''Deadly Medicine'' is a 1988 non-fiction true crime book by

Kelly Moore Kelly Moore (born January 31, 1959) is the driver with the all-time most wins in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series and the driver of the #47 NAPA Chevy. He is the father of NASCAR driver Ryan Moore. Racing career Moore s ...

and Dan Reed that was adapted for television in 1991, as an NBC Movie-of-the-Week by the same name. The book was first published in November 1988 and focused on the murder case of convicted serial killer

Genene Jones Genene Anne Jones (born July 13, 1950) is an American serial killer, responsible for the deaths of up to 60 infants and children in her care as a licensed vocational nurse during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984, Jones was convicted of murder and ...

Summary

The book chronicles the murder case of convicted serial killer

, a pediatric nurse from San Antonio, Texas, who murdered between 11 and 46 infants during 1981 and 1982 by inducing Code Blue emergencies through fatal overdoses of prescription medications such as

heparin Heparin, also known as unfractionated heparin (UFH), is a medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. Since heparins depend on the activity of antithrombin, they are considered anticoagulants. Specifically it is also used in the treatm ...

. The book relies on interviews with the victims' families, the investigators, the attorneys, and Jones herself. The authors summarize the 1984 murder trial and theorize that Jones intentionally triggered medical issues in the infants to act as a hero during the resultant Code Blue emergencies.

Critical reception

General reception for the book was positive and ''Deadly Medicine'' was a New York Times Bestseller for seven weeks. The book received positive reviews, with the '' Los Angeles Times'' writing that it was "distinguished by thorough research and a keen understanding of human character—even of Jones' motivation." '' Booklist'' specifically noted the book's "chilling veracity," deeming it "striking for the feeling of horrifying powerlessness it provokes as Jones murders again and again." According to ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', ''Deadly Medicine'' is "an engrossing and readable shocker." ''Deadly Medicine'' was listed on '' The Sunday Telegraphs Local Best Sellers in paperback in November 1989.

Television adaptation

In 1991 the book was adapted into a

made for television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

movie starring Veronica Hamel as pediatrician Kathleen Holland and Susan Ruttan as Genene Jones. Moore and Reed's book was adapted by screenwriters Vicki Polon, L. Virginia Browne, and Andrew Laskos, and directed by

Richard Colla Richard A. Colla (born April 18, 1936) (sometimes credited as Dick Colla) is an American film, television director and actor. On screen he played Tony Merritt on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. His directorial credits include '' The Virg ...

for NBC. Reception for the film was mostly positive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deadly Medicine 1988 non-fiction books American non-fiction books St. Martin's Press books Non-fiction books about serial killers