In a Child's Name

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