THE DEATH SHIFT

The case of San Antonio nurse Genene Jones, convicted in 1984 of murdering children in her care, and now suspected of having killed as many as 16 infants, made national headlines. A horrifying true-life medical thriller, this report by an editor of Texas Monthly is written in an understated style that adds to its impact. Despite her dismissal from a hospital post, weird medical obsessions, a history of lying and major on-the-job errors, Jones breezed from one nursing job to the next. The case has intriguing elements--a young, ambitious prosecuting D.A.; a naive, supportive close associate of the accused serial killer; a public hospital administration that suspected criminal wrongdoing but failed to notify the police and was later accused of cover-up. Elkind, who spares no one, notes with dismay that Jones could be eligible for parole as early as next year. THE DEATH SHIFT-Peter Elkind