John Cavaness was a doctor in the Little Egypt area of Illinois. He had a fairly busy practice, but still found time to make house calls and was willing to work with people who could not afford expensive medical services. He was pretty well respected and loved in the community for his medical ability and his kindness toward his patients. Unfortunately, he did not have such a stellar reputation for his close friends, family and coworkers. His first wife left him, and his second wife also left him eventually, citing domestic violence. During the course of their marriage, he began abusing alcohol and drugs. He even found himself in legal trouble after crashing into a car that resulted in a death. One of his four sons was found dead in his yard in 1977, and police had some varying theories about how he died. Dr. Cavaness was suspected due to the fact that he made it known that he was displeased with his eldest son and had recently taken out a life insurance police on him. Tragically, another son was also found dead, and police began to heavily suspect their father was responsible. The investigation and subsequent legal proceedings were very interesting to read about.

This book is pretty old, but it holds up. The research into the crimes of Dr. Cavaness was very meticulous and well done. The story was told in an informative and respectful way to the victims. I would like to say that crimes like this are shocking, but, unfortunately, things like this occur with disgusting regularity. Stories like this really make you think about the professionals that you know and what they could be doing or going through behind the scenes. Domestic violence is horrific and so many people go through it behind closed doors. If you are interesting in reading this book, it is currently available to listen to on Audible Plus.