BEYOND OBSESSION.

Hardback. On the afternoon of August 5, 1987, the badly bruised and strangled body of Joyce Aparo was discovered under a footbridge in Bemardston, Massachusetts. Within the month, 4 upper-middle-class teenagers from the nearby community of Glastonbury, Connecticut, were under arrest for committing a crime they had carefully planned down to the last detail. Two of those teenagers were Joyce's daughter, Karin, and Karin's boyfriend, Dennis Coleman. The author describes the psychological and emotional terrain inhabited by Joyce, Karin and Dennis. At the time of her death, 47yr. old Joyce was a social worker for Connecticut's Health Coordinating Council. Before that she had had extensive experience as a social worker for the state's Department of Child and Youth Services. The horrible irony was that Joyce physically and emotionally abused Karin on a daily basis. The author's psychological profile of Karin provides clear insights into why she attempted suicide at age 12; why she wrote long letters to Archibishop John Whealon; and why she turned to her neighbour Dennis for the love and support she so desperately needed. In four major sections, the author vividly describes how the deed was done and by whom; who Karin and Joyce really were as seen through the eyes of family, friends and colleagues; why Dennis was so completely devoted to Karin; and how a trial can make you sit on the edge of your seat in anticipation of a verdict. The disturbing story of an ordinary American suburb and of 3 ordinary people whose lives intermingled and went terribly and sadly wrong. Illus. 346pp. 8vo. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in f. dw.