BLIND FAITH

Hardback. 1st US edn. To the big spenders of Toms River, New Jersey, Rob and Maria Marshall were a fairytale couple, complete with lavish life-style, youthful good looks, and 3 handsome teenaged sons. But on September 7, 1984, the fairy tale ended. Rob and Maria were driving home from Atlantic City when, Rob said, he pulled over to check a bad tyre, another driver pulled in behind them, knocked Rob out - and shot Maria dead. That was horror enough for their 3 sons, but what followed was much worse. As the police investigated, Rob's account began to fall apart, and so did his image as a solid citizen. The real Rob Marshall was a man wildly in debt, addicted to gambling, and engaged in a flamboyant sexual affair with a friend's wife. He held a million and a half dollars' worth of insurance on Maria, and had been looking for someone - anyone - to help him collect. By vividly recreating the world of Rob Marshall - the car-and-cocaine deals and surreal birthday parties, the mobsters and love trysts, the contract killers and casinos - this book becomes a remarkable example of American gothic. Illus. 381pp. lge. 8vo. h/back. Vg+ in Vg. dw. A fairly heavy book which will require additional postage if shipped overseas.