 Cover of 1991 paperback edition | |
| Author | Kelly Moore, Dan Reed |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Nonfiction,true crime |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | November 1988 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback,Paperback,Audiobook) |
Deadly Medicine is a 1988 non-fictiontrue crime book byKelly Moore 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 killerGenene Jones.[1]
The book chronicles the murder case of convicted serial killerGenene Jones, a pediatric nurse fromSan Antonio, Texas, who murdered between 11 and 46 infants during 1981 and 1982 by inducingCode Blue emergencies through fatal overdoses of prescription medications such asheparin. 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 resultantCode Blue emergencies.[2]
General reception for the book was positive andDeadly Medicine was aNew York Times Bestseller for seven weeks.[3] The book received positive reviews,[4] with theLos Angeles Times writing that it was "distinguished by thorough research and a keen understanding of human character—even of Jones' motivation."[5]
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."[6] According toKirkus Reviews,Deadly Medicine is "an engrossing and readable shocker."[6]
Deadly Medicine was listed onThe Sunday Telegraph's Local Best Sellers in paperback in November 1989.[7]
In 1991 the book was adapted into amade for television movie starringVeronica Hamel as pediatrician Kathleen Holland andSusan Ruttan as Genene Jones.[8][9] Moore and Reed's book was adapted byscreenwriters Vicki Polon, L. Virginia Browne, and Andrew Laskos, and directed byRichard Colla forNBC.[10] Reception for the film was mostly positive.[11][12][13]