About the Book

She was 15 when she visited the therapist; still a teen when they had sex. She was 25 when she married him and 44 when she killed him.

Seduced by Madness tells the story of the decadent 1960s and 70s as it's never been told.

Seduced by Madness refers not only to Dr. Felix and Susan Polk but also to many therapists who like Dr. Polk fell for every passing fad from est to satanic abuse to recovered memory. Like Dr. Polk, his peers challenged authority, defied rules and broke barriers. Their unforgiveable excesses set the stage for this cautionary tale.

The Polks seemed to live the California life others could only envy. Susan was beautiful, slim, athletic and intelligent, a stay-at-home mom who doted on her children. Dr. Polk was 25 years her senior and he loved his wife beyond reason. The respected adolescent psychotherapist was the onetime director of his county’s mental health department and he remained a guru to his peers. As the Polks ferried their three sturdy sons to and from their magnificent arts and crafts home, few knew they harbored a secret, part of their past that would end in tragedy.

On the night of October 13, 2002, their youngest son found Dr. Polk’s body stretched out like a snow angel on the cool Mexican tile floor of their pool house. It had been there for almost 24 hours. The Polks’ carefully guarded secret: that he had been his wife’s therapist when she was a troubled young girl, was suddenly very public.

More than three years later, Ms. Polk, a brilliant but delusional woman, represented herself in court. She served up a cavalcade of characters: a black belt in karate who explained that when women are attacked “they’re like lionesses in the wilderness,” an investigative psychic who explained she helped police departments find murderers and a runaway pathologist. In the trial’s most heart-wrenching drama, Susan Polk cross-examined two of her sons who testified for the prosecution.

Was Felix Polk a Svengali? Or as jurors thought, was Susan Polk in charge? There’s little doubt that when they began their relationship, Dr. Polk was the dominant partner. But then his wife grew increasingly angry over his having consumed her life and the power seemed to shift. This is their story, a reflection of an era when therapists thought there was little if nothing wrong with having sex with one’s patient.

Carol Pogash tells the true story of this troubled woman and her turbulent marriage to her therapist. Pogash, who lives in the same little town where the murder occurred, is an award-winning journalist. She has covered the Polk story since its inception and knows more about the case than anyone, other than family members. She’s written a chilling story of love, hate, power and control where things are not always what they seem...