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Dear Cousin: The Stalking of Susan Fensten
Dear Cousin: The Stalking of Susan Fensten is the gripping true story of one woman's quest for long lost family. After the deaths of her sister and estranged father, Susan searches for relatives on an early online genealogy forum. When she meets cousins from her grandfather's other family, they're everything she'd hoped for—until it all goes to hell.
Susan’s dreams are shattered when she learns her relatives’ dangerous history, and she is bombarded with threatening messages and sexually explicit content. When dozens more people contact her, Susan realizes she's stumbled into a real-life horror movie.
As Susan desperately searches for the truth, she struggles to determine who's an ally and who wants her dead, and she falls down a digital rabbit hole of career criminals, predators, and sexual cultists in the Tri State area. But given the cyber law landscape in 2003, the police are unable to help Susan despite violent phone calls, and unwelcome visits.
Things change when a plot to abduct Susan and her boyfriend comes to light. The FBI steps in, and Susan is given hope when a skeptical agent takes on her case. What he discovers upends Susan's reality forever.
Twenty years after events took place, this real-life thriller from the dawn of the internet serves as a shocking cautionary tale about survival and perseverance against all odds. Hear Susan’s story in her own words, with contributions from expert guests, and the FBI Special Agent and Assistant US attorney on Susan’s case. This is the story of how one woman survived a two-year torture campaign when no one else would help.
Please be advised, this program contains graphic sexual imagery, and discussions of violence, and death. Some names have been changed to protect their subjects’ identities.
Susan’s dreams are shattered when she learns her relatives’ dangerous history, and she is bombarded with threatening messages and sexually explicit content. When dozens more people contact her, Susan realizes she's stumbled into a real-life horror movie.
As Susan desperately searches for the truth, she struggles to determine who's an ally and who wants her dead, and she falls down a digital rabbit hole of career criminals, predators, and sexual cultists in the Tri State area. But given the cyber law landscape in 2003, the police are unable to help Susan despite violent phone calls, and unwelcome visits.
Things change when a plot to abduct Susan and her boyfriend comes to light. The FBI steps in, and Susan is given hope when a skeptical agent takes on her case. What he discovers upends Susan's reality forever.
Twenty years after events took place, this real-life thriller from the dawn of the internet serves as a shocking cautionary tale about survival and perseverance against all odds. Hear Susan’s story in her own words, with contributions from expert guests, and the FBI Special Agent and Assistant US attorney on Susan’s case. This is the story of how one woman survived a two-year torture campaign when no one else would help.
Please be advised, this program contains graphic sexual imagery, and discussions of violence, and death. Some names have been changed to protect their subjects’ identities.
Audiobook
Published July 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 18, 2026
This review is going to be in two parts, I listened to the audiobook on audible (which is relevant):
1. The Content
Scary story, and well presented, but I did work out , but other than that I appreciated listening to the narrators journey through the horrific experience.
I think if you're interested in true crime however, theres a lot of 'better' stalking books (note why that hurts to say below!), however I do think if you are interested in stalking as a genre, this is quite an interesting one given the timing, the perpetrator, the sentencing and the relationship.
2. The Format
So clearly Audible just slapped a bunch of podcast episodes together and then called it an audiobook.
I am NOT impressed.
If I wanted to listen to a Podcast, I'd put on a f***king podcast, but I wanted an audiobook. So skip the background music, the frustratingly quiet courtroom recordings (IDK if they were 'real' and inserted or recorded, but either way, the volume was sooo much lower than the narrator!)... It feels like a cop out on Audibles part to have this on their system as both formats. Each chapter was an episode, and they even left in the intro and outro music and the 'repeaty' bits you get at the start of each episode to remind you where you're up too from the previous episode!
I AM MAD ABOUT THIS. (Incase you couldn't tell)
It made it really hard to appreciate the content and story for what it was.
DO BETTER AUDIBLE.
RESULT:
Sorry, I don't really recommend this 'book' at all, but listen to the podcast if you're interested in the content.
1. The Content
Scary story, and well presented, but I did work out , but other than that I appreciated listening to the narrators journey through the horrific experience.
I think if you're interested in true crime however, theres a lot of 'better' stalking books (note why that hurts to say below!), however I do think if you are interested in stalking as a genre, this is quite an interesting one given the timing, the perpetrator, the sentencing and the relationship.
2. The Format
So clearly Audible just slapped a bunch of podcast episodes together and then called it an audiobook.
I am NOT impressed.
If I wanted to listen to a Podcast, I'd put on a f***king podcast, but I wanted an audiobook. So skip the background music, the frustratingly quiet courtroom recordings (IDK if they were 'real' and inserted or recorded, but either way, the volume was sooo much lower than the narrator!)... It feels like a cop out on Audibles part to have this on their system as both formats. Each chapter was an episode, and they even left in the intro and outro music and the 'repeaty' bits you get at the start of each episode to remind you where you're up too from the previous episode!
I AM MAD ABOUT THIS. (Incase you couldn't tell)
It made it really hard to appreciate the content and story for what it was.
DO BETTER AUDIBLE.
RESULT:
Sorry, I don't really recommend this 'book' at all, but listen to the podcast if you're interested in the content.
March 5, 2026
What begins as a heartfelt quest for lost family quickly plunges into a dark and deadly underworld in The Stalking of Susan Fensten. Susan’s innocent online search uncovers a sinister web of threats, predators, and secrets that threaten her very life. It’s a chilling reminder that sometimes, the search for connection can lead straight into the shadows.
March 20, 2026
The story happed quite a long time ago. Not as much was known about stalking, and this did provide some good details of errors people made before the subject was better known. It is a total shock when one finds out who is responsible for this. Worth a read, especially since it is short.
January 9, 2026
3.25 stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews