PREFACE<br >There are some people on earth who cannot bear to live an ordinary<br >life. This quirk of personality， exceedingly rare among mankind s<br >billions， leads certain individuals to great acts--as with the medical<br >researcher who labors tirelessly to develop a cure for a dreaded dis-<br >ease. It drives others to unimaginable evil--as in the case of Genene<br >Jones.<br > Genene Jones s demons--and the crimes they spurred her to com-<br >mit-compose a dark and compelling tale. But this book is far more<br >than an account of one woman s madness. Its story offers a window into<br >the frailties of modern medicine--the petty jealousies and arrogance，<br >the fears and ambitions， the bureaucratic paralysis--that can produce<br >tragedy. This is a story about the criminal-justice system: of eager pros-<br >ecutors， leaked secrets， and greedy lawyers. Most powerfully of all， it<br >is an account of every parent s worst nightmare--of discovering that<br >someone to whom he has entrusted his child has acted to harm rather<br >than to heal.<br > I first wrote about these events in August 1983 for Texas Monthly.<br >I am grateful to Nicholas Lemann， a gifted editor and writer， who<br >entrusted me with that assignment--my first for a magazine--and has<br >been a source of astute guidance ever since. I owe thanks to several<br >PREFACE ix<br >