Murder Along the Way: A Prosecutor's Personal Account of Fighting Violent Crime in the Suburbs

Suburban Rockland County lies just to the north of New York City; Gribetz and freelance writer Jeffers have composed an excellent study of murder cases that developed there during the 14 years Gribetz was the county district attorney. They focus on three of the most sensational murders: the slaying of Arnold and Elaine Sohnin in 1980 by a member of their daughter's drug sub-culture; the 1981 massacre of guards and police officers in the holdup of a Brink's armored truck carried out by a radical group that allied itself with the Black Liberation Army; the killing of gay Norwegian fashion student Eigil Dag Vesti in 1985 at the conclusion of a sado-masochistic chance encounter with gallery owner Andrew Crispo that began in Manhattan and ended in Tomkins Cove. Several less lurid stories are also told, but all are narrated carefully while Gribetz offers running commentary on the job of district attorney. Photos not seen by PW. (July)