Rancho Mirage: An American Tragedy of Manners, Madness, and Murder

The 1981 killing of wealthy, wheelchair-bound businessman Robert Sand, who was in his late 60s, by his beautiful 40-year-old wife, is not especially involving, but the personality of Andrea is. A former call girl and actress, she had been married four times before and had had dismal experiences with each husband. And she did not fare much better with Sand, who involved her in acting out his fantasies, many of them sadomasochistic, and whose jealousy kept her a virtual prisoner in their Palm Springs condo. Andrea, as depicted by Saroyan ( Last Rites ), had difficulty in separating reality from fantasy; she also suffered from a histrionic personality disorder, attention-seeking, irrational angry outbursts and narcissism. Found guilty of murder in the first degree, she received a 26-year sentence. A model prisoner, she will be eligible for parole in 1997. Saroyan, who sets out to show ``how bad things are or can be between the sexes in America,'' makes his point, and along the way presents a profile of a complex personality that will keep readers spellbound. Photos. (Nov.)