My Father’s Story: The Murder of the Best Man I’ve Ever Known

Eric Johnson | Paramount Ghostwriters 281p, e-book, $9.99, ISBN 978-1-961804-30-2

Johnson’s debut examines a heartbreaking crime and the legal and emotional aftermath. On March 17, 2021, William Johnson and two dogs were killed by his ex-girlfriend, Angelee Ross, whom William met in 2014 at the mechanic shop where he was employed. William’s son, Eric, enjoyed a close and loving relationship with his father (whom he called “Pops”) throughout his life and was of course shattered by this. In My Father’s Story Eric recounts fishing trips, learning about cars, and visiting his father frequently until his dad bought a “dream home” in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan 2017. By that time, William and Angelee had broken up amicably and then reconciled, a pattern that would continue, on less friendly terms. From the outset of the investigation, Angelee never denied murdering William. She would plead eventually guilty by reason of insanity on six different felony counts, including first degree murder.

Combining personal narrative and partially redacted transcripts of evidentiary hearings and other court proceedings, author Eric relays the story of his relationship with the man he called “Pops,” a loving father who, as Eric writes, “not only fulfilled his role as a dad but also became one of my closest confidants.” These passages are touching, as are Eric’s accounts of the aftermath, finding support from unexpected quarters (including relatives of Angelee’s), and learning through hearings exactly what transpired in his father’s last moments.

The bulk of the book shares testimony from those hearings. In the end, Angelee was found not guilty by reason of insanity and remanded to a mental health facility, likely for the remainder of her life. The narrative would benefit from more first-person storytelling; in narrative passages, Eric’s style is offhand but effective, especially when capturing what it feels like, in the moment, to face such momentous hearings. The court transcripts are enlightening but also repetitive and technical, and more summaries and some explanations of state statutes and forensic terms would provide greater clarity.

Cover: A- | Design & typography: B+ | Illustrations: A Editing: A- | Marketing copy: B

A son faces his father’s murder and the transcribed hearings that followed.

Great for fans of Rachel Howard’s The Lost Night, Sarah Perry’s After the Eclipse.