If I Can't Have You cover art

If I Can't Have You

Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance, and the Murder of Her Children

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If I Can't Have You

By: Gregg Olsen, Rebecca Morris
Narrated by: Laural Merlington, Kevin Pierce
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About this listen

Best-selling 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.

©2014 gregg olsen and rebecca morris (P)2014 gregg olsen Murder True Crime Crime Marriage Mormon
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Kept me hooked. Read very well. Thoroughly enjoyed the well written book about the sad death of a mother and her sons.

Well read and captivating story

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Suspenseful, Shocking and heart shattering. This book has you hooked from the very beginning. I highly recommend for any true crime lover.

A must have for your library.

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I started to listen to the book and was about to declare the narrative was grindingly dreadful and was about to give up after 5 mins and almost forgot you could speed it up. Then it changed to a narrator who was quite brilliant. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. The pace and each chapter occasionally going back was perfect was pitched so well. I highly recommend it.

Phew… WOW… F%CK ME DEAD

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Never heard this story before and I guess I wanted some sort of outcome or to know more about what happened after? Was very well written getting you to know the case and personalities of everyone, wasn't boring at all. There is definitely a lot more to this story and how the system failed once again. Worth a listen to and I will be checking in on this case to find out more!

Interesting

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A really sad and ultimately predictable outcome. So many lost opportunities for a different outcome. A reasonable performance but a little flat. For those who like to know the details of a true crime.

Sad but thorough

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this is a brilliant and sympathetic account of a ghastly and tragic story. Kevin Pearce as always gives a flawless delivery.

Horrific story, precise presentation

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This is an utterly gut wrenching read that will simultaneously punch you in the guts whilst it breaks your heart as everything about this totally tragic criminal case is endlessly confounding. Horrifying.

Confounding.

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Well written and narrated. I can’t imagine the pain that this family have endured and the frustration that they must feel as losing their beautiful grandsons could have been avoided, if only they had listened to Chuck and Judy.

Incredibly Sad

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very long, story jumps between time and lots of names/places to keep track. story is harrowing of an abusive husband and murderer, but not left with many answers. wouldn't highly recommend.

horrible, heartbreaking story and mystery

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This thing is sooooo tedious and slow. It literally repeats practically identical episodes over and over and over, describing on minute detail things that are of no importance to the reader, particularly as the point had long since already been made in preceding chapters. it is well written, but without exaggeration, it could have been around 5 times shorter without missing any of the important detail or the continuity of the story. I tried really, really hard to get through it all, as I do not often just give up on book, but by chapter 25 and the second-by-second rehash of yet another run in with the alleged perpetrator in a grocery story which had little to do with the overall story, I couldn't take it anymore. I fast forwarded and couldn't believe that I had to go TWELVE chapters forward for the story to move onto the next genuine development in the story. Everything in between was just the continuation of minor confrontations between the alleged perpetrator's family and the media/victim's family and friends/police.
Between the slowness of the story, the rising anger at the behaviour and actions of the alleged perpetrator and his family, and the frustration with the authorities doing absolutely nothing despite a literal mountain of circumstantial evidence, this book is very hard to get all the way through. Oh, and don't hold your breath for any answers, as despite the length of this book, all you'll find is a million and one ways of being told there aren't any.

it's OK

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