Open Secrets: A True Story of Love, Jealousy, and Murder

This exceedingly complicated case began with the murder of Rozanne Gailiunas in a Dallas suburb in 1983. Preparing to divorce her physician husband Peter, Rozanne was having an affair with Larry Aylor, who was building a new house for the Gailiunases. The affair became known to Larry's wife, Joy, and she planned a divorce as well. When it became apparent that neither Peter nor Larry was Rozanne's killer, the case stalled. In 1985, however, an attempt was made on Larry's life, at which point Joy's sister Carol informed the police that Joy had arranged both the murder and the attempted murder. Subsequently, an ex-ministerial student-turned-drug-addict was convicted of the murder while a pair of sibling drifters were convicted of the attempted killing. But as the net closed in, another twist: Joy Aylor fled to France, where she has successfully fought extradition to the U.S. Stowers ( Careless Whispers ) has done a superb job of keeping the many strands of the case from becoming tangled and has produced an exceptional true-crime study. (June)