Sins of the Son

This astounding autobiography is a true-crime tale with a difference: Stowers, honored by the Mystery Writers of America for Careless Whispers and nominated for a Pulitzer for Innocence Lost, here writes of his older son, Anson, whose youth was devoted to drugs and crime and who is now serving time for murdering his ex-wife in a fit of rage in Dallas. What is astounding is the author's myopia: an effective communicator with his readers, he could barely get through to those closest to him. His first two marriages ended in divorce; his elder son was estranged early and, on the one occasion when the father was asked to avow his faith in Anson, he did so only with reservations. In his introduction, Kellerman terms parenthood ``punishment for the crime of loving,'' and Stowers has suffered punishment aplenty. Photos. (July)