Robert K. Tanenbaum - The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer

$7.99 U.S.

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One hell of a writer.

New York Post

Look for Robert K. Tanenbaums
other chilling true-crime classic

BADGE OF THE ASSASSIN

And dont miss the newest novels in
his bestselling Butch Karp series

TRUE JUSTICE

ENEMY WITHIN

Now available in paperback from Pocket Books

PRAISE FOR
ROBERT K. TANENBAUMS
TRUE-CRIME CLASSICS

Compelling horrific a nightmare voyage through two of the most gruesome murders imaginable and an odyssey through a killers life.

Los Angeles Times

Stinging, intelligent an unusually provocative and satisfying true-crime chronicle.

Kirkus Reviews

Absorbing takes the plunge into the dark terrain of a psychotic killer.

Flora Rheta Schreiber, author of The Shoemaker

Tanenbaum and Greenberg meticulously reconstruct the murders so that they read like fiction. Their book is worth seeking out.

People

Engrossing . A vintage true-crime thriller.

The New York Times

Excellent, tautly written.

Los Angeles Times

The incredible story of a hit squad sent to kill cops. The accounts of the two murder trials in New York and an intervening chase down to a remote farm in Mississippi are almost as suspenseful as the stalking and capture of the killers.

The New York Times Book Review

A thriller of a book!

San Francisco Chronicle

Praise for Robert K. Tanenbaums
Butch Karp thriller

Intelligent dialogue, a well-designed maze of political and moral traps, and the charming and incendiary chemistry between Karp and Ciampi. For those who prefer their legal thrillers with plenty of spice and a high I.Q., Tanenbaum remains an essential addiction.

Publishers Weekly

This is vintage Tanenbaum: each of the deftly drawn characters wrestles with the moral dilemmas raised by the intertwined plots in a believable way, and readers will close True Justices final page satisfied theyve wrestled with those dilemmas a bit themselves.

Booklist

A keenly intelligent book, many cuts above the usual courtroom procedural.

Amazon.com

Deftly handled. Karp and Ciampi are smart, honest, and aggressive.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

Critical Acclaim for the bestselling

Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi are the most interesting pair of characters in the suspense genre today.

Chicago Tribune

[A] richly plotted, tough and funny crime series.

People

Tanenbaum knows how to plot and pace, he writes dialogue that snaps, creates stories that need to be told. What more can you ask from a thriller?

Jonathan Kellerman

Tanenbaum is one lawyer who can write with the best of them.

Joseph Wambaugh

Tanenbaums Butch Karp series is one of the best in todays mystery fiction. If you havent read one yet, now is as good a time as any.

Flint Journal (MI)

Tanenbaums authentic background detail and his likable characters provide irresistible entertainment.

Publishers Weekly

Tanenbaum knows how to thrill.

Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)

Also by Robert K. Tanenbaum

FICTION

Enemy Within

True Justice

Act of Revenge

Reckless Endangerment

Irresistible Impulse

Falsely Accused

Corruption of Blood

Justice Denied

Material Witness

Reversible Error

Immoral Certainty

Depraved Indifference

No Lesser Plea

NONFICTION

The Piano Teacher:
The True Story of a Psychotic Killer

Badge of the Assassin

THE TRUE STORY OF A PSYCHOTIC KILLER

ROBERT K. TANENBAUM
AND PETER S. GREENBERG

POCKET BOOKS
NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY SINGAPORE

The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as unsold and destroyed. Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this stripped book.

Copyright 1987 by Robert K. Tanenbaum

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce
this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue
of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

ISBN: 0-7434-3299-1
eISBN: 978-1-451-60414-6

First Pocket Books printing October 2001

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of
Simon & Schuster Inc.

For information regarding special discounts for bulk
purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales
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Cover design by Tony Greco

Printed in the U.S.A.

For Patti Tanenbaum, who by example
makes us all strive to be the best we can.
And for Uncle Don B., the best detective
in the business.

R.K.T.

For Karen Greenberg, my sister, who gave
me the strength and moral support to finish
this book, and, most important, a woman
who has always encouraged me to be myself.

P.S.G.

The authors acknowledge the zealous and meticulous research efforts of Linda Kent, without whom this book would not have been possible.

I T WAS AN UNSEASONABLY WARM FALL Monday night in New York City. Suzanne Reynolds, an attractive twenty-five-year-old secretary, decided to walk to her regular 5:30 P.M. appointment. There was no need to change. She wouldnt need a sweater or a jacket this evening. Her thin red coat would suffice. At 5:10, she left her cluttered office on Twenty-sixth Street and headed uptown.

Suzanne was a newcomer to the East Side. She had left Florida eighteen months earlier because she craved the action New York City promised. The opportunities were bigger and they seemed better. Also, Suzanne was fascinated with show business. She was a pretty, bubbly, and some would say, a sexy redhead. Reynolds had been told more than once back in Floridaand was now convincedthat she had the looks, the personality, and the stamina to make it. She was going to be an actress.

Soon after she arrived in Manhattan, Suzanne began taking acting and voice lessons. They seemed mandatory, unwritten requirements, and she eagerly signed on. Reynolds possessed at least the first prerequisite for moving north: she had ambition.

Ambition like Suzannes was not easily rewarded at D. L. Blair, the sales promotion company where she worked to pay for her acting lessons. Reliability was. And Suzanne was a very reliable $125-a-week secretary. She helped supervise the other girls and distinguished herself within the company by never talking about her personal life, never having friends visit her at work, and by always keeping her ambitions to herself.