March 30, 1992
In 1987 Diane Pikul, assistant to the publisher of Harper's magazine, was murdered in her Long Island, N.Y., summer house by her husband, Joseph Pikul, a Wall Street analyst with a penchant for cross-dressing. It's a uniquely urban tragedy, told brilliantly by Weller, who covered the trial for Ms. magazine. Diane, originally from Indiana, came to New York City in the '60s, to transform herself into a sophisticate. Managing difficult men was part of the process. When she opted for a wealthy husband she chose Pikul, and their lush lifestyle hooked her to a man she grew to hate. Weller has uncovered an amazing amount of detail. The portrait that emerges is so finely drawn that one can almost hear Diane laughing as she relates to friends the latest indignities she has suffered from her spouse. Shortly before her murder, Diane told friends that her estranged husband might kill her to get custody of their two children. The book shows how cockeyed laws allowed him that privilege while he was free on bail. He died of AIDS in 1989. Don't miss this one. Literary Guild alternate; author tour.
March 15, 1992
In the fall of 1987, New York City was shocked by the brutal beating death of Lisa Steinberg at the hands of her adoptive father. Pushed to the back pages of the city newspapers was another murder case equally shocking, one that had implications for child custody laws. Forty-four-year-old Diane Whitmore Pikul, who had finally decided to divorce her abusive husband, had been strangled and bludgeoned to death by Joseph Pikul, a Wall Street securities analyst who saw murder as the easiest way to retain custody of his two children. Although he had been arrested wearing women's underwear (he later died of AIDS in prison) and although he expressed no remorse in confessing to Diane's murder, Pikul was allowed sole custody while he was free on bail. In this compelling book, journalist Weller, who covered the Pikul case for Ms. magazine, explores Diane's self-destructive youth, her tragic attempt to break away from Pikul, and the child custody and domestic violence issues that arose from her murder. Strongly recommended for all true crime collections. Patrons may also be interested in Rafael Yglesias's fictionalized version, The Murderer Next Door ( LJ 8/90). Literary Guild Alternate Selection.-- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 15, 1992
The murder of Diane Pikul by her wealthy, cross-dressing, drug-addicted, AIDS-infected, abusive husband, Joe, has already fueled several true-crime works and, perhaps more unusually, a novel by Rafael Yglesias ("The Murderer Next Door"). Naturally, Joe's headline-grabbing character traits and weaknesses have also led to intense tabloid interest. Sheila Weller, who covered the case for "Ms." magazine, offers a provocative feminist interpretation of the murder and the legal implications it raised. She focuses on Diane Pikul and the life options that led to her death. Possessing a personality that seemed to drive her to destructive relationships, Diane found the ultimate destroyer in Joe--a heat-seeking missile looking for a target--whose manic temper was detonated by drugs, jealousy, and sexual uncertainty. Weller exposes both the sad inevitability of the crime and the inadequacies of a legal system that failed to protect a battered wife and awarded custody of two young children to an accused killer. By handling the sensationalistic aspects of the case with care and by examining the larger societal issues it raises, Weller may keep herself off best-seller lists, but she takes us well beyond the tabloid mind-set. ((Reviewed Mar. 15, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)