Kenneth Taylor, a dentist, brutally beat to death his third wife, Teresa, thereby orphaning their infant son, who became the focus of a bitter custody battle between Taylor's Indiana parents and Teresa's New Jersey relatives. Despite Taylor's absurd claim that Teresa sexually abused their son, there was no motive for the murder, but then there was none for his vicious attack on Teresa during their honeymoon (blamed on ``intruders'') or a similar assault on his second wife. Maas, author of Serpico ( LJ 12/15/73) and Manhunt ( LJ 7/86), provides a dark, compelling portrait of a sociopathic middle-class professional who ruined many lives. A wrenching story with popular appeal. Literary Guild main selection; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/90.-- Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Wife-beater, philanderer and drug-abuser Ken Taylor murdered third wife Teresa in 1984; after Taylor's incarceration, his parents and former sister-in-law faced off in a dramatic custody battle for his young son, Philip. ``A taut, chilling voyage into the mind of a sociopath,'' said PW. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved