Ann Rule Digs Deep Into the Tragedy of the Susan Powell Case-A Book Review

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"Fatal Friends and Deadly Neighbors" by Ann Rule

Josh Powell was crazy. This was evident as early as page 12.

And if Josh Powell might be considered crazy, for sure his father, Steven Powell, was certifiable.

In fact, while it's likely that Josh Powell murdered his wife, Susan, and buried her body in parts unknown, and it's known that Josh murdered his two sons, Charlie and Braden, through a horrible fire that also cost Josh his life, it is Josh's father who even spent a day in jail during the mayhem that eventually killed the apparently happy family.

Steven Powell was a very dislikeable, and very perverted, man. He publicly accused Susan Powell, after she'd disappeared at the likely hands of his son, of coming on to him, of being a sexy siren in his innocent presence.

Susan Powell was a hard-working woman who adored her two boys, who worked steadily while Josh could not hold down a job, who rode a bicycle to work every day as Josh would not let her have the car for the commute.

Add to her many "blessings", she had a despicable father-in-law who, in an odd turn of events, was discovered to be a nasty voyeur, his computer filled with pictures of young neighbor girls in various states of dress, some even sitting on the toilet!

There was something dark and deadly in the Powell household of Josh's childhood. The result of a mentally unbalanced Joshua Powell who likely killed his whole family, is not a surprise.

Ann Rule is….well what can I say? Ann Rule is Ann Rule.

There is no greater True Crime writer, NONE, on the planet.

It was very fitting that Ann took on the challenge of documenting the sad story of the Powell family, of a vibrant loving wife and mother who was denied the chance to raise her precious sons. And those beautiful boys!


The only thing I know for sure is that Josh Powell is burning in hell even as yon reader peruses these words. Susan and her two boys are together and safe in the arms of Jesus.

Ann Rule, as is her wont, there were a few other crime stories from what she calls her "cold case files". The Powell story takes up most of this book but the few other stories as narrated by the seasoned True Crime wordsmith, Ms. Rule, fill out the reading nicely.

This book was a very enjoyable read and the couple of additional stories rounded the reading experience out very well.

There was no need of any detail about a trial for Josh Powell or any of the other minutiae that makes up a True Crime book.

The other cases in this book added the additional pleasant reading time those used to Ann Rule's books have come to expect.