From the premier writer of true crime comes A Fever in the Heart and Other True Cases, the third volume in Ann Rule's Crime Files series. Here, she collects four cases that "subconsciously or inadvertently... share a common theme: personal betrayal. Since I am a great believer in the premise that we do nothing accidentally, it must be the right time to contemplate homicides that occur because the victim or victims have been betrayed by someone they have come to trust." Like her bestselling Dead by Sunset, A Fever in the Heart is scheduled to be made into an NBC-TV miniseries currently scheduled to air in May 1997. (Pocket, $6.99, 480p, ISBN 0-671-79355-1)

Crime writer Rule has produced another gripping compilation of true-crime stories, all set in Washington State in the 1970s. Her themes are of personal betrayal and sexual predators. The title story tells of an obsession fueled by jealousy and lust, ultimately leading to death and the ruination of many lives. After his wife left him, beloved high school coach Gabby Moore became obsessed with the wife of a former student and friend, Morris Blankenbaker. Morris's wife, Jerilee, began a relationship with Gabby that deteriorated as the alcoholic Gabby's behavior became increasingly erratic. She returned to Morris, who was soon found murdered, but Gabby, the most likely suspect, had an airtight alibi. Other stories also tell tales of obsession, lust, murder, secret lives and false identities, and sexual depravity. A welcome addition to true-crime collections; highly recommended.-Sandra K. Lindheimer, Middlesex Law Lib., Cambridge, Mass.