Deadly Kin: A True Story of Mass Family Murder

by William R. Trotter, Robert W. Newsom III

He knifed her mother, poisoned her children and shot her father, but Susie Newsom Lynch still loved Cousin Fritz. Eight pages of photos accompany this biz arre true account of a first-cousin romance that left nine people dead.

Genres: True Crime

217 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

About the author

William R. Trotter was educated at Davidson College, where he earned a B.A. in European History. He has worked as a regional music critic, a book reviewer, and a freelance historian and feature writer.

Reviews

[Jason Collett]

When I was a kid, I remember watching a movie on TV with my mom about these murders but never thought much about them until I came across this book at my mother’s condo and remembered the movie. I was born in High Point, NC and live right outside of Greensboro and all this happened, literally, right in my backyard, proverbially of course. I believe that Fritz Kleener is buried in the same cemetery as well as some of my family in Reidsville, NC.

I don’t usually read books of this nature but since I knew of these murders, I decided to read the book and wasn’t what I expected it to be. I thought it would be detailed recount of the murders and while it does do that, it gives you an inside look on the people involved to a detail I didn’t expect but appreciated.

The book was written or at least copyrighted in 1988, 3 years after Fritz Kleener, Suzie Newsom Lynch and her 2 boys, Jim and John were killed when their Chevrolet Blazer exploded as a result of a bomb in the passenger seat following a very slow police chase in Greensboro, NC. The book chronicles how the events lead to that horrific event that has been seared in North Carolina’s history from precision murders of a mother and daughter in Kentucky in 1984 to a businessman, his wife and his mother in Winston-Salem, NC to the murders of John and Jim Lynch before the suicides of Fritz and Suzie.

The delusions of these 2 kissing cousins and horrendous murders,sadly, made for a good movie and even an episode of Southern Fried Homicide titled Kissing Cousins (season 1, episode 1) on Investigation Discovery.

I highly recommend this book, watching the movie titled Bitter Blood and Southern Fried Homicide. It’s worth your while.

[Elyn Rene Brown]

Interesting story (heard about it on small town murders podcast) but i wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. 3.5/5 ⭐️

[Ronnie Cramer]

The story of a rare case of lafolie a deux ('madness between two') that describes how 'two borderline psychotics came together [and] generated a state of delusion significantly stronger and more dangerous than that from which they suffered singly.' In this case, it manifested itself in the murders of several members of a particular family. One of the co-authors is a surviving member of that family. Descriptions and reactions to the crimes are good, though the appendix, with it's apocalyptic-style warnings, hasn't aged particularly well.

[Max Gerringer]

And this is the short melodramatic version of the story by someone in the family.

[Janet]

Interesting perspective from a family member.