Seduced by Madness: The True Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case [Hardcover]

Carol Pogash (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2007

She was fifteen when she visited the therapist; still a teen when they had sex. She was twenty-five when she married him and forty-four when she killed him.

In October 2002, the quiet northern California town of Orinda was rocked by murder when Susan Polk, the mother of three teenage boys, was arrested for stabbing her husband and former therapist, Dr. Felix Polk, to death. The arrest and subsequent trial quickly became one of the most talked about murder cases in the country, as spectators and reporters learned the strange history behind this shocking killing.

Now in Seduced by Madness, Carol Pogash--the leading journalist working the case--has written the definitive account of the Polk family saga, offering a rich and textured re-creation of this disturbing and tragic American tale. Examining the decadent culture of California in the 1970s, Pogash looks at how, in this period of drugs and sexual exploration, a fifteen-year-old Susan found herself caught in the grasp of Felix, her therapist--who, like others in the mental health profession, fell for every passing trend in mental health therapy. Culled from years of careful research, Pogash reconstructs the vague beginnings of the couple's sexual relationship in the therapist's office, exploring how Felix's relaxed attitude toward therapy blinded him to the complex nature of Susan's mental state, and how their mutual obsession with each other sealed their fate.

With lyrical prose, Pogash skillfully traces the Polks' story--from their early yearnings for one another through their flawed marriage, which produced three highly intelligent but emotionally divided sons. Weaving a complex narrative of a family who lived in multimillion dollar homes but lingered in the shadow of dysfunction, Pogash reassembles their life in the years and months before Felix's death, intimately describing what led this soft-spoken wife to murder.

Three years after Felix's death, Susan Polk was tried for first degree murder, and here Pogash provides a first-hand account of the wild, media-circus trial in which Susan defended herself and cross-examined two of her sons. Illustrating how the prosecution and the court responded to Susan's volatile behavior, Pogash takes you inside the deliberation room and uncovers how jurors reached their surprising verdict.

Filled with the most complete case facts and interviews available, Seduced by Madness offers an unparalleled look at one of the most captivating murder cases in recent years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Journalist Pogash recounts and analyzes the story of Susan Polk in a riveting summation of both her life and her sensational trial for the 2002 murder of her husband, Felix Polk. In 1972, when Susan was a bright, troubled 15-year-old, skipping school, spending long hours alone reading serious fiction, she began an intense form of therapy with Polk, a respected and brilliant Berkeley therapist who specialized in adolescence. At some disputed point during the therapy, they began an affair and Felix, 25 years her senior, left his wife and children to marry her in 1981. Pogash, in fairness, points out the liberal therapy theories of the post '60s (Felix was an est follower), but the early inappropriate relationship between Susan and Felix would weigh heavily on their marriage and figure prominently in the murder trial. They had three boys (two of whom testified against their mother) and claimed their eldest, Adam, was subjected to abuse and satanic rituals in the California preschool scandal of the '80s. While the background is fascinating, the coverage of the trial is mesmerizing. Pogash takes the characters—the two DAs, the headline-grabbing defense attorney, Susan (after the attorney's departure from the case) acting as her own counsel, the jury, the courtroom groupies—and creates an edge-of-your-seat excitement. For fans of true crime, psychology, courtroom drama and truth-is- stranger-than fiction, this is a triumph.
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Review

“ Nobody knows this case better, or tells it so well, as Carol Pogash.” (--Keith Morrison, award-winning correspondent for Dateline )

“Veteran journalist Carol Pogash offers a complex, detailed, and nuanced exploration of the “perfect” Boomer family.” (--Dennis McDougal, author of Angel of Darkness )

“The story is utterly compelling, but it took a writer of Carol Pogash’s talents to make a book this good.” (--Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits )

“In this electrifying look at the complexities of the Susan Polk murder case, Carol Pogash goes beyond the lurid headlines.” (—Cassandra King, author of The Sunday Wife )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061147702
• ISBN-13: 978-0061147708
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,134,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Accurate Account Yet, June 1, 2007

By 

Alison A. Shurtleff "True Crime Reader" (Benicia, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seduced by Madness: The True Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case (Hardcover)

As someone who sat through the entire trial and knew Felix Polk professionally, I have to say that, without a doubt, Carol Pogash's book is the more accurate of the two books on the Susan Polk case. Catherine Crier, while getting a chunk of it right, was not present at the trial and Carol Pogash was. Crier's book is sprinkled with inaccuracies, while Pogash's book is accurate from start to finish. But that's not the main reason for choosing Pogash's book over Crier's. Carol Pogash is an excellent writer who portrays the story of the Polk family with fairness and perspective. She writes incisively of the creative therapy going on in the 1970s, the child abuse scare of the early 1980s, and the repressed memory movement that Susan was swept up in in her increasingly delusional mindset. No blame is put on either Felix or Susan. Instead the story, under Pogash's skillful writing, is allowed to unfold accurately, allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. It is a fascinating story, and it is written to not only draw the reader in, but to keep the pages turning. An excellent, suspenseful read.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seduced By Book, September 12, 2007

By 

Kay Bee "Trial Junkie" (Northern CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seduced by Madness: The True Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case (Hardcover)

I had to put it down...but only because I did not want to reach the end of this book. The prose by the author is so far above what one typically finds in the true crime or courtroom drama genres. Ms. Pogash has a depth to her writing style that was so compelling I found myself marveling at nearly every sentence. When the superb writing is coupled with the intriguing story of life at the Polk house, the reader is left with a feeling of knowing the parties involved, and even caring about each and every one of them. It was clear to me from watching the news reports during the trial that Susan Polk is a fascinating yet complex and difficult woman. Felix Polk was equally enigmatic. The descriptions of Dr. Polk were interesting to anyone who lived in Northern California during the 1960's and 1970's, especially those who had any contact with the psychotherapeutic community. Felix's professional endeavors exemplified that era and his lack of professional boundaries was never updated or modified to meet current standards (right up until his death). When you read Seduced By Madness, it's like watching sausage being made. The path, the events and the results all make sense, but it feels like something you should not be privy to, and yet you will not want to stop. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lesson for our Time., June 29, 2007

By 

Shirley Issel (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seduced by Madness: The True Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case (Hardcover)

This book pulled me in and kept me hooked--such is the talent of its author, Carol Pogash and her subject, Susan Polk. I was fascinated, morbidly so, compelled to keep reading and finally sickened by the horror of it all. While Carol Pogash approaches this story through the lens of a professional journalist, she also provides a clinical case history that raises important questions about the nature of madness and its impact on family, friends and collegues. I am a psychotherapist who has lived and worked in Berkeley for over 30 years. I know many of these people and lived much of this history. Carol covers the trendy therapies and theories of those years, some mostly silly like EST, others more damaging based on stories of Satanic cults, ritual abuse, recovered memories, and multiple personalities. I must say, after reading this book I remain astonished by the inability of highly trained professionals like myself to recognize the difference between fantasy and reality, mass hysteria and delusion when we see it. In, Seduced by Madness, Carol Pogash makes it clear just how dangerous it can be to be attracted to madness--it can kill you. I am now soothing myself by reading "Mistakes Were Made" by Tavris and Aronson. A serious book, it offers documented and helpful explinations of "why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions and hurtful acts." I strongly recommend both books.
Shirley Issel