morris (Ted and Ann) do a solid job depicting the heartbreaking case of Susan Powell, a young wife and mother who disappeared from her home in a suburb of Salt Lake City in December 2009, and the murder of her two sons seven-year-old Charlie, and two-year-old Braden less than three years later. From the outset, Powell's husband, Josh, oddly indifferent to her disappearance and possessing a spotty alibi, is the obvious suspect. In addition, the marriage had problems for years, amply documented in emails to friends in which Powell indicated that she feared divorce or worse. Readers also learn about the suffering endured by Susan's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, who had the loss of their daughter compounded by Josh's deadly response to a custody battle, before he ultimately attacked his boys with an axe and blew up the house with all three inside. There are a few lapses, such as one passage describing an event that no one witnessed, but overall this is a powerful narrative of one family's tragedy.
Customer Reviews
A MUST READ
I couldn’t put this book down!!! Have a box of tissue nearby as this horrific story unfolds though, SO SAD the way it all turned out…
Must read
An incredible book, the authors’ understanding, hard facts and true statements and experiences are so meticulously detailed and wrote to bring a story to life, reads like a best seller crime novel, but leaves you feeling like you were there all along and a part of the case/tragedy that unfolded. I feel so many emotions after the book ends.
Kudos authors for sharing the story.
Sending my love and angels to the people trying to survive after such evil.
Truthful
I enjoyed how all the facts were presented and gathered. It’s unfortunate what happened but, it made me realize that as a woman, that I need to be safe with my next partner and watch out for telltale signs.