Customer Reviews

Finding Susan

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

When the average person reads in a newspaper about a murdered person and the subsequent investigation, the idea that there is a long-lasting effect on the family is not always completely considered. Molly Moran's book brings her sister Susan to life to such a point that I felt I knew Susan and probably would have had a lot in common with her. Moran gives us an in-depth look at the devastation that brought her sister, a vibrant and talented woman, to continue in an abusive relationship and her downward spiral with alcohol. What stunned me most was Appendix A - the 28 police and doctor reports (from 1987 to 1994) told in an almost matter-of-fact tone. To think that there were so many documented times that Susan could helped herself and yet she continued with the one relationship that she knew was no good for her.

This book should be required reading for all high school freshmen girls (presumably when they start dating). They may not appreciate fully all of the family dynamics that are encompassed in the book. Perhaps, though, if girls at that age learn about the pattern of spousal abuse early on, it might help one of them...or they might be able to help a loved one get help.

A definite read...and sorry for the long review.

Combining a wealth of fact with a lucid, readable style, Molly Moran records her family's torment in seeking justice for a murdered relative (the author's sister, whose killer has never been prosecuted). Having lacked, at first, the proof of homicide which was later to come with the discovery of Susan's skeletal remains, Moran amasses evidence of the spousal abuse which points to Susan's second husband as the murderer.
Of overarching interest is the character of the sister who unwittingly replicated, in her second marriage, the alcohol-driven chaos of the childhood home (I respect Moran's courage in looking at this dimension of her sister's past, since it is of course a part of her own past, too). Careful to show us Susan's weaknesses and limitations, Moran also reveals Susan's generous and gifted side--compassion for friends, devotion to her sons. These admirable qualities underscore the power of the psychological forces (lack of self-confidence and of self-regard) which kept Susan in an abusive marriage. The book makes an urgent plea for other victims to "get out now"--and for law enforcement to pursue justice for those who cannot escape.

Molly Moran's FINDING SUSAN deals with the disappearance of and search for her sister, Susan Harrison. Susan left a stable marriage that included two young sons to hook up with her eventual husband, Jim Harrison, and found herself in a ten year abusive and alcoholic relationship. FINDING SUSAN actually deals with finding her in two different ways, both the Herculean effort Ms. Moran and her brothers undertook in their physical search, which the family found more than a little frustrating, and also Ms. Moran's reflective searching of the dynamics of their family life when they were children in a search for clues as to why Susan's life took the turn that it did.
Molly Moran is not only Susan Harrison's sister. She is also a professional writer, and the writing in this book is honest, emotional, and soul searching. Ms. Moran misses and mourns Susan deeply and that comes through loud and clear.
The only quibble I would have is that, though I realize that the writing of this book was cathartic and incredibly personal for the author, as a reader who is not personally involved, I felt that Ms. Moran's repetitively describing what outstanding people her siblings and her nephews, Susan's children, are became excessive. But given Ms. Moran's perspective this is understandable.
FINDING SUSAN, though apparently classified as such, really is not true crime. It is rather an intensely sad personal statement by Molly Moran and it is well worth reading.

This book, written by a murdered woman's sister, is interesting and well-written. However, it is written from the point of view of a loving family member of the victim. I enjoy reading true crime, which is usually written by an unrelated and unbiased third party. Of course, Molly, the writer, misses her sister Susan terribly, and she did try to give a somewhat impartial picture of Susan's abusive relationship with her husband. But instead of empathizing with Susan, I questioned first of all, why Susan left what appeared to be a perfectly good marriage with two children, and left her husband for a lover who was also married. It is difficult to empathize with a woman who would entice another woman's husband when she had a good and long-term relationship of her own. The fact that she was oblivious to his alcoholism and abuse, shows that she had some serious emotional flaws and should have sought professional help. Only late in the book do we find out that Susan and Molly's mother was also an alcoholic. This would have shed more light on the reason why Susan was so taken in and did not try to leave until it was too late. Lacking in self-esteem as Susan was, hers is the story of many abusive relationships. The fact that the police did an inadequate job of finding evidence to indict the apparent murderer makes it even more frustrating. I can understand Molly's dedication to her sister's cause, but I am left wishing this had been written by an impartial third party. The continual descriptions of Molly and Susan's wonderful siblings is appropriate in a biography, but not in true crime. I would have liked more photos of the victim, and not so many of her family.

I want to thank Molly Hurley Moran for writing this book. Her sister, Susan Hurley Harrison, was murdered in 1994 and the crime is still, to this day, unsolved. This story came to my attention when it was featured on Unsolved Mysteries back in late 1996 - ironically, shortly before Susan's body was discovered. Moran's novel brings you into the life story of her sister, and after reading it you feel like you know Susan personally. It is a tragic story of a talented woman who was a loving mother to her two sons but was affected by spousal abuse which may ultimately have played a role in her murder. Was Jim Harrison, her husband, also her killer? The Maryland state attorney general declined to file charges, but that doesn't mean Harrison had no involvement in Susan's murder. Read Moran's book and study the evidence involved.

As the mother of a murdered daughter, Kaitlyn Arquette, whose unsolved case could easily have been solved in the first two weeks of the (non)investigation, I was fascinated, but not surprised, by Molly Moran's well-written and heartbreaking account of her family's futile efforts to achieve justice for their murdered loved one. Molly should be commended for exposing the flaws in a Justice System that looks good in theory but simply DOESN'T WORK.

To read a capsuled account of Susan's case along with dozens of others that were incompetently and/or corruptly handled by law enforcement, visit the Real Crimes web site at www.realcrimes.com. Truth is certainly stranger and definitely more horrible than fiction.

Lois Duncan
author of WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?

Molly walks us through the harrowing tale of her own very personal plight to find her sister, Susan. The person who is responsible for her death is very clear, to everyone except the authorities. While reading this book, you gain a very personal kinship to Molly, and wish you could have been there to help in the families search for Susan. A very true account of a volatile relationship, with a tragic outcome. Buy this book! You will not regret it!

This book was very well written and the personalities very well portrayed. Wish I'd been able to know and love Susan. The abuse that she endured (and dished out) is incomprehensible to me but I know it happens all too often. I just wish peeps in this same kind of situation could read this book and determine to GET OUT of their own nightmare!

This book is fascinating on many levels. It is a loving tribute to the author's sister while at the same time examining the personality traits and weaknesses that led her to marry and ultimately die at the hands of an abusive man. I felt as though I truly got to know Susan by reading the book and shared the author's mixed emotions of frustration, sadness, love and concern for her as the story progressed. I literally could not put this book down--finishing it in within 24 hours of its purchase.

A TRUE HEARTBREAKING STORY OF SUSAN HURLEY HARRISON A LIFE STARTED SO ORDINARY BUT ENDED IN HER SENSELESS MURDER TOLD BY HER SISTER MOLLY HURLEY MORAN. A MUST READ. YOU WONT WANT TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN! THE BOOK DETAILS THE YEARS OF ABUSE AT THE HANDS OF JIM HARRISON AND THE CIRCUMSTANIAL EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS THAT HE HAD MOTIVE AND OPPORTUNITY TO MURDER SUSAN. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!