The Angel of Darkness - Caleb Carr [360]
Anyone familiar with the phenomenon of female violence will see in the case of Libby Hatch elements of crimes from not only the last century but our own time, as well. This similarity is quite intentional, and could not have been achieved without the important work of analysts who have chronicled the stories of some of the more noteworthy contemporary female killers. Of these writers I must mention Joyce Eggington for her powerful study of Marybeth Tinning, Ann Rule for her incisive work on the Diane Downs case, Andrea Peyser for her reporting on and analysis of the Susan Smith murders, and my friend John Coston for his examination of Ellen Boehm. All are to be commended for their refusal to sociologically rationalize the acts of their subjects, and for their insistence (to paraphrase Rupert Picton) on treating them as violent individuals first and women second.
Libraries, as always, make the difference between fantasy and reconstruction possible. I must thank the staffs of the New York Public Library, the New York Society Library, and the New-York Historical Society for their tireless help. I must also thank the staff of the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, New York, along with the staffs of the Ballston Spa Public Library, the Saratoga Springs Public Library, and the Saratoga County Historical Society.
Perrin Wright provided not only research assistance but companionship on some mental and physical journeys which, disturbing as they were for me, were in some ways more so for her. I thank her for being so insightful, open-minded, and supportive.
Dr. Laszlo Kreizler was born during a dinner I had long ago with John Therese, who has continued to offer his friendship and advice. Both are as highly valued now as they were then.
My path through the maze of the late nineteenth-century legal system in New York State was lit by the ever-insightful Julie Glynn, attorney-at-law. In addition, she and her husband, Andy Mattson, a keen analyst of American studies, were always willing to discuss ideas and listen to tirades, all of which kept the pressure from becoming explosive. Needless to say, whatever liberties I have taken with legal procedure for drama’s sake are my own doing.
Once again, Tim Haldeman provided invaluable reactions and suggestions, as well as the friendship necessary to keep a long and difficult project going. I am in his debt.
For their supreme patience and constant encouragement, I thank my agent, Suzanne Gluck, and my editor, Ann Godoff. They endured what must sometimes have seemed the endless ramblings of a soul in torment, and I hope they know that I couldn’t have gotten through it all without them. Marsinay Smith and Enrica Gadler also smoothed the path, and I deeply appreciate their efforts.
Heather Schroeder has worked tirelessly to oversee the fates of these stories abroad, and has always exhibited understanding and patience.
For helping me stay on course, as well as extending the hand of true friendship in Mother England, I offer my sincerest thanks to Hilary Hale.
I must also acknowledge the efforts of those physicians who took pains to keep me going through several very difficult years: Ernestina Saxton, Tirso del Junco, Jr., Frank Petito, and Bruce Yaffe exhibited the kind of committed and responsive behavior that all doctors should embody but with which most, tragically, cannot be bothered. I thank them all. I offer special gratitude to Vicki Hufnagel, a pioneering surgeon who offered me hope when many others could or would not. For her efforts to illuminate several dark corners of medicine Dr. Hufnagel has consistently been rewarded with the hostility of the medical establishment, which continues to protect its blind and backward members as assiduously as it did a hundred years ago.
While this book was in its infancy, it nearly suffered the fate of many of Libby Hatch’s victims due to my wide-eyed wandering into a creative quagmire on another coast. For helping me first try to realize a difficult vision and then get back to the business of writing books I